Learn Spanish in Costa Rica: Schools & Courses in Costa Rica
Welcome to paradise! Costa Rica, the nature lover's dream. Learn Spanish in Costa Rica; where you can rummage through the lush tropical rainforest and make friends with exotic animals while hiking to awe-inspiring views up magnificent mountains. Where you can surf the perfect wave, snorkel with the dolphins and sea turtles, and scuba dive with the stingrays all before lunchtime. If you learn Spanish in Costa Rica, you will get to experience all of this, while learning the language with some of the friendliest people in the world. The people of Costa Rica, Ticos, have worked hard to retain their old customs, even as new generations adopt a contemporary culture. Today, the nearly four million Ticos possess a unique identity that distinguishes them from neighboring countries. So come learn Spanish in Costa Rica, trade tiquismos with the Ticcos, where family ties are still very strong, where people enjoy a slower pace of life, and where they take things as they come. Costa Rica is an incredible place to visit and an even better place to learn and practice your Spanish. Here, there is something for everyone: fantastic natural landscapes, great beaches, friendly people, and fascinating culture.
Costa Rica - History
 Human habitation can be traced back more than 10,000 years but it appears Costa Rica was sparsely populated and a relative backwater in the pre-Columbian era. There is little sign of major communities and none of the impressive stone architecture that characterized the more advanced civilizations of Mesoamerica to the north and the Andes to the south.
For almost half of a century, Costa Rica was passed over while colonization gathered pace in countries to the north and south. It wasn't until 1562, that the Spanish administrative center in Guatemala sent Juan Vasquez de Coronado to govern Costa Rica. Cartago was established as the capital the following year. The impoverished colony grew slowly and was virtually ignored by the Spanish rulers in Guatemala. By the late 18th century, exports of wheat and tobacco were making economic conditions somewhat better.
Central America gained its independence from Spain in September of 1821. The news reached Costa Rica a month after the event. The question of whether Costa Rica should join newly independent Mexico or join a new confederation of Central American states resulted in a bitter quarrel between the leaders of San Jose and their counterparts in Cartago and Heredia. A brief civil war in 1823 was won by San Jose and Costa Rica joined the confederation.
The country elected its first head of state, Juan Mora Fernandez, in 1824. His progressive administration expanded public education and encouraged the cultivation of coffee with land grants for growers. Soon after, the establishment of a new Costa Rican elite, the coffee barons, used their power to overthrowing the first Costa Rican president, Jose Maria Castro. His successor, Juan Rafael Mora, is remembered as the man who mobilized a force of Costa Rican volunteers and defeated William Walker, ending the persistent North American adventurer's ambitions to turn Central America into a slave state and annex it to the United States.
After over a decade of political turmoil, General Tom Guardia apprehended power in 1870. Though he ruled as a military dictator, his 12 years in power were marked by progressive policies like free and compulsory primary education, restraining the excesses of the military and taxing coffee earnings to finance public works. It was Guardia who contracted Minor Keith to build the Atlantic railroad from San Jose to the Caribbean. The post-Guardia years saw the erratic transition to full democracy. This brought about the banning of the Communist Party, gave women the vote and granted full citizenship to blacks, abolished the armed forces, established a term limit for presidents and nationalized the banks and insurance companies.
Spanish Schools Costa Rica - Geography
 Costa Rica occupies a territory of around 20,000 square miles in the southern part of Central America, and includes several small islands mostly on the Pacific side. The country is only about 200 miles long and 70 miles wide at the narrowest part.
Costa Rica's three mountain ranges help to create five geographically diverse areas. They are the Northern Central Plains, the Northwest Peninsula, the Tropical Lowlands on the Pacific and Caribbean coasts, and the Central Valley. Seventy percent of the population resides in the Central Valley. They make up the seven provinces of Alajuela, Cartago, Guanacaste, Heredia, Puntarenas, Limón and San José.
Learn Spanish in Costa Rica - Economy
 Costa Rica's basically stable economy depends on tourism, agriculture, and electronics exports. Poverty has been substantially reduced over the past 15 years, and a strong social safety net has been put into place. Foreign investors continue to be attracted by the country's political strength and high education levels, while tourism continues to bring in foreign exchange. Low prices for coffee and bananas have hurt the agricultural sector. The government continues to grapple with its large internal and external deficits and sizable internal debt. The reduction of inflation remains a difficult problem because of rises in the price of imports, labor market rigidities, and fiscal deficits. The country also needs to reform its tax system and its pattern of public expenditure. Costa Rica is the only signatory to the US-Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) that has not ratified it. CAFTA implementation would result in economic reforms and an improved investment climate.
Spanish Courses in Costa Rica - Food
The most typical dish in all Costa Rica is gallo pinto, “red rooster,” a rice and bean dish served with breakfast and sometimes lunch. Some recipes include herbs or garlic, but the essential ingredients are always black beans, rice, bell peppers and onions.
