By Erin K., Teen Delegate Scholar and AmeriSpan Blogger studying at AmeriSpan’s Alajuela Spanish school

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a school as beautiful as this one. Nestled in a valley between coffee and sugarcane plantations, it’s not at all unusual to see a family of cows wander by the classroom window.  The classrooms are simple but comfortable; one even replaces chairs with hammocks.

We get there every morning around 8:00 when the bus we meet in Carrillos drops us off outside the gate. Each week we’re assigned a new teacher and a new classroom.  The classes are so relaxed and the teachers are friendly, making everyone feel right at home even though we’re thousands of miles away from our hometowns.  One of the first days we’re there, we take a break from studying to wander through the school’s gardens.

It’s time for our lesson on “plantas medicinales,” a huge part of Costa Rican tradition. Minor, the gardener, tells us how most Costa Ricans turn to the garden before they call the doctor.  Every plant has some use, like the “sleeping plant” that folds its tiny leaves in when touched. It’s used to treat insomnia.

Most days, the first half of class is spent learning about the Preterit tense (among others) or Spanish grammar. Then after a twenty minute break, usually spent chilling in the hammocks, we learn about some aspect of Costa Rican cultures. From legends to slang, food to traditional games, the school fully immerses us in all aspects of their culture.

The school is one of the best parts of my trip so far.  The people are warm and welcoming, with the typical Tico friendliness, and I’m learning more than I’ve ever learned during summer vacation. The campus is like a paradise with its sprawling gardens and panoramic views of the mountains.  I don’t know how I’ll be able to go home to Wisconsin now.

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Find out how you can learn Spanish in Costa Rica

By Erin K., Teen Delegate Scholar and AmeriSpan Blogger studying at AmeriSpan's Alajuela Spanish school

Before I left for Costa Rica, I was warned by guide books and travel websites that Costa Rican food is nothing special compared to the food in Mexico and other popular travel destinations nearby.  Meals are usually typical Latin American dishes, always incorporating beans and rice.

I wasn’t expecting much, but I love Latin American food so I knew I’d be happy with anything I got. But what I got turned out to be much much better than what I expected.

The options we have for lunch every day were overwhelming. In Grecia, a town to the west of Carillos, is Café Delicias, an American style restaurant with the best burritos I have ever eaten.  When we’re feeling homesick, we catch a bus to Alajuela, where we hop into a taxi for a short ride to the mall and the Food Court. Here is where we gorge ourselves on KFC, Burger King and Taco Bell. In Alajuela, when we’re wandering the streets, we’ll stop in to a bakery somewhere along the way and pick up some freshly baked bread. Or we’ll make a visit to the indoor market, and order empanadas from a tiny restaurant tucked into a corner somewhere. 

At home in Carrillos, everyone agrees that the best place to eat is Bochini’s, an amazing pizza place. Unfortunately, Bochini’s isn’t open for lunch, which leaves us to find some other place to fill our bellies. Sometimes we’ll turn to the little café next door, La Carreta, but more often than not, we’ll stock up on Oreo Wafers and Costa Rican crackers at the SuperMercado across the street.

No matter what I eat for lunch, I can always expect a great dinner when I get home. Mi madre, Cinthya, cooks the best food, no matter what it is. Everything comes with rice, of course, but the meals range from soups to quesadillas to pork chops.  And it’s all delicious. I have a list of food I have to figure out how to make when I get home, and each day it grows longer and longer because I know that once I’m back in the States, I am going to miss everything  I’m eating now.

