Katie's First Post
Hola!
As you may have noticed this is my first blog entry, the reasons are I am not a prolific writer and I enjoy reading Jon’s writing. This entry focuses on the time I spent taking a Spanish language course in Guatemala.
When planning this trip we realized it was my first trip overseas alone and I found myself looking forward to it. I knew I could do it, I just didn’t know if I would enjoy it as much. During my trip I occasionally missed having Jon around to share the burden of traveling chores, you know, where to eat, where to sleep, arranging modes of transportation, laundry, etc. However, I did not miss Jon when it came to shopping. I did more, and at a very leisurely pace without the guilt of dragging him around. Anyway I had a really good three weeks meeting very interesting people, improving my Spanish, seeing a few sights, and learning a little more about how I travel on my own. I realized being alone I reached out to meet more people and went out at night more often... still not nearly as often as my younger traveler counterparts. My family and school were great and from the stories I heard these did vary in quality. Unlike some families my friends told me about my family encouraged me to speak Spanish, ate with me, and ate the same food as me. Always I felt busy (a good busy) between studying and other activities I worked at not overbooking myself its easy to do.
First big activity was visiting San Pedro on Lake Atitlan with 5 other students on my first weekend and it was logistically very amusing usually its just Jon and I. All 5 of us organized it on our own instead of going with the school to save a little money. Horseback riding was high on my list here and it was gorgeous and the two girls who joined me from our group made it that much more enjoyable. During my second weekend I ventured to Chi-Chi on my own and the three hours of shopping in this market was enough for me. Don’t get me wrong I had a blast but it is huge and extremely over stimulating at times. Needing to take little retreats in shops, where I found that young girls were the most fun to bargain and practice my Spanish with. I was ready for the minivan, sleeping most of the three hour ride back to Antigua. The rest of the van was also curiously very quiet.
After school I participated in many school arranged activities. Including climbing Volcan Pacaya, a bike tour around Antigua, cooking local food, visiting a musical museum, a macadamia nut farm, a coffee plantation, and a weaving village. Everywhere I went the guides spoke in Spanish as we the Spanish students requested. The first week I found the tours in Spanish hurt my brain and at a certain point it just shut down I kept going because I figured it was good for me and it was. By the third week I understood a lot more and found myself enjoying the tours more that was a relief. Also listening to other students stumble with questions in Spanish gave me more confidence to speak up. After three weeks of Spanish immersion I felt that my Spanish had grown and my confidence to speak it had also grown. By the end of my stay I felt that I could at least get my point across. Finally Antigua is an incredibly easy place to make home for three weeks and I look forward to my next travel adventure and further impriving my Spanish.
Adios!
As you may have noticed this is my first blog entry, the reasons are I am not a prolific writer and I enjoy reading Jon’s writing. This entry focuses on the time I spent taking a Spanish language course in Guatemala.
When planning this trip we realized it was my first trip overseas alone and I found myself looking forward to it. I knew I could do it, I just didn’t know if I would enjoy it as much. During my trip I occasionally missed having Jon around to share the burden of traveling chores, you know, where to eat, where to sleep, arranging modes of transportation, laundry, etc. However, I did not miss Jon when it came to shopping. I did more, and at a very leisurely pace without the guilt of dragging him around. Anyway I had a really good three weeks meeting very interesting people, improving my Spanish, seeing a few sights, and learning a little more about how I travel on my own. I realized being alone I reached out to meet more people and went out at night more often... still not nearly as often as my younger traveler counterparts. My family and school were great and from the stories I heard these did vary in quality. Unlike some families my friends told me about my family encouraged me to speak Spanish, ate with me, and ate the same food as me. Always I felt busy (a good busy) between studying and other activities I worked at not overbooking myself its easy to do.
First big activity was visiting San Pedro on Lake Atitlan with 5 other students on my first weekend and it was logistically very amusing usually its just Jon and I. All 5 of us organized it on our own instead of going with the school to save a little money. Horseback riding was high on my list here and it was gorgeous and the two girls who joined me from our group made it that much more enjoyable. During my second weekend I ventured to Chi-Chi on my own and the three hours of shopping in this market was enough for me. Don’t get me wrong I had a blast but it is huge and extremely over stimulating at times. Needing to take little retreats in shops, where I found that young girls were the most fun to bargain and practice my Spanish with. I was ready for the minivan, sleeping most of the three hour ride back to Antigua. The rest of the van was also curiously very quiet.
After school I participated in many school arranged activities. Including climbing Volcan Pacaya, a bike tour around Antigua, cooking local food, visiting a musical museum, a macadamia nut farm, a coffee plantation, and a weaving village. Everywhere I went the guides spoke in Spanish as we the Spanish students requested. The first week I found the tours in Spanish hurt my brain and at a certain point it just shut down I kept going because I figured it was good for me and it was. By the third week I understood a lot more and found myself enjoying the tours more that was a relief. Also listening to other students stumble with questions in Spanish gave me more confidence to speak up. After three weeks of Spanish immersion I felt that my Spanish had grown and my confidence to speak it had also grown. By the end of my stay I felt that I could at least get my point across. Finally Antigua is an incredibly easy place to make home for three weeks and I look forward to my next travel adventure and further impriving my Spanish.
Adios!
posted by Jon & Katie | 10:42 AM
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