Sunday 7 February 2010 - Yo hablo un poco espanol

We have now completed our first week of studying Spanish in Antigua and I have certainly improved my language skills (although they could hardly have gotten worse). We have been having four hours of one on one tuition each day (from 8am to noon) and although my progress has been a little slow (largely due to the sheer volume of vocabulary, verb endings and grammar rules to learn) I am definitely improving. I can now at least communicate basic ideas in a rudimentary way which would have been jolly useful in my conversation with a 12 year old last week. Lisa's Spanish also seems to be progressing apace - she is remembering lots of what she learned in Mexico in 2003 and formalising some of what she picked up there.

The school has also arranged for us to stay with a Guatemalan family whilst we study here - we have settled in quite well although it's still difficult for me as my Spanish is a long way from conversational. Thankfully though much of the language barrier has been bridged by food. As part of our stay we are served 3 meals a day much of which has been made up of typical Guatemalan cuisine. This has provided us with plenty of opportunities for conversation as we try to understand the nature of a strange Guatemalan vegetable or work out how Irma (who prepares the bulk of our meals) manages to make the incredible refried beans that appear on our table most days.

Antigua itself is something of a strange place. It sits on a flat piece of land between three volcanoes (the placid Volcanes de Agua (see picture) and Acatenango and the forever grumbling and smoking Volcan Fuego) which makes the town's setting spectacular. The population of the town is what makes it peculiar - the thriving language school scene in Guatemala very much has its heart in Antigua resulting in the city being awash with people learning Spanish. Add into this mix a prosperous tourist industry and a not insignificant American ex-pat community and you have a Guatemalan town whose very 'Guatemalan-ness' has been diluted (not unlike some of the tourist towns in the south of Spain).

This has, however, suited us pretty well - we are getting plenty of genuine Guatemalan chat at home and with our teachers at school so it is quite nice to have some western luxuries in town. These include a thriving coffee shop scene and a McDonald's restaurant that is outstandingly lovely. I have often scoffed at the use of the term 'restaurant' to describe McDonald's franchises, but the branch in Antigua (the first one we've been to in a long time) is amazing. It has mahogany coloured furniture, a huge open air courtyard (complete with topiary), a free internet cafe for customers and table service in its coffee shop. Eating there was really quite a pleasant experience (something of a change of gear from the Chelmsley Wood branch).

Other things we've been up to this week include:

• A (less than spectacular) visit to a macadamia farm;
• A visit to a local indigenous village with which our school has a charitable relationship. A particular highlight was when, halfway through explaining the local traditions and clothing, our guide had to stop to answer her mobile phone;
• Watching Antigua FC (who play in the second tier of Guatemalan football) grind out one of the dullest 0-0 draws it has ever been my displeasure to watch. In the second half it seemed that both teams could think of nothing worse than staging an attack on their opponents goal;
• Enjoying the Antiguan nightlife with a few of the local beers imaginatively entitled Gallo (cockerel) and Cabro (goat).

We plan on staying in Antigua for two more weeks to further develop our Spanish skills (and enjoy more of those beans). Maybe I can convince Lisa to give Antigua FC a second chance...