Spanish immersion is all about having contact with the local population and practicing Spanish with native speakers as much as possible.  To that end, all of our Social Entrepreneur Corps. students will have the opportunity to live with host families in nearby Santa Lucía and Santo Tomás, two typical “Guatemalan” towns just 20 minutes outside of Antigua. 

Living in a homestay with a host family has many linguistic and cultural advantages:

1. Students will have close contact with native Spanish speakers, which will give them plenty of opportunities to practice Spanish in realistic everyday situations with people who are patient with and willing to help students learning Spanish
2. Students will be able to participate in their host families daily lives, gaining insight into the thoughts and activities of Guatemalans
3. Students will not only learn about but will be able to experience first hand the customs and culture of Guatemala
4. Eating with the host family will provide students with delicious, nutritious, inexpensive, and safely cooked cuisine daily

Guatemalans are known for their hospitality and will make you feel welcome in their homes. All of our host families have been carefully selected as hosts because of their commitment to supporting students as they learn not only Spanish, but also the history, culture, and development opportunities in Guatemala.  Most of them have also been host families with us for years now, and are experienced in providing language and cultural support to foreigners.  Our families are happy to help you practice your Spanish, give you tips and advice to make your experience even more memorable, and will do their best to provide you with a pleasant "home away from home."

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Select Family Profiles

Yolanda García’s Family

Yolanda lives in Santo Tomás with her husband, Edgar Leone Acajabón, and their three children, Concha, Ivan and Edgar.  They also have a cat, two oxen, a cow, and a bunch of chickens.  Yoly, as she prefers to be called, is a vision adviser, trained to give basic eye exams and sell glasses to people who need them.  She works for our organization, Soluciones Comunitarias, and is also one of the regional coordinators of the vision project for the Antigua region of Guatemala.  In her free time Yoly likes to relax, go shopping, or go to mass.  Her husband, Edgar Leonel, is a teacher and farmer.  He is passionate about soccer.  Their daughter, Concha, is a teacher and loves playing with her students. Their other children are still students and all really like soccer as well.  When they spend time together the family likes to go to the market, watch parades, walk around town, and hang out at extended family gatherings. 

Lesly Velásquez’s Family

Lesly lives with her husband, Marlón Cifuentes, and their son, Marlón Javier, in Santo Tomás.  They’ve got two little goats as well.  Marlón is a human rights activist and Lesly is a full-time mom.  Marlón loves doing farm work in his free time and Lesly has fun going for walks around town.  Little Marlón can’t seem to ever get enough play-time.  He’s always up for something fun.  As a family, they all enjoy watching movies, going to church, and shopping at the market. 

Lucrecia Morales’ Family

Lucrecia lives in Santo Tomás with her husband, Jerónimo Vásquez, and their four children, Melvin Estuardo, Cindy Karina, Kevin, and Helen Rubí.  They have a dog as well.  Lucrecia is a homemaker, and when she’s not working around the house, she likes to visit family members and watch television.  Jerónimo is a machine operator in San Lucas and his favorite pastime is watching soccer games on TV.  Their children are students and have a lot of fun playing together.  When they can, they all enjoy going to family parties and the market together.  They have been housing foreigners for many years now and really like getting to know new people.

María Felisa García’s Family

María Felisa lives in Santo Tomás with her daughter, Carmen Violeta, and Tomaza, who is like a daughter to her.  María Felisa works around the house and she absolutely loves to bake cakes and cook all types of food.  She has been housing foreign students for quite some time now, and wants very much to make her houseguests comfortable.  Carmen is a physical therapist.  When she can, she often helps her mother cook and enjoys walking around town to visit friends.  She also likes singing in the church choir.  Tomaza also likes walking around town and she does a good job at keeping the house clean and inviting.  They all enjoy going to church together.

Leticia Salazar’s Family

Leticia lives in Santo Tomás with her husband, Rolando Velásquez.  They have been housing foreign students for many years.  Rolando is a driver and he likes to repair electric appliances as a hobby.  Leticia loves baking cakes and cooking all different types of food.  The couple enjoys going to parties and the market.  They also love it when any of their seven children visit with their families. 

Irma López’s Family

Irma lives with her husband, Octavio Aragón, and their four children, Candy, Darlyn, Rosa María and Erika, in Santo Tomás.  Irma is a homemaker and Octavio is a driver.  When they’re not working, the couple likes to relax around the house.  Their daughters are all students and they love to play basketball.  As a family, they all enjoy going to the market, attending family get-togethers, and going to church.

