Guatemala

If you want to learn Spanish … and learn it inexpensively, go to Guatemala.

Spanish language learning has grown tremendously in popularity over the last 20 years or so. And the concept that is the most talked about, that seems to be the most effective, is called “Spanish immersion.” In other words, go somewhere to eat, sleep, hear, speak, and study Spanish all day, all the time.

There are literally dozens of language learning programs in each of the Latin American countries (and in Spain as well), in all of the biggest cities within each country. Peru, Argentina, Mexico, Costa Rica, Chile, Honduras, etc. – wherever you want to go, you can find a school that will teach you Spanish.

There is a web site www.123teachme.com that allows you to select a country, and then a city within the country to learn how different language learning schools rate. I believe that the ratings are based solely on student feedback.

The schools in Guatemala are prized for some of the following reasons: (1) They tend to be less expensive than schools in other countries, (2) Guatemalans tend to speak Spanish more slowly, thus it is more palatable to gringos, and (3) the Mayan culture in Guatemala is very interesting.

In Guatemala, the 3 most popular areas for Spanish language study are Antigua, the LakeAtitlán area, and Quetzaltenango (the official name, but locals call this city by its Mayan name Xela).

From what I have read, Xela is the best place to go to learn Spanish. It is the least expensive of the 3 most popular areas in Guatemala, and there is very little English spoken in Xela. Thus, the opportunity to cheat and speak English is very limited. You are literally forced to speak Spanish. It is a large city, the second biggest in Guatemala. Twenty hours of language learning 1-on-1 with your own private tutor, including room and board with a Guatemalan host family, will run you about $160 per week.

The Lake Atitlán area is the medium priced option. Some friends of ours told us that this area is one of the most beautiful places on earth. Lake Atitlán is a large endorheic lake (one that does not flow to the sea) that was formed by volcanic activity thousands of years ago. There are various villages around the lake, the biggest of which is probably Panajachel. There is a lot to see and do in this area besides learning Spanish, such as the twice-weekly market in Chichicastenango where there are many Mayan vendors selling their beautiful and colorful handmade items. Check out the market by going to www.virtourist.com/america/guatemala/index.html, click on Chichicastenango, and then page through the photos taken at this Mayan market.

Antigua is the most expensive, and the most tourist friendly area in Guatemala for Spanish language learning. It is a small town, but one with lots of gringo conveniences, lots of English speakers, lots of restaurants and boutiques, but still Guatemala … in other words, a poor city by comparison to most U.S. cities. Twenty hours with a private tutor including room and board with a Guatemalan host family is about $250 per week in Antigua.

Let’s go to Guatemala and … aprender a hablar Español!

Pay in Advance

God is the administrator of justice in this temporal life and in the eternal life beyond.

I’d like to say that again, but in a slightly different way. There is one life … experienced both temporally and eternally, and God’s sovereign justice infuses it all.

And I gotta believe that true justice is really that – it is true, and it is justice. Somehow, some way, it all evens out for everyone … eventually.

So if you’re cheating life, or cheating your neighbor, and you feel like you are getting away with something, I want you to know that some day you will receive your due. I believe that God’s justice demands it.

And if I am deluded and somehow think that God’s true justice does not apply to me, I am just that … deluded. One day I am going to reap my reward. The Bible puts it this way – by our standard of measure we will be measured in return.

What goes around comes around.

The exciting news is that if you are genuinely, lovingly, quietly, honoring life and reflecting God’s live-giving ways, you have peace in your heart and look forward to what God has planned for you.

Not only is God’s justice true, but God’s foreknowledge is real, and as a result I have this feeling that sometimes we pay in advance, or get paid in advance. In other words, we should not expect all of the reward (good or bad) to come after the word or deed. Instead, I think that we can expect some of the reward (good or bad) to come before we actually do or say something deserving of a specific reward.

Pay in advance … or get paid in advance.

I have a hunch that sometimes we are blessed in advance because God knows beforehand that we will do or say something to reflect God’s love, and that specific blessing-in-advance could come moments, days, weeks, or years in advance.

On the other hand, sometimes we are rewarded in advance with trouble, heartbreak, financial setback, sickness, or whatever because God knows that we are about to do or say something NOT reflective of God’s love, and that specific hardship-in-advance could come moments or even years in advance of our life-negating word or deed.

Today is the day, and now is the time … for you and me … to do and say the things that give life, and reflect God’s love.

Invest now in the eternal.

And who knows, we might just receive a blessing today for something we will do or say years down the road. Set your heart, and so be it.

What You Do is Insignificant – Do It Anyway!

