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What Students Say About Intercultura... / Was unsere Studenten über uns sagen... / Ce que nos étudiants disent... / Wat studenten zeggen over Intercultura... :
Please scroll through the following original testimonials from students, where you will find quotes in
Spanish, English, German, Dutch and French / SVP consultez les témoignages suivants d’étudiants-- vous y trouverez des citations en espagnol, anglais, allemand, néerlandais et en français / Stöbern Sie auf dieser Seite durch Originalzitate ehemaliger Studenten. Es gibt Statements in Spanisch, Englisch, Deutsch, Holländisch und Französisch.
From: Dave Modny 
To: 'Paola Hernández (Sámara Language School) '
Sent: Monday, June 14, 2010 11:54 AM
Subject: Thank You!
Paola,
I wanted to take a minute, now that I am back in the United States, to thank you once again for a easy and fun time at Intercultura. This is the second time I have studied with Intercultura and each time I walk away having learned significant amounts of Spanish in a short amount of time. I wanted to say thank you to all of the instructors Laura, Tyrone, Julio, Estefania, my professor Virginia and last but not least, you Paola. Intercultura has always made me feel welcome and I really appreciate the experiences I have there.
I look forward to seeing you again soon,
Warmest regards,
David Modny
President
3D Land Surveying, Inc.
david@3dls.net
www.3dls.net
Office: 864.272.0274 Fax: 864.272.0275
Cendrine Hysek, Schweiz, 2010 
Estudiante de Español y Voluntaria con CREAR
"Yo siempre veo la vida y el mundo en colores, tambien Intercultura y sus profesores y personal:
• azul: ILSEN • confianza, reserva, armonia, amistad, fidelidad, amor
• rosa: CARMENCITA • bondad, ternura, buen sentimiento
• violeta: NELSY • calma, autocontrol, dignidad, aristocracia
• magenta: RUTH • ayuda, bondad, creatividad
(Read more)
Franziska Meierhofer, Schweiz, März 2009
ADMINISTRATIVE & MARKETING VOLUNTEER
franziska.meierhofer@hotmail.com
"In Samara steht man gerne auf am Morgen. Die Sonne scheint, das Meer ist schon lange wach und die Schule sieht so fröhlich aus, in ihrem freundlichen Gelb und dem tropischen Gartenareal, nur durch eine Palmenallee vom 5km langen Strand getrennt. Die Vögel zwitschern ihre Morgenlieder, alles strahlt in starkem Blau und saftigem Grün. Alle Leute grüssen sich. Hier meint man es, wenn man mit einem zufriedenen “Perfecto” auf die Frage nach dem Wohlbefinden antwortet. Irgendwo brüllt ein Affe..." (Read more)
From: Victoria English 
To: Laura Ellington / Intercultura
Sent: Thursday, July 04, 2009 10:48 AM
Subject: Top of the charts!
4 Jul 09
Dear Laura,
The Financial Times has a story today saying that Costa Rica has scored Number 1 on the Happy Planet Index, which is an
index published by the UK New Economics Foundation. The index measures a population's health (longevity of life), happiness and the state
of its environment. By comparison, the UK is ranked 74 and the US, 114. [Personally], I think that Costa Rica stands out internationally as the most environmentally friendly country in the world...there is no country in the world that - as a matter of public policy - puts such a high priority on
preserving its forests.
Cheers, Victoria
Victoria English
Editor, MedNous
Medical News Publication
Evernow Publishing Ltd
London, UK
From: Anneke Seelig 
To: Intercultura Costa Rica
Sent: Wednesday, July 08, 2009 6:41 PM
Subject: Come back to Intercultura - Green Season Alumni Rates
Oh, I wish! I think of Costa Rica all the time still. Some time I will come back...I am in the Dominican Republic right now, teaching English. I love it, because it is a really rewarding experience, but Costa Rica has the special place in my little heart. Plus, I wont be able to see sea turtles here.
I really hope you are all well and things are as wonderful as always. What a special place for so many people round the world.
