travel

A Week at La Escuela de la Montana

the mountain school

After a week in Xela, I bid my host family goodbye and headed off to La Escuela de la Montana, PLQE‘s sister location, about an hour away. Before my trip, I was pretty nervous about it. As a city girl, I knew I’d be fine in Xela, since it’s Guatemala’s second-largest city with lots of stuff to do: restaurants, cafes, shops, etc. But a week in the mountains? I was scared of bugs. And snakes. And weird birds. And strange nature sounds. And criminals who target people in remote areas. And—mostly—of going stir crazy.

Of course, soon after arriving via chicken bus with two other PLQE students, Jenny and Kathy, I learned that my fears were un poquito loco. It did take me a day to adjust to the ways of the Mountain School. But it was truly a rewarding experience and I’m so glad I went.

In addition to the school being way out in the middle of nowhere, the lifestyle is completely different from PLQE in Xela. The students live, dorm-style, in the school. Jenny and I shared a room that was meant for four people; it was fine with the two of us, but I think it would have been tight if the room was filled to capacity!

my room at the Mountain School

My room at the Mountain School

the library

The school’s library was right outside my room

Classes were four hours a day in thatched huts on the school’s property. Whereas Arecely, my maetra in Xela, drilled me on Spanish grammar every day, here, my maestra, Flor, was more of a conversationalist—and a great story teller. I learned a lot just speaking with her. We traded tales of working as shoe salespeople (her in Xela, me at Bloomingdale’s) and she told me about her nutty neighbors who have several cats, dogs and more than 50 chickens. (I so would not go into that house!) In more serious topics, she also told me about a cousin who smuggled his way into the U.S., via coyotes, through Mexico, when he was just 16, to escape a gang that was after his family here in Guatemala. (Hearing stories like that—and I heard many during my time there—was so humbling.)

classrooms at the mountain school

My “classroom”

After classes, we could study on the front porch or on el mirador, a perch with a great view.

el mirador

the view from el mirador

The view from el mirador

The Mountain School is adjacent to three small communities: Fatima, Nuevo San Jose and Santo Domingo. Each was created when groups of families moved there from coffee fincas where they had been exploited and denied wages. Today, the communities are still very poor. Fatima, for example, is just one unpaved block long. The houses are one-story structures with tin roofs and plain cinder block walls. Many families in Fatima and Nuevo San Jose derive part of their income from the Mountain School: The women cook for special occasions, do students’ laundry and provide students with meals on a rotating basis.

I ate all my meals with a host family that lived in Fatima. Elsa, my host mom, was just 39, but had eight kids and grandchildren, who all lived in the house. Unlike in Xela, where meals were a family occasion, here, families didn’t always eat together. The men often leave the house super-early to work as day laborers in other towns or farms—and the women get up even earlier to cook for them. I always ate at a small table by the door while one or two family members sat and talked with me. Often, it was 17-year-old Elida, the second-oldest daughter, and her son, Hamilton. Other times, it was 4-year-old Jony or 2-year-old Pablo.

I took these photos on my last day there. Most families in the communities don’t have cameras and Mountain School students are often their only means to getting family snapshots. Elsa asked me to send them to her after I was back in the States.

my host mom, Elsa, and her grandson Darvin

My host mom, Elsa, and her grandson Darvin

Jony, dressed up for Independence Day, and Pablo

Jony, dressed up for Independence Day, and Pablo

Hamilton and Elida

Hamilton and Elida

tortillas and a tamale

Meals there were simple. I loved the tortillas Elsa served with each meal—so much that I often had three, in addition to whatever the main dish was. She was a good cook, too, and I was a huge fan of her soups. But there were a few instances when I found myself craving more fruits and vegetables (like after a meal of just hot dogs and tortillas), which were a little hard to come by in the communities.

Throughout the week, I learned more about Guatemalan history and culture. On Tuesday, a local woman named Floria spoke to us students about her time in the guerilla. In 1983, the Guatemalan army killed her father and her family fled to Chapais, Mexico. But Floria wanted to avenge her father’s death, and returned to Guatemala to join the guerilla when she was just 14. She remained part of it until the peace accords were signed in 1996.

