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Great, sympathetic, patient, knowledgable teachers. Superb position in the town, right next to La Merced Church, near the Arco. Four blocks from the Parque Central. Gardens within the school are tranquil and a wonderful environment in which to study. Activities are varied and enjoyable. Weekly fiesta is great fun, and the director is also a great cook! Homestay was clean, and the family helpful and very friendly.

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My husband and I recently attended this school for one week and thought it was excellent. The garden setting is delightful and the instructors were terrific. I stayed at a hotel but my husband stayed with a family where most members were not present at meals so he was disappointed about the lack of opportunities to speak Spanish. Nonetheless, it was all pretty wonderful and we hope to go back. The owners of this school, Catalina and Diego, are especially great teachers but all of the instuctors seemed competant, experienced and professional. Plus Antigua is fantastic! Cindy Lowe Zihuatanejo, Mexico

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Salut a tous J ai étudie l espagnol il y a 1 an a Antigua ,j ai été très satisfaite ,les professeurs étaient très bons et l ambiance très agréable,je la recommande a tous ,le directeur parle français ,cela ma beaucoup aide pour avoir des renseignements sur le Guatemala , la première semaine j ai étudié six heures avec deux professeurs ,quatre heures le matin avec Lety ou l´on a travaillé la grammaire et l´après midi deux heures avec Diego ,conversation corrigée,là on a fait que discuté,Diego est très intéressant il a quarante cinq ans ,et il a connu la guerre civil qui a eu lieu au Guatemala dans les années quatre vingt ,très triste souvenir ,mais conversation très intéressante ,la deuxièmes semaine j ai pris seulement quatre heure le matin,parce que le directeur "qui parle français " organise des activités plutôt sportive en générale l après midi.Tour en bicyclette aux alentour d´ Antigua dans les villages indiens et dans les" finca" de café ,les marches dans les montagnes au pied d Antigua oú l´on découvre une flore exceptionnel et le must, quatre ou cinq heures de marche sans voir un touriste ,le week end c´est l´ascension des volcans ,toujours organisée par l école, le premier samedi j ai fait Pacaya et la semaine d´après Agua ,les premiers étudiants sont montés en 3 heures et demi des derniers on mis 6 heures ,moi j ai mis 4 heures mais oú j ai pêne le plus c´est la descente 2 à 3 heures .Bon que dire de plus ,ç´a été deux semaines de bonheur,des profs sympa ,une ambiance chaleureuse, si vous voulez apprendre l´espagnol et faire un peu de sport ,une bonne adresse a retenir.

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Hallo, Ich habe in der Sprachschule, Don Pedo de Alvarado in Antigua Guatemala, Spanischunterricht genommen. Dieses 4 Wochen lang, 6 Stunden pro Tag. Ich habe 2 Lehrer gehabt. Einer morgens, ein anderer nachmittags. Das Ambiente in der Schule ist sehr angenehm, mit dem grossen Garten, die professionellen Lehrer und den verschiedenen sehr interessanten und zum Teil lustigen Aktivitaeten vergeht die Zeit schnell. Leicht und schnell wird da gelernt. Waehrend der 6 Wochen Unterricht habe ich, privat, bei der Familie Zamora gewohnt. Ich habe mich bei dieser Familie wie zu Hause gefuehlt. Diese Unterkunft wurde mir ueber die Schule vermittelt. Moechten Sie Spanisch lernen? Ich kann Ihnen diese Schule waermstens empfehlen!!! Jorge

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Studied here for a week in July 2007; while my teacher was OK, I felt that the school was simply trying to make a large profit from its students. (Any school's shuttle service from the airport, for example, is extremely overpriced, but it may be worth it in the end to avoid haggling at the airport.) Many of the prices posted in the school for activities were advertised incorrectly; check cheaper travel agencies like the one just across the street. These things left us with the impression that the school was raking in a great deal as middleman -- for the homestay, activities, transportation, and tuition -- and we did not have a happy experience dealing with the owner. I studied a second week at a teachers' cooperative school in San Pedro La Laguna, where I received better Spanish instruction and where I trusted in the integrity of the organization. I would recommend a school with socially and/or environmentally conscious goals over Don Pedro.

