Country Article / Postcards
The Best City to Learn a Second Language
Date: 08/16/2004August 16, 2004
udents of all ages and nationalities come to Antigua, Guatemala's second-largest city, to study Spanish. Its schools are renowned for being among the most affordable and most reputable in the region. Classes average $100 per week for four hours of one-on-one instruction. (Ask about your instructor's certifications and the years of experience.)
Students often opt to stay with families, where three meals are included with the accommodation for less than $10 a day. If you're going it alone, single rooms are as little as $5 a night, while double rooms with private bath are available for $10 to $12, and three-star accommodation can be had for $35 to $50. Apartments, too, are affordable, starting as low as $250 per month.
Just 45 minutes from Guatemala City, Antigua is the gateway to many of Guatemala's most popular destinations. You can climb the surrounding volcanoes (Pacaya, Fuego, and Acatenango), visit the coastal beach town of Monterico (four hours/$30 one way), or relax in Panajachel, one of the pueblocitos that surrounds Lake Atitlan (two hours/$15 one way). For longer excursions, visit the Mayan ruins of Tikal, a short flight away, or take a coach bus to Copan, Honduras (seven hours/$45 one way).
The popular market at Chichicastenango is worth visiting on Saturdays when droves of artesanos from surrounding communities come to sell their indigenous crafts. Antigua's own daily municipal and artisan markets are frequented by locals and visitors alike, who bargain for everything from toiletries and groceries to tapestries and handicrafts.
Opportunities for studying, traveling, and living in this colonial city abound. Whatever path you take, you'll be saying "me gusta Guatemala" in no time.
Maureen O'Driscoll
For International Living
P.S. Today's roundtrip airfare to Guatemala City from New York is $348 (with TACA).