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So what do people really think about our School? Here are some comments from former
students...
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We would like to thank Peter
Gunnarsson for kindly allowing us to use some of his photos on our website - Thank you
very much! |
References Ellen & Pat, USA - "My husband had been nervous
about doing this but he enjoyed it. I was in heaven speaking Spanish for 4 hours every
day! We also worked on some grammar points, mainly the subjunctive (of course!). The
setting is beautiful and relaxed, as you can see from the photos. It is professionally run
and everyone there, both students and teachers, all seem friendly and happy to be there. I
highly recommend it!" For more details and photographs of the School and Panajachel
please
Dave, Canada - "This is Candelaria, our Spanish
teacher (see photo to the left). She speaks Spanish, English, and Kaqchikel, runs the
school and tutors, and administrates a scholarship program in rural villages in her spare
time. We met her two months ago, online, because she teaches lessons on the internet,
using Skype video chat. It's great and affordable, and we recommend it for anyone who is
preparing to come here on a trip. It has been invaluable for us, and she is an excellent
teacher. Their site is www.jabeltinamit.com"
Paul, London, UK - "During October 1998 I visited
Guatemala because I had decided, finally, to improve my Spanish beyond "Donde esta el
bano?" I tried three different schools in three towns and found Spanish School Jabel
Tinamit to be by far the best. The relaxed and conversational style of teaching
fully met my need to build vocabulary and develop an understanding of grammar. The
Homestay option gave me total immersion in Spanish to help with practice and confidence in
speaking the language. And the climate and beauty of Panajachel made it the perfect
"classroom" in which to learn. I can thoroughly recommend Jabel Tinamit; classes
there were a real pleasure! I made good friends at the School and help out as webmaster.
In October 1999 I returned to Jabel Tinamit for another week of classes as a prelude to a
trip across Central America. Again, the teaching was great and Panajachel as
beautiful and relaxing as ever. I returned again in October 2001 and September 2008.
On each visit it has been wonderful to meet my friends at the school again and to chat
with students from places like Korea, Denmark, Australia and the USA. I'll be back soon
I'm sure!"
Ken, Canada
- "Learning (Spanish) online has been a very positive experience for me. It has
allowed me to learn language like youngsters learn language. They listen, repeat words,
make phrases, and finally speak with sentences. Children learn tenses, vocabulary, and
concepts very naturally. My online classes with Candelaria have allowed me to pursue this
style of learning. Thank you Candelaria."
Barry, U.S.A
- "I have had several on-line classes per week over the past few months It has been
an excellent experience. I have learned more REAL Spanish in a few months than I had in
several years of traditional methods with tapes, CD's and books. I highly recomend it to
anyone wanting to learn REAL Spanish quickly."
Ingrid and
Philippe, Belgium - "First we planned to study Spanish only during one week,
but when we discovered the professionalism of our nice teachers and how they dedicate all
their energy to their students, we decided to stay 4 weeks more. Candelaria and Gregorio
were wonderful teachers who also made us discover a lot about Guatemala. We warmly
recommend you to this school. It is really a nice experience to study here"
David Cohen,
U.S.A - "I looked at schools in Antigua and none of them had the atmosphere
of Spanish School Jabel Tinamit. I have never studied Spanish in a foreign country and I
cannot wait to return in the future. I recommend this school to anyone who wants to learn
Spanish and to have the time of their lives at the same time. I plan on telling all my
friends about this school"
Alex Ismail,
Nottingham, UK - "Thank you for a thoroughly productive three weeks. It is
incredible to think how much I have achieved in so short a space of time. When I arrived
here I knew only a handful of Spanish words but can now converse in Spanish on politics
and read Spanish newspapers. This experience has meant that I can travel in Central
America with greater confidence. Good luck with your fund raising and all the best for the
future"
Michael Hoskin,
Australia - "After trying other schools and not progressing as quickly as I
liked, I decided to try this school mainly because of it's flexible hours. You can make
your own program and change hours according your needs. It's a refreshing change to other
schools. The relaxed atmosphere also helped me to chill out, and the teachers were of high
quality with great patience. I would recommend any person to this school as I can now
converse in the language"
Tio Roy, USA
- "My family and I attended the school in the fall of 1999 for 2 weeks. What a
wonderful experience! We stayed with a wonderful Mayan family. We were very safe and could
even walk after dark without fear. While there I checked out other schools in Pana, Xela,
and Antiqua. By far we picked the best school! I was concerned that studying with a Mayan
owned school we might be picking up an accent or the grammar would be inferior. Boy was I
ignorant! The teachers are highly educated and can quickly adapt to your level of Spanish
and bring you up to greater conversational and reading skills.
My daughter, a musician, was intensely interested in the
intimate details of grammar. She had taken intermediate Spanish as a home schooled high
school student at the local community college in the Kansas City area 97-98. Summer 2000
she quizzed out of some Spanish and earned a minor in Spanish after her first semester at
Ball State University in Indiana. My wife, a beginner, was able to grow in her
understanding and confidence.
As an intermediate student, I was primarily interested in
increasing my conversational skills. My instructor was easily able to create a program for
my needs. One of the things that bothered me about other schools was that US contacts
would promote these schools and rake funds off the top. This was not the case with Jabel
Tinamit. All the money I paid went to the school. The prices were reasonable and fair. The
field trips were excellent, and the school has bicycles for rent at better prices than in
town."
Tina, Munich, Germany - "The great thing about Jabel
Tinamit was that they are very flexible, so I was able to start my lessons in the middle
of the week. You can also choose between 4,5 or 6 hours a day. I decided to take only 4
hours from 8am to noon, since then I still had the whole afternoon to do different
things...Gregorio introduced me to Brenda, my teacher for the week. So we sat down in the
beautiful garden of the school and started the [first] lesson. I had learned a bit of
Spanish before - 7 yrs back in Germany in evening school - so I knew the basics. My goal
was just that I refreshed my vocabulary and get more comfortable again talking
Spanish...there were 3 more "estudiantes" and their teachers - so it's a nice
small school."
King M - "Most people in
Guatemala study in Antigua, which is a beautiful little city, but it also is filled with
tourists. I went instead to Panajachel, which is on the shore of a lake in the highlands.
The scenery is spectacular and you can take boats to the other villages rimming the lake,
each with their own history, Mayan language, and culture. The school itself was Jabel
Tinamit and was in a beautiful, garden-like setting. The teacher was excellent. My Spanish
was probably a high intermediate at the time" |