Irma Juaréz de Salazar’s Family

Irma lives in Santa Lucía with her husband, Mauro, and their children, Keila, Daneisa, David and Eric.  They’ve also got two dogs.  Irma operates a little business, is a cook, and keeps her household running smoothly.  Mauro is retired now and helps his wife with her business.  The children are all still students.  The couple enjoys participating in religious activities and the whole family goes to church together.  In their free time, they all like to go out to the countryside and visit other families.

Eluvia Velásquez de Pineda’s Family
           
Eluvia lives in Santo Tomás with her husband, Gabriel Pineda, her daughter, Maria Gabriela, and their housekeeper.  Eluvia is an entrepreneur and is the proprietor of various little stores around town.  She is passionate about cooking and knitting in her free time.  Gabriel works in construction and likes to constantly keep busy.  Maria Gabriela is a university student and a teacher.   She enjoys reading and playing with the children at her school.  When they’re all together, the family likes to go to church, go shopping, and go out to eat.

Ecliselda Herrera Guzmán’s Family

Ecliselda lives in Santa Lucía with her daughter, Evelin, and grandchildren, Andrea and Allán.  She operates a little store from her house and enjoys interacting with the people in her community at the store.  Her grandchildren love to play and the family likes to visit other families and go for walks around town.  They also enjoy going to church.

Claudia Morales’ Family

Claudia lives in Santo Tomás with her mother, Lolita, and her brother, Ovidio.  They have a puppy and chickens.  Claudia works around the house and loves taking care of house guests, doing everything she can to make them feel comfortable.  The family has a lot of experience housing foreign students. She also enjoys baking cakes and going to church on Sundays.  Doña Lolita likes to chit-chat and watch television. 

Carolina Velásquez’s Family

Carolina lives in Santo Tomás with her husband, Sergio Acajabón, and their three children, Jonathan, Helen and Heidy.  Sergio is a teacher and loves playing soccer.  Carolina is a homemaker and enjoys going for walks around town.  The children are all students and can usually be found going for walks or playing games.  The family attends a lot of family get-togethers and likes going shopping in the market.

Lupe Casteñeda de García’s Family

Lupe lives in Santo Tomás with her husband, Ricardo, their two children, Silvia Lorena and Carlos, and their grandchildren, Jorge Eduardo and Daniel Alejandro.  Lupe is a homemaker and it makes her happy to play with her grandchildren.  Ricardo is a blacksmith and likes to do all sorts of work around the house.  Silvia Lorena is a secretary and administrator of small businesses.  She loves caring for her children, who are both crazy about playing games. Carlos is mentally handicapped, is very friendly, and has a passion for keeping things clean. In their free time, the family enjoys themselves at family get-togethers and the market.

Vicenta Jimenez’s Family

Vicenta lives with her daughter, Rosa Elizabeth, in Santa Lucía.  She and Rosa love to go to church and visit other families around town.  Her grandchildren come to visit quite often, and she gets very excited when they do.  They all have a lot of fun together.

María Elisa Alonso de Rodríguez’s Family

María Elisa lives in Santo Tomás with her children, José María, Ricardo Haroldo, Elisa Gabriela, and Martín.   Her husband, Gabriel used to run a few small businesses, but he recently passed away.  María Elisa works around the house and especially loves to cook and knit.  Her children work in agriculture and enjoy playing soccer in their free time.  They all love going shopping at the market and visiting with friends and family.

Miguelina Orozco’s Family

Miguelina lives in Santo Tomás with her husband, Guillermo Bran, and one of their four children, Rosa, Carlos, Celia and Ariel.  The family has a dog, a cat, and some chickens.  Miguelina is a homemaker and Guillermo is a gardener.  In their free time, they often read the newspaper and watch television.  One of their children lives with them, though the others are married and run businesses in different towns.  They all like to play sports, though some prefer soccer, and others bicycling.  When they can, they enjoy going to the market and family get-togethers. 

Miriam Romero’s Family

Miriam lives with her husband, José García, and her two kids, Lince and Lymny, in Santa Lucía.  Jose is a mechanic and Miriam works around the house.  The couple enjoys participating in religious groups and the children love to play.  The family likes to cook together and go to the market in their free time.  They’ve also got a dog.

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