Why I like Celas Maya

I have just returned from two weeks at Celas Maya in Xela.

My street in Xela

This was my second visit to the school and I loved it! There are three components that make the experience unique. First, wonderful, structured instruction for five hours a day. We start at 8:00 am every day and at the beginning of each week we make a plan for the entire week. The plan is filed with the office and we stick to it throughout the week.

Bird in flight in the nature preserve

Second, the home stay. Both times I have chosen to stay with a family in Xela. We ate three meals a day with them and I learned a lot of my Spanish sitting around the table talking during and after meals. My family was really wonderful and they made me feel at home throughout my stay.

 

Our visit to the hot springs above Xela

Finally, Celas Maya takes real care to offer activities throughout the week. One of my favorites was movie day - every Tuesday afternoon many of us would gather to watch a movie in Spanish and drink hot chocolate. It was great to spend time with the other students and sip ally good hot chocolate while learning Spanish in a different way! I also took part in one of the weekend trips - these are fabulous. I went with a great group of students to Monte Rico on the Pacific coast. We spent three wonderful days on a beautiful beach. We all enjoyed the lovely scenery and great food. We also took part in a predawn boat ride in a water nature reserve - a real highlight of my stay.

Street on the way to school

I really recommend Celas Maya. You will meet great teachers and interesting students from around the world. I had a great time and I look forward now to continuing my lessons with my teachers Ronnaldo through Skype!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The courtyard of Celas Maya where we have our lessons

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The beach at Monterico

One of the things I really wanted to do this time in Guatemala was see more of the country. We certainly did this over the past few days. We took a trip to Monterico, a beautiful spot on the ocean, a good five-hour drive from Xela.

Bird in flight before dawn at Monterico

We stayed at 'Johnny's Place', a very loud collection of rooms with a wonderful restaurant and a place on the ocean. The highlight of the trip was certainly the predawn boat ride we took through the mangrove forests that make up the local nature preserve.

We left at 5:00 am and were taken out in a large canoe-type boat that was poled through the channel by our guide.

 

The intense heat had not yet set in so we had an hour and a half of the most wonderful ride through the mangroves. Beautiful birds were everywhere. Fishermen were making their early morning catch and the world was beautiful and silent. It was a wonderful experience. It is great to know that there are still areas like this that remain untouched and tranquil.

Later we returned to Johnny's for a full day of lying in hammocks and battling the huge waves here on this coast. The music was loud and grinding. Both nights it kept up till 1:30 am. It will be nice to return to the relative quiet of Xela!

 

 

This is a beautiful beach, but a dangerous one too. We were cautioned to keep well away from the waves, the undertow here can pull you out to sea very quickly. Several times I was knocked right off my feet into the waves. Fun, but a little scary.

We returned to Xela today and I am very happy to be out of the heat. The climate of Xela is one of the best in the world and I love the cool days and nights we have here.

Tomorrow starts week two of classes. Ronaldo my instructor says I should be ready for new work - that is if I finish my homework tonight!

 

Our adventurous group at breakfast at Johnny's place

 

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