Why Choose Guatemala As A Study Abroad Destination

G uatemala is a beautiful          and hired tourist security at      country rich in history and     popular tourist and study abroad   cultural diversity. From        sites. Recently, this work has     ancient Mayan ruins to Spanish        paid off as the US has removed     colonial monuments, there is no       the long-standing travel           lack of sights to see, things to      advisory. All of these factors     experience and ways to study the      make Guatemala a great location    culture including many study          to study abroad.                   abroad programs.                                                                                               The following is a list of a few   The indigenous population speaks      popular Guatemalan destinations    over 23 different languages, not      and their respective highlights:   to mention the Spanish language.                                         The landscape ranges from             Antigua: The first official        Caribbean to volcanic to urban to     capital city of Guatemala,         jungle. Up until recently the         Antigua is a lively and            country had been veritably            contemporary city. Also being an   undiscovered by North American        historical marker city, much of    and European tourists because of      Antigua remains pristine,          its prolonged civil war and           untouched and unchanged. In many   general instability.                  ways it remains a truly colonial                                         city. Antigua is such a beautiful  In the past, Guatemala was a          and welcoming city, and it has     danger to tourists, study abroad      become one of Latin America’s      students and unsuspecting             most popular cities to study       visitors, to the point where the      abroad and is home to over 40      US issued a travel advisory. In       language schools that offer study  an effort to become more              abroad programs.                   tourist-friendly,                                                        Guatemala has increased security      Although Antigua does keep a       close grip on its past, it is         tourists or those that study       still very much alive in the          abroad. Located in the department  modern world. Rife with Salsa         of Solola in the Guatemalan        club sup-scale hotels and             highlands, Lake Atitlan is         restaurants, and a movie theater,     surrounded by mountains and        the nightlife is ever present.        volcanoes, which make for a        You will hear Spanish being the       magnificent background and         most prevalent, then the numerous     highlight the lake's beauty. The   Mayan languages, followed by any      forests around the lake are also   number of European languages of       one of the last habitats of the    those who study abroad. Antigua       Quetzal, Guatemala's national      has grown quite popular with many     bird.                              North Americans and Europeans                                            tourists and study abroad             Despite the fact that Hurricane    students for its sightseeing,         Stan ravaged the area with heavy   picturesque beauty; its               rains that caused landslides,      affordable living and study           Lake Atitlan and its surrounding   abroad program variety.               areas remain one of the most       Lake Atitlan: Visiting the            visited areas in Guatemala. With   villages surrounding Lake Atitlan     its ring of surrounding            is a perfect opportunity to see       volcanoes, almost every view is a  and engage present day Mayan          picturesque and breathtaking one.  culture in all its magnificent        Many trips are organized during    splendor. Lake Atitlan is one of      the study abroad programs to Lake  Guatemala's top tourist               Atitlan to be able to complete     destinations and study abroad         the study abroad cultural          components and most visitors          immersion experience.              agree that it is the most             Lake Atitlan visitors have the     beautiful lake in the world. This     rare opportunity to see unique     is a "must visit" location for        local practices firsthand and as   a study abroad student staying        approximately from 200 AD to 850   for a longer period of time may       AD, after which Tikal began its    get the chance to visit more than     mysterious decline.                once.                                                                                                          Although locals probably always    Tikal: Tikal is Guatemala's most      knew of the ruins, Tikal was not   famous and also most impressive       officially "rediscovered" until    Mayan archaeological site;            1848 when an expedition was made   students who study abroad call        to the site by members of the      this the land of wonders.             Peten government.                  Continuously settled for more                                            than 1500 years, Tikal was            In the twentieth century, mammoth  abandoned around the year 900 AD      excavations and reconstructions    for reasons not yet fully             have been undertaken through a     understood. The bulk of its           collaborative effort between the   structures and monumental temples     Guatemalan government and several  were built during the height of       U.S.                               the Mayan Classic Period,             Universities.                      About the Author: Enjoy a free Spanish Phrase ebook: http://www.amerispan.com/spdownload - This 30-pager is great if you quickly want to learn Spanish phrases. John Slocum is the president of AmeriSpan, a leader in immersion language programs and study abroad since 1993. http://www.amerispan.com/language_schools/ Published At: www.Isnare.com