En la ciudad San Pedro hay una escuela donde los estudiantes del mundo tenen clasen en espanol. Los estudiantes son de Belgeca(Belgium), Switzerland, Austria, Australia, Sweden, and los estadidos unidos.(USA)

I have a roommate from Belgium who is spending four months at the Costa Rica Language Academy. I only have three weeks here and I cannot believe how much I have learned. I have taken four days actually, and have been speaking past and future imperfect tense with my host family. I know maybe 250 words in spanish and have actually had decent conversations with them about my family, my travels and food. The important topics.

The school is out of the way of the city and has a quiet lawn and patio area where students can be found chatting with each other or catching up with their family and friends back home via internet services. I like naming the plant families, I have done more to remember them than my fellow classmates at this point. There are many classrooms around this space that support about 10 students per teacher.

Our professor has taken us on a tour of the University of Costa Rica and gave us input on the cultural attitude of the students. What the studies of interest are and what kind of events go on around the campus. It is one of the largest campuses I have ever been on. A music stage hosts bands that are comprised of students trying out variations of latin music and punk or metal or grunge music. Art pieces are visually abstract and represent the goals of the education, or are meant to reflect the beauty of the environment of the school. There is a set of mirrors that reflect each other and the plaza around the piece. I believed I was viewing a plant and was in fact viewing a collage of leaves and students walking around the school. A mirror is a strong art piece: Look at what beauty this world can create with no intent. Something worth cherishing.

In addition to our 9am-3pm class, the afternoons are filled with extra-curricular classes that supplement our cultural learning. The classes are: Dance, cooking, and conversation.

I like the dance class, I have only been to one but intend to get a good experience in Salsa Dance and bring it back to Colorado. The cooking class was interesting and designed with cheap college students in mind. We made tortillas with cheese mixed in the dough. I think the greatest culinary discovery for me has been pickled jalapeno peppers and onions. I also will bring Costa Rica food to Colorado.

By the time I get home, it is 5 to 6pm and dinner with my family is around 6:30pm.