Costa Rica: A lovely, low-key, Latin education and experience! Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Our classes were taught %100 in Spanish, which was incredible. Learning Spanish IN Spanish was something I had never done before. However, as I progressed into a more advanced level and we began to cover more challenging concepts, I almost had to have an English translation. Some concepts I did not grasp, and my grades showed it, because the professor would breeze through the lesson like he had with beginner lessons when I needed more time and explanation, since it was in Spanish, to fully comprehend it's grammatical context.

On-site administration of your program

Sonia, the CSI program director, was available to chat most of the time. You could find her in her office. She was helpful if you were unhappy in your dorm situation, or homestay family, and wanted to change, she would do what she could to make your stay enjoyable. At one point, I was unhappy with a classmate who didn't seem to be in the right level and dragging the class down, and I asked if he could be moved. Unfortunately, that never happened, but if I had been more adamant I think she would've done what she could to remedy the situation.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I wish that CSI would have emphasized our options in terms of housing, or presented them on their website. They made it seem like our only options were a homestay, or the school apartments. On the contrary, there were many apartment availabilities within Tamarindo at an equivalent pricing to the school dorms. Had I known this I would have researched housing on my own, and commuted to campus, instead of living with 5 other girls, sharing one bathroom and 3 pots and pans, I would have much rather payed the same or slightly more to have a single apartment, bathroom, and amenities that I could maintain at my own level of cleanliness. However, the benefit to dorm living on campus was the proximity to classes, which was helpful when they began at 8am in the morning. I also always felt safe on campus because of the round-the-clock guard, which I may not have had at an apartment complex. The camaraderie that I established with the students while living there was also irreplaceable. Just as an off-campus student at a University in the United States often times does not get the same college experience as on-campus students, this was the same kind of situation. We always went out at night in groups and looked out for each other, and returned to school at the same time.

For the dorm living students, food was our own responsibility. I have no problem preparing food for myself. My only frustrations were at the lack of sufficient cookware for a dorm full of 6 students. For example, one chopping board, one 4 quart pot, one mid size refrigerator.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Tamarindo is an excellent town for offering things to do outside of the classroom (ie: salsa dancing, surf lessons, atv-ing, bike riding, shopping). Not many Costa Rican towns outside of large hubs like San Jose or Liberia have much to offer in terms of entertainment, and you can get bored fast. But Tamarindo was a comfortable town to live in that isn't too big, but not extremely rural or secluded.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I got sick while I was there, but that is to be expected. I was being exposed to a lot of new germs. Pharmacies were a plenty in Tamarindo, so antibiotics or pain-killers were not hard to come by. I always felt safe at the school because there was guard 24/7, constantly watching who entered, left and patrolling the grounds.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

I practiced my Spanish every day in class. My professors would engage the class in conversation, and not just about the lesson at hand. He/She would ask about our plans (so we could practice the future tense) and what we had done yesterday after class (practicing preterite). Our classes were solely taught in Spanish. Only a few professors even knew enough English to properly converse, so it was necessary for communication. In class was where I got most of my Spanish in. Unfortunately, I could not manage to get a homestay Tico family during my study, though many of my classmates did and enjoyed their stays immensely. I was rooming in apartments with other English speakers, so I did not get the at-home Spanish practice like my homestay friends. Also, Tamarindo Costa Rica is a tourist town, and many Costa Ricans speak enough English to converse with you that way. You have to make an effort to practice your Spanish when you go out in the town. However, it was easy to get out of town where Spanish was spoken and knowledge of English was not assumed. I traveled almost every weekend to different parts of the country where I would practice my Spanish then.

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• Dorm

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• International Students

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• Americans