Program Reviews

I had a wonderful experience learning Spanish with Habla Ya in Bocas del Toro! It was a great way to get a feel for local life since I still worked a full 8 hours a day and then studied for an hour every day after work. I stayed with a host family who was absolutely wonderful, made absolutely delicious food, and they were also incredibly patient while I learned. I arrived in Bocas without speaking any Spanish and by the end of my 6 weeks, my teacher Iraida was explaining the upcoming election and Panamanian politics to me while we only spoke Spanish. Needless to say, my understanding of the language has grown immensely. So thanks Iraida and Habla Ya!

Bocas del Toro is also s a wonderful place for all around fun. If you love the beach you'll love Bocas. It has incredible beaches and amazing diving. If you like adventure and want to learn Spanish, you should definitely spend some time in Bocas. :)

I had an awesome experience with Habla Ya in Panama, City. My teacher Stephany Vargas was THE BEST Spanish instructor I have ever had! She was very patient and encouraged me to not be afraid to make mistakes while learning to speak Spanish. In just 2 short weeks my Spanish improved tremendously. I highly recommend combining the individual lessons with the group lessons. The individual session was helpful because it gave me one-on-one practice and tutoring on areas in which I needed more support. The group sessions are designed to help you improve conversationally and allowed you to connect with other people in your same level. We were also able to go tour the area and visited a few famous landmarks. Being immersed in an all spanish environment really pushes you to use the language.

Highly recommended language school! I studied several weeks at HablaYa at lovely Bocas del Toro and had a very great time! The school is well organized and they are offering various opportunities how to study spanish! The students are at every age and from all over the world. I decided to book a group class and I met many lovely people during my weeks. The staff & teachers (Lineth, Benita, Sergio ... ) are just incredible, very helpful, lovely and extremely nice and unique persons. They are not just teachers, they are your "friends and family"! Everybody is trying to give the best, to make your stay far away from home and the learning experience, easy and unforgettable! I felt very safe and very quick "at Home"! They are even organizing many activities "outside" the classroom and studying hours, which was always fun and a very good opportunity to catch up with them and all the other students (like Yoga, Volleyball, Movie Nights, Dinners, Tours around the beautiful island, Bonfire at the beach and many more things)! My special thanks goes to my lovely, wonderful and amazing teacher LINETH! She was always there for me and helped me so much to improve my spanish! She made me feel so secure and welcome from the very first minute. Her teaching style is a perfect mixture of: the basics with all the grammar, talking, playing funny games, laughing and telling very interesting stories about Panama, the culture and the peoples life! She even invited us to her hometown and her family, which was a great experience! I am proud to say, we are very good friends now and I am sure we will see us again, one time! Muchas gracias y hasta luego to my "Chi´s Lineth & Benita" and everybody else! Sandra

I wanted to take a few minutes to compose a review of my experience in Boquete Panama and in particular, speak about Habla Ya, a world class Spanish immersion school that I keep returning to there.

Firstly, I’m a 63 year old Canadian and have lived in the U.S. for the last 28 years. During my formative years in Canada I had little interest in learning a second language and regrettably, while French was an option in the Canadian curriculum, taking it was not mandatory. After my relocation to the U.S. in 1991, I soon learned what a benefit it would be to learn another language. As almost half of the population of Phoenix and San Diego where I divide my time, are Spanish speaking, Spanish had to be my defacto choice.

Unfortunately, as an entrepreneur, my 30’s, 40’s and 50’s were dedicated to building my businesses and this left little time for anything, much less learning a second language. Secretly, during these 3 decades, I had a burning desire to learn the language and during the many trips my wife and I had taken to Mexico, I watched, listened and envied every non-native communicating in Spanish.

Now, fortunately I have an abundance of time and have diligently spent the last 3 years learning the language poco a poco! We’ve all heard metaphor, “slow and steady wins the race” and this is no more applicable than undertaking the exercise of learning another language. I’m completely dedicated and though I may be a little slower than the 20 somethings, I will achieve a level of mastery over this language. I can tell anyone who may be contemplating learning another language, the decision is not to be taken lightly. It’s grueling, frustrating and time consuming! So, why do it? Learning the language is no different than building blocks; you simply keep building on that which you’ve already learned. I’m by no means proficient but there’s very little that I can’t communicate to someone in a Spanish only speaking country. And this folks, is what keeps me going!

Now, to the school. I just completed my third trip to Habla Ya in Panama and each time keeps getting better. The first 3-week segment was in Bocas Del Toro, a quaint little beach town frequented by young and old from all over the world. The last 2 visits were to Boquete, a location I prefer due to its’ cooler climate, beautiful scenery and incredibly reasonable prices. Leidys was my profesora for levels A2 & B1 in Boquete. Leidys has been with the school for 10-years and I’ve found her to be excellent in her ability to teach new concepts and patient enough when certain concepts need to be re-explained. I’d recommend her highly!

The school is completely professional in every respect and there’s little wonder in my mind as to why they’ve earned their very favorable ratings year after year. From trying to accommodate the smallest request to meticulously organizing fun outings for the students, these people do it all!

YOU - QUIT PROCRASTINATING AND START LEARNING!

