Here’s a White-faced monkey from Costa Rica. When you study Spanish in the country, most likely, you might come across one of these animals in the forest or jungle. Often times, students get a chance to participate in local tours, and this is time time where students get to be out in nature.
Ready to go abroad? Spanish for Success can help suggest locations to visit in Costa Rica[[posterous-content:pid___0]]
Posted in Costa Rica
The red eye tree frog has been widely used to represent Costa Rica and it's tropical feel.
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2 Weeks
Ideally 2 weeks in a language program abroad is sufficient enough to get some of the basics of Spanish. More importantly, your exposure to culture is far more enriching, rather than spending it in a hotel; taking day trips with several tourists, as they board buses, and hurrying you up to the next location. In the 2 weeks, you will most likely be conversing in Spanish, but not fluently. In order to fully grasp the language, you need to commit a fair amount of time to get more practice. But as you immerse yourself into the community, you will have a better understanding on the structure of learning a language abroad. Live, eat, study, and do some of the activities the locals do, plus speak their lingo and you will be enhancing your Spanish skills level at a faster rate.
2 weeks is also a good way to connect with other students taking the course, connect with new friends around the world. Be invited to other locations or countries, as you bond with new friends.
Kick some of the travel bug’s itch by taking a 2 week course. Often times, many travelers feel 1 week is too short, and 2 weeks is sufficient enough. Considering most of the workforce in the US is usually only allowed 2 week’s vacation time.
If planning to partake on a 2 week Language course, consider it as a good way to brush up on your Spanish, excel to a new level, take a crash course on the basics of Spanish, or your work is paying for the trip as a means of learning a new skill.
Spanish for Success – Study Spanish Abroad
Studying Abroad Can be Nerve Racking
Studying abroad is something that every person should try, as it exposes you to another culture. The whole journey from choosing a program, to un-packing; from the whole experience is something to remember about. But, if this is the first time for any potential student, the planning phases and preparation stages can be nerve racking.
Where do I want to go? Which organization should I choose? Is it a safe place to learn and study? Will I feel homesick? How do I know if this will work out for me? Many of these questions can be easily be answered by the representative of the organization. They are accustomed to coordinating and suggesting different types of programs, and they can relate to the students needs and feelings. A good organization will have past students who either; volunteers, interns, or is an employee of the company. Past students are a great mediator for connecting potential students to past experiences. Usually, only the experienced is capable of letting us know about the whole experience of going abroad. They can help portray an image of their own experiences, how it feels when you first arrive in the country, meeting the first person in that country, and it might be the airport pick up person. Or perhaps where is the best local eatery, plus the feeling of sitting down, for dinner, with a family that you have never met before. In addition, the good feeling of accomplishing another goal, or what it takes to get through an entire study abroad program.
When you cannot foresee what is in front of you, it is best to ask as much questions, and do plenty of research on your desired location and program. The more you know the better you’re off. Also, plan ahead of time, and pack according to weather, time frame, and comfort. Never be too shy with the questions, especially you are going out of your comfort zone. So, it’s o.k to be nervous, many of us have been there one time before.
Spanish for Success – Study Spanish Abroad
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Costa Rica has no official military and has instead chosen to invest most of its funds in the areas of Health and Education. There is virtually no political unrest in the nation, which makes traveling considerably more comfortable.
These range from the pristine rainforests of Corcovado, to the wide beaches on both the Pacific and the Caribbean, to the high altitude cloud forests of Monteverde and the seasonally snow covered top of Chirripo (2nd highest mountain in Central America).
Costa Rica is your best choice from a wealth of pleasurable activities and a quality educational experience.
Our focus is Spanish language immersion, because we have various locations around the country each of which provide different environments for learning, it’s up to the student to decide which environment is best for them given their objectives.
Schools not only offer classes, but they also provide different activity options, depending on the package chosen, which let the student determine what’s best for them.
Costa Rica has invested much of its resources in health care infrastructure and education. The nation is a stable, tourist friendly, advanced country with a high literacy rate.
But for those seeking to improve their Spanish language skills, they will be hard pressed to find a better combination of learning opportunity, environment, pricing and sheer beauty.
Experience Costa Rica for its beauty, culture, people, and the many adventures. For example, beaches the offer great sun and surf, with the essence of tranquility. Top Notch River rafting, that offers all levels of classes, plus it has one of the top five rivers of the world, known as the Pacuare.
Endure the many challenges of hiking, mountain biking, repelling, zipline, ATV, caving, snorkeling, scuba diving, deep sea fishing, and many more.
