HOMESTAYS WITH COSTA RICAN FAMILIES

The Homestay Experience

Having worked with high school students for over 15 years now, since 1996, one of our most fulfilling programs is assisting Spanish Class groups along with their teachers in Costa Rica. We work in alliance with some of the best travel companies in the United States and can provide a unique, safe and very productive experience, viewed from the School, Teacher, Parents, Costa Rican community and of course each student's perspective. In our experience it is of utmost importance to minimize the nervousness of the students going in to this life changing experience, we have developed an induction system to minimize this impact and let the students hit the ground running and get the most out of it.

Our Homestay Program

Our Homestay program is mostly focused towards high school student groups which come to Costa Rica as a complement to their Spanish or Science courses.

This is a great opportunity to have a personal and cultural experience by sharing quality time with a Costa Rican family. Our family selection process enables us to provide this special service. Families take you in as if you are a member of the family, thus enabling the creation of long lasting friendships and bonds.

To complement the experience we provide some leisure time in the country, from visits to volcanoes, rain forest, and/or the beach, you name it!

Staying with a Costa Rican Family

The main objective of staying with a family is to be immersed in a Spanish speaking environment. At the same time that you and your host family have the pleasure of meeting each other, share your ways of living, and learn about the similarities and differences of the cultures. It is our great desire that if you choose to stay with a family, you can build up strong relationships and lasting friendships. By these means you truly realize the beauty of Costa Rica and its people: chatting with the members of the family, preparing meals together, sitting all together at the table at lunch or dinner time, doing errands, going shopping, participating in the local school. All these experiences are likely to happen and impossible to achieve when traveling as a tourist.

We specially ask and make sure the host families allow you to participate actively in their daily life; make the bed and do the dishes with your brother or sister, go to the local grocery store and buy the newspaper or bread for breakfast; we carefully choose each family so they treat you as one more member.

The family selection is carefully planned so your experience is authentic and pleasant. We look for families interested in sharing with young people and are willing to open the doors of their homes and welcome you during the period of time you choose. Our criteria in the search of families are mainly the interest and enthusiasm they show in being a host family. It is very important for us to have certainty that the family and the home are totally appropriate for you so this will lead to a great experience for all.