Living in Costa Rica for 3 months?

Question

Hi, i am thinking about going to Costa rica for 3/mo to learn Spanish..I am 18/female..I want to be where there is little Englsih so i can learn spanish faster. I want to be where it is really beautiful and fun...Any info would help!

Answer 1

There is a spanish language school in Dominical.  Dominical is located on the Pacific Coast in a really charming, albeit small village.  There are lots of surfers and English speakers along with the Ticos

Answer 2

I applaud you for choosing to travel to a Spanish speaking country to learn another language and even though it can be a formidable task for some I can assure you that it will be a life changing event no matter what level of competecy you are able to achieve.

Costa Rica is indeed a beautiful,diverse country with warm friendly people,but I would take exception with your reasoning that it will be a place where little English is spoken as many Ticos speak and/or understand English and schools that teach English are,for the most part,purposely located in an area that is known to be a popular destination for non-spanish speaking travellers.I have no idea which school you will be attending so I can't comment on their reputation but I will share some of my thoughts and experiences having lived and  travelled extensively for several years in Mexico,South and Central America.

The most important step in learning Spanish,or any other language is to 'truly' immerse yourself in the language.Truly,by my definition, is to avoid "all" but native speakers of the language you are attempting to learn.This is much more difficult than it sounds because most English speakers have no experience with that kind of social isolation.

Many schools in Central and South America teach in small groups which is certainly more cost effective for the school. However,that practice is much less effective than a one teacher/one student form of teaching where you will learn literally twice as fast(As an example, if you had had that one teacher/one student ratio when you attended school you could have easily learned everything that was needed to graduate from high school in half the time or less.) You and I both know how much time was wasted in K thru 12.

The vacation part of your trip might be equally as important as your reasons for wanting to learn a little Spanish and that is fine I'm just excited that you are travelling. I just wanted to make the case for effective learning verses just another way that has been developed to not only create jobs for teachers, which I think is great, but also to keep travellers occupied and spending money.The amount you can learn is,in most cases,only limited by the individual. The teacher will give you as much you want. Most of the "gringos" I encounter travelling often tell me stories of all the weeks they have spent in one school or another and most of them ,after having spent hundreds of dollars, have a vocabulary that you could have easily been duplicated by reading & memorizing a seven dollar phrase book. That has never seemed very cost-effective to me.

My advice would be,if you are serious about learning spanish is to always check the reputation of the school and choose a  school with a one teacher/one student teaching ratio if at all possible.The teachers should also have a University degree preferably in teaching Spanish as a second language.Many people will assume that all the schools are the same and choose a school by the number of fun diversions such as trips to a hot spring or a noted waterfall or free samba lessons thinking that is extra value for their money.It is just less time you have to learn.

I hope some of this helps you and that you have a wonderful time visiting Costa Rica and learning Spanish.If you have any other questions about your trip feel free to email me.

Buena suerte y buen viaje!!

juan23

Answer 3

i own a condo in playa del coco costa rica.I would recommend a place like coco where there is both english and spanish spoken .it is nice to speak your native language when you need something or need assistance.

coco has a great nightlife and plenty to do during the day.

if you are interested in renting a condo you can contact me