If adventure is not your desire, the country also offers the many relaxing activities from; bird watching, eco tours, coffee plantation, Catamaran boat/island tours, and of course the many hot springs. If you prefer to socialize, there are many local bars, clubs, or dive spots that best fits your mood.
There are choices from: live bands, Jazz or Rock to other sorts of genre. For those footloose enthusiasts, the Latin dancing will further enhance your trip. (Salsa, Merengae, Cumbia, and many more!)
When is a good time to go?
Anytime of the year is a great time to go. Depending on your length of time is a good question.
January 1 New Year’s Day *
April 1 First Day of Passover
April 2 Good Friday
April 11 National Hero’s Day *
May 1 Labor Day *
July 25 Guanacaste Province’s Annexation Day *
August 2 Virgin of Los Angeles Day
August 15 Mother’s Day
September 15 Independence Day *
October 12 Columbus Day
December 25 Christmas Day *
(* Holidays to watch out for when choosing a program)
Come and enjoy Costa Rica.
Costa Rica on Stand Still
Costa Rica Sunsets
Costa Rica Flora
Costa Rica Beaches
Costa Rica Fruits an Vegetables
10) Easily accessible from the USA; about 2-8 hours flight from a major hub
9) Compared to Euros, a dollar goes further, and lot more affordable than Europe
8) Abundance of fruits and vegetable (Mango, Pineapples, bananas, and many more)
7) Costa Rican Foods and Cuisines (Casados, Gallo Pinto, Ceviches, and many more)
6) See exotic creatures and animals (4 types of monkeys, green turtles, red eye tree frogs, and many more)
5) Known for some of the best Eco-tourism (National Parks; active volcano, cloud forests, rivers, beaches, and many more)
4) Good quality coffee (Soil in volcanic areas, mountain ranges produce amazing coffee tastes)
3) The weather is great all year round (Only two season; rainy and dry)
2) Has plenty of Adventure Tourism (River Rafting, Zipline, Canyoneering, hiking, surfing, and many more)
1) GREAT PLACE TO LEARN SPANISH (Spanish for Success)
Costa Rica is an ideal place to visit anytime of the year, many travelers and tourist are amazed by the experience they get from the country. Many have returned to the country more than ones, some have taken on residence in the country as an expat or investor. The investments within the country has grown dramatically, in the last 10 years, from; Real Estate, B&B, restaurants, and even surf schools.
Here are some more points about the country.
• There have been no recent acts of terrorism in the country. Relatively safe for women travelers
• The capital of Costa Rica offers advance Medical Facilities and the latest technology
• Ideal place for retirees
• American Passports automatically have three months visa stay upon arrival
• The locals, or as known as Tico’s, are some of the friendliest people you will meet. The majority has a laid back relaxed feeling about life.
• Transportation in the ground and air is very efficient in most popular destinations.
• There is a fusion of different cultures from the North, South, East, and West.
Blog with us, and let us know what you think.
www.spanishforsuccess.com
By Russo Mutuc
In the USA, working or participating in the medical field, many professionals and students have come across plenty of Spanish speaking patients. Generally in this industry, there already many challenges when providing patient care or services, it is critical that the health care providers be able to communicate effectively and relay the information accordingly to the patients. Because of the complexity of the medical industry, communication barrier is one challenge that many professionals and students are being faced with. The reality is miscommunication leads to many problems, especially, when dealing with health issues. To tackle the situation, students at their early phases of training, have been encouraged by their universities to participate in classes with Medical Spanish.
Medical Spanish has grown in popularity in the last few years. One in particular contributing to the growth is the programs abroad. Language Spanish programs, which traditionally offer general type Spanish classes, have incorporated more of a technical, observation, volunteer, communication based Spanish for Medical courses. Living and learning abroad enhances the communication skills of the language student in a shorter period of time. Many of the Universities encourage training students to take an elective abroad as a means of acquiring more skills in Spanish, and to hone in the main terminologies and practices of Medical Spanish. Some universities have also started to offer their in-house programs.
To further help assist health care professionals in learning the terminologies of Medical Spanish, new technology has been incorporated. Gadgets like PDA’s are a quick access for information and references.
Overall the benefits of learning Medical Spanish are very rewarding to the health care industry, when dealing with Spanish speaking patients. It saves time, cost effective for the hospitals, plus communication is clear and concise, and less legal issues.
