David Shortell, CNN journalist
Thank you again for an amazing week, I want to come back!
I’m a journalist and I live in Mexico City. Because of my job, I have to do interviews with Spanish speakers in all the stories I do, so it is important that my Spanish is very good. My week in Samara Beach has been very valuable in improving my speaking and listening skills and perfecting complex conjugations. The instructors are very friendly and fun and the school is a real community of people from all over who want to learn not only the language but also the culture of Costa Rica. I recommend that you come soon!
CNN Crime and Justice Journalist & Producer, living in Mexico City
May 2022
Britton Varn & Kids
I wholeheartedly recommend Intercultura for both adults and kids. Three of my kids (ages 12, 9, and 7) enrolled there for 12 weeks last spring and had a fabulous experience. We were at the Heredia campus for 9 weeks and the Samara campus for 3 weeks. My kids had very basic Spanish before we went (numbers, colors, shapes, etc.), but zero comprehension or conversation skills. Upon enrolling in school again here Colorado, my 7th grade son’s middle school evaluated him in Spanish, and his Spanish level is beyond what they offer in the three years of middle school classes. The teacher placed him at a 2nd year, 2nd semester high school level. And both my 2nd and 4th grade daughters were able to enter into a full-Spanish immersion elementary program here. My 4th grade daughter’s teachers says that her conversation skills are better than her peers who have been in the program for 3 years. All that’s to say, I was extremely pleased at the progress that my kids made in 3 months! We are hoping to return and attend classes at Intercultura on a regular basis. I attended there for a month when I was in college as well, and it was definitely a turning point for me in my conversation and comprehension skills.
As to the safety of the area, I would feel comfortable sending my own son alone in a couple of years. I was there alone (my husband had to stay in the U.S. for work) with four kids and never had any problems. If your son is responsible, he will do great. I trust the staff to take good care of the teens. Your son will learn a ton and visit some amazing places.
United States
January – April 2018, 3-month program
Nicole Head
Family & Kids Program – Samara Beach Campus: We absolutely fell in love with Intercultura and can’t wait to come again. We took classes for 2 weeks and all of our teachers were very thoughtful, engaging, and talented. I made giant leaps in my Spanish skills, but more importantly, my kids couldn’t get enough. My 9 year old daughter had been in a dual-language immersion school in the U.S. for 3 years and had never spoken Spanish in front of me. If I spoke in Spanish to her, she would get frustrated and ask me to please speak in English. After just one week at Intercultura, she was happily chatting with me in Spanish and asked me if we could keep speaking in Spanish together in the U.S.. She even got up in front of the entire school to read a poem in Spanish. My 7 year old son, who had been more comfortable learning Spanish, made huge gains, and he felt confident leaving my side to go into class every day. That was a huge surprise and definitely a testament to how well he bonded with his teacher. We loved the empanadas and casadas available for purchase during breaks, the excursions, and the cultural immersion classes/language practice available after school. We felt fully immersed in both the beautiful language and the culture of Costa Rica.
USA
July 2018
Robert Higgins & Family
FAMILY & KIDS CLASSES – Samara Beach Campus: I can hardly say enough good things about Eva and my experience at Intercultura. The administration was very friendly and helpful, the instructors were excellent, the course material and use of technology were top notch, the other students were motivated to learn.
HOMESTAY FAMILY: Odiney, Elber and Elber Jr. were very kind and didn’t laugh once at our pobre espanol. At least one family member at with us at every meal and engaged us in conversation every time. Wonder family. We won’t come back unless we get to stay with them again.
United States
February 2016
Marc Becker, PhD
In my role as a trainer of teachers, I am keenly aware of what constitutes effective instruction…[and] as an educator, I recognized and experienced first-hand the excellence of Marcelo’s instruction…..[He] has the ability to explain grammatical concepts with great clarity…he constructed excellent visuals which helped me comprehend and use the new learning. Equally effective was his insistence that all newly learned grammar be applied in conversation….It is my belief that [he] is an outstanding instructor, one of the finest I have encountered in my work as an educator.
Camille Cumberbatch
Family & Kids Program – Heredia Campus: I cannot express the depth of our thanks to you and your wonderful team for the amazing experience we are having in Costa Rica and with Intercultura Costa Rica!!!
Our Mama Tica- Jeanette is an exceptional hostess! She is kind, considerate, helpful, generous and loving. We are very comfortable and happy staying at her home where she and her sons make us feel like family. We are all learning so much about the Costa Rican lifestyle and values system.
