Monday, March 08, 2010

March 8 - Antugua - School and Homestay




I studied Spanish weekday mornings for four weeks, three in Antigua. The school I chose is call Tecun Uman, a busy place.


My homestay was a in house built only two years ago, and the My family took their hosting job very seriously, carrying on conversations with me at each meal, which may not have been easy at times.


Brian, a pilot from Atlanta Georgia, was the other person in the house during the first week of my stay, after that I was the only house guest.


So far, for no one knows when the next earthquake will happen, Antigua has been destroyed by earthquakes three times, in 1717, 1773 and again in 1917. Once the greatest city in Latin America it is now a beautiful, tranquil and spotlessly clean place that has carved a niche for itself by providing language teaching and cultural exposure to tourist from around the world.


Although the school provided language classes in both the morning and afternoon, most students studied only in the morning and explored Antigua and the surrounding area in the afternoon. The school organized activities for the afternoon, and I participated in a few.


Jade of many colours is mined in the area, and there is a jade museum that was part of a walk around the city tour I took my first day of classes. An Australian woman and I were the only students and our guide was Claudia, a very attractive young woman who recently married an American who she met when he was studying at the school


(photo is of my homestay)


The next tour I went on was so crowded that we needed two mini buses. The trip took us to a Macadamia orchard. Macadamia nuts grow in Australia, Hawaii and Guatemala.


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