Intercultura: Spanish Study with Local Family

I have led two student trips to Intercultura's Immersion program in Heredia. Each time the school, coordinators and teachers paid attention to all details in the planning of the trip and then while we were there. I felt comfortable and safe and like a part of the Intercultura family. Teachers tailored classes to what our students needed. Our excursions were fun and cultural. I look forward to going back in the future. My favorite memory has been the people I met both at the school and my host mom. Plus as a teacher, it's been wonderful to see the impact this trip has had on my students. Some said it was their favorite high school experience.

I spent the first 3 weeks of May 2018 at the Intercultura in Heredia. In my estimation, I was an “advanced beginner” in Spanish, but for a number of reasons, was placed in advanced classes. The teachers were great, and I enjoyed the other students who were almost universally college aged students from the USA. (I am Weekly options included yoga, dancing, and cooking classes. Weekends presented options for inexpensive travel within country—to national parks, volcanoes, and beaches. Glad I stayed with a “family”—a single older woman. All in all a good, safe experience. Wish I had more opportunity to simply speak Spanish rather than focus on book learning. If I return, it will be in “off-season” when fewer groups of college students reign supreme.

Class time is well-organized and the homestay option adds to the total immersion in Spanish. Other services, such as opportunities to have conversations with other students (language exchange) give students another forum in which to practice what they've been learning. Intercultura's fees are very reasonable, including two meals daily through the homestay. My Mama Tica provided great vegan and gluten meals for me. So, dietary needs can be met for any student who opts for homestay. Faculty, administration and staff all are very friendly, accommodating and professional. Extra-curricular activities made the program feel more like a vacation!

I came to Costa Rica knowing very little Spanish, so the first few days were quite stressful! However, once I got used to the culture and the language, I started to understand more and more Spanish. The Intercultura Spanish classes were very helpful in giving me a good start with useful words for daily life. Living in Costa Rica was wonderful: the weather was always perfect, the people were friendly, and there was a ton of natural beauty to explore. I loved zip lining in Montezuma

I have never studied abroad before in my life, so getting the opportunity to go to Intercultura as my first experience was the greatest treat. The program was set up very wonderfully ! The teachers made the classes as much fun as possible with activities in the park, group improvisation, and games to improve our vocabulary and speaking skills. The weekend excursions were also amazing! I did so many new things that I will always remember. Getting to go zip-lining, rafting, and seeing monkeys all in one month? Can't beat that! Overall, I would do to this program every year if I had the time!

I enjoyed a wonderful two week immersion with the best teacher (Monica), and a welcoming family (Jeannette). Many activities: The Nutcracker ballet at the Teatro Nacional in San Jose, the capital. Two films at the San Jose International Film Festival 2015. Two cooking classes and an coffee planation tour. A weekend at the Parque de Nacional Manuel Antonio with parasailing, jet skis and surfing. And fascinating walks through the towns and cities. Plus I learned the verb endings for past tense and future tense!

Really enjoyed my host family. Mi professora was great. The staff were all very kind and helpful. I should have stayed longer.....only one week. The city is beautiful and very easy to get around. Only problem was if there is rain, you will get wet.

I took a weeks' course at each of Intercultura's locations, although I only stayed with a host family in Heredia.

The host family experience was fantastic and I thoroughly recommend it! I was impressed by the high standard of the home; the family were really fun, warm and caring and made time to talk to us each day. They spoke almost no English with guaranteed a fully immersive environment and kept me thinking in Spanish all day! Having meals included was really convenient and saved a lot of time (handy when there’s homework to complete!) and allowed us to sample traditional every day Costa Rican food.

I was happy with the facilities at the school and quality of teaching, and I particularly appreciated the way the curriculum was structured into one-week set programmes with an individual textbook. It’s a really great way to accommodate students who are constantly joining and departing each week, and ensures students aren’t placed in a group that has already been running for some time, or don’t end up repeating things to accommodate new students. Having someone arrange excursions was also a huge bonus, as it made it so much easier to get out and about and see the local sights – especially when the school has it’s own transportation.

I really enjoyed Heredia as a city, personally probably more than Samara beach as I prefer urban living to the outdoors. My favourite art was probably going to see a football match – what an atmosphere!