Total Immersion in the rich Costa Rica culture…

For a total immertion experience, the student will be placed with a Costa Rican (tico) family that lives near ACCE.

The student will become a member of the family’s daily life, including the sharing of meals and the opportunity to engage in conversation. The student will live in an independent bedroom, but will share the rest of the house with the family. The family’s responsibility is to interact with the student, provide breakfast and dinner, and laundry service.

The family will also help the student know about the city of Grecia and its surrounding areas. The family will help the student by speaking slowly and articulating words so that vocabulary can be learned. The purpose of all this is to expose the student to as much Spanish as possible. It is well documented that immersion is the best way to learn a language and a culture.

Selection Process:

Our host families go through a selection process to ensure that our students are comfortable, safe, and able to practice their Spanish.

Some of the requirements ACCE looks for in host families are:

• The house must be close to ACCE, within a distance that our students can walk every day without difficulty.
• Cleanliness is extremely important throughout the house.
• Internet access is expected.
• The bathroom must have hot water.
• The family must be good manners, honest, and kind.
• It is very important that host families interact with students whenever possible.
• The family must maintain ongoing communication with ACCE to ensure each student’s experience is optimal.