Spanish-speaking immersion in Guatemala | The Press

(Antigua) It’s nice, under the January sun. The students, comfortably seated in class or in the garden, review tables of verbs, discuss their day, and fill out an exercise book. They have a tea or coffee in their hand, a smile on their lips. They are here to discover a language, a country, a culture. It is a place where travel marries learning.

Antigua is a small pedestrian city of 60,000 inhabitants located less than an hour from the capital, Guatemala Ciudad. It is also a center where several language schools are located, a gathering point for travelers wishing to experience Spanish-speaking immersion.

Artisan traders mingle with buildings whose architecture bears witness to a colonial past. Here, a woman sells fruit bowls. There, a man offers tourists to take their photo in front of the fountain in the central square.

Even though we are elsewhere, here I have the feeling of being at home. Every day, I have my own little routine with the dozens of students from all walks of life who come through the door of Maximo Nivel.

“Latin America may have a reputation for being dangerous and violent, but Guatemala promotes a marketing image as a ‘country to learn Spanish,’” says Hector Navarro, president and CEO of Maximo Nivel.

Cultural exchange

When we arrive on Monday morning, a placement test allows us to be divided into groups corresponding to our level. Nine tiers have been established to ensure that everyone, whether completely beginner, intermediate or near-fluent, feels welcome.

The program is customizable. The school offers group classes – attended by half a dozen students – of up to four hours per day, as well as individual sessions of up to two hours daily. Depending on the option chosen, the rate per week varies from US$70 to US$225. As soon as the stay exceeds one month, discounts are applied to additional weeks.

The atmosphere in class is pleasant. Teaching is done through conversations. “What are you planning to do this weekend, Vincent?” Hiking up a mountain? Well, going up would be undergo, in Spanish. We will see the agreements on the board. »

The next day, we review the different past tense agreements in the exercise book. The beauty of it is that we are invested, motivated. We do not consider the tasks assigned for the next day as chores, even if we are on vacation.

Visitors, 80% of whom are North Americans, stay for a little over three weeks and are accommodated with a host family to experience a more intensive immersion, but it is also possible to stay in youth hostels or small hotels. “We receive 5,500 people each year between our three countries [Guatemala, Costa Rica et Pérou] », specifies Mr. Navarro.

Enjoy the country

When the lessons were over, I greeted my colleagues and tutors wishing them good luck for the future. I only spent a week there and I already see progress, a more in-depth understanding of the chords that I mastered less well. With a few more weeks, I might have dared to claim to be trilingual.

Mission: discover what Guatemala has to offer. There is no shortage of options. Depending on desires and available time, it is possible to visit the country’s main attractions in two to three weeks.

Less than an hour from Antigua, thrill-seekers will be treated to the ascent of the Acatenango volcano. The two-day hike includes a night at base camp on the volcano, a climb to the summit at 3976 meters and the opportunity to observe real lava eruptions during the night – from a calculated and safe distance, of course.

A few hours to the west is Lake Atitlán. A versatile destination, the lake is bordered by several villages, each with their own identity. Panajachel is a good gateway to the lake, San Pedro is great for backpackers and nightlife, San Marcos, for yoga retreats and slightly more hippie interests, San Juan, for ecotourism, Santiago, to meet people of Mayan culture.

To travel between villages, water taxis run all day and offer passes for the equivalent of only $5 CAN.

Other popular attractions include the Semuc Champey Nature Reserve and Tikal, an archaeological site housing the remains of the ancient Mayan capital. The country is also a beautiful gateway to southern Mexico or Belize, where many choose to continue their journey.