fiveholmes

I have seen several references on this site for spanish language school in Costa Rica. Does anyone know of a good program - probably just one week long that I could attend with my son - he's 16. This would be done in June of 2007. Thanks for any info.

hopefulist

I'm working hard on my Spanish at home (currently 5th term at my local community college) and, starting last year, plan to spend 2-3 weeks in a Spanish school in CA every summer (one more excuse to vacation there!). I'll probably never end up studying in CR as the culture of other countries interests me more, but here are a few recent threads from the Thorntree Forum when others have asked your question:

http://thorntree.lonelyplanet.com/me...entid=0&from=1

http://thorntree.lonelyplanet.com/me...entid=0&from=1

I studied in Honduras last summer and had a fabulous time; let me know if you're interested in school information for that country. Your son is really lucky to have that opportunity. Watch out, though - we traveled with our 3 kids and last year they were all living and studying on different continents!

Have a wonderful time, whatever you decide.

fiveholmes

Thank you for that!!

fiveholmes

Celas Maya in Guatemala sounds terrific.

hopefulist

I'm sure Costa Rica is lovely, but Guatemala is culturally intense and, in my opinion, in a league of its own. We first visited in the 80's and our 20-year-old son Carlos, a native of Guatemala, joined us through adoption in '89 when he was 4. I have never studied at these schools near Tikal but it's on my list:

http://tikalcnx.com/

Also, can't help myself from listing the Honduras schools I think so highly of; I'm a diver and my husband loves to flyfish which aren't Guatemala's strengths:

www.ixbalanque.com in Copán Ruinas (here's my trip story http://sidewalkmystic.com/CopanRuinas.htm)

www.ca-spanish.com - Central American Spanish School, which has bases in LaCeiba and on the Bay Islands of Utila and Roatán and works with Ixbalanque if you want to do a "Maya and Playa" combination.

In addition to heading back to Honduras for 3-4 weeks this summer I might study for a few weeks in Guanajuato, Mexico, with staff from my school district:

http://www.academiafalcon.com.htm or
http://www.spanish-immersion.com

This place has a base in Turrialba, Costa Rica, and 2 in Panamá, one in the Caribbean in Bocas del Toro and one in the mountains in Boquete (new):

http://www.spanishbythesea.com/

I'm planning to hit the Panamá bases in 2007.

Watch out - it's addictive! You have SO many options - please keep us posted.

eveningcrane

Last summer I studied spanish at CPI in Costa Rica for two weeks. One week in San Joaquin des Flores (just outside of Heredia, near San Jose) and one weeek at their Monteverde campus. They also have a campus at Flamingo but I get mixed reviews from there.

It was a wonderful experience. I had two great homestay families (neither of which spoke any English) The instruction was first rate, small class sizes (never more than four students two of my classes were only three students). I was amazed at my progress.

The first week I did the 5.5 hour program - 4.0 hours in the morning and an extra 1.5 hours in the afternoon focused on conversational ability. There was plenty of opportunity for conversational practice in the morning class, but the afternoon exclusively stressed conversational abilities.

The second week I only did the 4 hour morning program because I knew that i wanted my afternoons free in Monteverde to explore. The school arranges various afternoon tours and activities - in San Joaquin, trips to La Paz waterfalls, the Britt coffee tour, the Poas volcano etc, - in Monteverde walks in the cloud Forest, Zip lining, horse back riding, nighttime nature walks etc.

One of the women in my San Joaquin class was there with her 13 year old son, who was having a great time. In Monteverde there were two families there with their children ranging from 7 to 16.

I highly recommend the school and am planning to go back again this year.

http://www.cpi-edu.com/index.html

fiveholmes

Thanks everyone!! We go to Costa Rica in a few weeks for a vacation and will check it out. I'll keep this thread for future reference and will be back in touch! I don't know if we can pull it off for this summer, but will definitely try in the future.

shillmac

eveningcrane,
My daughter and I have both studied at CPI as well, 3 different years. We had great experiences as well. We both loved San Joaquin, and still visit our familia Tica, the Espinoza-Aguilar family, every time we're back in the country, school or not.
We also liked the Flamingo campus. It's beautiful and Flamingo is a gorgeous beach. Also a favorite area. Most people in Flamingo (contrary to rumors that everyone is there to party) are there to learn! But it does seem to attract more of the younger set, of course.

LovelyMissL

I'd like to recommend Montana Linda in the Orosi valley, just 90 minutes from San Jose, Costa Rica.

If you're serious about learning Spanish in a relaxed setting away from distractions like the beach, then Orosi could be the place for you. It's a peaceful village nested in the mountains, with plenty to do if you like nature and prefer to explore the surroundings at your own pace rather than sign up for organised tours. Montana Linda Spanish School offers great value for money and caters for all levels. Classes run from Monday to Friday, but the school and lots of flexibility with regards to lesson times (8-11am, 12-3pm or 3-6pm) and accommodation (guest house, hostel or homestay), as long as you arrive by Sunday afternoon or call to make reservations in advance.

For more information, check out the school’s website, www.montanalinda.com, or Lonely Planet pages 122 and 143 (6th edition).

You might also want to look at this comparison site www.spanishschoolscostarica.net

Good luck!

Momliz

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