When can I make my reservation?
You can make your reservation 2 weeks before classes start. Yet we recommend making reservations ahead of time in January and in the summer months.

When can I arrive in Quetzaltenango?
Spanish classes begin every Monday of each week. The price includes homestay with a family starting Sunday. Yet students can begin living with their families any day of the week. There is an extra charge of $10.00 per day.

Can I be met in the airport and on which days?
We can wait for students any day of the week. Students who arrive on flights in the afternoon are recommended to wait in the airport for pickup and spend the night in Guatemala City (airport help will include ground transportation and hotel). For those who arrive in the morning, we recommend that they fly directly to Quetzaltenango. The airline service is on a small plane with flights costing $50 plus taxes. Please be advised that there is a one bag per person limit. Any luggage weighing over 30lb. is subject to a rather expensive excess luggage charge. If you would like someone to wait for you in the Quetzaltenango airport please let us know so that we can send one of our cars.

How safe is the road from Guatemala City to Quetzaltenango?
Since the beginning of Casa Xelaju in 1988 we have not have any instances concerning the security of our students who have taken the bus. More than 7,500 ex-students have taken the bus from Guatemala to Quetzaltenango and viceversa.

How safe is Quetzaltenango?
Obviously Quetzaltenango has problems with crime like every city in the world. Without a doubt though, crime is much less frequent than in cities in the United States or European countries.

How should I dress in Quetzaltenango? The city of Quetzaltenango is a student center with more than 40,000 students. The city is very liberal and tolerant of various forms of dress. Bring shorts, t-shirts, pants, long sleeve shirts, a light jacket (water resistant for the rain), sandals, walking shoes. The mornings and evenings are chilly and warm in the afternoon.

Will I have access to e-mail?
Our office has 9 computers, and offers access to e-mail and the internet as well as fax service. There is a small fee for these services. In addition, there are dozens of internet cafes in the city.

Will I have access to an ATM?
In the city there is an ATM. Your card must be either Visa or carry the "Plus" symbol on the back. If you have a Master Card you will need to go directly to a special credit office to take out money which will take more time.

Should I visit Antigua before going to Quetzaltenango?
We recommend that students visit Antigua on their way back to Guatemala City rather than when they arrive because bus transportation can be more complicated. If you decide to go from Guatemala City to Antigua (60 minutes), you then have two options for getting from there to Quetzaltenango. The first option is going back to Guatemala City and take a direct bus to Quetzaltenango. Doing this you will lose two hours. The other way is to take a short cut to Chimaltenango and take a bus from there. This option is quicker but the buses coming from Guatemala City that stop in Chimaltenango are usually full and you will have to stand.

What type of electricity does Guatemala use?
Guatemala has the same type of electric system as the United States and Canada.

What type of food will there be in Quetzaltenango?
When students live with families, their food is varied. Our families are experts in cooking the best national and regional dishes. All families are accustomed to providing vegetarian options. There are various restaurants in the city that offer varied menus typical of Guatemala, Spain, China, Italy, France and Germany as well as vegetarian dishes.

What are the facilities?
The institute is located just 4 blocks from Central Park on a quiet, hilly street, set in the old city. The three-story building with large windows offers a majestic view of the city and mountains as well as a unique and attractive learning environment.

How big is the Spanish program?
In the summer and month of January, we keep an average of 60 students. The rest of year we have an average of 20 students.

Where are the students from?
Most of the students are from USA (90%) and the rest from Canada, the European countries and Asia.

What's average age?
In the summer and January we receive a lot of colleges students, plus Spanish, Bilingual and ESL teachers. The rest of the year we get all type of students and the average age is from 6 years old to 76 years old.

What happens if I do not like my teacher?
If this situation happens, we will try to resolve the conflict. If we can not find a solution to it, we will assign a new teacher right away.

What happens if I do not like my family?
A lot of our families have been hosting students for over 10 years. They care for students as if they were their own children and provide them with a true immersion into the language and culture. Once in while we receive complaints from students about specific problems. We try to resolve the problem but if we can not find a solution, we will assign a new family.