Learning Spanish and Volunteering

Flor del Maiz Spanish School
in San Pedro

a great way to study spanish and experience traditional and local way of life

The school has been highly recommended by my brother. So I did not have any second-thoughts when booking my spot for the school. The homestay was included in the rate, which made it a lot easier. I did not have to search for a hotel anymore, plus I was able to experience local family life and practice my spanish pretty much 24/7. Looking back, I can totally assure that it is most effective staying in a family. Not only for the crucial progress in the spanish language, also for the overall impression and understanding of local culture and customs.

I studied spanish 4 hours daily, from 8 am to 12 pm. Personally, that was the perfect amount of time. The weather was bearable at that time of the day (afterwards it did get very hot at times). As I had to start from the scratch, there was a lot of input, like grammar and stuff like that, to deal with. So it was good to study and revise things in the afternoon and be able to shut my mind off and simply relax for a while. Besides, I had plenty of time to enjoy the outdoors in San Pedro and surroundings. Swimming in the lake, visiting nearby villages and towns, hiking and lots more…

All classes are conducted one-on-one which increases your learning progress tremendously. Every morning coffee/tea is served, as well as well fresh fruits or local snacks. An enjoyable way to learn spanish! A must-check out location when visiting San Pedro!!!!

http://fdmspanishschool.org/

The school also provides a wide range of activities and other volunteer opportunites (more in 2nd part below)

the classroom, surrounded by squirrels and birds' twittering



maestro y estudiante, working hard together




taking a deep breath and revising things gradually



taking a walk during workbreak




Agua pura (still water) to keep the mind fresh and focused




Roberto, another student and amigo from the school




maestros



Hablamos espangol!!




lunch in the family after school

Volunteering in San Pedro and surroundings

Trek for Kids – HELP local children

This is the perfect way to combine pleasure/outdoor activity with a contribution for a good intention. Trek for Kids is a non-profit organization, run by Flor del Maiz Spanish School in San Pedro La Laguna.

The organization´s goal: In order to lay the the foundation for a better future in San Pedro and ultimately in Guatemala as a whole, by investing in our most valuable citizens – the children.

This project, run by local people, provides education for village children, while maintain their identity and dignity as Mayans. At the same time, it encourages respect and care for the environment.

You will get to climb up various volcanoes in the Lake Atitlan area and enjoy breath-taking views from the top. Also you get to experience everyday life in the villages, located behind the mountains. You will walk through interesting local markets and experience the ongoing hustle and bustle.

You can see a list of the children who will receive the donation on the website. It is also possible to visit them and spend time with them. Also small donations could mean the difference between local coordinators being able to take on another child, or him or her missing another year or school.

http://www.trekforkids.org/

joyful kids




happy guy, part of the project



smiley kids :)

Families in San Pablo La Laguna – Donate now

and MAKE A DIFFERENCE

I visited 2 local families in San Pablo La Laguna. These families are being supported by donations, brought from a few donators in North America. Seeing the humble living conditions, really made a great impact on me. I mean, I got to visit a single mother, sharing 1 bed with her 5 kids. The father of the kids abandoned the family due to excessive drinking. The mother is suffering to make ends meet, not to mention to enable access to education for at least some of her children.


That is where you can contribute and MAKE A DIFFERENCE. By donating, the families get enough to eat and some of the kids can go to school. They are full of life and want to learn. They have a deep desire to change the situation in their rural area for the better. In order to do that, education is the KEY! Any donation is highly appreciated and can change the life of those families tremendously and ultimately improve the overall situation of this particular rural area in Guatemala.


Furthermore, an additional ongoing project requires more funds to construct a sustainable home for these families. The material of these small houses is fragile The aim is to provide a safe and sheltered home with dignified living conditions.
For more information you can contact me via email or directly the coordinator on location:
javier.navichoc@gmail.com

another family that needs help to costruct a
sheltered and sustainable house



one bed for the mother and 5 children




familyphoto altogether

Central America - next stop: Guatemala

Lake Atitlan, Guatemala

After my trip to Vancouver I wanted to get started on my spanish languages skills and I was thinking where it would be best to learn. Of course the best thing to do is to go into a country where the language is spoken. As my brother was in Guatemala a few years back, he recommended to me to go there to study spanish. Thanks to him and his contacts, I was able to find a great spanish school very quickly.

