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The additional week of Spanish Immersion
provides participants with an opportunity to either begin to learn
Spanish, or, for those who are already taking classes in school,
to advance their Spanish and to become comfortable speaking. This
opportunity also provides an incredible way to experience life in
a typical Costa Rican household first hand.
Our program this summer will be based in the Pacific beach area
of Tamarindo. We partner with an excellent language school called
WAYRA who places our group members into local families. The school
is located in the town of Tamarindo and the families' homes are
a few kilometers away in a more typical, local village. Students
will be placed with other students in the same family.
"The Spanish program was great. We had tons of fun things
to do in Samara, but in addition we also had a lot of free time.
The Spanish teachers were very knowledgable and helpful, and helped
me to practice my Spanish. The extra week of Spanish allowed me
to eat great food, drink tropical smoothies, surf warm waters, live
in the epitome of a tropical beach town, and at the same time I
got to practice my Spanish both inside and outside of class."
--Aaron, 15; San Francisco, CA
We will take our friends from the rest of the group to
the airport early on the morning of July 23rd and then catch a short
domestic flight to the Pacific coast. We will begin classes that morning
and meet our families in the afternoon.
After a full week of classes we will enjoy Shabbat at the beach and
return to San Jose on July 29th for a final Costa Rican evening. We
will fly home together on July 30th.
Levels:
Absolute beginner: with no previous knowledge
of the language
Beginner: very limited knowledge,
able to ask for directions, order meals, etc.
Elementary:
can speak in present tense with limited vocabulary
Pre-Intermediate:
use of the present, past and some future tenses with an enlarged vocabulary
Intermediate: have higher levels of comprehension,
expression and a good grasp of the different grammatical tenses
Upper-Intermediate: high level of comprehension and
conversation managing the conditional, imperative and indicative
Pre-advanced: for those who have studied the subjunctive,
but still have difficulty using this form
Advanced:
a deeper understanding of the language including often confusing grammatical
structures, word building, etc.
Superior: semantic
fields enlarged and grammatical deficiencies corrected
Hammock Time on the Playa!!
Suzie with Dona Sinay and Charlene, Homestay Mom and
Sister, at their home.
Suzie's homestay Mom cooks Suzie's favorite breakfast-
gallo pinto (rice and beans), fried eggs, and fried plantains, served
with fresh avocado. Yum!
More hammock time... check out the surfers in the background!
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Dates
July 21 - 28, 2008
Location
Samara Beach
Classes
Monday-Friday, 8am – 12pm, with a 20 minute break
Teachers
University educated, most have 10 plus years of teaching experience.
The teachers are one of our favorite parts about this program—they
are fantastic!! The teachers will maximize the students’
learning experience with a thoughtful balance of personal,
cultural and academic challenges within a secure and supportive
environment. The instructors are skilled in blending conversation
with grammar to meet the individual needs of the group members.
In the classroom, they make learning an enjoyable natural
process. Teachers encourage debate, conversation and exchange
of ideas to promote critical thinking and verbal skills. Games,
videos and music are frequently used in the classrooms. Outdoor
activities, such us walks in the nature reserves, visits to
the different businesses in town to gather information, conversations
with people from the community, and interviews or excursions
to neighboring towns are used to practice and learn more about
the ecology, economy and culture of Costa Rica. Your language
ability will grow as your outlook broadens. Every day the
students are required to do about one hour of homework.
Student-teacher ratio: maximum 4:1
Homestays
The families live in the towns of Villareal and Santa Rosa.
These small towns are both very rural and tranquil. Villareal
is 5 kilometers and Santa Rosa is 7 kilometers outside Tamarindo.
The homes are small and typical. All of the families are regularl
hosts to students from the school and are screened and carefully
selected. The host mothers prepare a variety of fresh and
tasty meals. The cooking is normally traditional but if the
student has a specific diet or preference, his or her host
mother will do everything she can to please the student with
the food. In some houses, the mother cooks on typical mud
stoves with wood, and others use more modern kitchens but
regardless of the method they use, the meals are well enjoyed
by the students. With a host family, the students will have
the opportunity to taste different fruits and vegetables that
could be difficult to find any place else. The families are
all very welcoming, friendly, and excited to share their homes
and culture with us. Most families have kids, ages vary.
Staff
One staff member from Outdoor Adventures for Jewish Teens trip
will accompany the Spanish Immersion participants to Tamarindo
Beach. The staff member will stay with a family in the same town
as the participants, supervise and spend time with the participants
in the afternoon, help organize daily and weekend activities,
and will be available at all times of the day or night to
assist participants whenever necessary.
Schedule
We have class in the morning, and have the afternoon to hang
out at the beach, surf, snorkel, swim, eat lunch, and explore
the beach town of Tamarindo. In the evening, we return to
our homestay families for dinner. After dinner you’ll
have more time to get to know your family, practice your Spanish,
and do some homework (usually about an hour/night). You sleep
at your homestay family’s house, and eat breakfast there
as well, before walking or biking to class in the morning.
Shabbat
We will spend Shabbat with our host families though, of course,
they will not be celebrating Shabbat themselves. Our staff
member will gather the group together in town to share Shabbat
ritual with each other and host family members who are interested.
During the day there will optional activities.
Activities
During the week, the school offers fun activities such as
volleyball, football at the beach, BBQ, hiking trips to see
the sunset, dance lessons, pool parties, and more. Our staff
person will also arrange for surf and snorkel lessons (one
is included in the program; more available at additional charge)
and group beach activities.
Logistics
We need a minimum of 6 participants to make this week happen.
Since you need to book your airfare sooner than we’ll
know whether there are 6 people signed up, we suggest the
following: Purchase your return ticket for July 28. If the
Spanish Immersion Week gets cancelled, we’ll pay to
change the return date on your ticket.
College Credit
Is available for an additional fee from the school we are
working with. Please contact us for additional information
if interested.
Cost
$1350/person for the entire week; includes: classes, homestay,
all transportation, breakfast, Shabbat dinner, Salsa lessons,
cooking lessons, and various other classes offered, a choice
of surf lessons or an afternoon of snorkeling, a trip to the
Ostional Turtle Reserve;
Not Included: lunches, snacks,
additional optional activities.
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