What our students say

Carolina Stonehouse
Nationality: Canadian
Occupation: Management, Volunteer Sector

"I enjoyed my experience; my teacher was very supportive. We talked a lot and she helped me overcome my fear of speaking Spanish. This was a problem for me but now I have confidence and am speaking to everyone possible in Spanish! I hope to return next January and study with CPI again. "Muchas gracias por todo!"

Yves Brunschwiler
Country: Switzerland
Occupation: Engineer
Age: 26

After 8 weeks of intensive Spanish course at CPI Heredia I would love to tell everybody, that this school is by far the best I have ever seen in all the languages I studied abroad. The staff as well as the teachers connect to the students from day one. The level the teachers have is very high and the change of teachers allows the students to experience different teaching methods and Spanish accents.

More over the staff makes you feel comfortable at school, in your home stay or with the activities they organize for you. They almost read your wishes everyday and try to make them become truth.

Just wanted to say that I had a great experience here at CPI and in Monteverde. The host family (Mayra and Enrique) were more than gracious and helpful, like a family away from home.

My professor Jose was great. Great to talk with, not rigid like the Spanish instructors I had back in the States, and I learned a ton.

Finally, the events and activities scheduled and provided were also great.
Enjoyed the cooking class, and enjoyed some of the tours, like Trapiche and Selvatura.

Overall, great experience, perhaps I'll have to come back for another Spanish lessons.

He wrote in Spanish: Mis tres semanas a CPI en Playa Flamingo eran maravillosas. Es una organización estupenda. Todos los empleados eran muy profesionales y amables. Los estudiantes benefician de un ambiente muy positivo para aprender. Después solamente pocos días me sentí mas seguro en español.
Muchas gracias CPI para esta experiencia maravillosa!!!!

I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at CPI. It is truly a delightful place welcoming, friendly with an atmosphere ideal for learning. After only a few days I felt much more confident in all aspects of the Spanish language. Many thanks to CPI for this fantastic experience.

After my retirement in December, my wife and I decided to study Spanish in Costa Rica for a few weeks as the first chapter in our new life. We are so glad we chose CPI! CPI had excellent facilties, we spent a week at the beach in Flamingo followed by two weeks at Monteverde in the mountains.
CPI´s facilities are very pleasant and their office staff accommodating.. We enjoyed the many contacts we had with students and people of all ages studying at CPI. Some top rated colleges to CPI for credit courses in Spanish so this confirmed our view that the staff was highly trained and competent. At both Monteverde and Flamingo, CPI made available to us highly trained travel managers who managed the various excursions offered by CPI, these excursions were well run and lots of fun. We feel that CPI is a well managed institute which offers a top quality service to the students who matriculate there. We recommend it highly.

She wrote in Spanish: Lo primero que yo quiero es darles muchas, muchas, muchas gracias a todas las personas que trabajan en CPI!!!!!

Mi primer día aquí yo conocí que está elección fue correcta!!!

Sólo un mes en Costa Rica yo encontré un millón de amigos de todo el mundo, hablaba sin vergüenza en español y también pensaba en español y soñaba en español.

Mas yo tenía un bronceado excelente! Queridos amigos, si ustedes querén aprender español y escucharan como susurran las palomas, almorzaran en jardín tropical cerca de la piscina, buscarán adventuras y querrán descansar maravillosamente en las mejores playas en Costa Rica.

¡No piense! Sólo compra el tickete a Costa Rica!

She wrote: At first I thought " Hay Dios " what have I done and then the " journey began".

This has taught me not only to continue ones education ( it keeps your mind alive ) but also not to be afraid to open the door to a new experience.

I have wanted to learn Spanish for the past 25 year. What with family responsibilities and ranching. There was no time. Now I have time and CPI has show´s me the path!

Thank you ( Muchas Gracias mis amigas ) for your support, patience and help.
I will continue my education by now applying what I have studied ( which has been a very big challenge ) with our employees.

I n CPI Heredia , you can learn Spanish with very good atmosphere and the city life in Heredia is really comfortable and convenient.

In Flamingo, you can enjoy yourself in the beach while you are learning Spanish!! There are many nice beaches very near to CPI. I promise you that you can see the amazingly beautiful sunset in the beach Flamingo or Potrero. I love walking in the beach from CPI to my host family's house in Potrero.

I had great host families in both two campuses. We watched the TV after the dinner and talked about many things. It was really good opportunity to learn the culture of Costa Rica and also to practice my Spanish.

And CPI has really good staff in the office. They are very kind and helpful for anything about your stay in Costa Rica . I traveled to Nicaragua with my CPI friends and the staffs helped us a lot for the trip.

