Intercultura Costa Rica

I have been to Samara, Costa Rica, last year for four month. I came there in february and was greeted very friendly from a worker in the Intercultura language school. I really loved the Family I lived with. They were very friendly and the mother was like the best cooker in the world and was very helpfully and always had time for me. The spanish lessons were very helpfull too because we learned in small groups what gave us the chance to talk very much. Also I had very much fun in the volunteer programm and really liked my job and the persons I worked with. It was very easy to make new friends and we met every evening at the beach or in a bar. It was just like the best time in my life!

An awesome experience, great location on the beach, very well thought out/organized in all aspects, excellent teacher and overall truly memorable. Not only did this one week immersion yield great results, it more importantly inspired the motivation to come back next year fully fluent ( or close ) and ready to take things to another level. I've eagerly studied every day (3 months) since returning home and look forward to coming back for two weeks next year. ¡Pura Vida!

Since three years I spent fews weeks in Samara school . This place is look like a family for me ! All the staff (professors, administration, etc.) are always cheerful , friendly and above all always available to assist our stay. Moreover , the teachers are very nice but demanding at the courses, which is essential. I noticed that for three years the obligation to speak only Spanish on the school's site is better monitored and frequent reminders are made by the school staff . This attitude, and in my opinion is essential. The residence in families is in my opinion the avenue to focus and really complete training at school. However, in discussion with several students , the quality of living in families can be very variable. Some were very disappointed but against others ( like me!) were delighted . I think there should be a little tighter as the exigeances given to families hosting students. It would also be appropriate in my opinion than older students (like me !!) have access to families where comfort is a bit higher . The standards are a bit different for a person of 18 years for a person 55 years ! It might be interesting that the school plans to offer one or more courses focused primarily on the needs of travelers in countries where Spanish is used. Less focus on grammar and verb tenses , these courses allow participants to better manage in Spanish while traveling . Would focus on vocabulary words and common expressions used in travel. I think there will be in the coming years more and more older people who want to learn Spanish in a school like Intercultura and believe that offering really focused on the Spanish language to use during a trip, would an asset for school. Another point that deserves to be analyzed by the school and that my opinion is shared concerns having in the same class young students and much older students. At first glance I would say it is very interesting to mix the age levels in the same way but also I realize that older students do not necessarily have the same ease and even learning speed. I have no solution to propose but I consider that it is a reality that I lived through my three visits to Samara. Finally, consider the experience to Intercultura is really very positive. In my case , it's not easy, however to practice the Spanish language throughout the year but possibly it will give me the opportunity to return more often at Intercultura in Samara !!! Paquito