I will never forget my first day at the Spanish school “Proyecto Linguístico Francisco Marroquín”. On the morning of the first day, I was walking through Antigua, not knowing what to expect at the school where I was about to direct  a program for American students. I was blaming myself for not studying  more about Guatemalan culture before the trip. Fragments of various, random thoughts were racing through my mind as I came upon the heavy, wooden door  to the school that seemed to be a portal to another world. What was waiting for me behind that door? Who are they, these mysterious Guatemalan people? Are they friendly? Will they like me?

I immediately found myself in a gorgeous and abundant tropical garden that seemed to predate all else in the city (which was obviously not true.) It was Monday, and all of the teachers were running around the garden trying to make their last preparations for the busy week. Several of them rushed to me and welcomed me to the school. They were all talking at the same time in Spanish, and yet I felt completely relieved. Teachers were of different ages and personalities, but one common feature made them similar. They all were incredibly warm and welcoming. 

The first day started with the introduction of the school’s rigorous program, which consists of six hour (plus breaks) individual classes every day with the same teacher. Classes include all aspects of the language, plus introduction to the Guatemalan culture and history. Regardless of your level, all classes are conducted in Spanish. No matter how prepared you are or for how long you studied Spanish, the first day and perhaps even the first week are rather stressful and challenging. You are left alone with a representative of another culture with whom you will have limited means of communication. It is not going to be a quick, insignificant conversation. If you try to get away with short answers or superficial conversations, the teachers, who are both skillful linguists and very thoughtful, will create a conversation with even the most limited of Spanish speakers.  You will have to spend a considerable part of your day with your teacher describing your tastes, thoughts, views, and fears to him or her. You will have to reveal your inner thoughts and ideas. You have to temporarily adopt a completely forgotten role of a child in an adult world and relearn things you thought you knew.

On the first day, all students (even those who have never taken Spanish) take a placement test that reveals where they stand in their knowledge of Spanish. Immediately after, students take a walking tour around Antigua with their individual teachers. The main goal of this excursion is to get to know your teacher and orient yourself around the city. The second part of the first day is an ongoing conversation in Spanish. During the first day, experienced school teachers determine students’ needs and goals in studying Spanish, tastes and interests, and also adapt to students’ different personalities. The first day builds a solid foundation for the next week or weeks of intensive learning and marks the beginning of a beautiful friendship between each Proyecto Linguistico teacher and their student, a friendship that might last for years like mine with the program coordinator Carmen Castellanos.

Olga Sylvia, PhD