This is a language and cultural center devoted to achieving linguistic proficiency in the context of cultural immersion and intercultural education. We seek to cultivate global awareness and cooperation through the sharing of cultures and languages. We believe that participation in our program teaches not only a new language, but also effective tools for communication and understanding in the constantly evolving world culture in which we live.
“Learn the language, live the culture”
The primary goal of this center is to teach you the Spanish language in a warm yet intellectually challenging environment. Classes at our city and beach campuses are conducted entirely in Spanish, providing students from all over the world with a complete and intensive learning experience. Our professors have advanced university degrees and teaching certification, and we are accredited through the US university system, offering undergraduate credit to those interested. In addition, you have the opportunity to come to know Costa Rica, its traditions and its rich cultural heritage by participating in our daily cultural and extracurricular activities.
The quality of our programs is among the highest in Costa Rica and Latin America, as evidenced by our references: We have been selected to receive students from Duke University, the World Health Organization (WHO), Fulbright Commission teaching programs, the Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS), University of Washington, the European Commission, the Costa Rican Consulate in the US, Colorado University, Collège de Maisonneuve, HEBO (Holland) and more.
Our core Spanish program consists of twelve different levels, from complete beginner through advanced. After these have been completed, students continue with six additional levels of high-advanced to superior level Spanish, which develop upon the literature used in lower levels and intensify work towards full proficiency in the various areas of language acquisition. Also covered at these levels are complex field projects, current events, linguistics, regional language usages and Costa Rican history. In addition, we have specialized courses for those who wish to study specific topics such as business, medical or media Spanish.
Faculty Information:
All of our professors have advanced university degrees and teaching certification. All our native Spanish speakers.
Administration: Laura Ellington, Adelita Jimenez - Founding Director
Laura was born in Switzerland, grew up in England, then moved to the US for university. She received her BA in English Literature with a minor in Spanish, specializing in Spanish as a Second Language, from Skidmore College. She lived and worked in Nepal and Indonesia, before moving to Costa Rica. After working in a San José language school as an administrator, she and her colleague, Adelita Jiménez, decided to found language center that now run. Since then, she has obtained her French superior-level certification at the Alliance Française, and studies German at the Goethe Institute/Deutsches Haus. She has RSA/CELTA Teaching Certification from Cambridge University, and a Post-Graduate Certificate in English-Spanish translation and linguistics from the Universidad Internacional de las Américas. She has participated in numerous conferences on Second Language Acquisition in Costa Rica and abroad. At present she is completing her MA in Cultural Anthropology at the City University of New York and the Universidad de Costa Rica. She is bilingual Spanish-English, and speaks French and German.
Adelita is a native Costa Rican. She co-founded the school after working for several years as Spanish professor and later as administrative director in a San José language school.
Marcelo Arroyo, Executive Director is a Costa Rica native and has worked with the school since 1994, first as a Spanish professor and now as the department head and the school's executive director. He is in charge of teacher training and organizing language center's ongoing professional development series. He has a BA and Licenciatura in Literature, Linguistics and Education from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Costa Rica, where he went on to obtain a MEd. in Education. He then went on to obtain a second Master's in Teaching Spanish as a Second Language from the same university. He has also completed coursework towards a PhD in linguistics, specializing in Central American Spanish dialects and Mayan and Chibcha indigenous languages.
Other Activities:
From Monday through Thursday you have the opportunity to participate in Latin dance classes where you will learn salsa, merengue, cumbia and marcado, the most popular dances in Costa Rica...practice for those weekend trips to the local discoteques. Once a week we teach students how to make typical Costa Rican dishes, a nice skill to take home and share with friends and family! We also organize Spanish film night, Intercambios with Tico student's studying Engligh at the school and take trips to San Jose to popular discoteques, museums, and performances.
Facility Information:
Our program finds it's home in "downtown" Heredia in a refurbished and colorful colonial complex. Students may take advantage of any number of our tropical gardens, and patios to study or chat with new friends in Spanish. Dance classes are held in our on-campus dance studio and cooking classes in our kitchen. Other ammenities in the school include:
- computer lab
- wireless internet access
- full audio/visual equiptment
- sandwich and salad cafe
Member discount:
10% discount for InfoHub customer. Request a free gift certificate.
Notes:
$270 1 week
$490 2 weeks
$690 3 weeks
$890 4 weeks
homestay $124/week
Each Additional week $199
Also see Vacation Schools in:
Language Schools
Central America and Caribbean
Costa Rica
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