Comments:
You learn a lot very quickly, but you have to study - they give you homework!!! The teachers are warm and dynamic, and the host families are amazingly generous of spirit. The volunteer projects are also amazing - just to be allowed to see how people live and to be let into their lives so real yet so different from ours in the US.

Comments:
I fell in love with Pop Wuj so much that I ended up staying three months longer just so I could work in one of their amazing volunteer programs. Since the school is a true cooperative, it has a comfortable family-feel to it and everyone pitches in to help out. I appreciated how knowledgable my teacher was and I lucked out with a fantastic family with whom I still keep in touch. I will always be grateful to Pop Wuj not just for teaching me the little spanish I know, but for opening my eyes to the incredible culture of Guatemala. Muchas gracias!

Comments:
Over the past four summers I have studied at two other schools in Xela, but now that I´ve discovered Pop Wuj I probably won´t bother trying any other schools. The school really strives to fulfill its philosophy of helping local communties with awesome volunteer projects and school scholarships for kids. I had a great time and I highly recommend Pop Wuj!

Comments:
The only school for medical spanish. I came to Guatemala to study medical spanish. After a week at another school, I found that an advertisement of ¨medical spanish¨ means pretty much nothing. Then, I found Pop-Wuj. If you do not already have medical volunteer opportunities set up apart from your school, this is the only school to go to in Xela for medical spanish, and thus probably the only school in Guatemala. It is a somewhat expensive program, but that is because you have extra lectures the first week, and you also have to help support the doctor who sees all his patients for free. Other schools may have a doctor, but that doctor may only see 1 or 2 patients a day because people can´t afford to visit a doctor. Pop-Wuj also has given its teachers some training in medical vocabulary though the ability to teach this vocabulary varies among the teachers. If you are looking for a medical spanish program there are a few things to look for. 1) Affiliation with a non-Guatemalan medical school. 2) Number of clinics affiliated with the school. 3) Whether teachers have experience in the medical field. Finally, it is always a good idea to bring you own medical spanish text book.

Comments:
I loved this school. I intended to stay for one week, and ended up staying for three. It was a wonderful experience. My only gripe was I asked to be placed with a family near the school, and this did not happen. I ended up staying in a hotel after one week.

Comments:
Even though my Spanish is pretty much still beginning level, I had a great time this summer building fuel-efficient stoves and playing with the kids at the daycare center. Pop Wuj has really great volunteer projects. I wish I could have studied longer. One of my friends studied in their Medical program and loved it, even though it was crowded, but it sounds like that´s how it is during the summer. I highly recommend this school.