One of the first things that I've learned about Guatemala is the how much it rains here in May/June. It seems to rain almost every afternoon. Sometimes the rain only lasts a few minutes and other times all day. A few weekends ago when we went to Lake Atitlán, Antigua was inundated with runoff from an intense rainstorm--it made Guatemala's national news. If we didn't know it before we sure know about the rainy season now. Nothing changed this weekend on our trip to Semuc Champey, an area of Cobán with naturally created pools and a cave system with hidden waterfalls.
Our trip began Saturday morning as we left Antigua. It took us approximately eight hours to reach our destination, a hostal known as El Portal. The journey in itself to Semuc Champey was an adventure. About 2 hours before arriving at the hostal we were still on the winding roads of the Guatemalan country side dodging rogue bus drivers and ambitious Guatemalans who have a knack for passing at the most inopportune moments. Our relatively smooth car ride ended abruptly when we turned onto this narrow, gravel road that led to the village of Lanquín. It was the longest 11 km I've ever spent in a car. Our driver was constantly weaving from one side of the road to the other to carve out the best path in the loose gravel while adroitly dodging potholes. It was especially entertaining when cargo trucks and vans full of tourists popped out of no where around curves. Many times the distance between our two vehicles was less than four inches as we navigated past each other. Our arrival in Lanquín did not mark the end of our roller coaster ride to Semuc Champey. We simply changed cars from a bus to a pickup truck. All of us had to stand in the back of the pickup truck and hold on to the scaffolding for support. It was one of the best ways to observe the beautiful countryside as our driver careened around corners at high speeds and tried to dodge all of the Guatemalans that happened to also be using the road.
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Clases are over!
I apologize for not getting on here in a while-- there’s a lot to catch you up on.
The first two weeks in Antigua were spent learning Spanish one on one with our professors. Our group was split into two-- one for advanced students and the other for beginner/intermediates. Many of the students in the advanced group have had Spanish experience before.
Our first week of class was spent reviewing rules, practicing grammar, and practicing our conversational skills. I have studied Spanish for many years, both in high school and in college. This is by far the best way that I have found to learn Spanish. I enjoyed having a personal tutor that takes the time to go over my individual mistakes and questions. I have learned so much in these last two weeks because of the way that the program is set up. A typical day for us began around 7:45 with breakfast made by Coni, our “host mother.” Classes began around 8:00 with one on one lessons until 10:00. Our tutors come to us. We then had a short break for “refacciones” or snacks and coffee. The last hour and a half was often dependent upon the activities of the day. Some days were a continuation of morning practice, while others were spent learning how to teach people about diseases.
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| My teacher, Maria, and I at a museum. |
Our first week of class was spent reviewing rules, practicing grammar, and practicing our conversational skills. I have studied Spanish for many years, both in high school and in college. This is by far the best way that I have found to learn Spanish. I enjoyed having a personal tutor that takes the time to go over my individual mistakes and questions. I have learned so much in these last two weeks because of the way that the program is set up. A typical day for us began around 7:45 with breakfast made by Coni, our “host mother.” Classes began around 8:00 with one on one lessons until 10:00. Our tutors come to us. We then had a short break for “refacciones” or snacks and coffee. The last hour and a half was often dependent upon the activities of the day. Some days were a continuation of morning practice, while others were spent learning how to teach people about diseases.
Saturday, May 26, 2012
El último verano
Something that I've heard a lot over the last few months is, "Enjoy this summer... it will be your last." Dr. Brink went as far as saying that it's the last that we will have until we retire. I don't know why it hit me so hard when I read his email, but I quickly realized that whatever I do this summer better count. That's exactly why I'm so happy that I'm now in Guatemala. I'm the first of our crew to arrive here which made the first night a little lonely, but I made it to Antigua this morning.The family that I'm staying with is quite lovely. Lissette, our main contact picked me up from Guatemala City and introduced me to Antigua.She said that Guatemala is known as the land of the eternal spring because something is always in bloom.Its hard to think of something that wouldn't be able to grow here with all of the rain we had today. I was exploring the streets of Antigua when the sky opened up. I returned home drenched and of course I couldn't figure out how to unlock the door.
