(1) The price
(2) The accent
(3) The schools
Let´s be honest.. the reason I came here is because of the price. I still find it incredible that it only costs $165 per week for home-stay AND instruction. You cannot beat this price. Why even try? And this isn´t a backwater village; this is the second largest city in Guatemala. If price is a factor, and for whom is it not a factor?, then you´ve got to consider Xela.
Secondly, before I came here, I had heard that the Guatemalan accent was a great one to learn from, but it was much under-emphasised. I may not be an expert, but trust me when I say that you could not hope for a clearer, slower dialect than the one in Xela. The people of Xela, not just the teachers, speak in a very clear and precise manner. I have no idea if language programs inherit their recorded speakers from Guatemala or not, but they should! Whether in a store, at Mass, or with my family, I am constantly bombarded with a picture-perfect accent that requires no "oh, right, they pronounce it like *this* here". I would consider it pretty much the Spanish version of the Connecticut accent (which all newscasters are supposedly trained to use). And the fact that they speak at a regular pace is pretty amazing too; I do not imagine it would be possible to learn Spanish in, say, Puerto Rico, simply from the supersonic speed with which people seem to chat. I cannot recommend this Guatemalan (or at least Xelan) accent highly enough for someone who really wants to learn the language.
Thirdly, and something of which I was totally unaware, is that Xela is built for Spanish schools. Okay, maybe that´s not quite what they had in mind when Spaniards started coming here in the sixteenth century, but it might as well have been. Being (an interesting) four hours from Guatemala City, and more-or-less the same from Antigua, I would imagine Xela is really not on the tourist track. It seems as though Xela has decided to attract tourists by specializing in these Spanish schools. Everything important is within walking distance. The schools are very professional (well, at least CELAS Maya is), and can provide you with every bit of information you need ahead of time, as well as providing you with help while you are in town. It is really amazing how many foreigners you see here, and how much English you hear. In fact, the ready availability is sometimes a problem, because you are not forced to use Spanish. Fortunately, the locals are good about giving you an extra English boost only when you need it, or maybe when they think you will buy their wares!
But in all seriousness, Xela couldn´t be a better locale to learn Spanish. It *is* immersion, and although you are definitely out of your element, it is not so foreign as to make you feel like an alien. It is amazing to get to learn about the culture here in Guatemala, as well as really start to make the Spanish your own. I thoroughly recommend it to anyone. Which reminds me, the students are aged 18 to 80. Okay, 80 might be pushing it, but there are definitely plenty of people here either with their grown children, or simply here by themselves for a while. In fact, there are probably more people in their 50´s and 60´s than in their 30´s and 40´s. So in other words, there is nobody who is reading this blog who can use age as an excuse to not try an experience like this... maybe I´ll give you a pass, Uncle Al! But as for everyone else, no excuses. Especially if you have considered it in the past.. hint, hint, Aunt Kathy.
Anyway, don´t really have any good pictures to go with this post, so just for fun, I´ll include a picture of a planter that I took this morning. It doesn´t have a plant in it right now, but it could. Come to think of it, I assume it´s a planter, but I suppose I don´t really know...
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