Byebye
Anneke from Germany
From: Andrew Poolman(Group leader)
To: lucie@samaralanguageschool.com
Sent: Friday, June 26, 2009 10:50 AM
Subject: Gracias
Hola Lucie,
Quería mandarte una nota de gracias por organizar una semana extraordinaria para nosotros. Nuestros estudiantes lo disfrutaron muchísimo y la buena palabra de nuestra aventura ya está pasando por la comunidad de la escuela. Creo que ya te dije pero antes, pero la experiencia con ustedes en Intercultura fue la mejor. Los chicos y nosotros como profesores apreciamos todo lo que hacen en Sámara para educar a los estudiantes y para mejorar una gran comunidad que es Sámara.
De nuevo, muchas gracias por una semana inolvidable y espero que hablemos de otra visita en el futuro.
Un abrazo,
Andrew
Pat Bickerton, 2009 
UK
"We did so enjoy our stay in Samara, both the school and the culture, as well as the company of the other students. Our 'classmates' here have been eager to know how we got on and see any photographs... I know so much more Spanish than I did three years or so ago when I began this language journey, and after all, it's the talking part that counts!"
Alice Herbert, 2009
United Kingdom
"The school was well-run, with excellent teachers and staff. They offered extra activities free of charge and the facilities were clean and well maintained. The classes were kept small and the staff spoke 100% in Spanish, which was brilliant. Samara itself is a relaxed, quiet town. It’s very safe and the people are really friendly. The beach is beautiful. I recommend it to all who love the beach, and don´t expect loads going on in town or at night. There are lots of bars, but they are better for a chilled drink than a big fiesta.
I stayed with a host family and they were very helpful and friendly. They spoke Spanish to me and always provided meals and kept the room very clean. It was still independent for me, as my room was separate from the rest of the house, so I could come and go as I pleased.
The best thing about the trip was learning spanish, meeting loads of new friends through the school, and going on some really fun trips at the weekend."
Mélissa David 
Montréal, Québec, Canada
J'ai complètement adoré mon expérience, certes il y a de ça quelques années, mais je m'en souviens comme si c'était hier... Je recommande grandement cette expérience à quiconque désire approfondir son espagnol. Les gens sont hypers sympas, le petit coin de pays est apaisant et très festif!!!!
Floor Toxopeus 
The Netherlands
I traveled to Costa Rica in March 2005. I had 3 months; one month to study Spanish, the second to participate in a volunteer project and the third for traveling. After spending 2 weeks in Heredia and 2 weeks in Samara I felt like I was learning Spanish quite fast and thought that I should take advantage of this opportunity to learn as much as possible. Of course, I was also having a great time with my fellow students at Intercultura! I extended my studies for another week before heading off to my volunteer project in Montezuma.
In five weeks, I went from having very basic Spanish skills to having conversations in class, with my host family or friends, about everyday things! What I felt was very beneficial at Intercultura were the small classes and the amount of interaction between the students. By creating fun activities such as listening to Spanish songs, setting up conversations in pairs, the teachers really motivated you to learn. The afternoon activities such as dance classes, cooking class or ‘intercambios’ with Costa Ricans were other great ways of learning Spanish – and about Costa Rican culture.
Even when I left for my volunteer project, I kept in touch with my friends at Intercultura and went back twice to visit. After my project ended, I decided to brush up on my Spanish skills for one final week before traveling around the country with a friend from Intercultura. Even four years on I’m still in touch with my (then homestay sister Lucie who has since settled in Samara). I also met up with Intercultura friends in the US. My time at Intercultura was educational, fun and unforgettable and I have no doubt that I’ll be returning in the future!
Floor
From: adrienneblinn@eastlink.ca
To: Paola Hernández (Sámara Language School)
Sent: Friday, April 03, 2009 5:51 PM
Hola Paola !
Here I am back in Canada and back to work.... I wanted to tell you how much I appreciated all your kindness when I was in Samara. All the staff there were very warm and very nice and it was very enjoyable. Who knows, maybe next year !
Again, many many thanks! !
Adrienne
J'ai reçu une formation de qualité à l'école INTERCULTURA à Sámara au Costa Rica ou j'ai étudié l'espagnol pendant deux semaines.Le programme est très bien structuré et ce, autant du point vu pédagogique que culturel.
Un personnel disponible, compétant et dynamique qui sait nous encadrer et nous donner confiance dans notre apprentissage. Un choix d'activités qui nous fait découvrir, apprécier ce coin de pays dans un décors enchanteur.
Le partage de différente culture nous permet de nous enrichir et d'avoir une meilleure ouverture sur le monde.
