AAVE Trip BLOG » Costa Rica Spanish Intensive
Costa Rica Spanish Intensive Trip
August 5, 2008
CSI#2 from Monteverde, Costa Rica
Posted by Nate at AAVE in : Costa Rica Spanish Intensive, General , add a comment
Hello Abbott, friends and family,
Nos Encanta el Queso!
That’s right, we love the cheese! Currently in Monteverde Costa Rica, a place that is (thanks to some Quaker’s from Alabama who started dairy farming atop these mountains in the cloud forest) home “lo mas rico queso en todo el mundo!” (the most delicious cheese in the whole world!) Our group likes to shake it up, and today during our Latin Cooking Class, we went for a little inter-cultural exchange. After helping to prepare traditional Costa Rican casados, we fired up some grilled cheese (una comida tipica en los estados unidos!) and served it to the CPI school staff. They loved it! Our group never ceases to amaze us, and this week has been no exception!
Some highlights:
Our bus driver, Alberto (aside from his mad driving skills) possesses a super power: HE CONTROLS THE WEATHER!! No seriously. It started as a joke . . . but at this point there’s really no disputing it! We have had wonderful weather this whole trip! Also, everyone worked their little butts off at our service project today, and we could not be more proud of our group! Even though some “complained” about carrying the heavy bags of fertilizer, the smiles on everyone’s faces ensured us they were loving every minute of the trabajo duro (hard work!)! Covered in dirt from head to toe, the guys even took a bath in the river to rinse off once we were through! Our day zip lining was a thrill and some standout students even overcame their fears: boldly repelling down from the canopy treetops and courageously leaping into the forest on the tarzan swing!
Tonight, we say goodbye to our Monteverde host families. It has been a successful week and our whole group continues to learn so much! We are gearing up for an adventure packed weekend (horseback riding, tubing and more!) at the Guachepelin Ranch in Guanacaste! Hotel rooms and buffet dinners will give us some much desired group time and R&R!
Con todo nuestro amor,
CSI#2 , Ally & Erik and Alberto!
Costa Rica Spanish Intensive #2
Posted by Nate at AAVE in : Costa Rica Spanish Intensive, General , add a comment
¡Domenacion!
Our second group on the Costa Rica Intensive group is totally dominating! They have jumped right into every aspect of the trip - from the intercultural exchange during the homestay, to the action adventure of rafting and climbing below massive waterfalls! We are impressed with everyones commitment to learning more Spanish - stellar! Their hard work in class really paid off during our service project in the impoverished neighborhood El Carpio. They made friends with the local kids and it was an experience no one will ever forget! The entire group made us really proud in the first week!
Nikki’s prior knowledge of the AAVE life is a huge asset on the trip, as she encourages everyone to “get into it” and not take a single moment of the trip for granted! Hannah cracks us up in the meetings and had a great experience with her first homestay! Tyler is awesome (even though hes always calling Ally a hippy!) and we are loving his show pony style, his athleticism and his all out-or get-out attitude! Richard (Ricissimo!) never leaves us with a dull moment and has wowed us with his ability to make fast friends and win the admiration of everyone on the trip! Sammi, Kevin and Austin are cunning ¨assassins¨, taking the game on for almost three days (though Austin ultimately died during a fatal game of Hokey Pokey!) Grace hasnt been a bit shy and even showed off her salsa moves at a church function with her host family! We love Emmas Trini style and the international flare she adds to the group (her homestay mom told me that she was not shy and spoke tons of Spanish to the family!) Its great to see Callies smile everyday and her contributions to the nightly meetings and sincere desire for the whole group to bond as friends is definitely helping us get to the next level! Tommy helped the guys get stretched and get pumped at the rest stop today with a rowdy round of our Big Booty game, and last but not least! Andrews maturity and natural leadership qualities have helped us get from one place to the next without a glitch: keeping everyone informed and motivated!
We are stoked for our next homestay and Spanish class in the cool mountain town of Monteverde - nestled in a real cloud forest!
Ally, Erik, Alberto and the CR Intensive Family
July 23, 2008
CSI2 - Hola Familias y Amigos del Grupo Costa Rica Intensiva!
Posted by AAVE Leader in : Costa Rica Spanish Intensive , add a comment
Todo esta bien con sus muchachas y muchachos!