Flying in from Vancouver is quiet long and tiring. I had to switch twice, in LA and Houston. I made all connections without a hitch though. I spent my first night in Guatemala City, the capital of Guatemala. A friend of mine arranged for me to stay with one of his friends living in the city.

One the next day I made my way to San Pedro La Laguna, a beautifully located beachtow right by the Lake Atitlan. A-must visit location when traveling in Guatemala.

GUATEMALA TODAY

Country Facts

Area: 42,042 sq miles (108,890 sq km)

Population: (2008): 14,000,000 (growth rate: 2.2%); birth rate: 29.1/1000; infant mortality rate: 29.8/1000; life expectancy: 69.7; density per sq mile: 304)

Capital and largest City (2003 est): Guatemala City, 2,655,900 (metro. area), 1,128,800 (city proper)

Highest point: Vulcano Tajumulco, 4211 m ( also highest point in central America)

Ethnicity/race: Mestizo (Ladino) - mixed Amerindian-Spanish ancestry - and European 59.4%, K'iche 9.1%, Kaqchikel 8.4%, Mam 7.9%, Q'eqchi 6.3%, other Mayan 8.6%, indigenous non-Mayan 0.2%, other 0.1% (200

Language(s): Spanish 60%, Amerindian languages 40% (23 officially recognized Amerindian languages, including Quiche, Cakchiquel, Kekchi, Mam, Garifuna, and Xinca).

Religion(s): Roman Catholic, Protestant, indigenous Mayan beliefs. There are a small number of Jewish, Muslim and other faith communities.

Currency: Quetzal made up of 100 centavos. Approximately Q10.90 = €1.00

Government: Guatemala has a unicameral Congress, comprising 158 seats. Members are elected every 4 years and are eligible for re-election. The President is elected by universal suffrage for a single term of 4 years.

Head of State/President: Álvaro Colom Caballeros

Time zone: MEZ 7 h. There is no change in time between winter and summer.

San Pedro la Laguna

San Pedro La Laguna is a small town with a population of approximately 13,000 people which is situated on the Western shore of lake, beneath the volcano which also bears its name. The inhabitants of San Pedro are primarily Tz'utujil Mayan with a small, but growing, expatriate community. Many travelers visit the town to study at one of the Spanish schools, take time out to do plenty of outdoor activities as well:

- horse-riding
- salsa-dancing
- swimming in the lake
- african-drumming
- volcano hikes
- hammock swinging
- hot-tub soaking
- visiting nearby villages & other towns


view on San Pedro

San Pedro remains among the most visited of the lakeside village due to a couple of reasons :

- fairly cheap accomodations
- backpackers from various parts in the world -a global scence
- its marvelous setting

This is primarily a coffee growing area and a backpacker destination. Many people living in San Pedro will have to go work in the coffee field if there is not temporarily not a lot of work available in their actual job, such as teaching. There are plenty of spanish school in San Pedro and for some, which are rather unknown and not advertised super well on the global scence, sometimes suffer to make ends meet. Anyway you will see coffee being picked on the volcano´s slopes and spread out to dry on wide platforms at the beginning of the dry season.






