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 10,000 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
(Important: Please include your mailing address when requesting information, sometimes the email address does not work!)
© 
1996
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