Everyone arrived safely and we have a great group! Six girls and six guys, it will be perfect for when we pair up in Salsa Class! Today is our first day of the trip and there is so much to do! First placement exams and orientation at our beautiful school, CPI in Heredia, a nice town just outside of the capital San Jose, followed by a walk through the neighborhood to lunch (Super Snacks! It is the “Denny’s” of Costa Rica! You can order anything!!) and our first Spanish classes. After class, we meet our host families. The students will say “Hasta Manana” to one another and spend their first night with the new Costa Rican mamas, papas, hermanos y hermanas!
The families rock and give us a chance to use and improve our Spanish.
Hasta Pronto!
Ally
July 16, 2008
CSI#1 - Friendships and Costa Rica = Pura Vida!
Posted by nicoleg in : Costa Rica Spanish Intensive , 1 comment so far
Since the last blog we have been getting scary close to our farewells! Our weekend was spent at the Hacienda Guachipelin. So much to do here and this group has the attitude of wanting to do it all!! So we stayed very busy going to a mud bath spa, riding horseback to the rio negro where we then went white water tubing with many great guides showing us the way (it was crazy fun), and we got to visit two gorgeous waterfalls. One waterfall was dedicated to cliff jumping and one to a natural hot spring where the water was coming right out of the ground from the Volcan Rincon de la Vieja! The mealtimes here were some peoples highlight of the day!
Since then we did not hesitate to get right to the beach before our first class in Flamingo. The water is so warm here and the waves are addicting and constantly calling to us for more fun! Our school is right across the road from the beach!! We ALL caught waves during our surfboarding class this morning! Some of us for the first time, and the waves were the best I’ve experienced in this area! We are getting adjusted to our new host families and we are learning that these rural farming families are more timid, but we are looking forward to getting to know them better the next couple days!
Classes with our new teachers in Flamingo continue to be fun and challenging to us conversationally and we are all getting better at Spanish! Some of us are even starting to dream in Spanish!
Hope all are well at home!
Until later, enjoy!
Nicole, Javier, and the AAVE beach bums of CSI#1
July 11, 2008
Blog update for CSI 1
Posted by AAVE Leader in : Costa Rica Spanish Intensive , add a comment
What a great week! Costa Rica Spanish Intensive 1, 2008 is having a blast! We went ziplining so fast through the rain forest canopy, white water rafting the Reventezon River with our fantastic guides Mauricio and Diego, relaxing in the hot springs near Arenal Volcano, swimming near a beautiful waterfall where Julia, Annalyn, and Meredith were rock walking explorers, Sara, Lexi, and Sonya found some relaxing areas to lounge under the refreshing water, Jack, Brian, and Reid did some fish hunting (no animals were hurt in the making of the pictures during this activity), and Wesley and Holden were enjoying cliff jumping! We have many great pictures to share!
We went on a tour of a coffee plantation and made peanut flavored sugar, went on a traditional carriage ride (Tyler and Masha drove the oxen that pulled the carriage, they did great!). We saw a Quetzal, which was a highlight for Annalyn on a cloud forest tour, and volunteered energetically and selflessly at an active coffee plantation cooperative this morning where we got muddy (especially Sonya, Reid, and Brian) having fun and working hard! We have continued to be very lucky to see the animals we have seen and to have earned a night out dancing last night!
Javier, our Costa Rican leader continues to impress us with his eye for sloth’s, birds, vegetation, and fun Costa Rican facts! It’s been a beautiful, fun, successful trip! Our families in Monteverde have been rated equally if not higher by students as great families to live with after our fantastic Heredia families! We are feasting on great Costa Rican meals, cooked our own Costa Rican meal for lunch in our cooking class today, and are enjoying getting some good ole American meals once in awhile also! Flamingo here we come… including beach time for next week, so stay tuned for another blog! It’s been great checking in with families, thanks for your communication, but we don’t want to have to say our good byes in only a week! Tears of love for the group have already been flying, and we have reunions being planned for after the trip! Thanks to everyone for making this such a great trip! Talk to you all soon!
PURA VIDA!
