Hello world!
May 4, 2009 at 8:21 pm 5 comments
We think of ourselves as more than another Spanish school. Each time a student comes to learn Spanish with us or comments on our program - we are changed and improved in some way – and that is what it is all about.
The purpose of this blog is to invite your comments (especially our past students) and discussion about Costa Rica, learning Spanish and cultural immersion.
John Neilson – Attended our family Spanish Program said….
“Peter has been enjoying and excelling at Spanish. You may remember his
situation was that he had two years of Middle School Spanish, which
only counts as one year of High School Spanish, but as he was a good student, his
Middle School Spanish teacher arranged for him to take Spanish 3
starting last fall. Well, all the preparation at Pura Vida paid off,
as he has an average of 99.7, his teacher (from Colombia) complements
his pronunciation, and he actually complained to me once that the
class was “too easy.”
Entry filed under: Uncategorized. Tags: .
1.
hkaber | May 6, 2009 at 2:00 pm
Thank you Natalie. Having your family was a joy and made us think more about how we could make our program even more “homeschool friendly”. By this, I mean, more creative, more interactive, more contact with other Spanish speaking children.
2.
Scott Stambush | May 7, 2009 at 8:06 pm
My son and I had a good time at Puravida. The teachers and family were great, and so were the people in the town. I even dropped my 12 year old son off at the local public school every Mon, Wed., and Friday so he could observe. At first he was not happy, but when I went to pick him up the first day he was happy and had new friends.
3.
Mike | May 9, 2009 at 12:35 am
Pura Vida is a great place to study Spanish. I attended classes on two separate trips. Each time, I was met with a relaxed family style atmosphere. Hamid and the staff went out of their way to tailor the experience for me, not only in the classroom, but also with the homestay and the outside excursions. The homestay is a great value, and it also forces you to practice your Spanish. My host did my laundry, and served some really good authentic meals. But the best part is getting out and seeing the beautiful country and meeting the “Ticos”. Everyone shows incredible hospitality and they are eager to show you their country.
Thanks for everything, Hamid! I’ll see you again this summer.
Mike
4.
Wade | May 15, 2009 at 10:20 pm
If you are trying to decide whether or not to make a trip out to CR and take classes, I would highly recommend doing so. It was an amazing experience. I love the people working at Pura Vida and the people I met through Pura Vida. Personally, I would recommend staying for several months in order to learn the language, culture, and experience the country thoroughly, but any amount of time is better than none. Also, I would recommend studying before traveling; any head start in learning Spanish would be beneficial. Don’t get me wrong, the first day I arrived I had second thoughts about my whole trip but am so thankful how everything turned out. It was great! If anything is uncomfortable, Hamid will do his best to make the proper changes. Also, at Pura Vida you will have a small, intimate experience, unlike some other language schools which literally can have 50 or more students.
5.
Natalie Pond | May 19, 2009 at 7:32 am
I traveled from Chicago to Costa Rica with my 3 children (15, 12, and 7) to study Spanish together and to travel/adventure. We attended Pura Vida for 2 weeks and it was a wonderful experience! We would love to do it again. I loved broadening my children’s horizons, studying a different language in a country very different from America.
Living with the homestay Mama was a very important part of it. My children still, every now and then, will say “I miss being at Dona Rosa’s house.” They loved walking to school each day through the quaint little town (which is surrounded by beautiful mountain views), and stopping at a cafe or little store on the way home. We loved Costa Rican food, and had a lot of opportunities to practice the Spanish we were learning each day, and practice it in real life ways and out of necessity.
Hamid and his team of teachers at Pura Vida were so accomodating and friendly. They adapted the lessons and learning formats/schedules to what worked best for us, and according to my requests. It felt more like fun, than school, to my children. We all felt so comfortable with the staff, who became our new friends.
Hamid helped us to arrange our travel outside of school, and we had some wonderful trips and adventures, including a zipline and horseback ride near the Arenal Volcano.
Costa Rica seemed like a paradise to us. And compared to studying Spanish in, say, Spain, it was so affordable. We are all so glad we had this experience, and we highly recommend the school to anyone wanting to be immersed in Spanish in a friendly, beautiful town/country. You’ll love it!