PROGRAM STRUCTURE

To facilitate individual attention, our program consists of four hours daily of Spanish lessons in classes with no more than 6 people. The basic structure of our courses is built around a foundation of grammar; however, a strong emphasis is put on providing learning through experience. We encourage all students to participate in all of our extra-curricular activities and also can offer to intermediate or advanced students the opportunity to participate in volunteer programs. Through these real-life experiences, you can achieve a fluency through assimilating with the culture on a level you could never reach in your oun country.

The initial program has a duration of three months, which is divided into three levels: beginner, intermediate, and advanced. Each level is then subdivided into 4 groups, each being covered in one week or 20 hours of class time. You will be given the appropriate placement test before starting the program. The first part of the test is written and covers grammar, reading comprehension, and writing skills. The second part is oral, and tests listening comprehension and speaking ability. If you request a final grade for the course for college requirements your score on the placement test will in no way affect your final grade. You may enter the program at any level and later continue on to specialized courses of literature, conversation, or a professional area of your choice.

While creating a strong grammatical foundation, we will also have you put your knowledge to use in practical daily conversation, even at the most basic level. Types of conversation range from situational practice with classroom dramatizations, excursions to local stores and markets, as well as scavenger hunts where you must depend on your ability to communicate to complete your assignments. In addition, teachers engage students in classroom discussions and free-form language interchanges with Costa Rican students.

If you have already studied and mastered Spanish grammar, we offer a review of the concepts and structures that tend to be problematic. After having completed the review, we use a wide range of resources including articles from newspapers and magazines, as well as literature or non-fiction from which you may choose according to your interests.

VOLUNTEER WORK

At Escuela Latina, we believe learning a language is only part of the travel experience. The opportunity to actually become a part of the culture through working with its people can greatly enrich anyone's experience. To show our commitment to this ideal and the country that has given so much to us, we have developed a volunteer program exclusively for our Spanish students.

Student volunteers may choose from a large range of volunteer opportunities that involve working with people or resources and take place in remote rural areas, in the heart of the city or anywhere in between.

PROGRAMS*

Escuela Latina's rural volunteer program is located in Upala, a small town 9 kilometers south of the Nicaraguan border in the far north-eastern corner of Costa Rica. The combination of Native American, nearby Nicaraguan, and Costa Rican cultures in this region provides for a very rich and diverse cultural base. Students will also find that in being a considerable distance from the central valley, there is a substantially smaller North American influence; therefore little to no English is spoken in the area. Also, due to the remote location, there are very few qualified teachers, medical professionals, and educators; hence the great need for volunteers. We are currently working with an outreach program with the Upala hospital and welcome medical students and other health practitioners to apply. In addition, we have an agreement with a number of the local elementary schools that are in great need of teachers, with or without previous experience.

We also provide many short-term volunteer opportunities in the San Jose/Heredia area for those that wish to continue their Spanish studies and volunteer in the afternoons or evenings after class. Among these opportunities are programs with developmentally disabled individuals, teacher's aide positions in local schools, and animal shelters among many others.

*For prices, more detailed information on our volunteer programs, and an application, please contact us in Costa Rica or the US and we will be glad to send it to you.

EXTRA ACTIVITIES

As part of the tuition, many extra activities are included. Four times a week for one hour we have Latin dance class where you will have the opportunity to learns Salsa, Merengue, Marcado, Cha Cha Cha as well as other traditional Latin American dances. We also go on nighttime outings to local discotheques where you can put your newly learned dancing skills to the true test with the locals. For those who are interested in more dance instruction, private classes can be arranged at an additional fee.

Milagro, our cook, offers weekly cooking classes in which she invites you to participate in the preparation (and consumption!) of a traditional Costa Rican meal. She will also send you home with the recipes, so along with your new found knowledge of dance, you can take home a bit of the culinary culture with you as well.

We also offer Latin music classes weekly. These offer you the chance to learn traditional and popular songs from all over Latin America. Music class also provides you with an opportunity to get to know students from other classes.

Upon arrival, you will be given a tour of the vicinity including points of reference such as the post office, banks, and restaurants as well as historical sites. As a special bonus to the daily classes we also offer free-form language interchanges with Costa Rican students to practice language skills in a fun environment. Oftentimes the interchanges take the form of an outdoor cookout or excursion to a nearby park or restaurant where you will get together and speak for an hour or so in Spanish and an hour in English or your native language.

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Escuela Latina de Lenguas

P.O. Box: 203-3000, Heredia, Costa Rica
Tel. USA: (970) 242-6960 / 242-6967
E-mail: eslatina@amerisol.com