Nicole, Javier and the chiquitos of CSI#1
July 7, 2008
CSI1
Posted by AAVE Leader in : Costa Rica Spanish Intensive , 1 comment so far
We had an amazing day working with Gail on our service project, teaching English and getting some powerful community service in! The group is doing great, teachers are saying that EVERYONE is doing great, everyone is bonding well and participating in everything and I’m the happiest I’ve been on a trip, so that means we have a great group! Lots of great pictures, Gail is AMAZING.
Pura Vida,
Nicole, Javier and the CSI Ticos
Hola Amigos y Familia of Costa Rica Spanish Intensive 1!!
Posted by AAVE Leader in : Costa Rica Spanish Intensive , add a comment
What a blast! I am writing with much excitement about our past 4 days!! Our group has started with such luck and positive bonding and I am so excited about the rest of the trip! We are laughing so much every day and it feels so good to be surrounded by such an amazing variety of wonderful, fun, positive, energetic group of individuals! My co-leader Javier says hello to everyone also and wishes to talk to all the parents later to reiterate the same.
We have seen more amazing things than anyone in Costa Rica can believe because we had a clear view of the wonder and beauty of the Poas Volcano Crater (not typical this time of year) and saw many monkeys of different species, caymen, crocodile, anteater, sloth, rare birds, crazy insects this morning on our boat tour through the rainforest. On our trip to Heredia via the public bus we got to a great tour of downtown and the market and we successfully completed a treasure hunt for a memorable, cultural, and fun experience! We have had amazing experiences with our host families now that the first two nervous days are over. Most everyone is already excited to keep in touch with their families after we depart on Sunday! I have never had a group so in to the Costa Rican typical menu!! At lunch today everyone ordered casado (rice, beans, salad, plantains, and cooked vegetables, with your choice of meat) and no one ordered a hamburger with french fries! In general classes are very fun and we converse about our day in Spanish and we are all learning a ton of Espanol! Our attitudes and spirits are high and looking forward to having the summer of our lives!
Thanks everyone who helped support this group coming together to enjoy this amazing trip! We’ll get back to you with more updates and fun pics soon!
Thank you for sharing your kids with us!!!
July 1, 2008
CRSI1
Posted by AAVE Leader in : Costa Rica Spanish Intensive , add a comment
Hola!
What an absolute joy to be in Costa Rica with everyone. We all arrived safely and healthy. It has been a great journey so far what with introducing ourselves to our host families, eating pretty great food, seeing some amazing colors including lush green and bright blue. We can feel our Spanish speaking ability already growing. Can’t wait to share more in the very near future. Check back soon!
Hasta Luego!
April 28, 2008
Costa Rica Summer Camp - Spanish for Teens
Posted by Chris in : Costa Rica Clasica, Costa Rica Spanish Intensive, General , add a comment
The Costa Rica Spanish Intensive trip through AAVE was the best summer of my life. The entire experience was more than I could have hoped for. The language classes are great, really small, and conversational based. The style of teaching is the best. Rather than boring the students with notes and worksheets, we would all sit at the table with our teacher and just converse in spanish, talking about our nights with our families and learning really how to apply the language that we had learned back at school in the U.S. The families were actually my favorite part of the trip. They were so welcoming and the nicest and most hospitable people you will ever meet. They made it their #1 priority that we were happy and safe and the homestay is where I learned the most Spanish. At first I was nervous but after 1 night, you feel fluent. Sitting around the table in Heredia talking after dinner with my host parents, playing soccer video games with my brothers, or salsa dancing with my sisters, was what I looked forward to the most. My families were so wonderful that I am returning to CR this summer and my Dad and I are going to take classes at the Flamingo Beach school and stay with my third host family. As far as the group goes, I couldn’t have asked for a bunch of better kids and better leaders than Ronald and Nicole. I’ve remained friends with the kids in my group, and over the Holidays one friend from New Jersey and one from California came to spend a week with me in Connecticut. The experience is something that has changed my life forever, and was even the topic of my college essay. AAVE is wonderful and very intimate. Several times on the trip you and your group leaders get the chance to talk to the owner of the company, Abbott, on the phone, and they are always striving to make their campers happy and their trips better. I went to Alaska with AAVE the summer before last, and I recommend AAVE and especially CR whole-heartedly.
Let me know if you have any other questions!
Kaitlyn Smith
January 26, 2008
Spanish Language Immersion is First Class!
