Getting settled
Trip Start
Mar 22, 2005
1
7
26
Trip End
Sep 09, 2005
Antigua,
Guatemala
Saturday, April 9, 2005
I watched the sun set (or, more accurately, watched the sky change colors as the sun set since it was really cloudy) last night from a roof-top bar overlooking Antigua. A tranquil setting and great vantage point -- from a couple floors up, you´re looking across the rooftops in Antigua which are mostly shades of brick and red, you can see lots of trees (many that are flowering now) and ruins and churches sticking out above the rooftops. Antigua sits in a valley and volcanos and mountains outline the sky. I shared stories with 6 brits and a Candadian woman who does consulting work helping tackle violence against women and children in developing countries. She lived in Papau New Guinea for 11 years and speaks three of the tribal languages from there plus another 7. There`s definitely no shortage of fascinating people around.
All in all, Antigua could not be a more ideal setting to spend a couple months learning Spanish. Its a comfortable combination of familiar and exotic. Nice restaurants and bars and cafes and laundromats and high speed internet access (all catering to all the students and tourists who pass through here), but you only have to walk across town to the market to feel like you`re deep in Guatemala and the only english-speaking person for miles. In any city (San Francisco included), the markets are one of my favorite places. Here, they are a combination of maya and guatemalan artwork and crafts (enough textiles to probably line a path back to the US), familiar and exotic fruits and vegetables, household items (everything from toothpaste to frying pans), meat and fish (unrefrigerated or dried, both equally upsetting to my senses) and nock-off clothing and pirated dvds a la thailand. One big artisan market caters to tourists and it is well organized, sunny and bright. Much of the food is outside and all the other stuff that you`d find in grocery stores or Target in the US is in a crowded building, shirts and pans and pots and pans hanging from the ceiling and into the narrow aisles. I have to duck to walk around pretty much the entire place since I`d guess I`m at least 5 inches taller (if not more) than your average Guatemalan. I bought a bunch of fruit and avocados (another reason for me to love Antigua -- my favorite food is everywhere and a huge avocado is about 12 cents) and a $1.25 t-shirt.
Speaking of prices, the difference in prices from country to country is really quite astounding. I`m in the most expensive city in Guatemala (for the most part, anyway, there are certainly some super posh zones in the capital that are pricier) and I bought a pair of jeans for 125Q or about $16. (Now, obviously these are not Citizens of Humanity or Paper Denim or whatever, but they´re pretty darn cute totally do the job). My lunch on Friday consisted of a tostada and piece of bread with a generous portion of black beans, salsa and a little of this super salty dry cheese. I bought it from a street vendor. Cost: 6Q or about 80 cents. I`m staying in a very basic apartment for $45 a week (with a shared bath and shared kitchen) and 20 hours a week of one-on-one spanish lessons is around $100 to $125. (If I wanted to though, I could spend $20 or $30 a night on dinner and there`s no shortage of $150+ a night hotel rooms.)
And, oh, about those spanish classes.... they are going well. I`m studying at two schools with two very different teaching methods. The school in the morning is very structured with their own textbooks and own curiculum. They gave me an exam as soon as I got there and I have a lesson book and homework every night. My instructor is fantastic. The afternoon school has little to no structure, but my instructor is really good. She just keeps throwing more and more information at me and so far that`s working. We`ve covered more in one week than an introductory spanish class at home would in a semester. I can`t even guess how many flash cards I`ve made in the last week. I feel like I can understand most of what I hear (especially from the instructors who know how to annunciate) but still don`t have a lot of confidence in my speaking ability. I probably should give myself more credit since I`ve managed to have lenghty conversations with both instructors about everything from women`s rights issues around the world (including in Guatemala) to politics (I managed to explain red states vs blue states in the US) to whether or not someone`s talent dancing indicates if they would be a good lover (no conclusions on that topic). I´m going to look into staying with a family again which should help my speaking.
My friend Anthony is coming to visit in about a week and a half and we`re going to Lake Atilan. Should have lots more photos to share after that.
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