*Originally posted on apanueloworld.com regarding a trip taken in 2011.
In the summer of 2011, between my junior and senior years of undergrad, I spent a month in Antigua, Guatemala studying Spanish. I went with my sister, friend, cousin, and cousin’s friend (who became my friend by the end). We did 6 hours a day, 5 days a week of 1-on-1 Spanish lessons. We went to a little school called ‘La Enseñanza’ that a lot of Mennonites tend to go to. It was incredibly influential in how far Spanish has taken me now, especially since I now use Spanish every day at work. (This school has started offering zoom classes since COVID, so if you’re interested, DM me.)
But aside from the hours of study, we had weekly field trips and weekend adventures. If you ever go, I recommend hiking volcanoes and the lake area of ‘Lago de Atitlan’.
In sweeping terms, Guatemala is a beautiful place, teaming with natural beauty, colorful homes, and crumbling ruins. I highly recommend going in the summer. It’s not too hot (like South East Asia) and all the flowers are in bloom.
Like many ‘developing nations’ Guatemala is a place with a story. Native people walk among ruins left by their conquerors, to sell hand made items to travelers from around the world. The juxtaposition is startling at times. My advice: observe. It’s not a place you can figure out before you go. Just watch. It’s interesting!
To end, I will share one picture of my sister and I, as the babies we were on this trip. And, I will say, if you want to see the breadth of a Spanish city, sit in the ‘parque central’ (central park) for a few hours. Picnic. Talk to the people that talk to you. The whole world will walk by eventually. It quickly became our favorite thing to do.
Guatemala was the place I first experienced nutella crepes, started sorting out my tu and usted forms in Spanish, and rode ‘chicken buses’ to remote towns during Corpus Christi. Remembering it all reminds me why travel is so rewarding. It truly is a gift. We aren’t entitled to it, so I think we should be grateful for it. IMO.
Trips by Camille 