Spanish Immersion in Guatemala - EcoEscuela, San Andres, Peten, Guatemala

If you live on the Costa Maya and don't already speak Spanish , before long you start wishing you spoke the language better.  When you speak English most of the day to other Gringos or to other Mexicans who speak Spanish, it is difficult to learn.  Before long, you've been in Mexico 6 years (in my case) and your Spanish is not all that great.  I've reached the point that I'm frustrated that I can't speak better.  So I decided to take a Spanish immersion class.  After looking all over, I found that there are programs everywhere, including Chetumal. I knew that if I took something in Chetumal, I would not be concentrating on Spanish, but trying to run my business. 
 So I opted for Something that was close - within a day's drive, rural and something that would force me not to hear English. After researching the web, I found EcoEscuela to fit the bill.  We were able to drive there in about 10 hours from Mahahual, even stopping for lunch along the border. Buses are also available out of Chetumal to the town of Flores, the Tikal tourist town on an island in the middle of lake Flores. Next time, I'll just take the bus, since it seems to be easier than taking a car across the border and the return trip from Guatemala was only $170 Quetzales - the equivalent of $22 USD.   I don't know the price in Pesos from Chetumal.

 If you are not familiar Guatemala, EcoEscuela is located in the  town of San Andres in northern area of Guatemala, or the Peten and across the lake from Flores. The Peten is where the Mayan Ruins of Tikal are located, and one of the largest jungle reserves in all of Central America. Coincidentally, lake Flores is one of the most beautiful lakes I've seen, rivaling Bacalar.
 
First view of San Andres, Peten, Guatemala
 The reason I chose EcoEscuela over other Spanish immersion programs was:
  • Proximity (#1)
  • One-on-one classes with options of 4-8 hours of class per day
  • Very Inexpensive ($150 per week includes room and board and 5 days of classes)
  • The town is situated on a beautiful lake
  • The program includes daily activities such as volunteer work in the school, meeting with locals, visit to farms and nature preserves, cooking classes, learning how to make Mayan herbal remedies, etc.
  • Living with a local family.
  • Great activities in the area, such as visiting the ruins of Tikal. 
 
Neighbor hood kids coming to visit a family of another student
 Here is my review of the immersion program at EcoEscuela:
  • The one on one teaching is very good, although it took a couple of days for the teacher to figure out where I stood.  The website said that they would test me when I arrived, but apparently it is a verbal test.  Had I stayed a week, I might have felt cheated by loosing a couple of days to testing.  I stayed two weeks, which wasn't quite long enough. 
  • The extra activities were great, but I'm not sure that they helped my Spanish.  Still, I liked most of them, especially making herbal remedies with the woman of San Jose (picture at right). 
  • The little town was very safe and incredibly friendly.  A large portion of the town makes some amount of money from the school, which in some form or another provides employment for 35-50 families. A larger portion of the town has to leave Guatemala to work in the US - Sad.
  •  I came away learning quite a bit about grammar, enough that I understand far more than I did before I left - especially when reading.  My speaking is slower because I know all the things that I was doing wrong.  The benefit?  My staff is now correcting me more as they see me searching to say things correctly. 
 
Making Alo Vera Soap with Iris - part of a woman's cooperative of 35 women who make items with local herbs and plants. I also learned how to make Chaca soap (antidote for Chechen and other itchy things).  When I take another coarse, I will split the days with Iris and the school. For $350 Quetzales (exchange rate of 8x1) you can spend a week learning Mayan Remedies.  Or  for $700 Q get room and board at one of the women from the school and spend the time learning to make Mayan Remedies.  She only speaks Spanish as do all of the activities in the town. You will already need to have an understanding of Spanish for this program. 
  •  The home stay with Families was a mixed bag for me.  The first family was not very clean so I asked to be changed and was accommodated without comment.  The second family was a delight  and helped coach my Spanish.  It made a world of difference to my perception of my stay. I talked to other students and all of them loved their families, so I think my first family was unique.
  • Beds at both homes were relatively comfortable, but I was not accustomed to some of the noises.  Most notably the sound of roosters crowing outside your window and Masa grinding machines starting up at 4:00 in the morning.  Luckily the time difference was an hour, so it was really only 5:00.
  • I could have used better light for studying - I was busy in the extra activities and running into Santa Elena (the largest town in the area) that I didn't really study in the day. 
RECOMMENDATIONS IF GOING:
I wish they had given me a list of things that make it more comfortable.  The program is geared mostly to students and backpackers, not to 50-somethings. 
 