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Meet

Yamileth Sequeira, Host Family Program Coordinator:

“I am 53 year old and I live in Alajuela, Costa Rica. I have worked at ICLC ecological campus – The Costa Rican Culture and Language Institute in the past 16 years and as a Host Family Program Coordinator I have enjoyed meeting lots of Costa Rican families that love to receive visitors from other countries. The biggest satisfaction of my work is to make sure that both, the host family and the foreign visitor, complete a successful cultural experience. It is gratifying to receive constant comments of participants that tell me that the opportunity to live with a Costa Rican family was unforgettable”

Rosy Garcia, Registrar:

“I am the person in charge of receiving registration documents from ICLC participants, to submit all important details to the Host Family Program Coordinator and to the Academic Department. Students often ask questions that are very important and I feel glad to be able to help them before arrival, with pre-departure issues. One of my duties is also to help students on campus answering their daily questions to help them have a successful experience abroad.  I remember when Sonia and Ronny initiated the school project in a small rented house in Carrillos, 20 years ago, and now we work in a big beautiful ecological campus. I have worked with them in the past 18 years.”

Learn more about our Alajuela Spanish school in Costa Rica

By Erin K., Teen Delegate Scholar and AmeriSpan Blogger studying at AmeriSpan's Alajuela Spanish school

¡Hola! My name is Erin K. and I’m 17. I’ll be a senior in high school next year and am anxiously awaiting my graduation so I can go away to college to study International Relations.  I live in St. Croix Falls, a really really tiny town in northwestern Wisconsin. I’ve had the traveling bug ever since I was little, but I’ve never been out of the country before.  So, instead of waiting until college to make my debut as a world traveler, I made the decision to travel to Costa Rica this summer for three weeks to study Spanish.

So, here I am in Carrillos de Poas de Alajuela, Costa Rica. My Costa Rican host family, Rodolfo, Cinthya, and Valeria, live in a house in Carrillos Alto, the part of the town perched on a hill. There’s another part of town at the bottom of the hill, Carrillos Bajo. I can hardly believe that I’m no longer in America. The flights from Chicago to Atlanta and Atlanta to Juan Santamaria International Airport seem like a dream.

When my host family picked me up at the airport, I was completely overwhelmed.  I hadn’t properly prepared myself for the shock that is Costa Rica.  When you’re coming from northern Wisconsin where snow piles up nearly 6 feet high, it’s hard to prepare yourself for a country whose winter is about the same temperature as your summer. But it was love at first sight. I had never seen an actual mountain before I came to Costa Rica, and so it was hard to reign in my excitement as my family drove me through the craziness that is Costa Rican driving. There were mountains everywhere I looked!

This trip is the best decision I have ever made. I was scared at first since it was my first time traveling without my parents and my first time traveling outside the country. Not to mention, after nearly a month of summer vacation, my Spanish skills were not up to snuff.  But I feel completely welcome here, and the gorgeous views, friendly people and delicious food are totally worth the trip. I can already tell this is going to be an amazing experience.

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Discover AmeriSpan's Alajuela Spanish school

Costa Rica has a highly organized Social Security system known
as the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social (CCSS). CCSS is one of the most
developed healthcare systems in Latin America. In fact, it could probably hold
its own against the systems in more developed countries. Established in 1943,
CCSS may be so advanced because Costa Rica does not have a military to fund and
so can devote money to more social projects.

The system offers guaranteed services to 90% of the population. Social Security
in Costa Rica covers the employed, whose employers and employees both pay into
it in the form of taxes. It also covers the unemployed and those in extreme
poverty through state subsidies and voluntary payments.  Costa Rican children receive free
vaccinations and the country has a very long life expectancy. The program also
ensures that proper sanitation and access to potable water is a priority.

Learn more about the different levels of the CCSS healthcare system through
AmeriSpan’s SALUD Medical Spanish program in Alajuela, Costa Rica. The program
incorporates Spanish classes, cultural activities, an overview of the
healthcare system and site visits to various clinics and hospitals. Students
even have the opportunity to add on a 5^th week and observe doctors
in a clinical setting!  Past participant
Kristen L. raves, “I chose this program because it seemed to offer a bit more
than other medical programs, and the fact that it offered medical Spanish. I
can’t decide whether the homestay or the last week working in the clinic was
better, both were beyond my expectations.”

More Info:

Medical Spanish in Costa Rica

All Salud Medical Spanish programs

Airfare to Costa Rica