Later that day, Jorge, a longtime school employee, took us on a hike up a nearby mountain to a plot of land where he grows black beans. We also caught a glimpse of a waterfall. As we walked, Jorge told us about projects the communities are planning to bring in income: candle-making, empanada-making and, eventually, opening up a panadaria (bake shop).

Jorge on the plot where he grows black beans

Jorge on the plot where he grows black beans

coffee plants

Coffee also grew on the mountain

waterfall

The waterfall

the view from the mountainside

The view from the mountainside

Thursday morning, all of us students and teachers piled into the back of a pickup truck for a field trip to Colomba, a nearby town. This is a typical mode of transportation in Guatemala. Even though I rode in several, I never felt quite safe—I’d always try not to think of what would happen if another car hit us! Still, it was a fun way to get from place to place, especially because you had unobstructed views of the scenery.

riding in the back of a pickup

riding in the back of a pickup

riding in the back of a pickup

the view from the back of the pickup

The view from the back of the pickup

In honor of Guatemala’s Independence Day, September 15, local schools had set up exhibits in Colomba’s central park, showcasing industries, food and dress unique to different towns. It was here that I first tried arroz con leche (a sweet porridge-like dessert made from, obviously, rice and milk) and pollo pepian, which is a delicious brown sauce made from sesame and pumpkin seeds and other spices.

independence day display in colomba

independence day display in colomba

It turned out to be a food-filled day. Later that evening, much to my delight, a local woman named Josefina taught us how to make pupusas with cabbage slaw and spicy salsa. They were delicious.

Mateo grating cabbage

Mateo grating cabbage

Jenny and Kathy chopping veggies and herbs

Jenny and Kathy chopping veggies and herbs

josephina frying pupusas

Josephina frying pupusas

pupusas

Hungry, yet?

The Mountain School’s weekly graduation ceremony was on Friday afternoon. We could either cook or pay a local family to cook for us. (I chose the latter.) All of our host families came and it was like one big party. Just like at PLQE, those of us leaving that week had to share a few words of thanks, read a poem, sing a song, etc. in Spanish. I spoke about my irrational fears about the Mountain School, what I learned from my time there and just how rewarding the week had been. Then, we served our host families food. It was just a smallВ gesture, but I hope it conveyed the gratitude I felt for all their hospitality over the past six days.

My Host Family in Xela

Catalina and me

Catalina and me

For the week I was in Xela, I lived with a Guatemalan family. My host mom was more like a host abuela—Catalina was an older woman who had several adult children and grandkids, most of whom lived nearby. She’d been hosting PLQE students for more than 15 years.

Her house was on Diagonal 2, a few blocks away from PLQE. Besides her and myself, two 20-something Guatemalan guys lived there: Eddie, who worked in a bank, and Gaspar, a med student.

Diagonal 2

Diagonal 2

I loved the layout of Catalina’s house and wished my NYC apartment resembled it more. Four bedrooms, a bathroom and kitchen flanked a small, central courtyard that was bright and airy during the day, when the sun streamed in. The focal point of the courtyard was the pila, the green, table-like structure on the right. It has a basin in the center for clean water, and two surfaces on either side for washing dishes and clothing.

My room was small and basic, but comfy enough.

my room in xela

I came home for every meal and felt super-lucky to have Catalina as a host mom. She was an amazing cook and never served the same dish twice. Breakfast was usually eggs (my fave!), beans and the amazingly delicious corn tortillas that Guatemalans eat with every meal. Lunches and dinner were often rice, chicken or pork with veggies and more tortillas. Catalina’s dishes were such a nice change from the oatmeal/eggs/avocado/bagel/soup diet I subsist on at home in NYC.

lunch

Plus, those meals were another opportunity to practice Spanish—though, admittedly, I couldn’t really follow the conversations unless someone spoke directly to me in slow, basic Spanish. And then repeated everything twice. Gaspar spoke English quite well and (even though I guess it was cheating, a little!) sometimes helped me out by explaining words and phrases in English.