Russo Mutuc
http://www.spanishforsuccess.com
“Pura Vida!” Hay guys this is Russo from Spanish for Success, many of you probably remember me from either coordinating your programs, helping you answer questions, speaking with you at California Study Abroad fairs, guiding tours, or group meetings. Well, this is my very first time posting something about me and introducing myself to the internet, so Im a bit nervous. But a few more of these, I am sure I’ll get more comfortable. Soooo, a brief background about me; Back in 2002, believe or not, I too was a language student, I participated in a month long program in Costa Rica, I MUST SAY ONE OF MY BEST EXPERIENCES IN LIFE! After wards, I become a big fan of language representation around the world. Currently, my full time is working with past, present, future language students. But in the side I still practice my main career in the medical field.
For a long time, I have been pondering about what I need to write, so I will go over some main questions usually asked by potential students.
Some questions asked,
Hay Russo, “Why Costa Rica or why should I go to there?”
Well, in a short summary, “Costa Rica is a great outdoors playground for North Americans and Europeans, the weather is great all year round, there is an abundance of activities to do. You can surf at the beach, and watch some amazing sunsets, or zipline across canopies, how about rapelling of waterfalls (Don’t look down !), perhaps rafting in some of the best locations in the world “paddle, paddle”, big fan of hiking? Check out the cloud forests, generally in Costa Rica there are lush green vegetation which makes you feel alive. When I’m in the country, one of my favorite “to do” in the country is to eat the tasty foods (but hold off the bean please “sin frijoles por favor”), There is also a vibrant culture in different parts of the country, for the foot loose gurus they have some of the best dancing skill like Salsa, Cumbia, Merengue, and if you’re a language student Costa Rica offers plenty of Spanish practice”
Hay Russo “Why Should I go and study Spanish in Costa Rica?”
Well, the country is a great place to learn the language because of many reasons (one)The amount of time you spend in a one of our programs we offer is a lot faster than taking classes at home in comparisons to like community college, or private institutes (two) The program covers all aspects of learning like reading, writing, and communication. Plus Students get a lot of practice speaking in class, at the homestay, going out into town and visiting local shops, open markets, café shops, and many more. (three) The country is relatively easy to get to from North America, usually about 2-7 hours from main airport hubs within the US (four) Cost effective compared to Europe the dollar goes a lot further when spent in the country 5) I can go on and on, but I don’t want to overwhelm you with too much information.
Hay Russo “Which location should I go and what campus?”
In response to a question, I usually ask the student back a question or two about their main objectives within the country? What do you want to see and do? From there, I can best answer their original question. The best way to figure out a location is to think about how much time you can participate in the language program, and what activities would you like to do. With the programs offered students can actually participate in multi-location. Because we are an agency and is operated by former students of the program, like yours truly, we know the questions that the current students are looking for. If you have two or more weeks then you have the option of going to more than one location. This way you are able to travel within the country and learn Spanish at the same time. Take for example this itinerary: week one at the city exploring the museums, night life, tours, learning Spanish Week two: head to the country side for some adventures in rafting, zipline, hiking and learn more Spanish Week three: head to the beach for surfing lessons and watch some amazing sunsets and learn MORE More Spanish. Basically the weeks are flexible in a way that we can help coordinate depending on the amount of time you have, and the locations and activities you’re interested in participating in. In regards to the campuses, all of the schools we work with have been in the business for more than 5 years. Experienced staff, homestays families, teachers, and tour operators make a quality type of education and experience.
Hay Russo “How do I sign up for the program”
Simple, hop into our website click on the contact us section for more questions, or if your are ready to register, simply fill in the registration form located on the left side of the web page or on the top section. Let us know the time, location or campus of interest, and type of packaged program. Once we have received your registration we will start the preliminary reservations, and an invoice will be sent to you via email. A deposit or full payment might be required depending on the program. Once the deposit or full payment has been received, we send out Final Confirmation and a phone follow for a refresh on what to expect in the program and go over last minute questions.
Well, these are just some of the points we wanted to share with you, hope some of the contents written was somewhat helpful.
Ohh and one more thing, here is what’s up for 2009
iSpring Break Costa Rica! Spanish for Success is hosting a week long touring with in the country on March 2009. This will be a fun, adventurous, cultural type of experience. If you’re into rafting, zipline, night life dancing, and hanging out at the beach, maybe come with us for a different type of experience.
And as always check out the website for the continuing programs on Spanish courses, Medical Spanish, Spanish for Educators, High School programs, and many more…
That’s it for now, see you later!
Russo
Spanish for Success Blog 