Taking a break from Spanish Classes

I had said it before, La Antigua Guatemala is tiny town —barely a 10×10 block grid— yet it manages to host well over 65 Spanish-language schools. As a matter of fact, Guatemala is a popular destination for those willing to learn Spanish, even though Guatemala’s Spanish is an old flavor and many words are only available here. On top of that, I could say La Antigua Guatemala is not the best place to learn Spanish. How’s so, didn’t you just say there are well over 65 Spanish-language schools? Well, I guess I did, but I also forgot to mention that almost everybody speaks English here and so this is not the ideal place to take classes because shortly after that you go meet your friends or a total stranger to converse in English. Xela or Quetzaltenango is a better place. But, be careful you might stay longer than you expect.

3 Responses to "Taking a break from Spanish Classes"

Lessie says:
March 13, 2007 at 12:09 pm
Xela or Quetzaltenango — will remember that, Rudy, if I ever spare the money to take such a learning vacation. 🙂 From your link I clicked on another link — to reach an article with the following quotes:
Some protesters identified themselves as widows and orphans of the 30-year armed conflict that pitted the US-backed military against reformers, clergy, native Americans, and armed leftist guerrillas, resulting in the deaths and disappearances of thousands of Guatemalans – especially native Americans.
Referring to the burning of the US banner, “This is for our emigrant Guatemalan sisters and brothers who are being persecuted and treated like criminals in that country,” said Humberto Caal González, one of the principal organizers of the Cobán protest rally who echoed sentiments expressed by protesters in the capital.
Do you mind if I rant a bit? 🙂
My heart goes out to the immigrants and strangers in my land so far from home. Our communities are quite separate though, and I’m pretty shy. There’s very little contact between us. My dog Maggie is a bit of an ambassador however. Twice from a group of Spanish-speaking adults one or two children have sprinted out to look at her and pet her. Once their English was accented and broken; once it was as natural-sounding to me as my own. The mission for the U.S. in the next century, in my opinion, is to integrate our new residents into our communities — welcoming them into our churches, sports activities, community celebrations, and the like. A welcoming spirit will support and guide the new residents as they rejuvenate and reinvent the U.S. Without such welcome, immigrants will still reinvent the U.S., but U.S. society will only take successive steps backward in regard to tolerance, peace, harmony, and freedom.
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LD says:
March 14, 2007 at 12:20 pm
Thanks for remembering me, Rudy. Yes, the country does have a certain magic. And the Mayans have cleansed the place, post-Bush, to try and keep that magic 🙂
Also somewhere in the world, the former Canadian Ambassador to Guatemala’s dog is running around– a reminder of the impression my city makes on people. Her name: Xela.
People, don’t get too scared off by the government travel sites telling you how dangerous Guatemala is. Many people travel there (and safely). You just have to be more careful.
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Rudy says:
March 25, 2007 at 10:12 pm
Lessie, you are free to rant all you want. I am glad you follow the link and found some interesting quotes. Sometimes I wonder if people actually do visit the links I present here.
LD, you are gone but not forgotten. I did know about the Xela dog.
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Taking a break from Spanish Classes

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