J'ai été très sastisfaite de cette école et elle mérite d'être recommandée.
Janyne Maltais, 2009
Québec, Canada
Ruben De Nie, Nederlands
roebel@gmail.com
March 10, 2009:
"Intercultura is als een verslaving: zolang je ermee bezig bent is het top, maar zodia je er midden in zit is er geen stoppen meer aan!"
Julia Schmidt-Petersen
mimi_sp@gmx.de
March 10, 2009:
"Es waren zwei unvergessliche Monate in der Schule. Die Klassen sind klein, die Lehrer professionell. Ich hatte jede Menge Spass und habe trotzdem sehr viel Spanisch gelernt. Meiner Meinung nach ist Intercultura eine der besten Sprachschulen. Kommt hierher und geniesst Unterricht direkt am Strand!"
From: MARIANNE BECHTLE 
Date: Aug 29, 2007 7:42 AM
Subject: Clark's TEEN PROGRAM chaperone
To: asteyaer@gmail.com
Hello Ashley -
I wanted to email you personally to tell you how very grateful I am to you for taking on such an important task - taking care of a child in a foreign country - AND keeping his mother well informed and calm. Had it not been for your constant reassurance and care of Clark, I am sure I would have been nuts. We thank you for all your help, care and thoughtfulness. You did a great job. He is back at school and doing super. He got his learners permit yesterday so all he wants to do is drive!
He had a great experience at Samara Language School. He is taking advanced Spanish III and says he is going to have an easy year because of his classes this summer.
Thanks so much again for everything - Marianne Bechtle
From: Eva Fleischer
To: info@interculturacostarica.com
Sent: Saturday, January 31, 2009 2:40 AM
Subject: Feedback
Hello from Switzerland, Attached I am sending you a very good Feedback from a client. Well done J Best regards, Eva
(Read more)
From: Shelly
To: tyrone@samaralanguageschool.com
Dear Tyrone,
It was truly a phenomenal experience to attend Intercultura. The campus was lovely and my two teachers – Carmen and Marla – were excellent. They were immensely personable, thoughtful, upbeat and helpful. The content was challenging, useful and well-presented. The format of 4 to 5 students worked extremely well as it was as much fun meeting new, interesting people with similar values as it was to learn the language. And the immersion experience of hearing and attempting to speak entirely in Spanish was key.
(READ MORE)
Dear Julia, I found your contact information on the website, and was hoping to ask you some questions about your experience. Thanks so much in advance for your time and help! Best, Jennifer. Questions: -How was your overall experience?
I absolutely loved it there, the school is really well run, with lots of levels of classes, the teachers were great fun and their level of professionalism was excellent - boy they made us speak spanish ;-). The school is lovely, the classrooms are air conditioned with white boards, there are tables and areas in the school grounds where you can study (or fall off a hammock if you are me!!). There is coffee/tea available to students all day which is a nice bonus.The campus is RIGHT on the beach, which is beautiful.
(READ MORE)
From: Patrick Just de la Paisières 
To: info@samaralanguageschool.com
Sent: Tuesday, February 17, 2009 10:03 AM
Subject: Mi tiempo en Samara
İHola!
Mijn naam is Patrick Just de la Paisières. Ik kom uit Nederland en ben eind 2008 tien weken lang student geweest op de Intercultura Language School in Samara. Als ik zo naar de verhalen van andere oud-studenten op deze site kijk, zie ik dat er een probleem opdoemt. Hoe kan ik namelijk in slechts enkele alinea’s gaan vertellen over mijn wereldtijd in Samara? (READ MORE)
(English Version)
From: Julia Doherty
To: Laura Ellington
Sent: Thursday, February 12, 2009 11:31 PM
Subject: hi from canada ...
Dear Laura,
I have enrolled in a Spanish conversation class on Wed evenings back home in Canada, but quite frankly it is nothing in comparison to the quality of your school's tuition - I think I was spoiled starting off there (please tell my teacher Nelsy I miss her - even though I wasn't the best student!!!). I have started to pass on the word about you (although I don't want TOO many people to know about my secret hideaway!) and I think my friends are looking into it - I hope they come and try out Intercultura because they will love it ...
