ABOUT THE PROGRAM
This is independent travel study so you pick the dates; classes typically begin on Mondays. You'll study for 3 or 4 hours per day either morning or afternoon and can register for 1 to 4 weeks and receive 60 Clock Hours/PDUs or 6 quarter credits (equivalent of 4 semester credits) per week.
PLEASE NOTE: The Heritage Institute courses receive Continuing Education Quarter Credits awarded by Antioch University Seattle at the 400 and 500 levels. Call 800.445.1305 or log onto The Heritage Institute’s website policies page for more information.
If you're interested in studying in a coastal city or on one of the Bay Islands of Honduras, check out the link for the Central American Spanish School with bases in La Ceiba and on Utila and Roatán. The 2 schools work together so you can combine weeks at each if you wish. If you prefer a different location or Spanish school, arrangements can be made; please contact the instructor.
For information about similar programs in other Latin American countries as well as credit for volunteer and cultural learning projects, click here or on the bottom link, below. For contact info click the REGISTRATION or SYLLABUS links.
To view the 2008 Live and Learn group trip blog, scroll to the Blog Archive (lower right) and click the 1st post you want to see (they're listed bottom to top chronologically, you may need to click the arrow by July to see the earliest ones). Click "Newer Post" at the bottom of each post to view the next one.
- REGISTRATION FORM/Cost & Assignment Summaries
- Cancellation Policy and Liability RELEASE FORM 1
- Heritage RELEASE FORM 2
- SYLLABUS (1st week; add'l weeks are similar)
- Course EVALUATION FORM - optional
- Stacey's TRAVEL PHOTOS with blog and travelogue links
- PACKING IDEAS
- Pack light site: onebag.com
- "Before you go" list
- CDC TRAVEL HEALTH - Honduras
- Ixbalanque School
- Central American Spanish School
- Heritage Institute/Antioch University Seattle
- Dial-A-Verb with Online Verb Conjugator Link
- Online Translator
- Langenscheidt Span/Eng Dictionary on Amazon.com
- Addall.com - great used book search engine
- Live & Learn in Latin America
About Me
- Stacey Holeman
- I was a teacher for more than 34 years and retired 10 years ago from directing Structured Learning Centers for kids with autism and multiple disabilities. Gaining conversational ease in Spanish has been an important goal for me and I find attending Spanish schools in Latin America and volunteering with local organizations both productive and addictive. In the course of my immersion studies in Latin America, I fell in love with the people of San Pedro La Laguna, Sololá, Guatemala and for the last 15 years have managed a nonprofit that matches scholarship sponsors with promising students in San Pedro who would otherwise be limited to 6 years of school: BecaProject.org My frequent visits to Guatemala, surrounded by their gorgeous textiles, reignited my interest in fiber arts which I’ve added to my list of passions along with family, Beca Project, camping, travel, and photography.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
SUNDAY - chilling by the pool
I had a wonderful morning - several hours talking with Lilian, exchanging recipes and wanting our families to know each other. The boys, Josue and Eduardo, were still asleep but I took a photo with Edgardo, Maria, and Lilian before they left for church and we said our last goodbyes. (PHOTO 1). PHOTO 2 is my goodbye photo in my room.
Most of the day we'll just be chilling by a pool - for 50 Lempira ($2.50) we can hang out for the day at the pool of a local hotel (PHOTOS 3, 4, and 5).
Thanks for following our trip and for your support. This will be the last post before we head our separate ways. HAPPY TRAILS!
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Saturday - horses and some time to rest
Friday!
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Thursday - busy day
Happy trails!
Wednesday!
Today we road in the back of a pick-up truck to a village high in the mountains that has a ceramic cooperative. We enjoyed a traditional meal in the little house there, surrounded by banana trees (PHOTO 1). We also tried our hands at working with the clay (PHOTOS 2 and 3); Maria made it look much easier than it was for us (PHOTO 4). After we left we drove to the local public school - 71 students in 4 grades with 1 teacher - and gave a pencil to each child, thanks to Sharon and Bernadine (and maybe others, not sure who contributed, PHOTO 5). Like the others, an eventful day.
Happy trails!
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Tuesday at the bird park and Maya mudeum
Monday, July 28, 2008
Monday - back to work!