The community in San Pedro follows mainly the traditional way of life. You will see people wearing indigenuous clothes, mostly around the busy market area in the upper & local part of town. Most of the touristy things are in the lower part of town, between the 2 docks. The one on the southeast side goes to Santiago Atitlan and the other one on nortwest side serves Panajachel, a well sought-after town in the whole of Guatemala.

streetmarkets in Gringolania = local term for touristy part of town




creative craftmaker




Bienvenidos en Guatemala! It's good to be here!



religious painting on a wall, highlighting the profound belief




my first gallo beer







motorbike snapshot




public bus (informal chickenbus) which
were auctioned off in the US and newly
painted after being bought





on my way to school




reunion at the catholic square




beginning of semana santa celebrations



early volcanco hike whilst sunrise - stunning with in the back



neat house in the mountains



old man carrying stuff on this forhead








streetmarket, random guy playing guitar



back to San Pedro on the back of a pick-up truck




main church in Panajachel - one daytrip to check out the city



Amigos



buying beans on the market




old woman on the market wearing an indigenous dress




well captured photo of a typical family



creative painting




main street uphill towards the local part of town



main streets towards Gringoland :)




hilarious exposure as part of a political campaign




Tu'ku - the local taxi :)

Generally it is easy to walk around in San Pedro. Once you are lost, you will always either get up to the catholic church in the local area or to the lower part where all the tourism activity takes places :) Otherwise you can always ask people on the street. Nearly everyone is willing to help and give you some directions. "La gente de San Pedro" (people of San Pedro) is friendly and always willing to help!

Opening up a new chapter

Hello world out there. It is February 2011, even though that this post has just been activated now :) I accompplished my apprenticeship in the hotelbusiness in Frankfurt/Germany. I lived in Frankfurt for 2 1/2 years. Time really fies once you enter the working world. I got to gain valuable and hands-on experiences.
After all I was very determined to continue my work & travel plans overseas. This time is NOW :).
I have done various metropolitan trips around europe to destinations like Madrid, Lisbon (a beautiful city) and of course a couple of times to Paris & London...

I would like to share some inspiring travel quotes with you:

- “Remember that happiness is a way of travel – not a destination".

- “We wander for distraction, but we travel for fulfillment.”

- “I should like to spend the whole of my life in traveling abroad, if I could anywhere borrow another life to spend afterwards at home.”

- “Don’t tell me how educated you are, tell me how much you traveled.”

- “When preparing to travel, lay out all your clothes and all your money. Then take half the clothes and twice the money.”

- "The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page."



Ready to HIT the road again


In March I decided to fly to Vancouver to check out "the most liveable city on earth". I spent a week there. Check out a few pics below:



Vancouver bird´s eye view



Downtown Vancoouver



spectacular view



Downtown by night, taken from Granville Island




view from my friend´s appartment - breathtaking!



snapshot downtown at Canada Place

Overall I think that Vancouver is vibrant, entertaining city. Furthermore it is the most eco-friendly city in North America who means business in the sustainability aspect.
Definetly worth a visit!!!

Toronto

Toronto´s skyline with its emblem - CN Tower

Since my brother lives in Toronto with his girlfriend Vika, I planned on visiting them definetly. I spent about 9 days in Toronto. My brother showed me a bit of the city, its main attraction for instance we wandered around downtown which sort of reminds me a bit of some streets in Manhattan and actually there is a spot which is kind of like an imitation of the Times Square in NYC. Other than that, we did an excursion to Toronto Island - awesome! We were pretty lucky with the weather and walked from one side to the other, discovering its hidden spots. Watching a baseball game, attending a street-jazzfestival with international artists and bicyle trips were additional highlights. Also I wanted to get to see Toronto and surroundings from the CN Tower´s observation deck, apparently the highest isolated building in the world. The line-up was totally crazy, packed with tons of tourist but the long hours of waiting were worthwile. Last but not least it was just nice hanging out with Harry, Vika and family. I´ll definetly come back soonish :)

Vika and me on the balcony

in front of well-known castle

glassfloor of CN Tower - scary height :)

Downtown from CN Tower

Baseballgame

somewhere around University Campus :)

Harry & Me on Toronto Island

Vika & Me in front of a bunch of
canadian flags

It´s done - my gapyear has ended and I can say it was an amzing year! Now I am back in Frankfurt/Germany and will complete my apprenticeship in the Maritim Hotel. Later on, I do want to keep traveling, that´s for sure! See you soonish on the road :)
Best Regards!!!