We saw “The Blind Side” this past weekend, and I would encourage everyone to see that movie. At one point in the movie they mentioned the following quote from Gandhi:

“Whatever you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it.”

How true.

Over the last few years I’ve thought a lot about what my life means, about whether I’m making a positive impact in the world, about … will it really matter that I lived?

My life is meaningless in and of itself. From dust I was formed, and to dust I shall return. Then my dust will be added to the dust of everyone else who has ever lived, and there will be more dust.

You see, it’s not about my life or your life, and it’s not about what you or I have done, can do now, or will ever do … it’s all about a higher purpose that is at work through all of us.

We say “my life” because we need word symbols to make meaning out of our existence, but the life we live is not our own, it is a gift that is given moment by moment.

And that is why we … do it anyway. Anything you do, or I do, is insignificant in and of itself, but we give and we share and we love and we care … and we work and we play and we help and we pray … because we are all part of God’s gift of life.

And the more selflessly we do anything, the more likely that it is God who is at work through us … however insignificant our doing and being might seem.

Mind-boggling Array of Options

There is a mind-boggling array of options for learning a new language.

Books. Web sites. Music. Computer programs. CDs. Conversation groups. Movies with subtitles. Immersion schools. Online software programs. Tutors. College and/or adult education courses. Community forums.

Also, there are any number of people who like to think (or who would like you to think) that they have the best system for learning.

So how do we decide what path to follow?

Personally, I like the multi-prong attack, and at one time or another I have used (or continue to use) just about all of the options listed above.

However, since I still consider myself somewhere between beginner and intermediate at best, I can’t really tell anyone the best path to follow toward bilingualism.

Nonetheless, there is a little 4-step process that I have used for many years that enables me to keep moving forward in life, and helps me to avoid frustration along the way. And I’d like to share that with you now.

Step 1 – SET A GOAL. At some point you simply have to determine your objective, otherwise you may go anywhere, nowhere, or some place you don’t want to go.

Step 2 – MOVE TOWARD YOUR GOAL. Do something, anything to move toward your goal … and take baby steps if necessary. Standing still is not helpful, so pick up the phone and make that call, or do some research online, or ask a friend, or go to the bookstore, or do something that moves you toward your goal.

Step 3 – MONITOR YOUR RESULTS. Are you actions moving you toward your goal? Is the system you are using helpful? Are the people that are around you contributing to your progress? Are you at peace in your heart with the path you are on?

Step 4 – IF NECESSARY, CHANGE YOUR TRAJECTORY. If what you have been doing isn’t working as well as you had hoped, isn’t moving you toward your goal, try something different, something new. And even if you have spent months, years, following a path only to discover that it was a big waste of time, you don’t have to remain stuck there. If you still want to pursue that goal, take a different path … or if you want, set a new goal and start moving toward that new goal.

We had a fabulous time speaking Spanish at Mestizo Coffeehouse last night, and that included a first-time participant with a strong command of the language who had seen the group announcement on the blackboard at Mestizo. All are welcome, regardless of experience or proficiency.

One day at a time, even one moment at a time … and enjoy the process.

Vaya con Dios.

La vida es buena

I want you to imagine that someone anonymously paid to send you on an exotic vacation to Latin America. You do not know where you were going … you simply have to be a willing participant.

After the airplane lands you are immediately whisked away in a limo for a 2 hour drive into the country, finally arriving at the hacienda. The Latino family welcomes you and shows you to your room, and the balcony of your bedroom overlooks vineyards that are ringed by mountains. Ahhhhh.

There is a quaint village nearby where there is a daily farmers market, and there are several Native American Indian and Latino artists selling their handmade wares. And oh, your anonymous donor also left $1,000 in your room to spend however you want … and the craftswomen and craftsmen in the village love to haggle over price! In fact, it would be culturally insensitive NOT to haggle with them over price.

Not only that, but the villagers enjoy it when you buy stuff with cash from one vendor, and then use those goods to barter with other vendors for their goods. In that way, the whole village gets to share in what everyone has brought to the market – goods, services, cash, produce, crafts, goodwill, etc.

No one at the hacienda or market, or even in the entire village, speaks English. Nadie. No one. Nary a soul.

Oh well, no worries (no te preocupes) … you’ve studied a little Spanish, and you do your best to buy, barter, and bargain, and you have the time of your life. And this little Latino village now has a new friend.

Sounds nice, eh?

I also want you to imagine that going to a Spanish conversation group is that little, faraway, village in Latin America. We gather not to exchange goods and services but to experience culture. And no one in our group speaks English. Nadie. No one. Nary a soul.

No te preocupes – just enjoy the experience while tuning your ear to hear Spanish, and speak a bit of Spanish as you are able.

La vida es buena.