I studied Spanish at the Cooperativa Spanish School in San Pedro, Guatemala for five weeks in June/July 2010, and I cannot speak highly enough of the school, my teacher and the homestay that they placed me in - it was an absolutely fantastic experience.
If you want to learn or
improve your Spanish, I thoroughly recommend the Cooperative school to study at. I had previously studied Spanish in group classes in Madrid in Spain a
few years ago, but the 1-to-1 lessons at the Cooperative Spanish School
were infinitely better, allowing me to improve my proficiency in the
Spanish language at a
much, much faster pace.
Just as importantly, if you are serious about improving your Spanish, I strongly recommend that you take the opportunity to stay in a homestay with a local family, so you can immerse yourself in the language and at the same time get to to know the local culture and food (such as chuchitos, tamles,frijoles, dobladas and hilachas, plus of course the obligatory tortillas!) during your time in Guatemala. If you are more interested in bar-hopping and the San Pedro nightlife, stay in a hostel, speak English with all the other Americans, Europeans, Australians and Israelis you will meet, and then wonder why your Spanish has not improved as much as you would have liked when it comes time for you to leave.
Just as importantly, if you are serious about improving your Spanish, I strongly recommend that you take the opportunity to stay in a homestay with a local family, so you can immerse yourself in the language and at the same time get to to know the local culture and food (such as chuchitos, tamles,frijoles, dobladas and hilachas, plus of course the obligatory tortillas!) during your time in Guatemala. If you are more interested in bar-hopping and the San Pedro nightlife, stay in a hostel, speak English with all the other Americans, Europeans, Australians and Israelis you will meet, and then wonder why your Spanish has not improved as much as you would have liked when it comes time for you to leave.
During my time I met a few foreigners studing in other language schools
in San Pedro, and a surprising number were were not happy with their school or their
teacher or both. I can honestly say I could not have been more satisfied with
the Cooperative Spanish School, my maestra Clarita (one of the best
teachers I have had in all my schooling and further education) or the local
homestay with Felipe and Rosa and their family that the school organised
for me.
What sets the school apart was not just the high level of
experience of its teachers (my maestra had taught Spanish as a second
language for 10+ years), but also the positive impact the school has on
the local community in San Pedro. Part of your school fees will go directly towards
providing basic food essentials to poorer familes in the town, and the
school also undertakes some bigger projects to improve the quality of
life of the families in the community that most need it.
If you are from the USA, Guatemala is the obvious choice to learn Spanish, given its fairly close proximity and the fact the Guatemalteco accent is a much purer Spanish than most other Latin American countries you could go to. If you are from Europe, I strongly recommend you pay the extra air fare costs to fly to Guatemala, as the lower school fees and living costs will almost certainly result in your total outlay being less than if you study in Spain, particularly if you price in 1-to-1 lessons which I now realise are essential to make quick progress in learning the language.
Ignore all the media nonsense about Guatemala being a dangerous place for tourists, if you take normal sensible precautions, you will encounter no problems whatsoever. The people in San Pedro and the entire country were as friendly (if not more friendly) than any I have met in many years of travelling in many countries around the world. San Pedro is also an excellent
place to study, and with numerous attractions nearby, there will be
plenty to keep you occupied on the banks of Lago Atitlan when you are not attending your lessons. I climbed two
volcanos, hiked through the jungle, kayaked and fished on the lake and
visited several markets in nearby towns during my five weeks, and this
was only the tip of the iceberg of what I could have done - I guarantee you won´t get bored!
Note: I have absolutely no affiliation whatsoever with the Cooperative Spanish School, other than being an ex-student and an extremely satisfied customer. If you have any questions that you would like to ask me about my experiences at the school or in Guatemala, feel free to contact me via a Facebook message.
