STEP 1. REGISTRATION -> STEP 2. PAYMENT -> STEP 3. GET READY FOR GUATEMALA!

Please contact us BEFORE YOU REGISTER to check our availability! Thank you!

Step 1. Submit your registration form from here.

1. FREE CELLPHONE RENTAL THROUGHOUT YOUR TIME IN GUATEMALA TO KEEP IN TOUCH
When you are in a foreign country, nothing is more comforting than listening to voices of your family and friends from back home. We will have a cellphone ready for you to call IMMEDIATELY upon your arrival. a) Free 10 minutes call time to the US, b) Unlimited incoming calls from your home, c) Buy more calling cards anywhere in Guatemala for more call time (additional cost of approx. $4+).

2. PERSONALIZED ATTENTION IN OUR FAMILY-LIKE ENVIRONMENT WITH MAX. OF 10 PARTICIPANTS AT ONCE
By maintaining our family-like learning environment, we can offer more personalized experiences to all of our participants.

3. AIRPORT PICKUP & 1ST CLASS BUS RIDE TO XELA
Our city is 4-6 hours away from the airport and the travel to your host family can be long and confusing. No problem! Finding you at the airport, getting you on the 1st class bus to Xela, driving you to your host family... We will take care of everything for you! You also have an option of our coordinator picking you up privately to take you directly to your host family! More Information

4. FREE FAST INTERNET ACCESS
There are many internet cafés in Xela but not all of them are equal. For instance, will you be patient enough to wait 5 minutes to read just one email? How about waiting for 40 minutes to send a couple of pictures you took in Xela? With our internet serivce, that is not a problem. You will get: a) Smooth internet connection by the national ISP Telgua. b) Quiet ambient to concentrate on your task. No kids will be screaming around playing online games as in case of some internet services in the town. c) Laptop and wireless ready. Very few internet cafes in Xela allow customers to bring in laptops.

5. PRE-DEPARTURE TELEPHONE ORIENTATION
We will call you about a week before you come so we can get to know you personally! And of course, we'd love to answer any questions you have about the coming up journey!

6. 24/7 STUDENT ASSISTANCE
You can rely on us to provide you with assistance 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. This personal concierge-like service provides you with personal and emergency assistance services for such things as finding tickets, finding lost luggage, and just about anything you need in-between 411 and 911.

7. EXTRA SPANISH REVIEW SESSION UPON REQUEST
Imagine this. Your Spanish class went fine, but now you have a question about the homework. What do you do then? Or maybe you want a conversation partner to keep on improving oral communication skill in Spanish. We offer the extra tutoring session to reinforce the regular curriculum and create more exposure to the target language for accelerated learners.

8. FRESH GUATEMALAN COFFEE/HERBAL TEA AND HOME-MADE BREAD DURING A BREAK
The herbal tea/aromatic coffee of the day will be a great refreshment. "Manzanilla, hierbabuena, almendra..." the Guatemalan nature gives you the relaxation away from your study with distinct tastes and healthy after effects.

9. AUTHENTIC MAYAN FIESTA
In Quetzaltenango, we always have various celebrations such as engagement, godfathership, marriage, Mayan new year party, etc. Dress up yourself in tradicional dresses and dance with the rhythm of marimba! (when available)

10. FREE VOLUNTEERING ARRANGEMENT
It will be a truly humbling experience to witness the poverty and hardship of the students, teachers and families in Chiquilajá. The children are enduring familial and community poverty and face a general lack of parental support to attend the school. The Chiquilajá school is led by Leticia Sacalxot, our volunteer coordinator. The school structure and curriculum are continually evolving, thanks to the support we receive from program participants. More than anything else, your generosity helps these children realize that someone cares.

11. FREE HOMESTAY ARRANGEMENT
Your host families are the primary and integral part of the immersion experience. They will open their homes, their hearts and their lives to you. You will see how children are raised, marriages are celebrated and slangs are used in daily life of middle class Guatemalans. Your room will not be extravagant but will be clean and comfortable with sufficient privacy. When you are at their dining table, you will enjoy the authentic Guatemalan food which will be a learning experience in itself. And of course, your host can fix you a wonderful vegetarian meal as well. A life-long friendship will be built as you would sit after dinner and talk for hours or go out to a Sunday mass, shopping and fiesta with kids/adults your age. If you have a special diet and/or medical need, please feel free to let us know. Your host family will accommodate your needs as much as possible. It's completely OK and we encourage you to communicate your preference on foods, time to be woken up, etc. There is no need for you to eat something you do not like. Just leave it aside and your host will understand. But if you can let them know what you like and do not like to eat beforehand, your host will appreciate that greatly. If you would like to change your host family for any reason, please feel free to let us know at anytime. We will have a new arrangement ready for you right away.

