Travel Guide

If you come to Guatemala to learn spanish it is likely that your school will offer you the opportunity to stay with a host Guatemalan family. This can be an excellent, though challenging introduction to life in Guatemala.

The advantages of living with a host family is that you have guaranteed spanish practice each meal time (breakfast, lunch and dinner). It is also a reality check - providing contact with the domestic lives of Guatemalans that can be otherwise difficult to find (particularly if you are living in the Gringo theme park that is Antigua).

Furthermore, the food you eat in a host family environment is probably going to provide a better insight into Guatemalan culture than you would get from food you cook yourself or order out. And if you are lucky (as I was - Carolina, the mater familias of my host family, is an excellent cook) the food will be damn tasty too (not everyone is this fortunate though, some folks are stuck with pretty moderate fare).

It is worth noting that most language students in Antigua are young adults who often have a taste for promiscuity and hedonism that may be in conflict with the values of their host family. As long as both parties behave respectfully towards each other (ie dont bring late night guests back to your room) this should not be a problem. But don´t expect the same freedoms as if you were renting a room in a hotel or apartment.

I found that living with a host family for two weeks was fun, an excellent introduction to Guatemala and at about 560Q (55 Euro or about $70) a week for bed and board was good value too. I would therefore recommend it. It is true that it is a bit scary having to speak spanish when you have only a handful of words at your command. But then safety is the enemy of learning!