This portion of my trip has been completely different from the rest of my journey, mainly because my focus has been on learning Spanish. I’ve always been mystified by foreign languages and admired people with the ability to converse in them. So, I signed up for an immersion program for my first three weeks here and will be building on this foundation as I travel to various Spanish-speaking countries for the remainder of my journey.

Antigua, Guatemala

I chose to study in Antigua for a variety of reasons, including its reputation for providing excellent Spanish language classes. In addition, the climate is perfect: 70s and sunny most days. Antigua also has an interesting history. I loved calling this city “home” for the past three weeks. In fact, this is the first city from my travels to which I could imagine relocating. 

The entire city is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It’s the perfect size to wander around without an itinerary to discover its hidden gems. The facades of the buildings are painted in pretty pastel colors, featuring squat historic structures with four-foot thick walls for earthquake protection. Dozens of churches dot Antigua’s landscape, including many in ruins that add to the city’s mysterious charm.

The cobbled streets are lovely and keep traffic going at a slow pace.

In addition, Antigua is set in a dramatic landscape, tucked in a valley surrounded by three volcanoes. Beautiful parks and courtyards are the norm throughout the city. Guatemala has many ceiba trees, which were the inspiration for the Tree of Life in Avatar, as well as an abundance of bougainvillea and other flowering plants.

Historical

Antigua was the center of imperial power for Spain in Central America. The natives didn’t have gold, to the conquistadors’ disappointment, but instead valued their plentiful jade supplies. Guatemala was also well-known for its chocolate (cacao).

Fun fact: The currency in Guatemala is the quetzal because, historically, Mayans often bartered with the feathers of this beautiful bird.

Today, it’s not uncommon to see Mayan girls and women walking around town in their traditional, vibrantly-colored clothing. Mayan traditions continue to both infiltrate Catholic theology and/or exist alongside it, depending on the church/region.

Field trips/cultural experiences

My school offered afternoon cultural excursions to various sites in the near vicinity, such as coffee plantations, Mayan villages and artisanal chocolate factories. We would typically take “chicken buses,” which are individually owned city buses painted in bright colors with customized decorations. All of the tours were in Spanish, so it was a great way to build on my language skills.

Inspiring Spaces

I don’t usually post pictures of cafes and restaurants, but Antigua’s are oozing with ambiance and I spent a lot of my time studying in these spaces.

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For a true indulgence, I spent an afternoon at Blu, a beautiful complex with a pool, hot tub, and outdoor cafes/wine bars. I bought a day pass and enjoyed the gorgeous weather on a chaise-lounge while drinking a beer and doing my homework.

Semana Santa

Antigua is famous for its Lent traditions. In fact, its Holy Week (Semana Santa) processions are the biggest in the world! On Sundays, you can walk through the courtyard that stores several Semana Santa floats and watch the locals put fresh coats of paint on them in anticipation of Holy Week. I was also lucky enough to be able to see some of the decorations in the churches as well as witness one procession.

Weekend excursions

Earth Lodge is a gorgeous property perched on a hill, with views of the valley and the volcanoes. There are several hammocks on the premises, and a great restaurant. They have a small hiking trail, yoga classes and live bands on the weekends.

I also spent one weekend climbing Acatenango Volcano. Unfortunately, the weather was foggy and at times rainy, meaning we couldn’t hike the first day from base camp to the volcano lookout or closer to Fuego, an active volcano. So, we congregated around campfires while drinking hot chocolate.

It was amazing to hear the volcano erupt every 10 minutes or so – it sounded like a plane going by. We could see the smoke when visibility was good, but we couldn’t see the lava in the daylight.

When the skies cleared later that evening, I could finally see the lava, and it was amazing to watch Fuego erupt! This was definitely a bucket list experience.

The trek to the sunrise lookout began at 4:30 a.m. the next morning. It was a steep incline. But the views of the city lights below the volcano, as well as the sunrise, were stunning!

Progress

I’ve made a lot of progress with my Spanish. When I arrived, I was interspersing French in my dialogue in the rare instances that I tried to speak. I instantly froze when someone would speak to me, almost like my brain was short-circuiting. Four hours of individual Spanish classes plus homework left me mentally exhausted each day. But, it’s been exciting to gain the ability to talk to Guatemalans and to gradually understand more conversations. I’m still making lots of mistakes and only speaking very basic Spanish. Even so, at times it feels kind of like magic! And I’m excited to continue developing my skills as I travel throughout Latin America over the next couple of months.