12. FREE SPANISH LESSON ARRANGEMENT
Your personal Spanish / indigenous language instructors are talented men and women who possess a deep knowledge of the languages and Guatemalan culture in which they live. Our instructors have a unique understanding of foreign students and how they learn best. They teach not with prepackaged curricula, but with passion, creativity and responsiveness to student interests and needs. All of our instructors are certified with diplomas in the teaching of Spanish as a second language. In addition to theoretical training on methodologies of immersion instruction, the instructors have practical experience in teaching for between 3 and 12 years. They have worked with students of a variety of learning styles and levels of previous experience (total beginners to advanced students). The lesson can be customized to accommodate each student's need in oral and written proficiency, special interests / needs of the student (according to his/her major, learning disability, etc). Let us know what interests you. Mayan cosmo-vision, natural medicine and nutrition, history, anthropology, law... Whatever it may be, we will work to pair you with an instructor who has similar interests. Our normal class schedule is 2pm-7pm, Mon-Fri followed by volunteering from 9am-12:30pm. Each session lasts 5 days. You may start your class on any Monday of the year. If you prefer to start on another day or time, special scheduling can be arranged upon your request. Starting from no knowledge of Spanish, majority of our students reach advanced level of proficiency in 10-12 weeks of study. We encourage you to offer suggestions in terms of what materials you would like to use, grammatical topics you wish to cover, or what percentage of each class you would like to devote to conversation versus drills and exercises etc. If you have special learning needs, or a learning disability please inform us or your instructor so appropriate accommodations can be made.

13. VARIOUS HANDS-ON AFTERNOON CULTURAL ACTIVITIES
We offer ourstudents a wide variety of hands-on cultural activities that provide them with the opportunity to learn about Guatemalan culture and society, visit areas outside of Quetzaltenango, practice their language skills, and get to know other students, teachers, and local people. We have various activities such as Guatemalan cooking class, dance lesson, seminar on social issues in Guatemala (human rights, post-civil war reconstruction, etc), bread making, karaoke, visits to nearby weaving and glass-blowing cooperatives, hikes to natural saunas and hotsprings, etc.

14. FREE TRANSPORTAION TO THE VOLUNTEERING LOCATION
The Chiquilajá School is located at outside of the city of Xela. Being a newcomer to Guatemala, the commute to the school can be a bit difficult. We will be guiding you through the bus rides and walks to the school and we will take care of the bus fares too.

15. SAFE LUGGAGE STORAGE
If you are thinking about taking a break from your study for a couple of weeks to travel around Guatemala and/or Centrarl America, we can take good care of your luggages in Quetzaltenango. Leave the heavy stuff with us so that you can travel lightly to all your destinations!

16. FREE DVD RENTAL FROM THE SCHOOL'S LIBRARY
We have various DVDs of cultural, educational and entertaining program to rent out. You can watch our documentaries in Spanish to learn more about contemporary Guatemalan culture or you can just rent a film to hang out with all your host family. (Popcorns and drinks are not included.)

17. QUICK TRANSLATION SERVICE
In our immersion program, you can feel your rapid progress in aquiring Spanish. But especially in the beginning, you might have a need to communicate clearly your preferences to your instructor, host family, doctor, etc. Our bilingual staffs will be able to help you make the transition as smooth as possible.

18. XELA ORIENTATION TOUR
Quetzaltenango, aka: Xela is the second largest city in Guatemala with a cozy, small-town atmosphere. To give you the best of Xela, we will guide you though local landmarks, hangout places, markets, banks, cafe, post office, universities, cemetery, soccer stadium, etc.

19. TRAVEL ARRANGEMENT SUPPORT
We work with various travel agencies in Quetzaltenango to provide you with wide range of travel options. We can help you access latest travel information that may not be found in the guidebooks to make your trips as safe and pleasant as possible.

20. FAX SERVICE
We rely on email to communicate in most of cases, but sometimes, fax can come handy. Suppose you are a student covered by your parents' health insurance plan and it is just about to expire during your stay in Guatemala. Since your insurance companry requires you to be enrolled as a full-time student in an educational institution to continue the insurance coverage, you need to send the information ASAP. This is why we have the fax service for you.

21. WEEKEND EXCURSIONS
We have various trips you shouldn't miss out. a) Panajachel at the shore of lake Atitlan: We will be crossing the one of the most scenic lakes in the world to visit 2 indigenous villages. We will stop by a hotspring and natural reserves. b) Takalik abaj: We will visit the spectacular Mayan ruin and we will have fun at nearby pool too! c) Irtra Xocomil: A wonderful break at the Guatemala's largest aquatic amusement park! And More! (additional cost of approx. $20+)

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