My Guatemalan Homestay While Learning Spanish

"Colleen, your new family is here to pick you up"

*In walks a tiny Guatemalan man*

"Hola Colleen, me llamo es Fernando y ......something in spanish....spanish...more spanish I don't understand..."

Fernando was an older gentlemen, 4 something foot tall, and 100% adorable. The whole walk to his house, which would be my new home for 5 weeks, he spoke to me in Spanish.

Guess how much I understood??.. NOTHING.

Every time he looked at me to answer what I assume was a question he'd asked.. I gave this blank stare and mumbled 'Si, si'.

The 4 minute walk felt like a lifetime, when we arrived the whole family was sitting at the lunch table waiting for me to join. They started firing questions at me in Spanish. I did not understand anything, I was so overwhelmed.

SHIT, what have I got myself into...

Spanish Lessons in Antigua Guatemala On my travels, it was a goal of mine to learn some Spanish. I decided on Antigua Guatemala. Here I was able to take one-on-one Spanish lessons. I studied five days a week, four hours a day for 5 weeks! I chose to live with a local Guatemalan family during my studies in an effort to really submerge myself into the language and culture. For the full five weeks I sat down to every meal with them and chatted in Spanish about their day-to-day life and events happening around the town. They cooked all of my meals for me - beans, rice, guacamole, meat, soup - Guatemalan style!  Never have I ever eaten so many tortillas IN MY LIFE. Yet it was all delicious!

My homestay

It's intimidating You are walking into someone else's home, you are in a foreign country, they speak no English, and you speak no Spanish. You are immediately overwhelmed. Introductions went on around the lunch table. The house owners were Fransisco & Marlis, an older retired couple. Their daughter Ana, her husband Carlos, and their 9-year-old daughter Talita lived there as well (all three in one room!). It is pretty common for families to all live under the same roof here. There were three rooms for students, right off the kitchen where the roof opened up. This open space is where they hung laundry to dry.

The other students They asked me the normal, where are you from, how long are you traveling.. etc. Thank goodness for Leo and Alex, the two other students at the table that were able to help me out. Alex left the next day, but Leo was SO helpful. She spoke English, French, German, and a fair amount of Spanish. Currently she lives in Berlin before heading to Washington D.C for university in the fall, but has lived all over the world. Leo was wise beyond her years and I would've never guessed that she was only 20 years old. We became fast friends. Mostly bonding over our love of panqueque (pancake) Tuesdays and Fridays in our house! She was able to help translate the conversations at the table, show me the ropes, and even help me with my Spanish. I would have been so lost without her, thank you Leo!

DON'T LEAVE ME The second weekend I was there Leo left for the weekend to go to Tikal. I was terrified to be the only student at the dinner table.. what would I talk about? I was already frustrated. So badly I wanted to chat with the family and let them know how appreciative I was of them, but I did not know how to communicate that in Spanish. On top of that it's hard to have a personality when you focus so intently on the words that come out of your mouth. During that first dinner alone, I had a hard time understanding what they were asking me. When they would look to me to speak I felt like a dog with no tricks. That was a tough weekend for me. Saturday afternoon they knocked on my bedroom door and asked, "Un favor por favor Colleen?" (A favor please Colleen?).

They were saying something about the front door. When I first arrived I had trouble opening the door, so I wasn't sure if it was about something I did, or if they needed me to make sure the door was closed since they were all leaving for church. I must have had a puzzled look on my face because they kept explaining and kept talking. Honestly, I just had no idea. Half following them into the living room I simply watched them shut the door. I couldn't help it, after they were gone tears welled up in my eyes. God am I ever going to get this?? Should I have understood what they were saying?? I was having a day. It was tough being in this house without any other students.

Shall we sing? Dinner time rolled around the next day and I thought, ugh, here we go again. I thought about skipping. I didn't. Talita, the little girl, loved to sing and was singing at the dinner table. In an effort to make conversation I said "Me gusta cantar tambien (I like to sing too)"

"Oh, si, usted puede para nosotros? (Oh, really, can you sing for us?)" - My house mother

(Well shit, I walked right into that one didn't I)

They were all staring at me... any guesses as to what came out of my mouth..??

YUP, you guessed it. T swift, obviously.

But not like a popular well-known Taylor song. Nope. A song that was never popular or ever on the radio came out, "Enchanted" off her 2010 album. So here I am, in Guatemala, in someone else's home, with people who only speak Spanish, singing an unknown Taylor swift song.

ITS FINE

I mean honestly, am I surprised?

I immediately texted Leo after dinner about it and said "SEE, this is what happens when you leave me alone!!"

The Good As intimidating as it was to be there alone, it pushed me out of my comfort zone, which then encouraged me to speak Spanish and become more comfortable in my new home! This family really was the sweetest, especially the little girl Talita! I heard her one night saying to her mom how hard her English homework was so I offered to help. They were so appreciative, but honestly the pleasure was all mine! Helping her write sentences in English and hearing her practice singing 'The Wheels on the Bus' was absolutely adorable.

She loved to sing and dance to Despacito.. much like a certain few friends I have back home.. (I'm talking about you Chris & Miguel). I was sad to see my time in Antigua end. It was a little home away from home. My last week there a new student moved in. Her name was Katie and I got to be her Leo. I showed her the ropes and translated dinner conversation for her and DAMN, did that feel good. Make sure to sign up for my email list below or on the homepage to receive future posts right to your email! My Spanish School http://www.spanishacademyantiguena.com

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