Our experiences with home-stays up until arriving in San Pedro at Lago Atitlan were that they tended to be not very different from basic B & Bs. Often there’d be some talking around dinner time in spanish, but it sometimes felt a bit forced as if it was something they were required to do to earn money for the home-stay. Also, if there are other students there, English would usually prevail making it not really that useful for immersing yourself in the language.
In San Pedro, we finally found the type of home-stay we’d been hoping for thanks to the great hospitality of Maria, Francisco and their daughter Fatima. They made us feel a part of the family and happily joined us in most of our afternoon activities. The kids also got on well and there is no question that playing with Fatima and her cousin Chusita boosted their spanish to the point where they’re now saying basic words and short sentences.
Our spanish has also taken the biggest leap since we first studied it ten years ago thanks to our excellent teacher Rene. He’s lead a pretty fascinating life with lots of interest stories and experiences to share, as well as the odd conspiracy theory such as subliminal messages in Disney cartoons.
We loved it here, but are ready to move on to our next destination, Honduras.