Sent from my iPad

I wanted to take a few minutes to compose a review of my experience in Boquete Panama and in particular, speak about Habla Ya, a world class Spanish immersion school that I keep returning to there.

Firstly, I’m a 63 year old Canadian and have lived in the U.S. for the last 28 years. During my formative years in Canada I had little interest in learning a second language and regrettably, while French was an option in the Canadian curriculum, taking it was not mandatory. After my relocation to the U.S. in 1991, I soon learned what a benefit it would be to learn another language. As almost half of the population of Phoenix and San Diego where I divide my time, are Spanish speaking, Spanish had to be my defacto choice.

Unfortunately, as an entrepreneur, my 30’s, 40’s and 50’s were dedicated to building my businesses and this left little time for anything, much less learning a second language. Secretly, during these 3 decades, I had a burning desire to learn the language and during the many trips my wife and I had taken to Mexico, I watched, listened and envied every non-native communicating in Spanish.

Now, fortunately I have an abundance of time and have diligently spent the last 3 years learning the language poco a poco! We’ve all heard metaphor, “slow and steady wins the race” and this is no more applicable than undertaking the exercise of learning another language. I’m completely dedicated and though I may be a little slower than the 20 somethings, I will achieve a level of mastery over this language. I can tell anyone who may be contemplating learning another language, the decision is not to be taken lightly. It’s grueling, frustrating and time consuming! So, why do it? Learning the language is no different than building blocks; you simply keep building on that which you’ve already learned. I’m by no means proficient but there’s very little that I can’t communicate to someone in a Spanish only speaking country. And this folks, is what keeps me going!

Now, to the school. I just completed my third trip to Habla Ya in Panama and each time keeps getting better. The first 3-week segment was in Bocas Del Toro, a quaint little beach town frequented by young and old from all over the world. The last 2 visits were to Boquete, a location I prefer due to its’ cooler climate, beautiful scenery and incredibly reasonable prices. Leidys was my profesora for levels A2 & B1 in Boquete. Leidys has been with the school for 10-years and I’ve found her to be excellent in her ability to teach new concepts and patient enough when certain concepts need to be re-explained. I’d recommend her highly!

The school is completely professional in every respect and there’s little wonder in my mind as to why they’ve earned their very favorable ratings year after year. From trying to accommodate the smallest request to meticulously organizing fun outings for the students, these people do it all!

YOU - QUIT PROCRASTINATING AND START LEARNING!

Sent from my iPad

This was the sixth year I’ve returned to Habla Ya. Like several other former students, it’s due to our excellent teacher, Leidys. She explains difficult grammar in ways that make sense and provides interesting exercises so students can understand and use information in real life, practical situations. In addition, she’s friendly, patient, positive, and has a good sense of humor. The program provides group or private lessons, at many levels, so students can decide what’s best for them. I’ve done both and they each have their advantages depending on your goals. Conversations help students improve speaking skills so they can progress in a short time. The administrative staff, Giselle and Ivan are very helpful at arranging for student requests, such as housing, activities, etc.

No better way to learn Spanish than with Habla Ya in Bocas del Toro. Lineth was the BEST professor- it was a fun and relaxing learning environment. My Spanish skills improved significantly over 4 weeks. The school is very well organized and helps encourage you to keep speaking Spanish outside of the classroom and facilitates fun activities to take advantage of being on this island paradise!

The classes included grammar instruction and conversation practice as well as games to increase your vocabulary. It was so interesting to be at a school like this and interact with people from all over the world.

Bocas is a fun beachy surf town with great restaurants, night life, water activities, beautiful beaches and a charming feel. Habla ya in Bocas offers a total immersion experience and unforgettable trip.

I had such a great time in Boquete. Leidys was THE BEST teacher and I enjoyed both the instruction and the conversation in our classes. She was professional, but very personable and very easy to talk with, even though I struggled with my Spanish conversation skills. This was why I came to Panama! Boquete is a great place...perfect weather (not too hot, not too cold), lots of activities to do, amazing food and great people!

I completed a month of private lessons with Iraida. I had previously had two years of Spanish classes in highschool, but that was 10 years ago. Iraida was great at being flexible for what I needed to learn. I had some gaps in my knowledge and while she was always well prepared for the day's lesson, she was able to change topics on the fly when I needed more help in certain areas. I can tell I am way more comfortable with my Spanish thanks to the lessons. when I first came down here, I could order food and ask where the bathroom is. Now I can talk about things in the past, like telling stories or asking people more complex questions. The school also was very welcoming, and they have daily activities that any of the students can participate in. Bocas is beautiful.

I just completed three weeks of Spanish lessons in beautiful Bocas deal Toro at Habla Ya. It was a great chance to build a grammatical foundation in the language while having the opportunity to further practise speaking and listening in daily life. The staff were all friendly and helpful making it a great experience for the wonderful assortment of international students. My teacher Iraida was patient with a good sense of humour - she took us on interesting outings to see the area and interact with local people, and kept our classes fun with games and activities that offered great learning without ever being boring. I hope to return or try out one of their other locations in Boquete or Panama City. Overall, this was a fantastic experience with practical results that will help me in future travels to Spanish speaking countries.