I’ll start with a funny story about yours truly. When I first came to Costa Rica back in 2001, the month after 9-11 occurred actually, I knew about as little Spanish as you would expect a Carolina red-neck to have. I came down on a fairly highfalutin (that’s red-neck talk and means “significant”) business deal. As such I was surrounded by smart people who could speak Spanish. It was election time and we were driving down General Cañas one day when I noticed a billboard from one of the candidates that read “Vota Por Usted.” I leaned forward and politely asked my colleagues which one of the candidates was “Usted?”
Ha ha! So, knowing a little Spanish can come in handy these days, especially if you plan on spending any time in a place where people generally speak it. Much to the chagrin of many gringo tourists that come here, Costa Rica is one of those places.
It is also a great place to learn the language. Why? Because it’s safe, fun, the people are very forgiving when it comes to butchering their language, and (did I already mention?), it is a really cool place (as my last 10 posts have attested).
And if you want to learn Spanish in Costa Rica, the place I highly recommend is Conversa. It is the oldest and most respected Spanish learning institute in the country (notice I didn’t say cheapest, but what are we trying to do here…save a buck or learn a language?).
I have some first hand experience with Conversa having known the owners (the Kaufmans) for years and having sent my son there for six months in 2010. Conversa is top-notch and they really care that you leave with the ability to hold a conversation in Spanish.
Zack’s Experience
I couldn’t have been more pleased when Zack, my only boy (I have three girls too) informed me that he wanted to live part of the year in Costa Rica to learn Spanish. That was back in 2010. He arrived in early January and we immediately enrolled him in Conversa’s program.
The Conversa campus is located in Santa Ana, about 8 miles west of San Jose central. The tranquil mountain setting is perfect for relaxing the mind in order for it to be absorbed in learning a language. Because, if you really want to do it, that’s what it takes.
Zack lived with me during his time, so he did not have the benefit of doing a home stay, which really adds to the overall immersion experience. But nevertheless, by the time he had to say goodbye and head back to the U.S., he was speaking with my wife’s two daughters without too much of a hitch. He continued to practice while back in the States and judging from the last time we were all together, his Spanish has actually improved a bit.
That’s what it takes. Conversa will give you the great start, but once you’re finished there, you have to keep practicing. Spanish is not like riding a bicycle…you will forget. Conversa has you covered there as well as they offer an online course you can continue with back home with real live professors.
Conversa Study Options
Conversa offers a wide-range of study options. You can go with one, two, three or four-week programs that each offer either intensive (4 hours per day) or super-intensive (5.5 hours per day) variations. They also have activities you can participate in like community involvement, Latin dance and yoga. The programs all include home stay with a Costa Rican family (private bedroom for one person). The home stay includes breakfast and lunch with the home stay family. You also will get lunch on campus, transportation to and from campus, and wireless internet throughout the campus. Study is generally in small groups of four students per class. The campus itself has a basketball court, swimming pool, hydroponic garden, educational trails, a mock pulperia (small grocery store) and infirmary (for you to practice before embarrassing yourself with the real thing), TV lounge, and more.
Typical Day at Conversa:
8:15 am – Arrive to campus by the Conversa bus
8:30 – 10:30 am – Classes
10:30 – 11:00 am – Coffee break (a Costa Rican tradition!)
11:00 am – 1:00 pm – Classes
1:00 – 2:00 pm – Lunch (on campus – food is great!)
2:00 – 3:30 pm – Classes
3:30 – 5:00 pm – Recreational activity (like dance or yoga)
Home Stay Program
You can certainly stay off campus any where you want. Or, the campus itself offers very comfortable and affordable housing. As was mentioned above, the programs include home stay. And home stay is the way to go if you’re really looking for an immersion experience.
This will be with a real live Costa Rican family, who will actually cook delicious Costa Rican vittles for you every day. Hey, you can’t beat that! What’s more they won’t speak English, so guess what…in order to communicate with them you have to practice. The genius of these guys at Conversa is just uncanny!
If you can, go with the home stay…it is the best and fastest avenue for immersion success. I wouldn’t let Zack do it because being a far away dad, I wanted to monopolize as much of his time as possible. But, hey, he still learned a lot and truthfully, since I am married to a Colombian lady who speaks no English, he nevertheless received at least a quasi-immersion.
A Custom Immersion Package
We used to have a page set up for a custom immersion Costa Rica vacation package featuring Conversa’s two and four-week programs. Our new site does not include that page, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still set you up. The way it works is that you would participate in the regular program of your choice during the week (including the home stay) and then on the weekends we would set you up with cool excursions to places like the Arenal Volcano and Manuel Antonio (with transportation, accommodations and activities included). This can work with any of their programs, but we generally recommend the two or four-week ones.
I have not included prices for the Conversa programs since they vary widely depending on course of study chosen (see their web site for details). Likewise, the price of a custom immersion program as described above will depend on factors such as the types of excursions you would want, level of accommodations, mode of transport, etc. I can tell you that for the two-week program, with weekend excursions, you’d be talking in the $2,500 range (that includes the Conversa program and all the weekend stuff we would set up for you).
If you want to learn Spanish in Costa Rica and have a great time in the process, consider Conversa!
Post by CRG
Comments