Costa Rica is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful and ecologically diverse countries in the world. It is bordered by Nicaragua on the north and Panama on the south and has over 800 miles of coastline divided between the Caribbean Sea to the East and the Pacific Ocean on the West. In between are a vast array of jungles, mountains, rivers and national parks. These areas are home to a rich variety of plants and animals. It is no wonder that Eco-tourism is a leading industry.

The main campus of Spanish Intercultura Costa Rica is located in the beautiful colonial city of Heredia. It is close enough to the capital, San Jose, to be busy, yet with the friendly atmosphere of a small college town. Their motto says a great deal about the value of learning a second language. “Learn the Language. Live the Culture.” The best way to totally experience the local culture is by living with a school sponsored local family. This addition to the classroom activities provides total immersion in both the language and culture.

Students of all ages come together from around the world. Many young people are studying to obtain college or high school credits. A number of retirees are learning Spanish to aid them in their travels, or like one gentleman in my class, to retire in Costa Rica. Time spent at the school is certainly not all work. The wide variety of activities offered include Latin dancing, Costa Rican cooking classes, music, lectures, movies, and intercombios (where students spend an hour or so chatting with Costa Rican students studying English). There are also regularly scheduled excursions, usually on the weekends, to National and Provincial parks and points of interest. If you are lucky enough to attend during local festivals, these are also included in the excursions.

Classes begin each Monday and new students may join on any Monday. Before classes begin, each new student is given an “entrance exam” to place him or her in the proper class. Classes are small. There were four in my intermediate class in Heredia. It is also possible to take private one-on-one lessons.

At the end of classes on Monday, one of the teachers conducts a walking tour of the city for new arrivals. Students learn where to catch public transportation, the location of banks, sporting facilities, cultural attractions, restaurants, bars, discotheques, Internet Cafes, post office, malls and local markets. Any additional questions students might have can be answered by their host families.

Students are not required to stay in private homes. There are a number of reasonable hotels and apartments available within walking distance of the school. Since I was traveling with my husband, we opted to stay at a delightful new hotel in the center of the city located within five minutes of the school. The Hotel Hojarascas was small, eight rooms, and more like a bed an breakfast than a hotel. It was recently opened and is operated by six members of the same family. They quickly became “our” family. One morning when I was running late, Omar, one of the brothers, delivered a huge glass of freshly made juice (mango, papaya and watermelon) to my room. This delightful little hotel was the cleanest hotel I have even stayed in and as an added attraction, they provided free internet and laundry facilities. I highly recommend it.

The thing that really sold me on Intercultura over a number of other language schools in Costa Rica is the fact that they have two very distinctive campuses. I elected to spend a week at each. Since each week’s classes are complete in themselves, students can easily go from one school to the other without losing the continuity of classes. In fact, I found the added variety of teachers provided new accents to the over-all experience.

Samara Beach is located on the northern Pacific Coast and the white sand beach, lined with palm trees and protected by a coral reef bay is a favorite with Costa Ricans. The small town of Samara can be reached in five hours by a comfortable public bus for a very reasonable fare. Buses run every day. The trip through the mountains is literally an added excursion.

The tranquil ocean at Samara is ideal for swimming, diving, snorkeling or surfing. For the adventurous, Isla Chora is a short kayak or boat trip away and there, you may snorkel or simply sunbathe on this uninhabited island’s deserted beach.

Away from the sand, Samara is ringed by primary and secondary forest that is home to a huge variety of wildlife, including monkeys, toucans, iguanas scarlet macaws, parrots and more. Very near to where we stayed on the beach, was a troop of howler monkeys that gathered early each morning and evening to talk to us and amuse us with their antics. Only the males make the distinctive howling sound and if you “howl back at them” they will carry on quite a conversation. The babies run around freely through the trees or cling to their mothers. They all seemed to be as entertained by us as we were by them.

The Intercultura campus is located directly on the beach. Occasionally teachers will hold conversation classes in the tropical gardens surrounding the school or on the beach in the shade of a palm tree. Most students take four hours of classes per day, either in the morning or afternoon. This leaves plenty of time for both study and beach activities before the night-time activities of Samama demand their share of attention.

My classes in Samara consisted of four students. One from Norway, one from Switzerland, one from Florida and one from California. Our teacher was originally from Colombia. Both the diversity of ages and nationalities added to the interest of the classes. The two youngest students were combining their studies with extended travel through Latin and South America. They were able to advise and help each other in making travel arrangements and deciding which areas were the most interesting to visit.

Whether you decide to take classes for a week to learn a few travel phrases or do a semester of work for school credit, there is no better way to learn the language and become acquainted with the culture than to become immersed in Intercultura Costa Rica. I recommend it.

Contact: info@interculturacostarica.com or www.interculturacostarica.com
info@hotelhojarascas.com or www.hotelhojarascas