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I had a fantastic teacher at Don Pedro, she has 20 years of experience and I learned a ton with her. All classes are held in the school´s beautiful garden setting outside, so there´s a sense of open space while learning. I didn´t have the best experience with my host family, however - there were 5 other students staying there including 6 family members, I experienced racism with the host parents and they did not make the effort to include all students in conversations during the meals (as everyone is on different levels). I was at first put off by the administrative director, who didn´t appear too friendly (never took the time to talk to students, just asked for their money), but after some time the interaction eased up. The director of the school (Kathy) is lovely and cooks delicious meals for students once a week during the get-to-know-you event (but you have to pay). There is not much in the way of social activities thru the school so you have to make more of an effort to find things to do, which shouldn´t be a problem since Antigua is so small!

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I loved learning here. Every day was interesting & fun.Great teachers & lovely people Adios Amigos

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A restucture is in order. I stayed for three weeks, but I wished that would have gone to other schools for a different experience. Moreover, I don't believe that the teachers are trained well, they didn't seem to be organized or have a teaching plan. As a beginner I was not taught the alphabet or basics of the language, which left me lagging behind. If you do decide to go to Don Perdro don't spend all of your time go and experience other schools.

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Hola! I just returned from a fabulous two weeks in Guatemala; one week was spent travelling around the country and during the other week myself and my boyfriend took spanish classes at Don Pedro de Alvardo Spanish School near La Merced in Antigua. We had not registered ahead of time, but just popped in to enquire about classes, but we were so impressed by the beauty of the school and the convenient location that we decided to sign up there and then. We moved into our homestay together and it was clean and tidy, with a comfortable bed and a private bathroom. We even had wi-fi access there which we didn't expect. The family were all really nice and the food was good. It was an easy walk to the school. I am training to be a nurse so I asked my spanish teacher to go over some medical spanish terms during our lessons. During the course we practiced pronunciation and vocabulary, grammar (pronouns in particular), and conversation, mostly about nursing and current events. The only problem we had is that the afternoon activities didn't always have enough interested people to run, but the administrators always were happy to give us suggestions about things we could do and places to go. The fiesta on Thursday night was quite good fun, and I had a chance to practice dancing with the salsa teacher who gives lessons on Tuesday evenings as well. We had a great time and will consider attending Don Pedro again if we ever get back to Guatemala.

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excelente école je la recommande à tous

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Jeg har studeret spansk på mange forskellige sprogskoler båder i Spanien,Costa Rica og Guatemala, men Don Pedro de Alvarado er den eneste jeg ervendt tilbage til. Jeg har gået på Don Pedro de Alvarado som nybegynder, brugt den til at forberede min afsluttende spansk eksamen på Handelshøjskolen og da jeg senere skulle forberede mig til min udstationering i El Salvador. Skolen er ideel for spansk studerende på alle niveauer fordi ledelsen forstår at sammensætte lærere og elever således at de både menneskeligt og fagligt for det bedste frem i hinanden. Det er en meget vigtig egenskab for en skole når undervisningen foregår en til en - altså en lærer pr. elev. Udover at have et højt fagligt niveau er skolen også karakteriseret af afslappet og meget hyggelig atmosfære samt smukke omgivelser. Ulla Lo mismo en Español: He estudiado en diferentes esculas de ideoma en España, Costa Rica y Guatemala, pero solamente a Don Pedro de Alvarado he regresado. He estudiado en Don Pedro de Alvarado como principiante, para preparar mi examen final deespañol en Copenhagen Business School and antes mi estacionamiento en El Salvador. La escuela es perfecto para estuantes de todos niveles porque la gestión tiene la capacidad de combinar estudiantes y profesores en unamanera que maximiza el provecho para ambos. Esta calificación de combinarpersonalidades es muy importante cuando las clases se dan uno-a-uno (unprofesor a un estudiante). Aparte de tener un nivel alto de enseñanza la escuela tiene un ambiente relajado, agradable y bonito. Ulla

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Highly recommended !I studied at a different school my first week and changed for my second .It was a good move .The teachers here are exellent they teach with structure, system and detail at the same time they are friendly, fun and flexible, 6 hours is ideal and living with a family essential, changing teachers in the afternoon another plus Thanks for every thing Don Pedro and good luck learning. Stephanie Patts

