Lake Tahoe Community College Offers a Learn Spanish Abroad Program

Lake Tahoe Community College is offering interested students an opportunity to learn Spanish in Guatemala this coming summer. The program is open to anyone who is at least 18 years of age, and participants do not have to be current LTCC students. All levels of Spanish language learners are welcome to experience the program.

Participants will fly out of Reno on Sunday, July 27, 2014 for Antigua, Guatemala. They’ll spend two weeks there, receiving 6 hours of Spanish language instruction every day through the PLFM Language School (http://www.spanishschoolplfm.com). It’s the oldest language school in Antigua, and focuses on teaching the Spanish language and preserving Mayan languages and culture. The program also includes a home stay with a Guatemalan family for all participants in order to accentuate their learning experience. All of the host families live within walking distance of the PLFM school, and host families will provide room, board, and all meals except on Sundays.

As part of the program price, participants will also have the opportunity to take side trips, such as visiting the Museo del Café, Ciudad Vieja, and a full-day excursion to Chichicastenango and Panajachel, Lake Atitlan. They’ll also take a colonial tour of Antigua.

Participants fly back to Reno on Sunday, August 10, 2014. Currently, no immunizations are required for travel to Guatemala. A valid and current passport is required.

To prepare them for their trip to Guatemala, students will first be required to take a 3-unit online grammar course (either beginner or intermediate) through LTCC before departure. Additionally, a cultural-focused class covering Guatemala and the Maya civilization and a small group conversation class will be held in the host country. The preparatory online coursework begins in summer quarter 2014, and will continue on location in Antigua. Students will receive seven units of coursework in total with this program.

“The study-abroad experience is a life-changing one,” says LTCC Spanish instructor and program co-host Sara Pierce. “Learning Spanish in a setting like Guatemala brings authenticity to your learning.”

Pierce’s colleague, instructor and program co-host Nancy Barclay, adds, “My intermediate-level students always want to know when they will become fluent in Spanish. My answer is: once they can immerse themselves in the language. Here is a perfect chance to begin speaking Spanish in context while appreciating the beautiful Maya culture of the Guatemalan Highlands. ¡Vámonos!”

All of the travel and in-country arrangements for this program will be handled by the American Council for International Studies (ACIS). The program price, which includes ACIS fees for travel, boarding, in-country language program, and field trips, is $2,943 if students register by January 17, 2014 with a $200 deposit. The price will go up by $100 after January 17. The deadline to register is February 28, 2014. Full payment is due by March 1, 2014. However, there is an auto-payment option that allows for the last payment to be due by June 12, 2014. Without taking that option, after the initial $200 deposit another $295 would be due one month after Jan. 17, and the balance would be due by March 1. In addition to the program price, students must cover LTCC registration costs for seven units.
To register for this program, participants should go to the ACIS website (www.acis.com). The group leader is “Barclay,” and the Group ID number is 85515. For more information about this program, contact Nancy Barclay (530-541-4660 ext. 204, Barclay@ltcc.edu) and Sara Pierce (530-541-4660 ext. 255, Pierce@ltcc.edu). More information can also be found on their “summer in Guatemala” webpage at http://ltcconline.net/nbarclay/guat/2014.htm.