Studying abroad

Question

Hey guys, I've been throwing around the idea of going to study abroad in one those programs to learn spanish in another country and live with a family and all that, not for school credit or anything, just for enjoyment. My spanish is ok but I really do want to be decently fluent someday. Does anyone have any advice for me? I was thinking a week or two in Costa Rica, the price for that is reasonable. I know people that have done it for months at a time but I'm really not sure how to go about that! Thanks!

Answer 1

I've seen that thread discussed here before. You might want to search past discussions. If you Google for info I think the term "immersion studies" is used in some situations.

Here's a sample link:
http://www.spanishamigos.com/

These may be more formal and of longer duration than you are looking for, however.

Answer 2

My ex-mother-in-law used to receive a young lady from Sweden in her house in Ecuador. She was a student like yourself and became so attached to them she became like family. One time she even visited us here in the States.

Answer 3

I studied here http://www.cemanahuac.com/ about 15 years ago through a University program but they also work with individuals. We shared housing with a local family and I Iiked their intercambio program where you pair up with a native speaker and loved the culture programs, like learning salsa, visiting rural villages and sight seeing areas with cultural significance.

It's a really good mix of structured week day morning classes with afternoon and weekend cultural opportunities and wonderful families to stay with.