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Centro Panamericano de Idiomas
In 1991 Romy Morales decided that her 25 years of experience
as a Spanish professor for the Peace Corps and in schools specialized
in teaching Spanish as a second language provided her with the
expertise to serve those foreigners wishing to embark upon an
adventure, experience another culture and learn a second language.
Ms. Morales created CPI to meet the demand of individuals,
organizations and companies at this time when borders are more
fluid, the economy is becoming increasingly more globalized
and when knowing a second language is of great importance.
Five Reasons Why CPI Is Your BEST OPTION
1) Two Locations - CPI Heredia and CPI Monteverde Cloud
Forest:
CPI is the only school with two fully equipped and staffed
campuses in two separate regions of the country.
i) CPI Heredia
is located in San Joaquin de Flores, Heredia. San Joaquin de
Flores is a town with a population of approximately 10,0000
inhabitants. It is situated between the Juan Santamaria International
Airport and the city of Heredia (about 3 miles from each) with
access to three of the most important provinces of Costa Rica
(San Jose, Alajuela and Heredia) allowing the students to diversify
their free-time (visits to museums, national parks, mountains,
discos, pools, gymnasiums, bicycle trips, etc.). San Joaquin
is a safe, peaceful location in which to study without the hustle-bustle,
traffic and pollution of San José
 From CPI Heredia one may view the spectacular
vista of Poas and Barva volcanoes which are part of the mountain
chain that surrounds the Central Valley of Costa Rica. This
excellent location allows one to fully experience the rich culture
of Costa Rica while still maintaining accessibility to the capital
city of San José. The bus service between San Joaquin
and Heredia is excellent; from Heredia 4 bus lines provide service
to San José, which is located 5 miles from Heredia.
The average daily temperature in the Central Valley is 75 degrees
Fahrenheit ; evening temperatures often drop 65 degrees so we
recommend bringing a jacket or sweater. During the rainy season
(May-December) it rains during the afternoon so an umbrella
and/or a light raincoat are essential.
ii) CPI Monteverde
Monteverde is the perfect location for nature enthusiasts and
offers an example of sustainable community development that
is often discussed in theory but rarely found in practice. This
zone, located on the Tilarán Cordillera, is comprised
of ten towns with a total population of 6,000 people. It is
a rural region and a 4 hour bus ride from San José. CPI
Monteverde is set on the main road of the town of Monteverde;
it is only 1.5 miles from the Monteverde Cloud Forest and 3
miles from the Santa Elena Cloud Forest.
Numerous afternoon activities are available in Monteverde, such
as:
- A tour of the lecheria (the cheese factory founded by
the Quakers)
- A visit to the Monteverde Butterfly Farm which houses
200 different varieties of butterflies
- Horse back riding
- A guided tour through either the Santa Elena, San Luis,
Bajos del Tigre or Monteverde Reserves
- Volunteer opportunities in community or conservation projects.
...Daily temperatures range from 60 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit
. The climate is typically cool and at times wet so it is recommended
to bring rain gear and boots (especially if you plan to visit
the cloud forests) as well as pants, long-sleeved shirts and
a light jacket.
2) Academic Excellence:
- CPI's teaching team consists of professionals with
university training and experience in teaching Spanish as
a second language; the teaching staff is accredited with
the Costa Rican Ministry of Education.
- The teachers receive additional training in the methods
of CPI through an in-house program run by the Director,
Ms. Morales. The teachers have excellent human relations
skills thereby ensuring high quality instruction and a supportive
environment for the students.
- Ms. Morales is authorized by the International Testing
and Training Programs to administer the ACTFL exam. This
exam is accepted by various North American universities
and allows students to receive credits for their classes
in Costa Rica.
3) Superior Methodology:
- Our method emphasizes conversation and provides the students
the opportunity to speak Spanish from their first moment
in class.
- We tailor our programs to the academic goals of the student.
The professors are open to teaching survival skills and
grammatical structures which are most important to students;
this factor sets us apart from other schools.
- Mastering difficult concepts is facilitated by the small
class size (Average of 2 students, 4 maximum).
4) Homestay Option:
- CPI works with more than 35 Costa Rican families
on a consistent basis, all have been carefully screened
and are accustomed to housing foreign students interested
in learning Spanish.
- One student or couple per homestay family.
- Most of the families are less than a 15 minute walk from
the school.
5) Additional Services:
- Use of E-mail
- Mail service and exchange of travelers checks; twice a
week a staff member goes to the bank and post office to
change travelers checks and mail letters for students.
- Dance classes
- Tourism advice
- Breakfast, dinner and laundry service are included in
the homestay program and a coffee break is provided at the
school. Lunch is also provided at the Heredia location due
to a lack of available restaurants close to the school.
- Transportation from the airport to your homestay (or accommodation)
or to the bus stop to Monteverde.
Class Schedule:
CPI offers two time schedules at its Heredia location,
one option is 4 classroom hours per day, the second is 5.5 classroom
hours per day. The Monteverde location offers 4 classroom hours
per day only. The lesson schedule is designed to allow for adequate
time to undertake personal activities in the afternoon. Classes
begin at 8:00 a.m. (Monday through Friday) with a coffee break
from 10:00a.m. to 10:20a.m. The program of 4 hours per day ends
at 12:00p.m.; the 5.5 hour program breaks from 12:00 p.m. to
1:00 p.m and then continues until 2:30 p.m.
CPI has a policy of total immersion. During transportation
time and the breaks the staff and professors constantly engage
the students in conversation so that the students are effectively
learning throughout the day.
Students may or may not be interested in living with a Costa
Rican family. For students who do not wish to live with a family,
there are hotels, apartments, pensiones, etc. of every category
from luxury to very basic, located within 5 miles of the school
(CPI will obtain pricing information at the student's
request).
Contact Information
(this includes an information packet, brochure, prices and
references from former students)
contact us directly in Costa Rica at:
Centro Panamericano de Idiomas (CPI)
P.O. Box 151-3007
San Joaquin de Flores, Heredia
Costa Rica
Fax: 506-265-6213
Phone: 506-265-6866
Contact CPI Heredia Representatives in the United States.
Washington, D.C.: Bob Zauner at (703) 426-0649
Washington State: Ron Proisse at (509) 664-6718
Texas: Bud Ingersoll at (817) 481-8085
Minnesota: Charlie Swenson at (612) 378-2861
St. Croix: Kelly Gloger at 1-800-903-8950
Contact Monteverde Representatives:
Pennsylvania Jim Priga (888) 694 0452
E-mail us
anajarro@sol.racsa.co.cr
(Please include your mailing address when requesting information)
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