Gaspar and me

Gaspar and me–it literally took Catalina 15 tries to take this photo with my iPhone рџ™‚

Before I came to Xela, I notified PLQE that I was allergic to cats and dogs and couldn’t live in a house with either. But it didn’t occur to me that families would have other kinds of animals.

On the first day I met Catalina, I nearly freaked out when I saw her pet—a plump chicken named Paloma. I am deathly afraid of birds. That afternoon, she started to walk into my room, but ran out when I gasped and jumped on my bed. After that, she stayed away from me (smart bird!) and only tried to come in one other time.

paloma

I never told Catalina I was afraid of Paloma because I a) didn’t want to be an inconvenience to her or PLQE and b) because I thought I should face my fear and just deal with it. That tactic kind of worked—I got used to living with a bird and, after a few days, stopped cringing when I heard her making bird noises outside my room. Eventually, I didn’t even have a problem eating chicken while Paloma sat in the next room. I suppose that’s part of what this trip was about anyway—learning and self-growth.

On my last day in Xela, Catalina gave me a notebook in which all her former students wrote her a note, along with their contact information. It was interesting to see where everyone was from (mostly different cities in the US and Canada) and how good their Spanish was (most seemed way better than me). With only one week of Spanish under my belt, I needed a dictionary to write my letter, but I thanked her for her hospitality, patience with my Spanish and, of course, for her delicious cooking. And I apologized for any errors!

Hiking Volcan Santa Maria

volcan santa maria

I feel like you can’t go to Central America and not do a difficult hike. Guatemala, like most countries in the region, has several hikeable volcanoes, and I was excited when I learned that one, Santa Maria, is in Xela. So before I even arrived in Guatemala, I was planning to hike that volcano.

PLQE had taken students up Santa Maria a few weeks before I arrived, so I booked a trek through Monte Verde Tours, a local outfitter. The hike almost didn’t happen. September is Guatemala’s rainy season and it poured for several days before my trip. The afternoon before, I called Monte Verde to confirm that the hike was still on; they told me that due to the rain, no one else had signed up and that they needed a minimum of two people. A few hours later, they emailed me that it was off. I was disappointed, but consoled myself with the reminder that I could now drink and go out with my fellow PLQE students after that evening’s dinner/graduation ceremony. (Every Friday, when students leave the school, they have to make a speech, read a poem, perform a song, etc. in Spanish to show off their newfound language skills.)

I was two beers into the night when, Haider, a PLQE student I invited on the hike, told me that he had just called Monte Verde’s office and signed up, and that the hike was back on. I put down my beer and headed home soon after–I needed to be up only a few hours later, at 4:30 a.m. Most people start hiking Santa Maria super-early, since it usually rains in the afternoon. It was downpouring when I fell asleep and I tried not to think about how muddy the trail might be.

The rain had stopped by the time Monte Verde picked me up at 5 a.m. We rode 30 minutes to the volcano, and commenced our climb just as dawn was breaking.

hiking volcan santa maria

Our guide was Carlos, a 41-year-old local who, thankfully, kept his Spanish simple, but also spoke very good English. Along the way, he waxed philosophical about how lucky we were to have this opportunity to experience nature and how we need to be good to the earth. My favorite Carlos-ism from the trip: At one point, when I was wiping dirt off my hands, Carlos pointed out that it doesn’t matter how dirty we are on the outside, as long as our souls are clean on the inside. Very deep for hiking!

hiking volcan santa maria

The trail was steep and a little muddy, but pretty well-kept. It wasn’t hard to figure out where to go, and rocks provided adequate footing. There was, sadly, a bit of litter strewn about at places.