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had a fantastic time here ! I would recomend the school to everyone ! Claudia was my teacher and she was very helpful and lots of fun to work with. She was the best language teacher that I have ever had. I hope to come back and study at Don Pedro Escuela in the future. Muy Bien Eddy Calgary, Canada

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I greatly enjoyed my time at the Don Pedro School. My teacher Caty was wonderful ! I did not know any Spanish before coming to Antigua and after on week I have learned so much I know how to describe myself , ask for directions, and so much more. Salsa classes with Herman was fun also! Thank you so much I had a great time and I plan to return next year ! Catherine

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I am a primary school teacher; I came to Antigua to study Spanish so that I can better help my young immigrant students in the United States. Don Pedro Spanish School was recommended to me by a friend. I´m glad I took her advice as it turned out to be a thoroughly enjoyable experience. Gaby, Ruben and Diego have been wonderful to work with. All three have been great about correcting my mistakes. They are very patient and have made learning Spanish very enjoyable. We spoke about many subjects including Guatemala politics, culture and about the civil war which ended in 1996. I became quite comfortable with speaking during my lessons, and I used my new skills in Antigua in the market, restaurants and shops, and with my homestay family. I lived very happily with the Carney family for three weeks. I would gladly recommend this school to anyone wanting to study Spanish in a very beautiful and welcoming environment.

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Me gusto mucho la escuela, apprendi mucho español en tres semanas y pienso regresar el proximo año con toda mi familia. Muchas gracia Don Pedro, a todos los maestros y hasta pronto. John de Canada

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Opiskelin mieheni kanssa Antiguassa Don Pedro de Alvaradon espanjan kielen koulussa tammikuussa 2009 viikon. Kummallakin oli 4 yksityisopetustuntia 5 päivänä. Asuimme sen viikon kielikoulun järjestämässä perhemajoituksessa. Olemme opiskelleet espanjaa Suomessa työväenopistossa usean vuoden ajan, mutta myös aiemmin Antiguassa, Costa Ricassa ja Ekvadorissa. Paljon opimme matkoillamme käytännössä. Matkustaminen latinalaisessa Amerikassa on nimittäin harrastuksemme ja syy espanjan opiskeluumme. Mieheni on hyvä keskustelemaan ja hoitamaan asioita, mutta kieliopissa puutteita. Itselleni suurin ongelma on keskustelu ja asioiden selvittäminen. Löysimme Don Pedro de Alvaradon kielikoulun perjantaina Antiguan turistitoimistolta saamiemme esitteiden perusteella. Keskustelimme koulusta ja sen hinnoista ja sen perusteella sovimme viikon kurssista. Perheeseen pääsimme muuttamaan jo lauantaina. Kumpikin saimme oman opettajan. Ensin keskustelin opettajani kanssa (espanjaksi) tavoitteista ja sovimme, että keskitytään puhumiseen ja jätetään subjunktiivit rauhaan. Tunnit kuluivat nopeasti, kun keskustelimme Guatemalan ja Suomen eroista jne. Illaksi saimme aina läksyksi jonkun kertomuksen kirjoittamisen (lyhyetkin kertomukset kelpasivat). Sain oppia määräävän artikkelin käytöstä, prepositoista, ajan ilmaisuista jne. Tanssikurssilla oli mahdollisuus oppia salsaa patiolla tuntien lomassa. Perhemajoituksessa meillä oli oma huone (TV), mutta suihku ja WC olivat yhteiset muiden opiskelijoiden kanssa. Aterioilla keskusteltiin ahkerasti espanjaksi. Perjantaina sujui asioista keskusteleminen huomattavasti sujuvammin kuin ennen kurssia. Loppumatkamme aikana keskustelu esim. markkinoilla ja hotelleissa sujui jo kohtuullisesti. Kielikoulun patio on suomalaiselle eksoottinen riippuvine orkidean kukkineen ja lintuineen. Virikkeitä riitti. Siellä oli rauhallista opiskella (katumelu ei häirinnyt). Kurssin hinta oli hyvin kohtuullinen. Perheessä asuminen oli hyvä lisä. Suosittelen koulua kaiken ikäisille ja tasoisille espanjan opiskelijoille. Kirsti Röyskö

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poor quality teachers, have been to many schools..this is the pits! teachers will take up a collection from the students for a "charity"....it's them.

