Topic: Central America
Learning Spanish in Antigua 
Thirty Years ago I passed through Antigua in Guatemala on my way north, and thought one day I might return. Antigua is the old Guatemalan capital, The capital was moved to Guad City in 1717AD after an earthquake destroyed the city. It is known for its old churches and plethora of Spanish schools. It is probably one of the best places to learn Spanish in the world.
It took a bit longer than I envisaged, but here I am again, enrolled in a Spanish school, and living with a local family. I took me five days to get here on a bus via Oaxaca, and San Christobel in Mexico. Thirty years ago the civil war was winding down and the country side was devoid of people. Soldiers would stop the bus and drag people off. Every body else got searched. If you read the Australian Government travel advice you think things had gotten worse. Don't walk anywhere by yourself, never at night, never carry anything of value, except a couple of Quatzals, in an old wallet, be prepared to be robbed at any time. In reality the place has changed beyond recognition. The countryside is full of people, Antigua has McDonald's, Burger King, and Domino's pizza.
I live in the Casa de Ava, a house on the north side of town with a great view of three Volcanoes that surround Antigua. Some days I can see puffs of smoke and fire, or feel rumbles coming out of the active one on my was to school. At night the town is well lit, and relativity safe apart from the odd explosion of what sounds like gunfire, but is actually firecrackers celebrating someone birthday.
My school the Antiguena Spanish Academy charges around $180USD for 4 hours of one on one Spanish lessons 5 days a week, with full board with 3 meals six days a week. My Spanish host family have been boarding gringos for twenty six years. There are up to five of us here along with Ava, Ceaser, and there three adult children. We also have another relative, who studying in town and the and the odd friend staying over. The house is also a commercial laundry, $2 a kilo and your washing returns clean, ironed and tied up in neat little bundles.
Ava is a magnificent host, she feeds us, and her family three times a day around a noisy big table covered in food. The menu constantly changes, eggs, pancakes, and toast in the morning. Soup and Salads, for lunch, Casseroles , Squash, silverbeat and more for dinner. Every meal comes with the obligatory. Guatemalan coffee, beans and rice. There is always lots of lively banter around the table in broken Spanish. In the house we are a UN of nationalities, Chinese, Australian , Canadian, Japanese, American, and English. My house mates are mainly in there twenty s, and studying at the same school. At night we often go to a bar for some music/trivia/banter, quite often in the afternoon we head for a coffee or to do a bit of haggling at the market. My friend Selena is keeping the Guatemalan market economy going just by herself. The city is fairly small, and after a while you seem to know most of the other students in town. My hose mate Jessie currently has a war running with Ava. The spend all day plotting surprise attacks, and covering each other with pica pica, which is a fine glitter used for celebrations. Check out the video here and you will get the idea.
My day starts at seven when I get up for breakfast, we meet around the breakfast table and consume café trying to wake up. About twenty to eight I'm generally at the front door shouting “Rapido Rapido Chicka's” where late at the girls, while Jessie who studies in the afternoon returns to bed. Most people attend school in the morning for 4 hours, some do more but most find 4 enough. It takes about 15 minutes to walk to school and we chat with other random students we meet on the way. This is often in English but not everyone speaks English so it is quite often in Spanish, and more often Spanglish.
I take my lessons at a table in a huge quite garden seated opposite my “maestro” Chenni. Some times it's conjugating the dreaded Spanish verbs, but more often than not we just talk about anything that comes to mind. 4 hours a day over a week covers a lot of topics. I am lucky as I already know some Spanish. My friend Emma rocked up straight from London in the middle of the night with absolutely no Spanish to be, greeted by a table full of people early the next morning babbling away. She looked a bit shocked, and had to spend the next couple of days learning words, a week later she has the basics and is doing well. It was hard work though, combined with much of the scourge of students “tareas” (homework). Most students get some tearea every day, be it, learning some new words/conjugations, reading a story, or translating a short passage into Spanish. My teacher is very good. She is a lady about my age and has been teaching for about thirty years. Most people change teachers every couple of weeks, but I haven't. At ten we take a break, and I generally wander out to one of the food stalls, with a coffee. Nachos, rolls, tortillas its all fresh and good. Lash out the most expensive thing is about a buck. I chat with the other students who rang in age's from 18 to 80, before heading back for another one and a half hours. Then the school stuff is finished for the day. We wander back for lunch at the “casa”, sometimes diverting for a coffee.
At one Ava serves lunch which could be anything but to quote the Hilltop hoods “its all good”. The school does an excursion most days at two, these are a great way to meet some new people and check out the town. Some days it is a walk checking out hidden treasures in the old town, or simply a walk up to the big cross that looks out over town. Other times it's to the market, and on to the chicken buses, an adventure in it's self. We see nut farms, convents with great views, chocolate factory's (My Favourite), and locally artisan produced fruit wine. (Tasted like it was produced on death row). Afterwards we take in a coffee or wander around the market. This is generally followed by a beer at the Sunshine Grill and Pizza with Jesse who has just finished his afternoon lessons. Dinner at seven, followed by more tareas on a quite night, or in to town for a band or trivia at the Irish pub. The days are long but there is no shortage of things to keep yourself amused.
Week ends are time off, people head to the lake, climb the volcanoes, have parties, or just chill out. The bagel barn shows a free English movie each night. People from the capital drive up to go clubbing at the one noisy local night spot. There is plenty of places to drink and dance. We often go to house next door is known as the “terrace”. It hosts a continuously revolving bunch of gringos. The locals at street level sell the cheapest beer in town, the next level is the front door/ living area, and on the roof is a large garden with a nice view of town and the volcanoes. Every one is welcome and they party just about every night, week ends are no exception. Funnily enough the locals call them “Los Terroristas”.
Sadly it,s time to go, I have to go meet Mick in Mexico City, to continue our journey. As a parting gift the fire volcano has a major eruption on my last day, and for the first time in sixteen years showers the city with ash. It's like gritty snow falling from the sky covering everything. It gets up your nose, fills your lungs, hurts your eyes, and makes a clean shirt filthy in 30 seconds. I can take a hint. Thanks Antigua, I will miss you.
More Photos here
