AmeriSpan's Study Abroad blog.
By: Artis H. – Guestblogger from Antigua
By: Artis H. – Guestblogger from Antigua
With globalization impending, it is not surprising that employers are looking for job applicants with international experience. A great way to add international experience to your resume is study abroad. If you studied abroad for a semester, summer, or year in college, this is a natural bridge to incorporating international experience in the education section of your resume. Did you study a language while abroad, or perhaps complete an internship? This is an excellent way to market yourself to potential employers as a well-rounded individual with traits such as multi-cultural understanding, interpersonal communication skills, initiative, independence, and the ability to adapt in different environments.
By: Artis H. – Guestblogger from Antigua
By: Artis H. – Guestblogger from Antigua
By: Artis H. – Guestblogger from Antigua
By: Artis H. – Guestblogger from Antigua
By: Artis H. – Guestblogger from Antigua
In my host family, we gather for meals three times a day. Breakfast is a brief affair, all preparation for the day to come. Lunch (the biggest meal of the day) is mostly dedicated to eating. But dinner, where I try out my Spanish speaking skills and my family practices their patience, is by far the most convivial. On most nights, the senor graces us with one of his stories.
"Many years ago," he begins, "I was in a bar in central Mexico." He tells the students at the table (myself, a Canadian, and an American couple) that this was back when he was still drinking and chasing women. The senora laughs and rolls her eyes. "So, in this bar, this mujer muy guapa (very beautiful woman) comes over to me and starts talking. I buy her a drink and ask her if she'd like to dance. The dancing continued for a while, the senor says, and then the woman kissed him. "She was really very beautiful. How could I say no?" At the end of the song, the bartender called the senor over. "He tells me, 'That mujer you are dancing with? No es una mujer. Es un hombre.'" At the dinner table, the senor laughs. "And that's how I kissed a man."
Another time, he tells us about the UFO he saw fly over the volcano Pacaya, "It was silver with red and yellow lights," he says, and the ghost that attacked two men at the cemetery in Antigua. "It was in all the papers the next day."
My favorite is the story about the Japanese tourist. According to the senor, he was taking a siesta in the front room closest to the street when he heard yelling coming from the sidewalk. He opened the shutters and poked his head outside. Further down, a young Guatemalan man was running with a backpack. The pack's Japanese owner followed close behind. At the end of the street, the tourist caught up with the thief and unleashed a flurry of karate moves. The man cried out and handed over the stolen mochila.
"Es verdad?" I ask with wide eyes. Is it true?
The senor nods. "Si," he says. "I saw it with my own eyes."
By: Artis H. – Guestblogger from Antigua
As I write this post, I'm alternately typing and munching on handfuls of cashew nuts. I bought them in Antigua's central market only a few hours ago, somehow squeezing in time between lunch and my afternoon snack. Considering that I've been eating tortillas by the truckload, it's hard to imagine my stomach can handle much more. But who am I kidding? This is Guatemala.
In a country where gordo (fat) is not considered an insult and gordita is a term of endearment, people spend a lot of time eating. On the streets of Antigua, food is available on every corner, where fresh fruit vendors sell bags of sliced mangos and indigena women in colorful skirts stand guard over baskets of warm corn tortillas. In the market, now is the season for tropical fruit, and baskets filled with papayas and pineapples crowd the aisles.
A tasting trip around Antigua yields delicious local specialties (the savory and spicy stewed pepion, husk-wrapped chuchitos made from corn meal) but no dish is as popular as fried chicken and French fries. Locals love the fast-food feel of Pollo Campero, a chain restaurant with a numbered menu. For braver souls (with hardier stomachs) the market, too, offers many fried chicken and French fry options.
Of course, no meal in Guatemala is complete without a sweet ending. For that, the country has panderias and dulcerias, where cakes and sweets of every kind are available. In Antigua, there are countless ice cream shops and men who ply the streets with their wheeled carts, ringing small hand bells. Even for the brief bus trip to neighboring Jocotenango, ice cream vendors board the bus to sell dripping cones of strawberry ice cream for a single Quetzal each.
Amidst all this serious eating, it's nice to take a coffee break. Guatemalan coffee is ranked third in the world for flavor, and local restaurants serve exceptional brews. At the Café de Condessa, a favorite among visitors, the menu features a wide choice of sweets to go with your cappuccino. Recently, I tried the banana cake layered with almonds and butter cream frosting. It was sinful, but much deserved after a day of heavy studying (and snacking).
By: Artis H. – Guestblogger from Antigua
We slept that night to the sound of waves, resting warm and comfortable under hanging mosquito nets. We woke early Saturday morning, nervous and excited for another important class: surfing lessons. Three of us pulled surf shirts over our bikinis and watched as Rafael ran through the basics. We practiced on dry land before taking to the waves with our instructor. He hovered behind us as we stretched length-wise on the wide beginner's boards, then counted – uno, dos, tres! – before pushing us into the cresting wave. We worked and worked at it, slipping off our boards, getting knocked down by the surf, taking gallons of salt water in through our mouths and noses. But, finally, we stood. On a great wave that sent my board rising above the swell, I pulled myself first into a crouch, then a stand, my legs spread in the sideways step Rafael taught us. I rode the wave all the way into shore, laughing and turning to see him give me a thumbs up before dragging my board out for the next round.
When the lesson ended, we carried our boards back along the black sand beach. The muscles in our arms ached and our stomachs growled with hunger, but we smiled the whole way, already dreaming of our next trip into the water. Back at the camp, breakfast waited: warm pancakes covered with fresh bananas and pineapple, granola and honey on top. We devoured the meal, then spent the day swimming and napping in the hammocks by the beach.
Saturday night, we took showers in the moonlight before heading to the fiesta down the road. Guatemalan music pumped through the speakers as we watched handsome young men escort dark-haired beauties onto the dance floor. Men approached our group, smiling shyly at the tall, blond-haired Scandinavians before asking them to dance. A local Guatemalteco chatted with a man in our group before tipping his head in my direction.
“Es tu esposa?” he asked. Is she your wife?
My friend laughed and said no.
“Your sister?”
My friend shook his head.
The wail of an accordion filled the dancehall as all around us couples stepped out for another round.
Study Abroad Articles
Study Abroad Videos
ShareThis