I have had the wonderful opportunity to take intensive Spanish classes at Instituto Estelar! These classes have been everything a foreign language class should be: dynamic, challenging, full of conversation, and very fun. The staff and professors are very professional, attentive, and creative. I came to the school with a very intermediate level of Spanish, and feel I have learned so much through the courses and advanced tremendously. Living in Liberia provides the unique opportunity to actually practice Spanish in real world situations daily, which can be surprisingly difficult in other parts of Costa Rica where there are more English-speaking tourists. The small class environment allows plenty of opportunity to review and take things at the appropriate pace for an intensive course. The many local friends I’ve made only help to build my Spanish skills.
Liberia has an abundance of shopping and food, all within easy walking distance. While there are many tours offered through the school, there are also bus stations for easy access to Guanacaste’s many beautiful beaches! The staff and friends of the instituto all have great travel advice and suggestions if there’s ever any question or doubt about what to do or where to go. Learning Spanish has opened many doors to this beautiful region of the Americas, and I am glad to have become part of the Estelar familia.
This blog was contributed by Ethan Shippey, a Spanish student and English teacher from Kentucky, USA, at Instituto Estelar Bilingüe in 2019.