East Ridge Middle School
Late June 2026 (TBD)
Key Information
This is Guatemala
Bring your Spanish to life in Guatemala. Begin in the colonial city of Antigua with daily language sessions and walks through cobblestone streets, then journey to Lake Atitlán to meet a Mayan family and practice your Spanish over a home-cooked lunch. Visit a highland coffee finca, give back through a community service project at a rural school, hike up an active volcano, and explore the legendary Chichicastenango market. Every day is built around real conversations, cultural connection, and the kind of immersive experience that turns classroom Spanish into something students carry with them for life.
Day 1
¡Bienvenidos a Guatemala! You arrive in Guatemala City and we transfer you straight to Antigua, a UNESCO World Heritage colonial town an hour away. We get you settled in your hotel, then take an evening orientation walk through the cobblestone streets. Tonight is about getting your first taste of the Spanish you’ve been studying all year, and starting to feel the pace of the country before we dive in tomorrow.
Day 2
Morning Spanish session at a local language school in Antigua, taught by professional teachers who specialize in beginner and intermediate students. After lunch, a guided walking tour of Antigua’s colonial landmarks: the Arco de Santa Catalina, the cathedral ruins, Parque Central, and the artisan markets. Every interaction is real Spanish practice in real context.
Day 3
Full cultural day at a coffee finca in the highlands outside Antigua. Students learn the full bean-to-cup process, walk the plantation, and help with the harvest if the season allows. Lunch is prepared on site by local women, followed by a hands-on traditional Guatemalan cooking class — tortillas, pepián, and rellenitos. All in Spanish, the whole day.
Day 4
We head to Lake Atitlán, one of the most beautiful lakes in the world, surrounded by three volcanoes and a dozen Mayan villages along its shores. Boat ride across the lake to a small village where students meet a local family for lunch in their home, followed by a weaving workshop with Mayan artisans who teach the symbolism behind the patterns. Real conversations, real connection.
Day 5
Service day at a rural school on the lake. Students work alongside local teachers and kids — painting classrooms, building garden beds, leading conversation games, or whatever the school needs that season. The afternoon is for traditional games with the kids: soccer, marbles, and whatever else they want to teach you. This is where the Spanish stops feeling like homework.
Day 6
Early morning visit to the famous Chichicastenango market — one of the largest indigenous markets in Central America. Students practice their Spanish bargaining for textiles, masks, and souvenirs while taking in the colors, smells, and energy of the place. We return to Antigua in the afternoon for a farewell dinner together as a group, and a final reflection on the week.
Day 7
Last morning in Antigua. Breakfast and a final walk through the streets you’ve now come to know. Then we transfer you back to Guatemala City for your flight home, with a notebook full of new Spanish phrases, photos with your homestay family and the kids from the school, and the kind of confidence that only comes from living the language.