Gracias por todo,
Julia
"Yo estuve a Samara por 2 semanas. Quiero agredecer a los profesores y a las recepcionistas por sus infinitas paciencia, attenciones y ayuda. Y a los estudiantes por su preciosa amistad. Por eso, yo me senti como en un paraiso! Muchas gracias!"
Emilie Ferland, 2008
Québec, Canada
choupetteno3@hotmail.com
From: George Beckley
To: Susannah Kenley (Intercultura Costa Rica)
Sent: Thursday, February 14, 2008 4:24 PM
Subject: gracias
Hola Susannah,
¿Como está? Espero que usted tenga un buen semana!
Bueno, quisiera decir "muchas gracias" a usted y a la Intercultura. Tuve una buena experiencia, y disfrute mucho la opportunidad de habla y aprender la idioma española. Espero que yo regrese alla en el año proximo y quisiera decirles a mis amigos sobre su buena escuela.
Hasta luego!
George Beckley
Seattle, WA
From: Lindsay Jones: lindsayfields@hotmail.com
Hola!
Me llamo Lindsay Fields Jones y fui estudiante en Intercultura en 1998. Hasta diez anos, mi espanol es mas o menos. :-) Siempre pienso en Costa Rica y espero que un dia, puedo regresar con mi esposo y mi hijo a visitar mis amigos de diez anos! Voy a escribir en Ingles ahora.
I wanted to send an email to your school as it is a long overdue THANK YOU for what your school has provided me. In 1998, I was still a college student and spent 5 or so months studying at Intercultura living with Felix y Emilia Segura Montero and their 3 daughters, Lorena, Darlene, and Carol. To this day, I am still in touch with them and we even talk to each other using the web camera every now and then!
I see that Intercultura has grown over the years and that you now have another campus! Que Bueno y fantastico!
Also, I am sure they won't remember me, but Marcelo and Vanessa were some of my teachers while I was studying. Marcelo made us listen to songs in Spanish and find the missing words and fill in the blanks on his worksheets. We listened to Ricky Martin and Shakira BEFORE they became huge successes in the US, where I am from. I was so proud to go home and say to my friends, "I listened to Shakira in SPANISH" before she came out with her English hits! Same goes for Ricky Martin.
Also, Vanessa was an incredible dance teacher and I still LOVE to dance salsa and meringue. I work for an International Business School and when we have fiestas, I am always dancing with the Latin Americans! My husband is from the UK and knows how to boogie, but not like those Latin's! Vanessa was great in organizing outings to the clubs so we could practice our dancing skills!
My experience in Costa Rica has remained one of the best and most happy times of my life. I loved every day and think about the great times very often. I celebrated my 21st birthday in Costa Rica, and I will never forget the kind, gentle nature of the Ticos.
So, again, thank you for everything you have provided for me and for all of your students over the years. You are a great school and keep up the great work.
Have a lovely day and maybe one day I will come back and visit with you again.
Adios!
Lindsay
From:John Duvall jtd4603@hotmail.com
To: info@interculturacostarica.com
Sent: Sunday, July 22, 2007 8:11 PM
Subject: Muchas Gracias
Hello,
I know that to make this email legitimate I should be writing it in Spanish, but I am still traveling and unfortunately do not have the time to spend on such an email. I also do not want to wait any longer to thank you all for an amazing experience in Samara.
For four weeks I lived in Samara and traveled through Costa Rica. Everyone that I met on my trip was incredibly friendly and I left Costa Rica with a great fondness for the country and the people who live there. In fact, I left wishing that I had four more weeks to spend in Costa Rica.
Intercultura is an amazing place with full of amazing people. Nelsy was an excellent professora who made learning spanish fun and manageable. I looked forward to going to class every day and I plan on continuing to learn spanish at the university of Colorado.
Thank you all for such an amazing experience. Perhaps I will see you all again in the near future.
John Duvall
From: Olga.Dobson@bbh.com
To: Centro de Idiomas Intercultura
Sent: Friday, July 27, 2007 3:22 PM
To all Intercultura staff
I want to say thank you for the bottom of my heart for the wonderful time and teachings you have provided to my kids James and Simona Dobson. They were happy to be in Costa Rica and would love to return. James Dobson would have loved to spend more time there! (I was thinking that a month was way too long but i was wrong!).
James told me he learned more Spanish there in 3 weeks then he would have here in US in one year.
