Costa
Rica Spanish Language Immersion Schools in Manuel Antonio, Sámara,
Tamarindo, and in the Central Valley in San José and
Alajuela
NO
ADDED FEES, UNLIKE MOST AGENCIES! :: ALL LEVELS, ALL AGES!
::
YES, WE HAVE WINTER, SPRING AND SUMMER CLASSES & HOMESTAYS AVAILABLE
NOW!
RANCHO
DE ESPAÑOL
ABOUT RANCHO DE ESPANOL SPANISH SCHOOLS
RATES 2007 Our Prices with Homestay Include:
Airport
Transportation (pick up & drop off from Juan Santamaria Intl. Airport).
TUTORING PROGRAM: For students that would prefer private classes we offer one to one instruction (Please note that private classes are not offered from mid-May through mid-August.) Additional private tutoring hour: US $18 Regular Program with private tutor: US $495 per week
Intensive
Program with private tutor: US $620 per week
ACCOMODATIONS
* HOMESTAY PROGRAMS Additional week in host
family: US $130 Additional day in host family: US $20
HOW TO ENROLL & PAY: Students can pay
either with traveler’s checks, major credit cards, money orders or cash.
In order to enroll, please send us a US$100 deposit with your enrollment
form. The balance is due the first day of classes.
* OUR PRICES INCLUDE: Airport pickup and drop
off, home-stay with a local family within a walking distance, private bedroom,
three meals a day, laundry service, a Spanish Workbook and other materials,
small classes (4 max. per instructor), all Costa Rican instructors, snacks
during breaks and use of our facilities. * APARTMENTS * When you arrive in Costa Rica, the last thing you need to worry about is transportation to your destination, because a representative of Rancho de Español will meet you at the airport. You are then taken to the apartment or to your host family.* ON CAMPUS * For your convenience and if you prefer more privacy, the school offers fully furnished, single, double and for families, apartments on the school campus with a swimming pool in the backyard, and surrounded by beautiful gardens. * There you will be able to prepare your own meals, or if you still want to interact with a native family, we can arrange your three meals at a nearby home. * ALSO! If you want to travel throughout Costa Rica, without taking Spanish classes, and want to have a clean, safe and very good located place to relax and meet with relatives or other friends, this is the right place!
APARTMENTS
EL RANCHO * Cable TV * Kitchenettes * Fans * Green Areas with:
BBQ Facilities: Right on the campus Laundry service Tours and rental cars Reading lounge Fax available E-mail service Others: WE ALSO WELCOME AND LODGE LARGE GROUPS
Many students and their parents wonder, "what is a homestay?", "what kind of home?", "what kind of people?", "where are these homes?". You will actually stay in their living quarters and can become a part of the family. Their homes are clean and ordinary. These are middle class Costa Rican families who truly welcome you. They will do everything in their power to please you. There is hardly any English spoken but you will learn your Spanish much faster when there is no other choice. It becomes fun and a challenge. Costa Rican food is delicious and there is always the smell of good cooking and coffee. This family cooks three meals a day that is if you are hungry. At first three meals might seem like a lot of food but around two days later when class is almost over you will be looking forward to those meals. Usually you will walk to the school , which is within the area. The entire area of Guácima is within walking distance. When you start out in the morning, it is a pure delight. Everyone greets you, "Buenos días" even though they have never seen or met you before. It is the right thing to replay, "Buenos Días". You will note that people in Costa Rica work hard with difficult circumstances but still manage to greet you with a sincere smile and a kind word. As you continue your stroll towards the school you can take note of some beautiful white cows with long floppy ears. At the end of your stay, you will become quite attached to your "Costa Rican family". However if you are not pleased, then changes could be made. Everyone's culture is different and the best method in learning a language is to learn the culture. You will receive these valuable assets with your host family at Rancho de Español
* Rancho de Español is in a small town about 40 minutes from San Jose. It has a spacious, park-like campus with a swimming pool which offers a relaxing atmosphere to students. * Students can combine classes with swimming, playing soccer or volleyball, or resting under the shade of a tree. * Clases are often held in open-air classrooms surrounded by trees and a wide variety of flowers. Students can also plan field trips with their teachers to local places of interest such as the post office, the bank, or the market, as well as to San José. In such cases the study of Spanish is integrated into the trip. The school will also help students who wish to travel in Costa Rica to plan their tours. * Every week the school will offer you Latino dancing classes (Salsa, Merengue and Cumbia) and you will also learn how to prepare some of our typical dishes in the cooking classes. * Other activities you are able to do during your stay.* Horseback riding. Butterflies Live workshops Exercises in/out the watter with a professional trainer Art workshops Bowling Movies, etc. What our students say!
"Clara
Camronero's conversational method is unequivocally the most efficient means
of attaining fluency in Spanish. Under the shade of palm trees with the easy
breeze of the Central Valley blowing through your outdoor classroom, you
quickly learn to speak in present, past, and future tenses. By the end of
one week in the intensive program, I was fully conversant with my professors
and friends. Unlike other schools in Costa Rica and Central America, Sra.
