Why Guatemala??

When I prepared my sabbatical plan, I decided I wanted to include an immersion experience in Spanish. After giving consideration to several options, I decided to attend the CASAS program associated with the Latin American Anabaptist Seminary (SEMILLA) in Guatemala City, Guatemala. There were several reasons I selected CASAS: 1) The program was highly recommended by several people who either knew about the program or had attended the program, 2) I appreciated the Mennonite connection, and 3) CASAS was interested in the possibility of me providing some computer assistance for them. For those of you from 8th St. Mennonite Church, Jessica Uhl and Joanne Gallardo attended CASAS.

Some people asked why I did not study Spanish in Goshen. That certainly was a possibility, but I wanted complete immersion - to be forced to have the experience of being a minority, a foreigner, and one who struggles to communicate. I know very little Spanish (only a few words) and the little German I know would not help at all. Also, I had never visited Central America and this seemed like a good time for a first visit - plus, I received a grant from the Goshen College Center for Intercultural Teaching and Learning to cover the cost of the trip.

I will be in Guatemala January 7 - March 4. The last week I am there my spouse, Eileen, and my daughter, Rachel, and her family (Tex and Josiah) will join me. My blog posts might be a bit irregular, so don't expect a day-by-day account. My host family in Guatemala will be Jose Luis Azurdia and Olga Piedrasanta - the parents of Juan Carlos who was an MCC Exchange Visitor at Goshen College and who attended 8th St. Church while he was hosted by Hornings and Yoders.