Spanish Language Immersion Program

   A group of United Methodists from the North Carolina Conference will travel to Quetzaltenango, Guatemala on November 8, 2008 with the primary purpose of studying Spanish for two weeks at the Sakribal Spanish Language school. Secondary purposes of the trip will be to learn about Guatemala, to experience the Guatemalan culture, and to grow together as a small Christian community. This trip will not be the normal UMVIM workteam. It will be much less group oriented. Participants will make their own travel arrangements, travel separately, be housed separately, eat separately, and take language lessons separately. Afternoon school activities, daily worship activities, and the weekend excursion will be as a group. Expect a lot of walking.

  There will be no pre-trip orientation meeting. Normal team orientation information will be provided by email or by US mail. There will be a short orientation program provided to the group upon arrival in Guatemala City. Additional orientation will be provided by leaders of the Sakribal school. Both before and during the trip the team leader will be in frequent contact with group members to help with any problems or concerns.

  Each team member will make his/her own airline reservations, planning to arrive at the La Aurora airport (GUA) in Guatemala City on Saturday, November 8. Departure should be planned for Sunday, November 23 in the late morning or early afternoon. American, Delta, US Airways, and Continental each provide service to Guatemala City.

  It is expected that team members will arrive individually or in small groups. Each will be met at the airport and be driven to the nearby overnight accomodations where the group will spend the first night. The group will make the 4 hour bus trip to Quetzaltenango on Sunday morning. Group members will be housed with Guatemalan families in Quetzaltenango. Team members will be housed individually. Spouses can make arrangements to room together through the team leader. Each team member will have a secure private room with access to a bathroom and a hot shower. These homes will be within walking distance of the school. Accomodations will not be luxurious, but will be safe and clean. The families are experienced at housing students, at making them feel at home, and at helping them to learn Spanish. Families will provide three meals each day and can accomodate special dietary needs with prior notification.

  The first Sunday of the trip will be spent getting to know each other, traveling by 1st class bus to Quetzaltengo, having a short orientation program, meeting our new families, and relaxing. Breakfast will be provided at the Guatamala City guesthouse, lunch will be in Quetzaltenango as a group, and dinner will be with our new families.

  Spanish classes will start Monday morning. From Monday through Friday Spanish will be taught at the school from 8am to 1pm. Each student will have a teacher and will recieve very intense individual language instruction. Instruction will be designed to meet the particular student's needs and learning style. It will include conversation, grammar, reading, and vocabulary practice.

  There will be a group activity every afternooon. These activities will be designed to help students use the new language skills they have acquired and to introduce them to different aspects of the Guatemalan culture. They will include such things as learning to make tortillas, visiting a coffee farm, studying mayan music, riding the chicken bus, visiting a mayan village, and working at an established social project. Time will be available for exploring Quetzaltenango, relaxing in the central park, joining other students in school activities, and for studying. Evenings will be devoted to relaxation, study, and time with the host family.

  We will have a team devotion and meeting every day. The time and place will be dependent upon school and family activities. We will meet for 1/2 to 1 hour to discuss the day's events, to answer any concerns or problems, and to keep everyone informed of upcoming activities and events. Each team member will be expected to lead a short devotion at each of these meetings.

  A weekend group activity is included in this trip. We will travel to Chichicastenango to visit Central America's largest market. We will spend the Saturday before our departure in Antigua, staying in a hotel and exploring the city.

  Group members who want to extend their stay in Guatemala to visit other places or to study for additional weeks can do so. Just understand that you will have to make your own living and transportation arrangements. Expect additional weeks of lessons and homestay to cost about $150 per week. Visits to places like Copan and Tikal are easy to arrange after you are in Guatemala. The team leader will be happy to help you make any of these arrangements.

  Departure from Guatemala will be much like arrival. Group members will be transported from Antigua individually or in small groups in order to meet scheduled flights.