At El Nahual, we take pride in the fact that all the revenue generated from the Spanish School is used to fund our Manos de Colores educational programs for the Pacaja community. Additionally, students in our Spanish language school contribute directly to our social projects by supporting these worthwhile programs through their class fees and by volunteering outside class time. These opportunities allow our student-volunteers to practice their Spanish in real-world situations where they can observe their hard work impacting low-income communities in a positive way. General and specialized Spanish courses are offered for all levels of speakers, from absolute beginner to extremely advanced. Student-volunteers and individuals participating in our volunteer-only program also have the option of living with a friendly local family in our ¨homestay¨program. This service provides students/volunteers with a private room and three meals per day at the comfortable home of a family living near El Nahual. Scroll down for a complete listing of the services we offer and associated costs. Prices listed are per week (Sunday through Saturday).
General Spanish course and homestay
Q1,300 (approximately US$160 as of January 2010).
This includes five days of Spanish instruction (Monday through Friday), four hours per day, and accommodation (private room and three meals per day) with a local family.
General Spanish course without homestay
Q1000 (approximately US$125 as of May 2010).
This includes five days of Spanish instruction, four hours per day.
Specialized Spanish course and homestay
Q1,500 (approximately US$180 as of Januaryy 2010).
This includes five days of specialized Spanish instruction for those individuals interested in expanding their vocabulary, writing and communication skills around specific topics or professions, four hours each day. We are pleased to offer specialized instruction for intermediate to advanced speakers in the fields of social work, medicine, education, human rights, and ecology/environmentalism. Students interested in taking our specialized courses are paired with teachers who have expertise in one of the above areas, and work closely with their instructors to design their classes. Many students in our specialized courses also take the opportunity to visit places of interest with their instructors (for example, a student taking the medical Spanish course may choose to visit a local health clinic with their teacher). Homestay accommodations provide private room and three meals a day with a local family.
Specialized Spanish course without homestay
Q1,160 (approximately US$150 as of May 2010)
This option provides five days of specialized Spanish instruction, four hours per day, as described above.
Homestay only (for full-time volunteers)
Q450 (approximately US$55 as of May 2010)
This option provides seven days and six nights of accommodation with a local family (private room and three meals per day).
PLEASE NOTE: Individual nights with homestay families cost Q65 (approximately US$8), should you arrive or leave your family in the middle of the week.
Pick-up service at Guatemala City airport (La Aurora)
If you would like to be met upon arrival to Guatemala City, we can organize a pick-up service that will meet you at the airport and transfer you to the private bus terminal for transportation to Quetzaltenango. The cost of the service depends on the time of arrival and whether or not you need to stay the night in Guatemala City. When you book our pick up service either a member of your host family or coordinator from El Nahual will meet you at the bus station in Quetzaltenango and escort you to your accommodations.
Airport pick-up without overnight stay in Guate
Q450 (approximately US$55 as of May 2010)
For those individuals on flights arriving before 2:00pm to Guatemala City, we recommend this option for comfortable and hassle-free transport from the airport to the bus station. Included in your fees are pick-up at the airport by our contact in Guatemala City, car transport to a first-class bus terminal, purchase of bus ticket to Quetzaltenango, and pick-up at the bus station in Quetzaltenango by a member of your host family or one of the El Nahual coordinators who will bring you to your chosen accommodations.
Airport pick-up with overnight stay in Guate
Q665 (approximately US$80 as of January 2010)
For those arriving on flights to Guatemala City after 2:00pm, we recommend this option, as bus travel between Guate and Quetzaltenango can be dangerous once it gets dark. Included in the Q665 fee is pick-up at the airport and transfer to the home of our contact in Guatemala City, where dinner and breakfast the next morning are provided; first-class bus ticket to Quetzaltenango, and pick-up at the bus station in Quetzaltenango by either a member of your host family or staff at El Nahual, who will then escort you to your chosen accommodations.