Don't miss an opportunity to taste Salsa Lizano, the Costa Rican version of English Worcestershire sauce. This tasty blend of vegetables, chilies and sugar is used to spice up almost everything. Fried plantains (a large, firm variety of banana, also referred to as cooking bananas) are a common side dish to many breakfasts and lunches. In Limon, Rice and beans are flavored with coconut and Caribbean spices. Hot peppers are also very popular there. Side salads are made with cabbage slaw and flavored with oil and vinegar or mayonnaise.
The daily specials and cheapest dishes in a lot of smaller restaurants are called casados, which translates to “married.” Your choice of fish, meat or chicken is served side-by-side (that's where the “married” part comes in) with a scoop of rice and slaw salad. The most typical dish for lunch and dinner is arroz con pollo, chicken strips mixed in rice with vegetables. Fresh fish is also a common staple.
Costa Rica tops Mexico in desserts, especially for those with North American tastes. The national dessert is tres leches, or three milks. Unfortunately, the cake can vary in quality. There's also flan, custard with caramel or coconut. It's everywhere in Central American cuisine.
Spanish Schools in Costa Rica - Climate
 The Central Valley or plateau around San José has an altitude of 1,165 meters or 3,880 ft. Because of its location an almost constant temperature of 20ºC or 68ºF all year round, Costa Rica's climate is considered the healthiest climate of the world according to a NASA research. Depending on the altitude and the region in which you are, you can find a great variety of micro-climates. Cool, wet and very green mountain ranges, where many dairy farmers have established themselves; rain forests and dry tropical forests; the wet Caribbean coast and the dry Pacific coast; and cloud forests.
Spanish Courses in Costa Rica - Advice
At our Spanish schools and courses in Costa Rica and throughout Latin America our advice can really be summed up with one simple word - practice! The kind of study materials you use is not quite as important as how or how often you use them. Your hard work and determination will be one of the biggest factors in successful language learning.
The Spanish school and course you choose in Latin America is going to be the core of your Spanish study, so make sure you choose a Spanish language course that gives you structured lessons and lots of opportunity to practice your new language skills. Our Spanish courses at our Spanish schools in Costa Rica and throughout South America, will give you the perfect opportunity to study, learn, and practice Spanish in a supportive, well planned and friendly environments.
You must work at your new Spanish language skills every day. Ideally, you should study Spanish an extra hour or more every day. If you can get at least an extra half-hour of study time, that's pretty good too. Try to at least get a little review and study, learn and practice Spanish every single day.
If you attend one of our Spanish courses in Costa Rica and you learn Spanish everyday, you will have a good basic knowledge of the Spanish language in a reasonable amount of time. Your knowledge and ability will increase and improve depending upon what other tools you use and what kind of experiences you have using the Spanish language.
Grammar book. A good old-fashioned grammar book may be boring but they are a great way to really get to grips with the details of the language.
Phrase Book
 These are extremely helpful books that you can carry with you. They can be useful for practicing pronunciation, or for quickly finding a lot of more commonly used phrases, words and idioms. Phrase books are always a nice supplement to learn Spanish and they are convenient and cheap.
Dictionary. Absolutely necessary in the long run. You must have a dictionary if you wish to expand your vocabulary, and you will need one in order to take full advantage of many of the Spanish language learning tips set out here. Make sure you get one that translates both ways e.g. English to Spanish AND Spanish to English. It is also helpful to find a dictionary that contains idioms - the phrases particular to the language which you are studying - as well as phrases that are commonly used in the Spanish language, but may be difficult to translate. As an example in English - 'to give the cold shoulder' or 'it's a piece of cake!'
Flashcards
A simple Spanish language learning tip, but a very effective way to review, refresh your memory and expand your vocabulary. There are pre-made flashcards that can be purchased, or for extra help, you can create your own. Keep them with you at all times, in your pocket or in your car, and look at them for a quick review or language lesson at every opportunity. They are very convenient.
Talk to yourself
It may be obvious, but the best way to learn Spanish in Latin America is to speak Spanish in Latin America ! This convenient method can be use at all times, as you can even talk to yourself. Even if you are in public and don't feel comfortable talking to yourself out loud, you can make it your habit to practice Spanish by thinking Spanish. Throughout the day, think of the Spanish words for everything you pass - objects in your house, things you pass when you are traveling, things you use at work or school, etc. Learn basic Spanish phrases like - ‘it is cold today' or ‘it is sunny today' and use whichever is appropriate when you first look out the window. By putting this tip into use on a regular basis, the vocabulary and phrases will become more routine and automatic.
Practice with friends
 Taking it even further than talking to yourself, you can practice with your friends. Even if they don't speak Spanish, talk to the people you know by using your new language. Warn them in advance that you are practicing your new knowledge and they'll know what's coming. Even a simple 'good morning' or 'see you later' in Spanish will make those phrases more natural to you. Your friends may even begin to learn a few words and join in the fun too!
Listen to music
Listen to Spanish music. You'll hear the Spanish language used in a real context and this will help you pick out the rhythm and pronunciation even better. This method will also give you a further understanding of, and appreciation for, the culture and customs of the people. Music in Spanish might be easier to find than others, but Amazon or eBay and many other global websites will enable you to find music in Spanish and many different languages.
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