The views along the way were stunning. We stopped frequently to take in the scenery and snap pictures. Until the clouds rolled in, after about two hours of hiking, we could see glimpses of Xela below.

the views from santa maria

Eventually, we climbed above the clouds, higher than other nearby mountains. As we neared the summit, we ran into small groups of other hikers, including local women who were just wearing sandals on their feet!

climbing into the clouds

Here’s a shot of Carlos and Haider approaching the top. I was really excited when it came into sight!

nearing the summit

We reached the summit after nearly four hours of hiking. Unfortunately, clouds obscured views of the city. But they moved quickly and, at times, we could glimpse the hillside. My favorite spot was here, where you could see the horizon line of the Pacific, in the distance.

the summit of volcan santa maria

me at the summit of volcan santa maria

We ate lunch while admiring the view, in the company of wild cows who live at the summit.

the summit of volcan santa maria

Then it was time to turn around.

the climb down volcan santa maria

The climb down was slow going because it was so slippery. Haider and I had to navigate carefully and, at many times, we were practically skiing as we slid on the mud. In fact, I learned the word Spanish wordВ cuidaВ (careful) from Carlos telling us that so many times. My legs felt fine (all that ballet in August prepped me for this!), but toward the end, I was physically exhausted from hiking for eight hours, waking up so early, starving from not packing enough food–and just ready to get off the volcano!

Still, the hike was really a highlight of my trip. I won’t be forgetting the gorgeous scenery along the way, especially the views from the top. It was, as they say in the Spanish-speaking world, vale la pena–worth the pain.

Las Fuentes Georginas

I love the intense Spanish lessons I have every day here at PLQE.В But like I mentioned,В the non-stop learning is tiring. So I was really excited when a group of us took a field trip toВ Las Fuentes Georginas–hot springs in the mountains outside Xela–yesterday afternoon.

To get there, we piled into the back of a pick-up truck for the 45 minute ride. It was bumpy and a little nauseating, but also lots of fun. We drove through small towns and wound through farmland filled with vegetable crops. I took the two photos below from the back of the truck.

the road to fuentes georginas

fields on the way to fuentes georginas

The hot springs were clearly built for tourism and named after former dictator Jorge Ubico’s wife. Despite that, I was thrilled to be out of the city and soaking in the warm waters. Since it was an overcast weekday afternoon, only a few other people were there.

fuentes georginas

The pool on the top level was closest to the source and therefore the hottest. I was shocked at how high the temperature was. None of us could go all the way in. I only managed to get in waist-high for a few minutes! We saw just one crazy guy splashing around in that one–and he told us he took an ice shower beforehand to numb himself against the heat. Um, smart?

Then, we hiked down a trail to two smaller, isolated pools near a waterfall and spent the rest of our time soaking in the waters and enjoying the view…

fuentes georginas

fuentes georginas

…until we reluctantly had to get out, dry off, hike back up and board another pick-up back to Xela.

the road back from fuentes georginas

Xela and Proyecto Linguistico Quetzalteco de Espanol (PLQE)

Greetings from Guatemala!

I can’t believe my first week here is halfway over–the time is flying! I admit, I was a little nervous about coming here, especially as a solo female traveler–anything you read about Guatemala, these days, mentions the high crime rate and all the scary potential dangers that come with being here. But, I feel quite safe and definitely believe I made a great decision to study in Qutezaltenango (Xela) with PLQE.

Xela is four hours away from Guatemala City, up in the western highlands. To get here, I (along with another student and a guide from the school) took a winding bus ride along the Interamericas Highway–which was really gorgeous. The road weaves through the mountains–up into the clouds at points–passing hills and valleys, grazing farm animals and little roadside stores and food stands. I was surprised at how smooth and wide the road was. The ride was more comfortable than any other I’d taken in Latin America. (Granted, I wasn’t on a chicken bus; I’ll get my first taste of that in the coming days. I took a “first class” bus which was basically an old Greyhound.)

parque central, xela

Xela is Guatemala’s second largest city, but doesn’t feel large or overwhelming. It’s a sprawl of low, colorful buildings and seems more like a small town. Plus, volcanos and hills flank the city, which make for dramatic scenery.

parque central, xela

During the day, people of all ages are out and I feel comfortable wandering and taking pictures (like these of Parque Central) by myself. But we’ve been warned not to walk alone after 9:30 at night–and, really, not to stay out much later than that.В (I’ve only been freaked out once: Early yesterday morning, around 5 a.m., explosions right outside my house woke me up. It sounded like a gun battle in the streets. After several rounds went off, I heard my host mom rustling around outside and popped out of my room to ask what the noise was. Apparently, Guatemalans shoot firecrackers in the wee hours to ring in someone’s birthday. Who knew?)

parque central, xela

As for PLQE, the school I’m attending–I’m loving it. They set me up with a wonderful homestay (more about that in another post) and they run a great program.

plqe

I have classes five hours a day (one-on-one instruction with my teacher, Arecely) and the school offers movie screenings, lectures and field trips every day.

plqe activities

As for the language learning part? The instruction is really good, but also tiring and, at times, frustrating. It’s hard to commit so much to memory and not feel dumb/hopeless in the process!

