So, the story of Antigua so far... in between the hot sunshine (mornings) and cool rain (afternoons & evenings), we’re managing to get going on becoming Spanish linguists now. Well, almost. Classes (and homework) have commenced anyway, and we’ve been doing our best at having conversations with Olgy, the mother of the family we’re staying with.
One-to-one tuition should hopefully mean that we get to a decent level of Spanish speaking anyway. We’ve got two weeks of lessons booked, and the first one consisted not only of grammar but also discussions on a scary variety of subjects, including comparing volunteering in the UK / Guatemala and the two countries' national health services! It’s hard work that's for sure – no time for gazing out of the window at the local volcanoes or wondering what we’ll be getting fed for lunch! Speaking of which, the food so far has gone down well... Olgy serves up a great chicken and rice stew, washed down with mugs of hot coffee.
In between learning, eating and dodging the afternoon rain, we've been checking out the various highlights around the town. This has included trying to memorise a schedule of the various establishments' happy hours (vital for conserving those quetzals) and wandering around the local market (which seems to be a cross between the tardis and the world's most confusing maze... at one point there were serious doubts over whether we'd ever see the outside world again).
One-to-one tuition should hopefully mean that we get to a decent level of Spanish speaking anyway. We’ve got two weeks of lessons booked, and the first one consisted not only of grammar but also discussions on a scary variety of subjects, including comparing volunteering in the UK / Guatemala and the two countries' national health services! It’s hard work that's for sure – no time for gazing out of the window at the local volcanoes or wondering what we’ll be getting fed for lunch! Speaking of which, the food so far has gone down well... Olgy serves up a great chicken and rice stew, washed down with mugs of hot coffee.
In between learning, eating and dodging the afternoon rain, we've been checking out the various highlights around the town. This has included trying to memorise a schedule of the various establishments' happy hours (vital for conserving those quetzals) and wandering around the local market (which seems to be a cross between the tardis and the world's most confusing maze... at one point there were serious doubts over whether we'd ever see the outside world again).
Hastua luego! Claire
