Language School in Guatemala

On Good Friday, April 10, 2009, I will travel to Guatemala to Spanish language school. The school is Proyecto Lingüistico Quetzalteco de Español, located in Quetzaltenango. The Mayan name for the city is Xela (pronounced SHAY-lah). I admire the school's philosophy, its reputation among my colleagues in graduate theological education, and its methods of teaching.

I will be in Xela for five weeks. The first week, I will stay in a guest house recommended by friends. The remaining four weeks, I will stay with a family.

My long time friend Cindy is already in Antigua, studying in a school there. She will arrive in Xela after Easter to go to school until the end of April. She will continue on in the guest house after I move to my host family. I have to admit, it would probably be easier to be in the same guest house with my friend, someone familiar, but the point is to learn and that means to be speaking as little English and as much Spanish as possible. I hope we can visit and travel on weekends to some site seeing.

The method of learning is 100% immersion in the language. I have some Spanish in my background, college, and six weeks post-college in Bolivia. My Bolivian experience showed me that it is possible to learn the language to a level of fluency that will be good for daily conversation.

Conversation is the entire point of going to school at PLQE. I hope to become certified as a chaplain for hospital and community development. Spanish is widely spoken in Indianapolis. In my internship in CPE over the winter months, I encountered many people with whom I would have liked to be able to talk with fluently. Being sick or having a sick family member is a crucial time for conversation and prayer that can comfort, reassure, support, and help someone through a difficult time. Language can be a huge barrier that I often felt as I tried to talk and pray with patients. They had enough on their minds without trying to help me with talking!

Knowing another language is a significant component of human empathy, the ability to "feel into" the lived experience of another. I am looking forward to this next level of empathy in my pastoral care-giving repertoire.

Those who work in corporations, education, and training know about the concept of "cultural competence," the ability to get along in the world with those who are different from one's own cultural background. Learning another language is a signficant piece of gaining cultural competence.

Rachel has spent a lot of time in Guatemala. I am looking forward to seeing some of the country that has meant so much to her. Whether or not I will walk across a lava field with nothing but a stick in my hand is still a subject I am not ready to discuss :-). But, the people and the beautiful landscape are already drawing my heart 'way down south.

For all of these reasons, and more, I am very excited about these coming five weeks in Guatemala. I will hope to add photos and stories to this blog during the trip. Rachel and I will use Skype for phone calls, too. I hear the internet can be "spotty", but we will try our best to keep in good contact.