HOMESTAY:
SA San Jose
 Participants
are encouraged to live with Costa Rican Families. The Spanish
language schoolI takes great care in selecting Costa Rican families
who will welcome you warmly, familiarize you with the Costa Rican
way of life, and give you every opportunity to practice speaking
Spanish. Most houses are within a 20 radius of the school.
On the first day of Spanish
class, a member of your host family will be responsible for bringing
you to classes until you feel comfortable and have learned how
to find your way to the Spanish school and back to the host family
home.
 You
will be given breakfast and dinner at your host home. The breakfasts
tend to consist of eggs, "gallo pinto", bread and coffee.
Cereal peanut butter and such items are very expensive and are
not usually found on the table.
If you are going to be late
for your evening meal, or not coming in at all, please remember
to phone your family. In addition to being the courteous thing
to do, its lets the homemaker whether to prepare your meal and
keep it warm, leave it in the refrigerator, or not make anything
for you that evening.
Laundry service is also included
in the package. It is essential that, upon your arrival, you find
out what are the customs for doing laundry in the particular household
and let your housemother know what are the specifics about your
clothing. For example: which cloth should be ironed and which
shouldn't, about bleach, and the items that can't be machine-washed.
Undergarments and lingerie are your responsibility.
All homes have hot water in
the showers; however, 95% of these use what is known as a "thermo-heat".
You adjust the temperature of the water by how much water pressure
you let out. The less water that comes out the hotter it gets
and vices versa. There might be a switch on the wall that connects
this system. Due to the tropical climate, showers are used instead
of tubs.
Each family has been asked
to supply you with a house key so you may come and go freely.
However, it is appreciated if you inform your host family if you
are to be away for the weekend or coming late. It is common to
have a person come in to help with the cleaning of the house.
If you plan to have a visitor, be sure to let your housemother
know and see if it is all right with her.
Make a good first impression on your host family
Words of wisdom from past students:
- Bring a suitable inexpensive gift from
your country to your host family.
- Learn the family members' names and favorite
topics of conversation.
- Inquire about "house rules"
for use of bath, kitchen and television.
- Learn and respect mealtime hours and special
family observances.
- Read the family's newspapers and magazines
to share their interests.
- Keep your bedroom tidy and presentable,
particularly before going out.
- Try all of the family's food at least
once. If you can't handle any particular item, tactfully inform
your host mother and suggest an alternative.
- Inquire about house key(s).
- Ask your Costa Rican family for suggestions
about places to go and things to do. If you are invited to
go out with members of your family, go at least once.
- Offer to go "Dutch" if you are
invited places with members of your Costa Rican family, especially
to bars, restaurants, cinemas, sporting events, or places
where discretionary income may be limited. Most Costa Ricans
are generous with guests, even if it hurts their budget.
- Avoid asking direct questions of your
family members about their political, religious, or philosophical
views until you become better acquainted than you will be
during the fist weeks.
On speaking Spanish
The following are some suggestions
for improving your ability with the Spanish language:
- Speak Spanish as much as possible: at
home, at the Institute and with friends.
- Don't be shy about making mistakes. Most
people are quite patient and helpful. In fact, most of them
feel honored that you should want to learn their language.
- Keep a notebook of new words. Whenever
you hear a word you don't know, write it down. It then becomes
more familiar. You might want to divide a notebook into categories,
i.e. adjectives, nouns, prepositions, and prepositional phrases,
etc.
- Review your grammar: verb tenses (especially
the subjunctive), gender of nouns and accordance of articles
and adjectives with nouns, prepositions and prepositional
phrases, etc.
- Use an all Spanish dictionary: you'll
learn more in the long run. It will take longer at first,
but your vocabulary will increase rapidly. An inexpensive
one can be purchased in Costa Rica.
- Expose yourself to Spanish dictionary
listen to conversations and the radio, watch Costa Rican television,
read newspapers and magazines. The greater the exposure, the
faster you will learn.
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