Want to earn up to 7 SFU college credits while being completely immersed in Spanish culture and way of life? Then the new study-abroad trip to Costa Rica is an option for you! Students can gain the extra Spanish proficiency required by some majors and minors at SFU and also an experience of a life-time.

During this four-week program, students can take classes in Fine Arts and Spanish, while also taking adventurous weekend excursions that are planned to include white-water rafting, zip-lining, surfing, snorkeling, scuba diving and other water sports.

The first two weeks of the program will be located at the Centro Panamericano de Idiomas (CPI) Heredia in San Joaquín de Flores. This small city, located in the green mountains of the central valley,  holds the title of the highest standard of living in Costa Rica. This location is also only 40 minutes away from museums, shopping and nightlife of the center of the capital city, San José.

The beautiful white sand beaches and clear water of Playa Flamingo is the site of the last two weeks of the program. Here, students will be able to experience a variety of different water sports as well as two of the best surfing beaches in South America.

During this trip, students will stay with host families, getting a total immersion in not only food culture, but also open Spanish conversation and participation in family life.

So what makes this trip so special?

“It’s the only study abroad program at SFU where students have the opportunity to study at two different campuses, the mountains and the beach,” said Dr. Margaret Morales, the trip’s director as well as an Associate Professor of Spanish at SFU. “It’s also the only program where students get to live with host families, giving them more opportunities to practice Spanish.”

Shene Fleming, an SFU alumna with a double major in Accounting and International Business/Spanish (IBMS), traveled to Costa Rica to earn her last three credits to graduate from SFU after the 2013 Mexico study-abroad trip had been cancelled.

“Costa Rica is unlike any other place in Latin/Central America I have ever been to,” said Fleming. “It was such a beautiful time for me. I wish I could have stayed a lot longer!”

Fleming’s amazing experience and positive feedback was the trigger point of the making of this program by Dr. Morales, who had been the director of a study abroad program at SFU for 15 years and took a total of 510 students to Mexico over that time.

For more information on the Spanish in Costa Rica program at SFU, visit www.francis.edu/spanish-in-costa-rica/ or email Dr. Morales at MMorales@francis.edu.