Posted by AAVE Camper in : Costa Rica Spanish Intensive, General , add a comment
Everything was successful! The planning, travel arrangements, Leda’s entire experience in Costa Rica, Nicole & Ronald, the families,community service, beaches, volcanoes, rainforest, fun, fruit, shopping, photographs, and speaking Spanish.
-Parent, Fran Grossman, CSI
I made great friends who I miss so much and I have so many memories of exciting adventures that I never would have if hadn’t gone on the trip. The counselors were great and so comforting to me when I was sick. Anytime we needed help they were there and ready to try to do anything to accommodate you. I loved the trip and I miss it so much!!
-Camper, Leda Grossman, CSI
Taylor had a trip of a lifetime! I think the trip was successful in providing the kids with a great experience of getting to know the country, it’s people and the language in a safe, fun and organized way.
-Parent, Chessa Montgomery, CSI
I loved the way that our group leaders managed to make time for all the activities, introduced to all the cultural experiences, taught us plenty of information and interesting facts about the country and the wildlife, and that they made sure we were safe. The things we managed to do in such a short period was amazing!
-Camper, Taylor Montgomery, CSI
Kaitlyn had, once again, a great summer, thanks to AAVE. Her spanish ability has sky-rocketed, she loved the country, adventures, culture, and the organization was fantastic!
-Parent, Karen Smith, CSI
It was amazing..the best summer of my life! I loved the fact that we stayed with families by ourselves. At first I was a little nervous but it turned out to be the best experience of my life! I loved every second of it and the country was beautiful. Once again, a great summer full of adventure, lifelong friends, and unmeasurable growth, thanks AAVE!
-Camper, Kaitlyn Smith, CSI
Absolutely fantastic! The combination of traditional classroom learning, hands on experiences such as salsa dancing, host family stays and practicing Spanish with group members gave Hannah greater confidence in her Spanish speaking and writing skills. The adventures, of course, were unparalled. We were unable to ascertain her favorite because all were shared at the family dinner table or viewing photos with equal enthusiasm, whether detailing white water rafting, zip lining, surfing or touring a coffee plantation. The upbeat and just plain fun personalities of Annemarie & Angelo enhanced every aspect of this trip–both very knowledgable as well. The trip was well organized from the packing list to the itinerary, yet there was a degree of flexibily maximizing opportunities as they presented themselves. The variety of cultural experiences, habitats, and community serives additionally provided a great way for Hannah to really get to know the people and the country of Costa Rica. We would have enjoyed a phone call so we could participate more fully in the excitment, but the e-mails both from Hannah and the trip leaders were great. We have nothing but accolades for this program and would heartily recommend it to other teens. Hannah continues to stay in touch with the great friends she met.
-Parent, Marsha Freedman, CSI
He had the best experience ever! Originally he didn’t want to go and made me feel guilty for sending him away but as soon as he arrived from the trip, he was nonstop talking about it. He wants to go on two trips next year and his Spanish has improve so much….thank you for all your support and we’ll see you next year!
-Parent,Tina Choi, CSI
I believe this was one of the best summers of Erin’s life. It was truly a life changing experience and opened her eyes to all the possibilities life has to offer. It has whet her appetite to travel, to experience and respect other cultures and to appreciate what she has in our own wonderful country. Her Spanish has improved tremendously as well as her self-confidence in speaking another language. She can’t wait to do another trip next year. It is just hard to decide which one. As for the company itself, I can’t say enough about the professionalism I experienced. From the first phone inquiry to her return home, I could not have asked for anything more. Please, please use us as a reference. We LOVE telling other people about her trip.
-Parent, Paulette Walker, CSI
I honestly think that everything about my trip was successful! I had an amazing summer, thanks AAVE! I really liked the layout of the trip, the great people on it, the amazing counselors, and the awesome activities. I tell everyone I see about my trip and I beg them to go on an AAVE trip. So if that doesn’t say enough, just know that I had the best summer of my life!
-Camper, Erin Walker, CSI
I can only say good things about this trip. The leaders were extraordinary, food delicious and the trips were unforgettable. I learned so much Spanish I didn’t want to revert back to English after the trip. What else can I say? IT WAS AWESOME!!
-Camper, Lukas Schulte, CSI
