C4CCC Study Abroad Guatemala Thailand Ecotourism Spanish Scuba

Antigua, Guatemala

5 Week Summer Program

 Summer Session I: May 29-July 5, 2009   applications closed

 Summer Session II: July 10-August 15, 2009   applications open!

• Intensive Spanish Language Courses: 4 weeks
  
• Homestay with local families: 4 weeks
• Community Service: 4 weeks
• Field Trips exploring this most beautiful country: 10 days
  
• Special track: Medical Spanish & volunteer in a medical facility

Intensive Spanish Language Courses: 9 levels (beginners to advanced), one instructor per student- 1 or 2 courses credit from La Universidad Rural de Guatemala. Please click here to view the academic program.Noprevious knowledge of Spanish is required.

You have your own teacher; instruction is one-on-one up to four hours a day. The emphasis is on conversation in a relaxed atmosphere; no worries, you will have Saturdays and Sundays off. The classromm is set in a beautiful tropical garden. Tea, Coffee and water are available for free, as is some internet (1 hr/week).

Specialty courses: Medical Spanish, Latin American Literature, History and Culture. These courses are taught in Spanish; max. 2 students per instructor.

Medical Spanish Track: Study Medical Spanish (2-4 hrs/day) and volunteer (3-4hrs/day) in a local medical facility for the underprivileged working with physicians and nurses. Your language studies and your service reinforce each other. Prerequisite for the Medical Spanish track is 2 semesters of previuos Spanish language courses. Medical Spanish is getting increasingly important in the US health service: Currently the Hispanic population in the US is 45 Million and is expected to rise to 102 Million by 2050 (24.4% of US population).

This Medical Spanish track is the ultimate program for students in health related fields on graduate and undergraduate level. Especially pre-health students will benefit beyond the knowledge gained by boosting their resumes. Previous positions included assisting Gynecologists, General Physicians, Dentists, Pediatricians, Nurses, Pharmacists, etc. Your specific volunteer assignment in the Medical Spanish track will be determined upon arrival.

Community Service: Many people in Guatemala live far below the poverty line. Your service in a social project makes a tremendous difference to the community and it changes many lives. Most service projects are in health facilities, working with children, or teaching English. There is an abundance of social projects desperately in need for your help. Your assignment is determined upon arrival; it depends on your abilities/interests and which projects needs the most help at the time. 2-4 hrs daily.

Service activities are a great opportunity for you to practice and further improve your Spanish. Serving fellow human beings in need is the  most fulfilling experience and it contributes significantly to one's own personal growth.

Homestay with local families: You will live with Guatemalan families. The family provides you with 3 meals daily (vegetarian too) Monday through Saturday, 7 nights of lodging in a private room (double occupancy, shared bathroom), hot shower and purified water. Living with a family enables you to participate in family social events, and gives you the opportunity to improve your Spanish and your knowledge of cultural and historical aspects of Guatemala. The meals are authentic Guatemalan style, a lot of beans, rice, and chicken. You probably want to eat out a couple of times per week to take advantage of the rich variety of international cuisine available in town. Sundays and on the field trips you are responsible for your own meals.

Antigua, the main location of the program is an old and beautiful colonial city which previuosly was the Capital of all of Central America. The town lies in the highlands in view of three volcanoes, two of which are still active; no worries, there is no risk of a major eruption but you can see them smoking.

Antigua is a center of traditional Mayan culture as well as a vibrant international community. Students from all over the world come here to study Spanish. The town is clean and small enough for everything to be within walking distance. Guatemala is also called the "land of the eternal spring." Usually it is warm and sunny during the day with temperatures in the 80s, short showers in the afternoon/evening and lows of 65 at night.

Activities included in the program:

We will do the following Field Trips: 3-4 days each (included in the program):

Santiago Atitlan: Lake Atitlan is a beautiful jewel nestled between three volcanos (Atitlan, Toliman and San Pedro). Santiago Atitlán is the capital of the Tzutujil Maya Nation and for them it is the center of the Universe. Most people here still observe the old traditions, although things are changing quickly as the outside world is making it´s presence felt more strongly each day.

Rio Dulce: The Rio Dulce or "Sweet River" goes from Lake Izabal to the Atlantic Ocean. This area is a ‘one of a kind’ geographic, ecological and cultural destination for the world.The Rio Dulce is home to a unique natural reserve with great tropical forests, and it is a famous sustainable tourism destination. We will stay in a rustic jungle camp right in the rain forest on a side arm of the main river.

Peten and Tikal: Peten is the most northern province of Guatemala, home to the most magnificent ancient Mayan ruins of Tikal. The great city of Tikal is hidden in a beautifully preserved rainforest. We will stay at the eco-lodge 'Gringo Perdido' right in the jungle and at the shore of Lake Peten.