Hello again!
I enjoy sitting in the parque central in the mornings watching the people and the a specific hummingbird that returns at the same time each day. I've also been watching a specific hibiscus bud that was within reach - the others were out of camera range. This morning my patience paid off (PHOTOS 1 and2).
This morning at 9:00 we gathered at the school for a lesson in making pupusas, a traditional food in this area (PHOTO 3). The process starts with making a tortilla with masa (much harder than the veterans make it look), putting a few tablespoons of refried beans or a cheese and lorocos paste (lorocos are a flavorful vegetable that is popular here), then folding the tortilla over the filling and carefully making the whole thing look like a tortilla again; I'm glad to have patient teachers!
I have to admit it was a little hard to go back to work this afternoon. Four hours is a really long time to concentrate in the afternoon in sticky heat. Then again, my new teacher is very pleasant (Yesenia - a teacher of mine 3 years ago and of Isaac's 2 years ago) and I had a really productive day; it looked like JoAnne was having a productive day, too (PHOTO4). Most of our group have the same teachers as last week but I was one of a few changes.
PHOTO 5 is dinner at my house a few nights ago - comida tipica (typical food of the area). What looks like bananas is actually fried green plantains and the white bowl has a delicate cheese that was made at my house that afternoon. I love the comida tipica (tonight we had hot dogs....).
Hope everyone is happy and well - happy trails!
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Sunday: the sculpture museum and shopping
Hello! Today 8 of us from The Dalles met in the parque central and headed to the ruins. Instead of revisiting the ruins themselves (saved for an early morning later this week) we visited the truly amazing sculpture museum which I missed last time I was in Copan since it was closed (for years) for repair. PHOTO 1 shows our 1st glimpse of a full-sized reproduction of the huge and glorious Rosalila temple, discovered beneath an exposed temple in the Copan ruins. PHOTO 2 and 3 are bats - the original (and some would say justifiably famous) bat sculpture from the ruins and a family of live bats JoAnne discovered inside the Rosalila temple. The museum is open to the sky above the temple and had a very calming, spiritual feel. We spent nearly 2 hours walking, gazing, reading, and discussing. We also had fun posing with the sculptures (PHOTO 4).
We had a fabulous pizza lunch in an Italian restaurant with Asian/American country influences, then did some more exploring and shopping. I finally found the new haunt of a favorite person from my previous visit to Copan: Carlos the carver (PHOTO 5). Most of us found hand-made jewelry or small carvings to buy for ourselves or gifts in his little shop. Back to school tomorrow! Happy trails!
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Saturday in the mountains
Hi, all -
We had a fun, eventful day again today, hiking and birding in the mountains with our wonderful guide, Jorge Barraza. Everyone in the mountains was very friendly except the brahma bull who escorted us down the mountain before we intended to leave (I didn't stop to take a good picture but he was impressive). We enjoyed hiking (PHOTO 1), birding, learning about coffee production, taking in the mountain villages from the back of Jorge's pick-up, and gorging on delicious traditional food for breakfast and lunch in a rustic home (PHOTOS 2 and 3) in the village of Sesesmil. We also visited a beautiful plant business (PHOTO 4) and bought some rustic pottery pieces. PHOTO 5 shows the group of 12 and Jorge who enjoyed this memorable day together. Happy trails!
Friday, July 25, 2008
Friday - an eventful day
Hi, all -
After an hour or so of studying today we walked with our teachers to a local school that was celebrating Dia de Lempira, an important Indian hero of Honduras. The students had decorated the school with items made from corn and presented songs and dances in traditional costumes (PHOTO 1). The culminating activity was the selection of the 'Indian Bonita' (prettiest Indian); the costumes, representing different products of Honduras, were amazing (PHOTO 2).
In the afternoon we met at the school and boarded a van for a trip to hotsprings in the mountains. The drive, through agricultural land and villages was fascinating (PHOTO 3). The hotsprings were really gorgeous, pools of various sizes and temperatures shrouded by jungle (PHOTO 4).
The directors of the school, Amadea and Kathy, are in the PHOTO 5. Amadea is Sylvia's teacher and Kathy is Stacey's. Happy trails!