Joshua is thoroughly enjoying his class experience and loves the dancing and meeting other international students. He is learning plenty from his teacher Annia, whom he respects and values deeply. He is definitely benefiting from his sessions with her.
The overall service has been exceptional! This whole process was problem free and stress less which we deeply appreciated. The administrative staff at the school were always welcoming, hospitable and helpful. The Costa Rican people are truly blessed and are a blessing to others.
We extend our heartfelt thanks and best wishes to you and the rest of the Intercultura team and truly hope to return with more friends in the future to enjoy Pura Vida!!
Muchas gracias,
Camille, Mike and Joshua
July 2017
Marie-Claude Perrault
The Best Experience
”Intercultura provided me with an incredible and life changing experience. I was impressed with the quality of the teaching and the friendliness of the teachers. Everybody at Intercultura wants you to have a great time and an enriching experience and they go out of their way to ensure it. You will meet students from all over and feel you are travelling the world while being in Costa Rica. The family stay provides a great opportunity to get to know Costa Rican culture.
The school in Heredia is very conducive to learning. It has a beautiful interior courtyard which provides an ideal setting to meet other students while enjoying good coffee during breaks. As for the beach campus, it is absolutely amazing. Located in Samara, a small typical beach village, you will quickly feel at home and have countless opportunities to meet local new friends to practice your Spanish.
Don’t miss the cooking and dancing classes organized by the school: another chance to meet new friends, learn about the local culture and practice your Spanish. Make sure you keep some extra days to visit the amazing natural sites this small country has to offer: national parks, beautiful beaches, coffee plantations and spectacular volcanoes. Go and see for yourself why Costa Rica is also called the Switzerland of Central America.”
Maria S. – Pinkerton Academy student
This trip completely changed my life for the better. The experience was unbelievable and so much more than I ever could have asked for. The memories I made will travel with me for my entire life and I am so thankful.
The people were amazing, the chaperones were amazing, the trip was amazing. I cannot say one bad thing, it was worth every penny. Not only did my Spanish improve but my ability to speak up in situations did too. I became so comfortable in talking to complete strangers through the home stay and the intercambio. I also learned about the history of Costa Rica and a little bit about Peru because my teacher was from there. It was such a culturally enriching trip and I would not trade one second of it for the world. Not only was it educational in an interesting way but it was fun. Those two weeks were some of the happiest times of my life. Everything was just pure fun. It truly was a highlight of my life.
2016 Pinkerton Academy group, USA, at our HEREDIA CITY CAMPUS
USA
Vernon Smith
I have been to Intercultura 10 times in the past 12 years. That speaks for itself. Students have different learning styles. I am impressed, as an adult educator, that Intercultura addresses these different styles.
Francois Gauthier
…Una vez mas mi estancia a la escuela de Samara fue tanto agradable. La gente de la escuela (administración, profesores, personas por el mantenimiento) son realmente simpáticos. Fue para me muy agradable de conocer otra duena de la escuela !
Si Dios quiere, voy a regresar en Samara el ano próximo y espero que podemos vernos de nuevo ! Feedback from January 2020
“¡Buenas tardes amigas! Durante los tres últimos anos efectué reserva para Intercultural a este periodo del ano. Este año sera un poco diferente y desgraciadamente, no iré en enero a Samara…. Es un poco triste para me pero es la vida ! Otra vez indedudablamente !! Sé que voy a pensar a toto la familia de Intercultural en enero !! Habiendo pertenecido a Intercultural de Samara durante tres años consecutivos, me gustaría usted aporta mis comentarios y sugerencias que conciernen al conjunto de mis estancias.
La acogida del conjunto del personal durante todas mis estancias, la calidad de los cursos, la competencia de los profesores, todo es verdaderamente impecable y muy profesional. Discutiendo con otros estudiantes que siguieron cursos en otras escuelas de Costa Rica o en otros paises, comprobé que Intercultural de Samara verdaderamente era la escuela la más apreciada por la mayoría de los estudiantes.
El “homestay” fue para mí a cada una de mis visitas una experiencia muy agradable y verdaderamente estuve muy satisfecho. Las actividades propuestas durante los fines de semana y durante semanas son muy adecuadas y pertinentes…
Hasta la próxima mi amigas et salud à todo la familia de Intercultura!”
(Paquito)
QC, Canada