Courtyard of the second family I stayed at.  We nightly stayed outside and visited and then at 8:00 went into watch the Soap Opera "Manana es Siempre" or something like that!
  • Make it clear in advance your level of Spanish and insist on a clean family.  
  •  Bring a pillow- I woke up with a headache many mornings missing my memory pillow.
  • Bring a flashlight - there were several times with no power, or in the middle of the night I didn't know where to find light switches or didn't want to bother the family turning on the lights. 
  • Hand sanitizer is a must - almost every day there was a time where for a few hours there was no soap.  The second family always had water to pour over your hands, the first unclean one had neither water or soap. 
  • If you want better light, bring a battery lantern.  I had a little Barbie light to read by.  It wasn't sufficient for studying. I did do some reading by flashlight.
  • Surprisingly - all the toilets had seats.  This was a very different experience than in Mexico.  BUT toilet paper was scarce in every public space.  The good news was that bathrooms were free and cleaner than they are in Mexico.  
  • For sure take a day and visit Tikal.  There are buses going there.  The school is very good at helping you get around if you don't have a car. 
  • Visit the market in Santa Elena - market days are Tuesdays, Fridays and weekends. The Internet is fast there (slow in San Andres where the school is) and there are several ATMs.

 Tikal is 90 km  away on a good road.  The site is huge, so allow a full day.  We didn't arrive until noon and at 6:00 PM had not seen everything we wanted to. shopping for Guatemalan items is best done in Tikal.  The market in  Santa Elena has some Guatemalan fabrics you can purchase by the yard. 
 

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Posted by Marcia Bales at 7/16/2009 5:21 PM
Categories: Living in Mexico,Spanish language
Tags: Guatemala Spanish
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  • 7/17/2009 11:34 AM Bridget Montalvo wrote:
    Wow, what an experience! and really a great way to truly learn any language. You can go to school & memorize the words, but you have to hear & speak it 24/7 to really learn how to properly have a conversation. My husband always says the best way to learn a language is to just live it & speak it. That is how he learned Spanish because growing up in NYC,his grandparents did not speak English, so he had no choice but to learn Spanish. And it worked.

    Marcia, you are a wonderful writer & story teller. I can actually visualize everything you experienced in Guatemala. I can understand why you want to return!
    Thank you for sharing your EcoEscuela experience with us.
    Reply to this
  • 7/17/2009 2:12 PM Tricia Nelson wrote:
    Very insightful article, Marcia! Lots of good info for the next traveler. Hope it's me in a couple of years doing the same! Glad you got to do it.
    Reply to this
  • 7/18/2009 12:26 PM Mike Weilenmann wrote:
    Marcia,
    Thank you for your monthly newsletter. We anxiously await your informative and well written stories. They make us want to spend more time in Mexico.
    Best wishes to you and Kim. Pam and Mike
    Reply to this
  • 12/10/2009 9:11 PM John Heaton wrote:
    I have lived in San Andres for 15 years. A reasonable article for a two week stay. I don't agree with a lot that was said. The name of the Lake is Lake Peten Itza and not Lake Flores.
    Reply to this
  • 2/25/2010 8:27 PM Sara Thomas wrote:
    It sounds like a place where anyone could benefit from studying/living there, no matter his/her level of Spanish. I also enjoyed the remedy that Marcia brought back from there for mosquitoes...
    Reply to this
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