On my first day, Arecely, gave me a short oral and written test to determine my proficiency. Then, we developed a lesson plan based on what I wanted to review and focus on. After having taken group lessons with 9 other students in the States, private lessons seem like a luxury. Arecely is very patient when I repeatedly ask her to explain a grammatical point so I can fully understand it and therefore be able to use it. (Like why you’d use indirect object pronouns and the actual words they’re supposed to replace in the same sentence–isn’t the point to avoid redundancies?!) Or when I’m fumbling for words that just won’t come to me. В We’re moving at a good pace and covering lots of concepts, but not so fast that I’m not retaining what I’m learning.

Despite my struggles, my Spanish is improving. I can speak and understand a little more every day. But I still have a loooooooooong way to go. I’m jealous of the students who are here for a month or longer. It makes me wonder if/when I’ll have the opportunity to travel for that amount of time. And, if not, if Mal and I should do another program like this, in another country, for our next sister trip.

plqe

More updates to come!

Off to Guatemala!

Xela a noche

I’m about to depart onВ my end of summer trip–two weeks in Guatemala to learn Spanish! I’ll be studying atВ Proyecto LingГјistico Quetzalteco de EspaГ±ol (PLQE), spending one week in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala’s second largest city, and one week at La Escuela de la Montana, their other location on a coffee farm in the mountains.

Earlier this month, I felt a little nervous about going–mostly about the mountain school. As a city girl, I’m never quite at ease in rural areas. I feel safe in big urban areas where there are lots of people and noise. When I’m surrounded by nature and the unfamiliar sounds that come with it, I’m always a little on edge. Even suburbs kind of creep me out!

But now I’m just so excited to go. I’m really looking forward to meeting my host family and fellow students, improving my Spanish and exploring two new places. (I only wish that Mal were coming with me–and already can’t wait for the next trip we’ll take together!)

(Photo of Xela at night by Harry Diaz)

So Not Ready for the End of Summer!

How is it already September? This summer has flown by! And yet, somehow it feels like it lasted for ages–which, in my opinion, is definitely a good thing!

Every year, I say that I’ve had the best summer, ever. This year is no exception. From mid-May through today, I’ve been lucky to have tons of good times with the people I love the most.

I spent many beach weekends in Maryland with Mal and Peter…

mal and peter

…and friends…

mal, heather, reen

mal, virginia, heather

…and family.В We spent lots of time lounging on the beach, but also hit up ridiculous places likeВ Seacrets, lol!…

seacrets

…andВ devoured mountains of crustaceansВ atВ our favorite blue crab joint.

blue crabs

We also discoveredВ Jules, which, not counting theВ crabВ places,В is definitely the best restaurant in the Ocean City area. We went there with our parents, in mid-July, on Mal and Peter’s last weekend in the area.

e and meme

And then, Mal and Peter left Maryland…

ocean city

…and were back in New York, much to my delight!

mal and heather

Especially since now they’re only a half hour away and I can see them as often as I want. And rope them into things like river tubing. рџ™‚

tubing

I didn’t leave NYC during August. At first, I wondered if I could deal with that much time in one place. But it turned out to be a great month. I spent lots of time studyingВ SpanishВ and rehearsing a piece from “Les Sylphides” for the dance show I performed in last weekend.

Photobucket

Photobucket

Now I’m off from work for 16 days–and savoring the last bit of NYC summer before I leave for Guatemala early tomorrow morning!

mal and peter

heather and mal

Are you also sad about the end of summer?