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J´ai étudié 5 semaines a l´école Don Pedro de Alvarado , ma plus belle expérience fut de partager ce temps avec la famille Hernandez , ma famille d´accueil a Antigua . Une vraie famille formée d´un couple de 3 enfants, d´une grand mère d´un chien et deux chats, une famille modeste mais très attachante , si vous aimez le silence et la tranquillité c´est pas le bon endroit mais si vous cherchez la chaleur humaine et l´intégration dans le Guatemala profond, c´est la famille idéal , Irma m´emmenait au marché tout les samedi pour faire les courses de la semaine et m´a apprit a marchander (tout les produits se marchandent au Guatemala ) Au nivaux des cours j´ai étudié avec Leti le matin et Lionel l´après midi mes deux professeurs avaient dépassé la quarantaine je n´ai donc pas eu a me plaindre du manque d´expérience , j ´avais demandé a la directrice Caty d´avoir des professeurs plus âgés que moi et avec de l´expérience, quant a la famille , les relations humaines m´important plus que le confort j´avais demandé a vivre dans une famille d´accueil modeste . Tout mes souhaits ont été réalisés , merci Caty, Leti, Lionel et un fuerte abrazo a toda la familia Hernandez. Didier de Francia

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Yo soy de U.S.A mi español hablado es bueno,lo aprendi en Universidad, soy hijo de padres de U.S.A fui a la Escuela de Español Don Pedro de Alvarado para mejorar mi escritura. La escuela es muy buena, buenos maestros, Caty y Patricio muy amables,buenas actividades "FIESTA" mi familia buena comida,bonito jardin. Espero regresar el proximo año, es la mejor escuela de Antigua Guatemala. Hasta Pronto!

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I have had a really good time here! I think the school is great, and my teacher was excellent ( Raquel). She has been patient with me which is very important! Many thanks to everyone at the school and especially Raquel. My host family has also been very friendly and the food delicious. Marc

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I studied here for 2 weeks in January 2009. I had originally planned 1 week but really enjoyed my classes at Don Pedro and my stay in Antigua so I decided to stay an extra week. Classes at Don Pedro are set in a wonderful garden and because the number of students was not overly large (ca. 10), tables were not too close together, allowing you to focus on your own lesson. I was lucky enough to have Caty, the school director, as my teacher. Not only is she a very good teacher, she is a great & fun person too (and a great cook by the way). I also heard positive feedback from most of the other students about their teachers and the general atmosphere during the classes was very positive. There does not seem to be a fixed teaching plan not student syllabus which may be an issue for some. However for me it was more important that classes were tailored to the level of the student which they were. There were good activities in the afternoon on most days except Mondays (salsa classes 2x a week, visit to a Finca and a fun school lunch). The school also arranged a family stay for me and the family was fantastic. They were really hospitable and friendly and there was always at least one member of the family present during each meal (and often more than one). They always turned each meal into an extra little Spanish lesson which was great. Children and grandchildren were often about, giving me a great insight into family life in Guatemala. The "casa" was also diagonally across the road from the school which was very convenient. I remember that a fellow student was also raving about her family. I got the impression that Don Pedro is not the largest school in town, so if you want to meet 20-30 other students, this may not be the place, but i highly recommend Don Pedro for its wonderful & tranquil garden, Caty - the Director of the school, the generally good & friendly other teachers and the family stays they arrange. I hope you will have as good a time as I did. Jacco

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I am mostly a self-taught student. I needed a school that would work with my uneven skills. I wanted to concentrate on conversation, pronounciation, and grammer. I did not want to spend two weeks studying ser and estar. As with most schools, the instruction comes down to the teacher. I was blessed an experienced teacher that made learning fun. She also adapted to my special needs. I was that the school was flexible to meet my desires. Some schools follow a rigid lesson plan. That would not have worked for me. In the two weeks that I had, I learned pretreit, imperfect, future, conditional, and command. Prior to my class, I had never left the present tense. I plan to return. My family was great. I probably ate too much they provided such good food I could not resist.

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J´ai étudié trois semaines dans cette école et j´ai été pleinement satisfaite, mon prof était très patient et la famille ou je vivais était toujours présente avec nous pour les repas ,merci beaucoup pour cette agréable expérience

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Je recommende cette école. J´ai apprit beaucoup en peu de temps. Ma professeure était tres patiente et généreuse. Pascale. Quebec, Canada.

