Testimonials

Learning Spanish was at the top of my bucket list.  I found CPI on the Internet and I am so glad I decided to attend.  Mayra Murrillo was an excellent teacher.  She taught with humor and made learning fun.  I found the visual demonstrations and writing on the whiteboard most helpful since I am a visual learner.   By the end of the week I was surprised how much I learned in a short amount of time.

Overall attending CPI was a wonderful experience I plan to do again.  Here are just 5 of the many reasons why I plan to return:

1. The teachers and administrative staff are patient, friendly and professional.
2. Each day I got to do amazing activities, meet and live with wonderful people and eat delicious food.
3. CPI Monteverde is a beautiful campus and offers plenty of activities to do and things to see.  
4. Mayra, Digna, Jennifer and Muni.   You guys are the best!
5. Costa Rica Pura Vida!

I think Alec now thinks he is Latino! Dancing late at night and refusing to speak in English. My friends from Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay all have told me that he has the best accent and is bilingual. I cannot thank you enough for building his confidence while at your school and pushing him. He is beyond thrilled that he now has this skill set and can communicate with most people he is with in Spanish. Please pass this info along to his instructors because it has made his year that much more of an experience.

CPI Flamingo is a great place to learn and practice Spanish. The school is very well organized and all the teachers and staff are extremely friendly, outgoing and helpful.

The school also has excellent language resources and tools to aid in learning any level of the language. The surrounding communities and beaches are also interesting and beautiful; I stayed in Brasilito and also high recommend this village and this experience for those who are interested.

I definitely plan to return to Costa Rica and CPI Flamingo sometime in the future to further improve my Spanish skills and enjoy the beaches and coastal life.

I loved my experience at CPI and Brasilito! Everyone is very nice and helpful are very happy to share their culture with me. I felt very welcome everywhere and now I feel like I will always have a home in Costa Rica! I would recommend this program to all my friends and will definitely come back for more.

I love how many friends I have made from all over the world. I would not change any part of this experience.

Thank you so much!

I had the chance to stay two weeks in total with CPI, spending one week at the Heredia campus as well as one week in the cloud forest at CPI Monteverde. I am very glad that this enabled me to see different parts of wonderful Costa Rica. The teachers at CPI are highly motivated and use various methods and tools in their lessons to keep it interesting. Moreover the staff at CPI goes above and beyond to assist you with any requests, may it be related to your lessons, the accommodation or some of the various activities available. From the moment on you first enter the campus the friendly staff makes you feel welcome and is always there to help!

Furthermore besides participating in as many activities as possible I can definitely recommend to stay with a host family during studying at CPI to get the full experience. The families are lovely and are happy to share their culture with you. Staying with them enhances your experience a lot, you get to dive into the Tico culture and the fact that you are forced to speak Spanish also after your daily lessons speeds up your learning.

All in all I can strongly recommend CPI to anyone interested in learning Spanish and experiencing Costa Rica! I certainly hope that I have the chance to return sometime soon! Muchas gracias CPI!

I will write this in english, since it is for persons considering CPI to learn spanish.  I am a 66 year old retired physician, who has been teaching at the post-graduate levels for 30 years.  My time at CPI was 4 weeks.

I elected to stay in a room and not with a family just because of my age and desire for some independence and privacy. This probably cost me some good practice with the family, but I did get practice with Carlos at Los Volcanes.

The teachers are excellent and there is great emphasis on speaking, altho there are lectures(all in spanish) to help you with the \"rules\" of the language.  However I would say that about 75% of the time you are talking or listening to conversations. You very quickly lose your \"fear\" of speaking or being wrong.  The teachers are patient and quite skilled at using the conversation to teach you the details of the last lecture or lesson. I did the high intensity course with classes in the afternoon as well, and found this to be very helpful, since in the afternoon we mostly just discussed different subjects (always in spanish)but a couple of times when I requested, we covered some details that I was having difficulty with.  I only went on a few excursions, but they were enjoyable and informative. I cannot say enough good things about the people, the facility, or the time spent.  After a month, I am much more fluent than when I arrived, however, I also learned that fluency is not a destination, but like life, is a journey. You will enjoy this journey.

I absolutely love Selva Verde Lodge!

It is my treat to myself after weeks of homestays while studying at the CPI school. I still learn--with a top-notch teacher and the same program I use at the school--but I get to enjoy a large room with private bath (and lots of hot water), a choice of delicious foods in the dining room (with fresh fruits and fresh green salads), a drink before dinner (try the \"guapatica\"), a morning swim in a lovely pool with toucans in the trees, and gorgeous views of the Rio Sarapiqui.

The wildlife tours offered with either a Spanish or English speaking guide on the Lodge's wildlife reserve are super. Rafting down the Sarapiqui is lots of fun. But I think my favorite thing is simply to laze in a hammock with a good book overlooking the river.

The staff is friendly and helpful.

I can't wait to return!

CPI Flamingo is one of the most excellent and well-run immersion experiences I’ve experienced in over fifteen years of living and traveling abroad. The teachers and program staff are so helpful and nice every single day.

As a teacher myself, I understand how hard is to design a truly successful curriculum and program and I can say without any doubt that CPI Flamingo is one of the best around.

If you are looking for an amazing, authentic and worthwhile immersion experience, choose this one!!! You will not be disappointed.

¡Gracias por todo!

¡Muy bien! Me gustó mucho la escuela, es muy organizada y me han ayudado con todo. Las lecciones estuvieron muy bien, una mezcla de gramática y conversación.

Es fantástico poder aprender español en las mañanas y disfrutar de Guanacaste en las tardes. Brasilito es un buen lugar y está cerca de la escuela, es fácil visitar Tamarindo para surfear y tomar bebidas.

Muchas gracias CPI.