Costa Rica Spanish Classes – Language experts say that immersion programs in which you are forced to speak a language are the best way to learn. The CPI Spanish Immersion School definitely proves that this is an effective way to learn Spanish and have fun while doing it. Adapting to a new country is sometimes difficult but the staff and program make it easy to get to know Costa Rica and learn Spanish.
My study abroad experience with the school was better than I ever imagined. Enrollment was easy, which really settled my fears about traveling to another country. The school also helped me to arrange accommodations, which made my life a lot easier. I was able to take advantage of their Monteverde and Heredia campuses and each of them was a gem, but in different ways.
I started at the Heredia campus, which was a nice way to get acclimated. The San Joaquin town is a suburb of the main Heredia town and it was very similar to where I live in the United States (except for the language of course). There was barely any traffic in town and the amenities were only a few blocks from the school. There are lots of activities available for students, like cooking and dancing classes. There are lots of tours for students close by, as well. I visited a local coffee plantation, explored San Jose and its museums, saw wildlife in Sarapiqui and even visited some of the local volcanoes. All of these were interactive tours and opportunities to put the Spanish we learned in class to use.
The friendly staff in Monteverde helped me get settled into the second part of my language immersion experience. I had never been to the rainforest and the surrounding mountains give the center a relaxed feel to it. It was refreshing to breath such clean air and study with the natural cloud forest smells and sounds. I think I learned so much here because I was away from the hustle and bustle of the city and able to really concentrate. The staff has a great attitude towards making everything work and making the most out of every minute and that really rubbed off. There were lots of fun things to do like extra cultural lessons that made learning fun. They have a Jacuzzi at the school. We also got to visit the Monteverde Nature Reserve and it was fun to remember the names of the animals we had learned in class and put them into practice on our hike.
I cannot imagine a better way to learn Spanish than a few weeks with CPI. Overall the program was very structures, well organized and planned out. We learned lots of Spanish in class and then had lots of opportunities to practice outside of class as well. During my short time at the school, I had lots of fun learning.
Some of the benefits of choosing this school include flexible schedules, a discount for residents, a low season discount in September and October, and college credit options.
Visit their webpage for more info at http://www.cpi-edu.com/