Also CPI helped me a lot to do my volunteer work. I worked for 3 months after learned Spanish in CPI and I learned a lot of things not only the language.

The Gerber Family
Country: USA
Ages: Father 36, Mother 34, the boy 10 and the girl 8

They wrote: Our experience in Playa Flamingo was a perfect mix of vacation and school. The staff at CPI did a great job of placing all four of us in appropriate classes for our varied levels and in arranging transportation and tours for our free time. As a Spanish teacher in the US my knowledge of grammar was strong so my class was an excellent mix of conversation punctuated by explanations of confusing grammar points. My husband, a novice, advanced greatly during the week and was able to understand (and speak) most conversations by the end of the week. The kids not only learned much vocabulary but increase their desire to learn and practice at home. We thoroughly enjoyed our time in CPI Flamingo and found the staff willing and able to solve any problem we encountered.

She wrote in Spanish: "C.P.I. es fantástico. Me gusta mucho el sistema para aprender español, los profesores me ayudan mucho."

"Pura Vida! Even after 15 weeks I still do not want to leave. In the time I have been here I have seen Heredia, Monteverde, and Flamingo. People from all around the world come to CPI and it has been a great cultural experience. The faculty and staff are incredible and really helpful in planning trips with the school or on your own. I would recommend this school for anyone and I cannot wait to come back!"

She also wrote in Spanish: "Yo voy a extrañar CPI mucho. Yo aprendí mucho español! Cuando yo llegué, no podría hablar nada ni papa! Ahora yo siento confortable con conversaciones y viajar en países que hablan español. Muchas Gracias!"

Molly Hyde, student: "Thank you for a wonderful opportunity to learn Spanish in a fun environment. The instructors were very knowledgeable, professional, and helpful. The food at snack time and for lunch was delicious. Our group especially enjoyed the arranged activities. They were terrific! Muchas gracias!

Susan Garbin (50 years) and her son David Garbin (15 years) appear in this photo. They are also part of the group.

He wrote in Spanish: "El C.P.I es una escuela muy buena, los profesores son muy calificados y amables. No pensé que yo podría aprender tan rápido español, puedo hablar con las personas bastante y entiendo más, gracias y hasta pronto."

The CPI is a very good school; the professors are qualified and friendly. I did not think I could learn Spanish so quickly; I can speak quite a bit with the people and I understand even more. Thanks and see you soon.

"Muchas, muchas gracias! I just wanted to let you know what a wonderful week Emily and I had at CPI Heredia. Everything about the experience exceeded my expectations! Everyone on the staff was friendly and caring; the building and grounds were beautiful. Andrea was so helpful arranging great excursions, Emily and I absolutely loved " la familia Viquez ", my teacher was great, and I learned so much both inside and outside the classroom. My Spanish skills improved in just one week, and I hope I can return again!"

"I would like to say how much we enjoyed our time at CPI. The staff was very helpful and professional and the facility well organized. It was an excellent start to our 6 weeks in Costa Rica . Next time we plan to take a four week course, can't wait to come back! We would definitely recommend the school."

Sunni Scrivner
Nationality: USA

"I am currently a stay-at-home mom with my two children Luan (age 3) and August (age 2). My husband, Jay, and I have both wanted to learn Spanish for many years. Jay is an English teacher and needs to use Spanish in his classroom with students whose first language is Spanish. I love Central America and have traveled in Mexico and Guatemala and am always frustrated that I'm unable to communicate well. Because we traveled with our two young children we decided that Costa Rica was the right country in which to go to Spanish school.

Our month long stay at CPI Flamingo could not have been more perfect. The school staff and administration went out of their way to make our stay comfortable and enjoyable. The school arranged for childcare for Luan and August. Jay and I were able to go to classes in the morning, visit with our kids during the morning break and then eat lunch with them at the school after classes were finished. Luan and August loved going to school everyday and were much adored and spoiled by the staff, teachers and administrators. Since we've been home both children still ask for "agua" and August still says "hola" when pretending to answer the telephone. Luan is still able to count to 10 in Spanish.

Jay and I are already trying to figure out when we can go back to CPI Flamingo and possibly visit the other two schools as well. We both felt like we learned a lot of Spanish in the time that we were there. The teachers at the school were wonderful. The classes were challenging without being overwhelming. The focus on conversation was great and I felt it balanced well with learning vocabulary and grammar. I really liked getting to switch teachers each week. It kept the classes fresh and fun.

I would definitely recommend CPI to others. We felt like CPI Flamingo was a perfect place to be as a family. Going to school in the morning and then to the beach or a pool in the afternoon was great fun for our kids. I really can't say enough about the staff and administration at CPI. They were incredibly gracious and helpful."