I am very very grateful to all of you for the wonderful experiences you have offered these kids!
Please forward this e-mail to all Intercultura staff and especially to Barbara.
You are the best! Thanks again
Olga Dobson
From: Alice GLEISES liloo_lop@hotmail.com 
To: Laura Ellington
Sent: Saturday, October 06, 2007 7:31 AM
Subject: RE: intercultura
Un grand merci à toute l’équipe de Intercultura pour cet accueil si chaleureux !!
J’ai passé 4 mois extraordinaires au sein de votre école, que ce soit à Heredia ou à Samara. Pendant cette période, j’ai pu découvrir en profondeur cette école et son personnel et je dois dire que tout a été parfait. L’organisation est surprenante, les professeurs sont compétents et tous très agréables. J’ai adoré le mélange de cultures et la bonne ambiance dans toutes les langues qui règnent au sein de l’établissement. J’ai également participé aux activités et aux excursions, ce qui m'a permis d’apprendre beaucoup sur la culture latine mais aussi de rencontrer de nouvelles personnes qui sont aujourd’hui des amis dispersés au 4 coins du monde.
Encore une fois pour cette incroyable expérience qui a marqué ma vie, je vous remercie ! Un merci particulier à Laura.
Los extraño mucho !
Pura vida,
Alice Gleises
From: "Jan Sharoff" Jan.Sharoff@Adams12.org
To: "Barbara Miller ICCR" <barbara@interculturacostarica.com>
Subject: Re: Re(2): Teen Spanish
Dear Evelyn, Barbara,Laura and Tyrone,
I want to thank you all for giving my daughter, Julie, a great
experience.
When she and Sarah got off the plane, I asked them on a scale from 1-10
with 10 being the best how would they rate their experience at
Intercultura they both said 10 and wished they could have stayed longer.
Both of them want to return to Costa Rica because of the great experience
they had. They traveled to many interesting places, learned a lot,
practiced their Spanish and had a lot of fun. They both have been
studying
Spanish every day at school for six years and said that this program
helped them a lot because they have never been exposed to native speakers
and needed that experience to improve. Julie also liked the other
students and had a lot of fun with them.
It is such a popular program that an assistant principal from my school
district was studying there at the same time Julie was. But even though
I knew several adults who attended Intercultural, I was worried about my
daughter traveling alone to a foreign country. It turned out to be a
great experience for Julie. She said her host mom was waiting for her with a
big sign and both moms took very good care of her and were better cooks than
me! She loved all of the activities and said they were geared toward
teens. She really liked her teacher and chaperones. Also, your program
saved me money beucase when I was looking at programs the ones that had
chaperones from Denver travelling to Costa Rica with the teens were more
expensive.
When she returned I felt that I picked the best program forJulie.
Thanks again for all of your help and please thank your staff and her
homestay families, as she enjoyed them very much!
Jan Sharoff
Laura, I can't tell you how helpful the Spanish classes I took there have been to me in my work, and now in the ESL classes I'm teaching. I was so frustrated before I came there because I had studied Spanish several times in my life (high school, college, continuing education classes, medical "brush-up" classes), but I could never express myself or hold up my end of a conversation. I was actually terrified when I first arrived at Intercultura; in fact, so terrified that I'm amazed Marcelo was able to put me in the correct level. But Hernán was able to put me at ease very quickly, and the curriculum was so effective, that I was immediately more effective when I returned from just 2 weeks of study at Intercultura, and I've been back to study with you twice since. And there is so much about Costa Rica to love! The last time, I took a real chance and enrolled my husband, who had studied several other languages, but not much Spanish. It was his turn to be terrified, but, once again, I was impressed with how empowering his classes with Ana and Hernán were for him. He subsequently studied at another school while I took the TEFL certification. Even though he learned and enjoyed himself there, he said it couldn't compare with the experience at Intercultura, and he's pushing me to come back to Intercultura this year. What a turn around! My experience learning with your school in the immersion method inspired me to learn to teach English in a similar way, which I'm currently doing with hispanic immigrants here in Asheville, although in the future I might want to do so in a Spanish-speaking country. It's such an effective method, as my husband and I have experienced. Thanks so much for all you and your staff do. Keep up the good work!
Sincerely,
Katie Winchell
katie@winchell.us
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