Cambronero's program places a heavy emphasis on correct grammar and
pronunciation, leaving the student with an intelligent arsenal of phrases,
correct verb tenses, and proper vocabulary. But the program doesn't stop
there. While at the school, one can learn everything from Costa Rican cooking
to salsa dancing during the free evening extracurricular activities! Indeed,
the program at Rancho de Espanol succeeds where one semester in a community
college and numerous self-study programs in the U.S. (including intermediate
Spanish CD series) failed me. There is simply no quicker path to fluency.
As a healthcare professional, I plan to return in an effort to advance my
medical-specific vocabulary, and I have no doubt that my goal of complete
fluency will soon be realized. The staff and professors at Rancho de Espanol
are second-to-none; the lush habitat, friendliness of the Costa Ricans, and
ample opportunities for outdoor fun make studying in Costa Rica the only
logical choice! "
We have studied
at four other schools in Costa Rica and the instruction we received at Rancho
de Espanol, was the best.
I have enjoyed
being here. This is a great place for a family -safe + friendly. I have learned
lots. The focus seems to be on making sure one has a good grasp of grammar.
That was good.
This was my second
trip here, so if actions speak louder than words, then you understand how
much I love this place. I loved the people, the atmosphere and everything
about the school. I learned a whole bunch too. The professors were wonderful.
They were more than teachers; they were friends as well. Marlee Kingsley,
Texas
The whole experience
was wonderful, our host family was very warm and welcoming, and the high
quality of the instruction was excellent. We had a wonderful experience here,
thank you for everything!
This stay at
the Rancho and in Costa Rica was a super learning + cultural experience.
The school is super. We plan a return stay next year. What we liked most
about the school was the fresh air classrooms, the professors each with much
different styles but productive results, on-campus apartments and meals with
a tico-family.
Wonderful program
for families with children. We loved the activities organized and the facilities
such as the pool, horses, hammocks, soccer field, basketball, computers and
dogs.
FOR MORE REFERENCES YOU CAN CONTACT:
Joann
Layne, NY JLAYNE1933@aol.com History and Politics: Costa Rica is a special jewel. It has a reputation for being an oasis of calm among its turbulent neighbors. Costa Rica’s 100 years of nearly uninterrupted democracy have helped make it the most stable economy in Central America. This stability and adherence to the democratic process are a source of great pride to Costa Ricans. We like to think of our country as a “Switzerland of Central America,” not only because of its herds of dairy cows but also because of its staunch position of neutrality in a region that has been torn by nearly constant civil wars and revolutions for more than 200 years. * A very important thing about Costa Rica it is that is the only country in Latin America that does not have an army, air force nor marine corps. * People: Costa Ricans, also known as “Ticos”, have a high literacy rate. Women constitute nearly 50% of the work force, and there is a large, working middle class; the gross disparity between rich and poor that you see in other Central American countries is not found here. * Food: Rice and beans are the basis of Costa Rican meals. At breakfast, they are called gallo pinto and come with eggs. At lunch or dinner rice and beans go by the name casado (which also means ”married”). A casado usually comes with a cabbage-and-tomato salad, fried plantains ( a type of banana), and a meat dish of some sort. * Health: (Vaccinations), No vaccinations are required for a visit to Costa Rica, unless you are coming from an area where yellow fever exists * Climate: Costa Rica is a tropical country and has distinct wet and dry seasons. However, some regions are rainy all year and others are very dry and sunny for most of the year. Temperatures vary primarily with elevation, not with season. On the coasts it is hot all year, while up in the mountains, it can be cool at night any time of year. In the highest elevations frost is common. * Rainy Season or Green Season: from May to mid-November; during this season, days start sunny with rain falling in the afternoon and evening. Rain does not usually fall all day long, but when it does it is a good opportunity to climb into a hammock and catch up on your reading. * Dry Season (considered summer for Costa Ricans): from mid-November to April; this season is very similar to the Spring. It is sunny and fresh because of the wind. * The country's natural attractions, wildlife and reputation for enlightened conservation draw tourists from all over the world. Successive governments have made a real effort to preserve the country's image as eco-tourism heaven, making Costa Rica one of the best places to experience the tropics naturally and with minimal impact. * Our country is mostly coastline, so it has some of the region's best surfing, beaches galore and a climate that encourages slothfulness in all species. * Full country name: Republic of Costa Rica Government: Democracy * Currency / Cash: The unit of currency in Costa Rica is the colon/colones. * Area: 51,100 sq km (19,929 sq mi) * Population: 3,710,558 (growth rate 1.7%) * Capital city: San José (pop 333,000) * People: 96% Spanish descent, 2% African descent, 1% indigenous Indians, 1% Chinese * Language: Spanish, Creole English and Indian dialects * Religion: 85% Roman Catholic, 14% Protestant
Rancho
de Español has extensive experience welcoming large groups from different
schools, companies and organizations from around the world. The groups and
coordinators are welcome to join our Spanish programs or just lodge ar out
campus or with a host family. Leave everything in our hands and enjoy of
a wonderful stay, our staff will be happy to organize activities that will
fit the group
needs.
AVENTURAS
LANGUAGES
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