BootsnAll Travel Community

Hi! Ok so I know that this is not a new question, or at least I can't imagine that it is, but I can't find anything on a search so here goes. I fly into Guate on Jan 5 to start my RTW. I'll be spending about 9 months or so in Central and South America, and my spanish right now is very, very rusty and I want to camp out somewhere in Guatemala for a few weeks and bone up. I'm not a huge homestay fan but I'm not opposed, and the location within Guate is not really an issue. I'm pretty open to anything, although I would prefer something not in Antigua, or anywhere else super gringo/touristy (I will not practice there as much as I need to). Thanks for the help!

There is supposed to be a language school in Todos Santos, but I hear not so good things about it. Maybe its changed.

Theres a school people here say is good in San Pedro de la Laguna on Lago atitlan, and certainly, you couldn't pick a calmer or prettier place.

Theres a school near Flores some people say are good, but Flores is definitely a jungle lovers land, and if you don't like hot and sticky every day, I wouldn't recommend it.

Most schools in Guatemala are in Antiqua and Quetzaltenango.
If you want to avoid Antigua, then Quetzaltenango is just the ticket. Its dusty, dirty, all Guatemalan, the people are nice, and you'll get to practice plenty of Spanish because most people in the larger city doesn't speak English.

The schools are also quite good, so you'll have a lot of choices of good schools!

other threads will give more details..

Thanks for the help! I'll look into those and see what I find... the school in San Pedro, is that a place where I could practice a fair amount of spanish or are there tons of gringos ?

If you wander down to the better gringo type restaurants in San Pedro, Spanish is rare. If you talk only to the townspeople, you'll do fine.

Pana, as a rule, is not a place to practice Spanish if you have a weakness to socialise with other english speakers.

Santiago Atitlan, on the other hand, is a pure spanish place more or less, but there are no Spanish schools there. It IS a hard place to live. If you're in a good mood, everyone loves you. If you're in a bad mood, they hate you. Its a bizarre magnifying fishtank. Still, you CAN practice your spanish there.

One strategy that seems to work is to acclimatize by learning Spanish in one place, and USE it while travelling to places where no English is possible.

Quetzaltenango is a place you learn spanish and speak Spanish to the locals. It is, as I said, not nearly so pleasant as San Pedro or Antiqua, so I suppose you have to choose. It is safe, theres no worry about that!

TT, you are wealth of knowledge. I'm leaning towards San Pedro, I have a weakness for pretty lakes (I live in Burlington Vermont now) and my spanish is decent, I just want to bone up so I think once I'm back in it I'll get excited and want to practice. Thanks for all the help!

Lago Atitlan is one of the most beautiful lakes in the world. If you have a weakness for lakes, its the place for you!

You wake up, go to the dock, and get an eyeful of blue green water. Then you peel your eyes around, and you see often, not one, but two massive volcano cones and mountains all around you, placing you in a land touching the water, land, and sky at the same time.