Antigua, Guatemala

Scarlet and I spent 2 weeks in Antigua, Guatemala. We were happy to spend the first week with my brother, Miss Uncle Robbie, as the kids call him. We spent a weekend at Lake Atitlan together after a 4 hour drive through curvy roads where we almost vomited. We stayed at Posado de Don Rodrigo

We spent 4 hours each day in 1:1 classes at Antiguena Spanish School. We loved our teachers (mine was Lily and Scarlet's was Elena). We had class in the school's beautiful garden and enjoyed the weekly hourlong programming on corn and Mayan weddings. Scarlet was not a fan of the salsa dance classes, so we ended up skipping those.
We also loved volunteering with God's Project, which provides food for families, after school services, dental services, a home for babies (and their mother's if the mother is still with them), and home building. Scarlet and I loved volunteering each afternoon and playing games with the 7 year olds and babies too, as well as giving out food (and cakes) to families.

We were thrilled to meet some families from the US who were staying at a hotel next to the school called Apartmentos Los Nazarenos. Jess and her daughter Shanti are from Boston. Aurora, Brent, and their daughter Nina are from New Rochelle. Lindsay and her two boys Max and Hayes are from the Upper West Side of Manhattan. We loved hanging out with them at their pool and are tempted to come back and stay there with Scarlet going to the Circus Camp, Green School, and even chess lessons. We also enjoyed having a jade making class at Casa Jade with Jess and Shanti.

Our homestay was unfortunately not great. The host mom, Liliana, put Scarlet and me in one room that could barely hold two twin beds. There wasn't a closet or shelves so we barely had enough room on the floor to open our suitcase. Thankfully I was able to get Liliana to give me a separate room since we had paid for 2 rooms. Liliana had a granddaughter named Valerie who was Scarlet's age but they didn't end up liking to spend time together. While meals at the homestay weren't great (she tended to serve cereal for breakfast, eggs for dinner, and leftovers), we liked the terrace which had a nice view of the volcano.

Overall, we loved our Antigua experience. Next time we will probably opt for the hotel :)