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| Students to CRLA have come
from some of Washington, DC's most reputable
institutions, including the World Bank and IMF. |
| Courtesy CRLA |
Two women, owners of the Costa Rica Language Academy,
believe that the advantage of their school over
other schools is that they are not just a language
school, even if the name so suggests. The idea behind
the ten-year-old academy was to offer a wide variety
of activities in addition to teaching Spanish, with
an eye towards providing students with an authentic
Costa Rican experience. In fact, Cristina Soto and
Laura Cordero, co-owners of the academy, hope that
everyone learning Spanish with them will “move
to a Costa Rican rhythm,” experiencing the
country through travel and making new friends.
During the height of the tourist season more than
eighty students take advantage of this attractive
package, learning Spanish in groups of three. Diverse
courses allow complete beginners as well as advanced
students to enjoy the experience. More than fifty
percent of the academy’s students come from the
US and, according to the owners, find their way to
the academy through word of mouth and the Internet.
According to Soto, the school has generated an incredibly
positive reputation, as this is the sixth year that
the World Bank and International Monetary Fund have
proudly referred their people to the academy in order
to learn Spanish.
“One of our main aims is to provide students
with a full package and to take care of them,”
said Soto. If you look at the list of options offered,
there is no doubt that students will have plenty to
do. Most students take very intensive courses, with
five hours of Spanish instruction per day, taught
by instructors who boast university degrees in Linguistics,
Spanish, Education and Literature. Students typically
take three hours of classes in the morning, and two
in the afternoon. After the classes, students can
participate in Costa Rican cooking classes, learn
Latin dances, or discover the culture and history
through multiple excursions to places such as museums
and other tourist sights. The fact that one of the
teachers is an award-winning journalist in Spanish
Literature helps to organize world-class literary
courses as well! To teach students more about history,
every September, the Academy organizes a special Independence
Day party with Costa Rican food, music and costumes.
After finishing their activities, students return
to their Costa Rican homes, where they take further
advantage of practicing the language with their host
family-- a way to learn about local culture, too.
Home stay is an option almost every student, no matter
what age, decides to use. “People come to the
Academy because they are interested in a full experience,
not only in learning the language,” Soto concludes.
This is the reason why many of the Academy’s
clients have for a long time come from volunteer programs
and universities all around the US. |
