The brothers were born and raised in San Pedro. Their commitment to fighting for the rights of poor Guatemalans developed through their childhood experience of rural poverty, and through their involvement with resisting Guatemala's military during the civil war. Samuel's paintings and Vicente's community projects reflect the influence of this lifelong belief in justice. Over the years, they have provided academic grants to many young people who would not otherwise be able to attend school after 6th grade. They lead these children and others in service projects to improve the city. After the mudslides of 2005, Vicente and Samuel helped rally financial and emotional support for the many folks on Lake Atitlan who lost family and homes. They are a light in their community.

As a student at Casa Rosario, you are invited to take part in this commitment to justice as much as interests you. In the space of three weeks, Vicente and Samuel introduced me to many community leaders and artists in San Pedro. They taught me a great deal about the history of Guatemala and San Pedro. Vicente led student trips to other towns on the lake that we wanted to see, and helped me to find a fulfilling volunteer project for after my schooling ended. Every local person I met in San Pedro knew the brothers and the school, either through personal friendships or through their terrific reputation as social activists.

Attending Casa Rosario led me to building some lifelong friendships and introduced me to new ways of understanding the world. I highly recommend this school, for reasons that stretch far beyond the excellent teachers, the yummy weekly guacamole, and the incredible garden where our lessons took place—I saw at least 10 miniature hummingbirds!

I heard about the place from a fellow traveler in Mexico City who told me about this wonderful place to study Spanish. In the six weeks I spent in San Pedro at the Casa Rosario school I got to the level of fluent day to day conversation in Spanish. But the most important thing about this place are the people who run it - Vicente and Samuel. they are just extraordinary people and a must to get to know. 

Every evening, sitting in the small center in the green surrounding on the school, and working on some homework you will get to know them a bit better. They will ask you how class has been and gradually, day by day your Spanish will get better, and all that is worth it just to hear a little of what those two brother have to tell. The six amazing weeks at the Casa Rosario school  were the best ones I had during that trip in Central America, a lot of it I owe to those two.

The environment for studying at Casa Rosario is wonderful. The "classrooms" are set in a beautiful garden which is full of fruit trees and very colourful flowers. The views of the volcanoes and Lake Atitlán are superb. We both had our own individual teachers. We quickly found we were able to start speaking Spanish. This greatly improved the time we spent in San Pedro as we were now able to get to know local families and made some wonderful friends. During our breaks we met and talked with other students making arrangements for activities in our spare time. We made use of the free kayaks. We spent four weeks living with a family. This was a very good experience. Our family were charming hosts. We were able to continue practicing our Spanish at the same time learning about a different culture.

In our spare time we helped Vicente, one of the two school directors with a community project, helping replace a roof of an elderly villager. This was an experience we will remember for a long time.

The directors of the school are happy and ready to help. A few interesting trips were organized by the school. San Pedro is a great place, the views are spectacular and the people friendly. There are an assortment of bars, some that play films, restaurants and markets. We met some great people, had a great time and learnt Spanish, more than we had hoped for and experience to be valued. It was sad to leave.

Learning through the flexible program at Casa Rosario has sparked his interest in the language (he really wasn’t before), plus he now has the sense that he can learn languages when and if he chooses.

The brothers who own and run the school, Samuel and Vicente, are native to San Pedro and possess an abundance of useful and interesting information. Whether I wanted help buying something, needed a cure, was interested in history or hiking or just wanted someone with whom to practice Spanish, they were there with just the right match for my need. They are so connected with the community that I felt connected too, and our departure day was a sad one for me! I recommend not only the school, but the cultural experience and warm friendships offered through Casa Rosario. Click to email me

[Mike had studied at Casa Rosario for a few weeks when he emailed me this message. My rough translation: How are you? Everything is good here in San Pedro. The classes are very good and the place is magnificent. Everybody at Casa Rosario is very friendly.}

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