Instituto Estelar Bilingüe

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my two weeks here. It’s been a fantastic, Supportive experience all around. I’ve enjoyed the classes, meeting everyone, being in Liberia, and more. I’d definitely come back!

I really enjoyed all my teachers and their different styles. I particularly liked 1) speaking with Deidy on a variety of different topics which helped me understand life in Costa Rica more! And 2) the teaching approach Greivin has, where he uses games, we left the classroom, etc but also he helped me understand some concepts in new ways due to innovative approaches and ways of thinking about things like verbs! Nelly is a fantastic teacher! Given I was the only student, she ensured she used a variety of different techniques, exercises, and activities so I could learn. She is patient, understanding, and creative!

I really enjoyed the activities! I enjoyed the excursions as well, although they were limited because it was a holiday week. I really liked going to the farmer's market.

Everything was amazing! Great place, very welcoming and friendly. Everyone is amazing! I so feel like I am in good hands here in Liberia and cannot thank everyone enough for such a great week! I especially appreciate all the effort that was made given I am the only student! Bethany is incredible in terms of being helpful, making you feel included, and organizing an amazing experience.

My wife and I have learned more than we expected in the first week. The courses have been interesting and fun. I would recommend this program to anyone serious about increasing their Spanish skills.

Mariala has been patient and fun. We have increased our vocabulary and grammar with her help. She is a great teacher.

The Spanglish social and intercambio were fun and helpful.

Great location, people, and facility!

Digna is the best! She is patient and kind. Her meals are incredible and her home is clean and comfortable. She helps us with our communication, pronunciation, and homework (no cheating). We are lucky to have been matched with Digna.

El profesor Sebastian fue genial. Social de spanglish fue divertido. La feria fue interesante! Family is great, lots of Spanish. Mi mama tica es muy amable, la casa siempre está limpia, comida deliciosa y una perrita preciosa! We had great discussions and I loved that we talked a lot in class, The farmers market was really great. I would recommend to all. Club A is great. Very eye-opening and fun! Everybody at Estelar is very friendly and helpful. Doña Celena is the best! I´ve had such an accommodating experience with her!

Teacher Merlyn made my learning experience very entertaining and enjoyable. I think the extra activities at Estelar were fantastic! Every opportunity to practice speaking Spanish is great, and to have experienced teachers and willing conversation participants is really helpful! My hostmom Iris is very welcoming and the food is varied and plentiful. La casa es limpio. My only problem was it was a little noisy for sleeping, mucho perros. Overall a very comfortable experience, Iris made me welcome and I never felt uncomfortable. Recommended.

I really enjoyed how Instituto Estelar tailored the class to my needs. We worked on the topics and conversations that would be most useful for me in my job as physical therapist, with very specific vocabulary and situations. That being said, I wouldn't necessarily say that this was a 'Medical Spanish' program. For example, the course workbook was more about general Spanish grammar and Latin American culture, rather than being a medical Spanish reference that I could take back home and use later at my job. Thankfully, the professor went the extra mile to make sure that I was still learning the things I wanted to! Nelly was so kind and patient with me in explaining words or concepts I didn't know, correcting my speech, or giving me a chance to talk even though it was sometimes slow and difficult. She was always exceptionally prepared for or lessons, and even took the time on her own to look up physical therapy scenarios that we could go over in class. Thank you for all your hard work, Nelly! I was here in a low season - and honestly, there wasn't a whole lot to do! For medical Spanish learners, I would not recommend observation at the private hospital nearby - there were not very many patients and I spent a lot of time just sitting at the nurses station. These were some of the highlights of the program. I loved the intercambio, and it was truly magical to get to visit the Festival Navideno de Club A. Everyone has been very kind and accommodating of my needs, and helping me make the most of the experience even in spite of it being low season. Beni and Dona Alice are excellent hosts - very welcoming, patient, and went above and beyond to take me on extra outings to make sure that I enjoyed my visit and got to enjoy Costa rica. I also appreciated that they made an effort to speak only Spanish with me, even though at times it would have been easier to switch to English.