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de retour de 4 semaines dans cette école . Petite mais amicale et pleine d'activités. Notre famille d'accueil fut tout simplement extra et nous a impliquée dans ses activités quotidiennes et spéciales pour le carême. Du côté de l'enseignement il faut savoir que le personnel essaie de répondre aux besoins des élèves mais ceux-ci doivent être en msure de définir ce qu'ils désirent comme forme de cours. Pour moi ayant déjà une base j'ai insité pour mettre l'accent sur la conversation et la grammaire qui s'y rattache. Ayant un bon vocabulaire ma prof m'a fait travailler les subjonctifs et les verbes irééguliers aux temps les plus usules de la conversation. Pour ma blonde qui avait besoin de vocabulaire le cours fut différent et moins structuré. Elle avait possiblement mal défini son besoin. Je recommande cette école et surtout son cercle de familles où demeurer. Bien choisies et surtout qui ont l'habitude avec les étrangers.

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I studied with my husband at Antigua in the Spanish school of Don Pedro de Alvarado in January 2009 for one week. We both had 4 private lessons during 5 days. We lived with a local family for the week. We have studied Spanish in Finland at adult courses for some years, but also earlier in Antigua, Costa Rica and Equador. We learn much in practice during our travels. Traveling in Latin America is our hobby and the reason for studying Spanish. My husband can easily discuss and take care of practical things but has a lot to learn in gramatic. My greatest problem is conversation and describing subjects. We found the Spanish school of Don Pedro de Alvarado at Friday by using the prochures we got in the tourist office. We discussed about the school and its prices and according to this we agreed to have one week course. We moved at the family already at Saturday. At Monday We both got own teacher. At first I discussed with my teacher about the objectives and we agreed we will focus on talking and ignore subjunctive. Time flew while we discussed about differences between Guatemala and Finland etc. As home work we wrote small stories. I learned about the definite article, prepositions, time definitions etc. Dance classes at the school patio gave us an opprtunity to learn salsa. In the family house we had own bedroom with TV, but the shower and toilet were common with other students. At the table there was always busy conversation in Spanish. At Friday conversation was for me far easier than before the course. During the rest of our travel it was quite easy to talk with people at markets, hotels etc. The school´s patio with its orchideas and birds was an exotic learning place for a Finn! It was peacefull without street noise. The price was very reasonable. Living with a local family was a positive experience. I recommend this school for Spanish students at all levels and ages. Kirsti Finland

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In Nov. 2009, I went to Guatemala as a volunteer interpreter for a Vancouver based surgical team, arriving in Antigua a few days in advance to get my head back into Spanish at Don Pedro Spanish School. I'm a professional woman with a background in 2nd language teaching and was very pleased with the wonderful reception & professional instruction I received at Don Pedro. On the strength of a short notice email, a corteous driver met my plane promptly & gave me an entire "lesson" in Mayan culture during the drive to Antigua in a modern van. I was delivered to my homestay where a tasty dinner awaited me along with 3 other students. Director Cathy Galindo did an admirable job of trying to get me up to speed for my work at a clinic in the highlands. When my team members arrived, she arranged for Spanish coaching for several of them. I will be returning to Guatemala regularly & will make a point of returning to Don Pedro whenever I can. I would not hesitate to recommend this school. Lynda West Vancouver, Canada

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Un petit mot pour dire combien ma femme et moi avons grandement apprecie la qualite des enseignantes et aussi l accueil chaleureux de Cathie la directrice et Letie deux personnnes dynamiques toujours pretes a vous aider. Les petits dejeuners du mardi et les diners du jeudi sont 2 moments precieux dans la semaine qui nous ont permis de rencontrer les autres etudiants de l ecole et de mettre en pratique l espagnol nouvellement acquis. Nous avons frequente cette ecole 5 semaines et nous vous la recommandons chaudement. Nous croyons etre de retour l an prochain pour approfondir notre espagnol.Le rapport qualite prix est excellent et la famille recommandee par l ecole dans laquelle nous vivions nous a permis de faire de belles rencontres avec d autres etudiants de notre ecole. Gilles Charest, Quebec