Spanish Immersion Program in Costa Rica

I thoroughly enjoyed the class at Instituto Estelar Bilingue. I just took a week of the immersion program, but I learned a lot! I loved the structure in which the class was given, and the pace. Have taken several language courses abroad and, so far, this has been the best. Caroly, la profesora, esta muy simpatico. She was patient and kind! The class was fun and very effective...gave me some good ideas for practicing. She answered numerous questions...
Me encanta patacones, which we made in cooking class.... y Club A. The kids are so great! I know that had I taken the class during the busy season, there would have been more to do. Enjoyed Iris and her family very much....our conversations in the morning, her lovely granddaughter, Sophia, her children....y su perro - todos!

I had an awesome experience at Estelar! I did the immersion program for two weeks last August. My Spanish teacher Caroly was awesome! She always made the extra effort, and I enjoyed chatting with her in Spanish. The extra curricular activities were nice. My only minor disappointment was that I took the Spanish for TEFL graduates program and was looking to gain lots of experience in English Language classes. I was hoping for a little more structure there. Since I enrolled in this program weeks before arrivintg, I feel like there was time before my arrival to create a plan, and a volunteer schedule. The campus of Instituto Estelar is awesome! The pictures online don’t do it justice. Iris, my hostmom, was awesome! Everything went very smoothly with my homestay.

Everything the school has to offer is STELLAR!! From the classes, to the homestays, to the extra curricular activities, to the communication throughout your stay!

Before I even arrived at the school, I knew I had made the right choice because the director, Bethany, had sent me so many informative and helpful emails. And a week before I was scheduled to arrive, I received an extremely detailed schedule in Google documents that had tab after tab of information to help me while I was in town. It was so colorful and so full of activities that I was giddy with anticipation to arrive in Liberia.

Once you arrive there, the school is immaculate - so clean and organized and open -- it is hot in Liberia but you won't sweat during classes because there is a constant breeze. The classes are great, the instructors really know the information and the format is super engaging so that the 4 hours every day flies by!

If you are coming to be immersed, then you NEED to do the homestay. There is no other way to really immerse yourself in a culture and language without staying with/living with/ and communicating with people who live there. This was by far my favorite part of the experience. I have to admit the first two nights were a little awkward but once I started finding my voice en Espanol, I was able to communicate with my host family and I just absolutely adored them! They made me desayuno y cena cada dia and they made vegetarian meals because that is what I preferred. When I mentioned that I loved broccoli...I had broccoli! I just loved the family!

If you are anything like me and want to immerse yourself fully then take advantage of the activities. I took Yoga, Pilates, Zumba and other aerobics classes at two locations they mention in the Google document, IronFit and Unalome -- both places are waslkable from the school and are really great locations.

I also participated in Club A which was awesome! You get to interact and laugh with kids and what better way to experience a new place than through the laughter of a child! LOVED IT! The school also offers intercambio exchanges, Spanglish clubs, and movies in Espanol and I recommend doing EVERYTHING!!

And I went on every single excursion the school offered from the trip the Farmer's Market to Rio Celeste. There is so much to do and see...I just wish I had two more, three more weeks - heck, months to do everything!!!

There is no other word to describe this place than ESTELAR

La profesora es muy buena, sabe enseñar muy bien y es muy simpática. La las tenía excelentes calidades: dinamica, eficaz, conversacional, y interesante. It was very cool to use my newly learned Spanish skills in real life! The staff of Estelar are lovely, helpful, friendly and responsive. The facilities are adequate for learning. The class these two weeks was very helpful with a mix of speaking, watching videos, reading and learning new words. Most of the class was fun and engaging conversations in Spanish. It really helped my speaking and listening a lot (the most important in my opinion). The extra curricular activities were nice, although I didn't do all of them because I was with my family. The program and activities were beyond my expectations; I'll tell everyone I know how great it is!

English:
Merlyn is a very good teacher. The class was very interesting, effective, with a lot of time to converse in Spanish. And I corrected the errors in a very kind way. I learned a lot in class, I enjoyed it a lot. The house where I stay is clean, I have my own bedroom, and Marta is a very good cook. She prepared gluten-free dinners and beans without a problem, she also gave me the experience to try Costa Rican food. I feel like a daughter of Marta and Pedro. Estelar's staff is charming, helpful, friendly and attentive. The facilities are suitable for learning. I love all the extra practice I got in extracurricular activities! The campus is beautiful and feels like a second home during my stay.

Spanish:
Merlyn es una maestra muy buena. La clase fue muy interesante, eficaz, con mucha tiempo para conversar en espanol. Y corrigio los errores en una manera muy amable. Aprendi mucha en la clase, me la distrute mucho. La casa donde me quedo esta limpia, tengo mi propio dormitorio, y Marta es una muy buena cocinera. Ella preparo cenas sin gluten y frijoles sin problema, también me dio la experiencia para probar comida de Costa Rica. Me siento como una hija de Marta y Pedro. El personal de Estelar es encantador, servicial, amable y atento. Las instalaciones son adecuadas para el aprendizaje. ¡Me encanta toda la práctica adicional que obtuve en las actividades extracurriculares! El campus es hermoso y se siente como un segundo hogar durante mi estancia.

Después de haber vivido esta bella experiencia de la cual ustedes han sido parte, quiero darles las gracias por todo lo que han hecho por mi, realmente lo aprecio mucho. Gracias por ayudarme con mi sueño de mejorar mi español, ser paciente, y por todo tu apoyo. Los extrañaré mucho a mi familia Tica y toda la gente en el Instituto Estelar. Espero que podamos seguir comunicandonos desde Virginia, especialmente con mi familia Tica. Quiero visitarlos nuevamente cuando regrese a Costa Rica. Los quiero y los llevo en mi corazón.

I had the pleasure of learning Spanish at Instituto Estelar Bilingue for 2 weeks in beautiful Costa Rica! I learned a lot about the culture, saw many beautiful places and also improved in my Spanish immensely. I really loved the warm atmosphere created by the school and the teachers. Caroly and Merlin were really helpful in answering any grammar questions that I had or just on life in general in Costa Rica! They made the lessons fun and engaging making grammar something that I actually looked forward to in my lessons. Thank you to both Spanish teachers and of course to Bethany for making me feel so welcome at the school. I also, took part in some of the extra-curricular activities such as cooking and have found my new favorite guilty pleasure- Patacones and can somewhat dance the salsa after a quick class… Thank you for making my experience great!

I have loved studying Spanish at Instituto Estelar. I took five weeks of the immersion program and can't believe how much I progressed! The staff is warm and friendly, and teach in a way that is practical and easy to understand. I love being in Merlyn's and Caroly's class because they provide ample opportunity to converse and practice what we are learning. I really enjoyed going to the Farmers Market: Caroly made it fun and educational. Club A is always enjoyable. The children are always happy to see us, and are easy to engage. The staff is great! Estelar's English and Spanish teachers, reception, director, all go above and beyond to make you feel comfortable and allow for a comfortable environment in which to learn. My hostmother, Iris, is extremely kind and thoughtful. She is always giving consideration to what I might need, and is happy to help. She's a fabulous cook. One thing I appreciate about the family, is while they are caring and look out for me, they are not overly protective. While they might offer cautions and advice, they have allowed me to explore and experience Liberia and Costa Rica to the extent of my desire.