Spanish Immersion Info Meeting
Spanish Immersion trip -Join the High School Spanish Immersion Info Meeting

Spanish Immersion Info Meeting

Common Ground International’s Spanish immersion volunteer programs are the best Spanish Immersion trips for Students, Professionals, Adults & Families.

Info Meeting: March 21, 2024 – Register below!

(6p Pacific, 7pm Mountain, 8p Central & 9p Eastern)

High School Spanish Immersion Info Meeting Ecuador & Costa Rica

Missed the meeting 3/19/24? Here’s the REPLAY

All Adults Spanish Immersion Info Meeting Ecuador & Costa Rica

Missed the meeting 3/21/24? Here is the replay
As you watch this presentation – jot down your questions and schedule a phone call HERE!

Our programs are designed to help you learn Spanish while you volunteer in the community and have fun exploring.  These trips are led by Spanish teachers focused on helping you speak more Spanish! We provide a small team of coordinators & Spanish teachers who are always available for you while you’re on immersion. We’re intentional on programs about everything we do, and we’d love to share a trip with you. 

Spanish Immersion trip -Join the High School Spanish Immersion Info Meeting

Why travel with Common Ground International?

This Spanish Immersion for Adults program in Ecuador and Costa Rica is perfect for the adult learner who wants to improve their Spanish skills for personal and/or professional purposes.

You’re not alone

When you travel with Common Ground you are not on your own. You are surrounded by like-minded travelers with similar Spanish language goals, and you have the CGI program coordinator with you for at least the first couple of weeks of your program until you get your bearings.
We just run immersion programs a couple of times a year, so you will most likely be traveling with a mix of medical professionals, teachers and other adults working on their Spanish.
It’s a group effort, and we’d love to include you in the group!

Prepared

We prepare you before you travel

Preparation is essential for establishing clear expectations for your trip, staying safe while you travel, knowing the day to day plan, and positioning yourself and your Spanish for maximum success on your program.
Our custom pre-departure course is an amazingly effective online course that connects you with your fellow travelers and prepares you for every single detail – including culture shock!

Home

You know who we are and where we live

We’re a Colorado-based family business with a clear track record of amazing Spanish immersion programs.
Our children have been a part of this since they were in diapers… which means:
We’re real people balancing all the same “adulting” things you are.
You know this is safe.
You can call us up at any time, (303) 684-5557 speak English (or Spanish), and get your questions answered immediately.

Outcomes growth

We offer the best language and cultural outcomes

The primary difference with our adult Spanish immersion programs is that we weave 4 Spanish language components into your everyday experience. In other words, you learn Spanish through everything you do Mon – Fri.
Here is how we do it:
• Learning Spanish in daily immersion classes with native Spanish speaking teachers.
• Staying with a local host family (one student per family) so that you’re immersed in speaking Spanish 24/7 and acquiring Spanish as you relate to your host family and experience daily culture in Central America
• You have the option to deliver educational workshops on volunteer projects in order to serve communities with identified needs
• And we invite you to join us on optional weekend excursions to speak Spanish and explore the country!

Join a Spanish immersion info meeting to learn more about…

Adult Spanish Immersion Programs

Adult Spanish Immersion

For adults of all ages & stages of life

Family Spanish Immersion Programs

Family Spanish Immersion

For families with young children & teens

High School Spanish Immersion Trips

High School Immersion Trips

For individual students

Medical Spanish Immersion Trips

Medical Spanish Immersion Trips

For healthcare students & professionals in all stages of training & careers

Teachers Spanish Immersion Programs

Teachers Spanish Immersion

For classroom teachers, subject area teachers, administrators & Spanish teachers

Most commonly asked questions about our trips:

How do you account for different levels of learners on the immersion trip?

We’ll have you complete a lengthy Spanish Immersion placement test that will give us a good idea of what class you should be in and who your classmates should be.

What are the average class sizes on your immersion trips?

Classes average 4-6 people. They could be as large as 8 and as small as 1:1, but the average is in the 4-6 range.

Can I stay in a hotel?

Yes of course. Let us know early on if that’s your preference so that we can help you arrange a convenient and reputable place.

How important is it to start on the first week of your programs?

We usually offer a few different start date options. It’s usually a good idea, if you can make it work, to start in the first week of the program. That helps you go through all the natural stages of cultural adjustment along with your peers and helps you feel in sync with others. But if you can’t start the first week of the summer program, no problem at all, we’ll help you get integrated into the group and up to speed with everything.

Is it possible to arrive a day or two early OR a day or two late based on a few pending schedule items that still need to get sorted out?

Yes of course, please just communicate early with us about your schedule and we’ll help you make sure all of the details of your trip are accounted for.

What level of Spanish should we come in with?

Immersion is always the best way to learn Spanish in the shortest period of time regardless of your starting level. That said, the more you know before you travel, the faster you learn while you’re there. So, the short answer is that we will work with you at any level of Spanish. We also encourage you to do whatever you can to work on your Spanish before you travel and we know that you’ll be glad you did :).

Are the other travelers mostly individuals or do people tend to travel in groups?

There are some small groups of people that travel, but by and large we’re a collection of like-minded individuals. You’ll definitely make fast friends on the trip!

How many participants stay with a given host family?

Normally we have 2 people per family on our Ecuador programs and 1 person per family on our Costa Rica programs.

Can a family member or significant other come but not participate in the program?

Absolutely, we welcome your familia and amigos on the trip. We should talk through your plans and the daily realities of the program, so call Rory to discuss!

Can we visit both Ecuador and Costa Rica on the same trip?

Yes absolutely! Each program has the option of choosing a “Combo” trip. See the details on each immersion trip.

What is the day to day schedule while on program?

The general Mon- Fri schedule is 1/2 day of community work or fun activities and 1/2 day of Spanish classes. Your classes could be in the morning block or in the afternoon block but will be consistent during your trip. We usually offer optional excursions on the weekends as well.

What is the average age of travelers on these trips?

The high school trips usually range from incoming sophomores to incoming seniors, but we also invite incoming freshmen and graduating seniors to participate as well.
The family programs usually include parents or grandparents with elementary aged kids.
The adult programs typically range from graduate students to retirees

What is the cancellation policy in case of a family emergency?

We’re more than happy to transfer 100% of your program registration to another trip if you can’t travel for any reason. Refunds are harder. In fact, all of your payments are non-refundable. If you feel you may need a refund, we recommend a cancel for any reason travel insurance policy.

Is the Spanish instruction one-on-one or group format?

The default is group format, usually with small groups. There’s also an option for you to have individual lessons for an extra charge.

Do we need a visa to go to either destination?

If you have a US passport you don’t need a visa for either Costa Rica or Ecuador. If you have a passport issued by a different country you’ll need to check it directly.

What are the vaccination requirements?

Covid vaccinations are no longer required to enter Ecuador nor Costa Rica.
Costa Rica – highly recommends all regular vaccines to be up to date. If you do the combo program (Ecuador and then Costa Rica) you also need to have the yellow fever vaccination.
Ecuador – you don’t need the yellow fever to enter.

Is everyone from the different programs together but just in different classrooms/learning areas?

Yes.

Would it be okay to go a little bit before or leave a little after the trip window?

Yes.

What is the difference between Spanish spoken in Ecuador and in Costa Rica?

Both are known to be good places to learn the language, they have a very clear pronunciation.
Main difference is that in Costa Rica they use the “usted” form instead of the “tú” form exclusively.

General vs. Teacher vs. Medical

General: conversational Spanish, learning all topics. 
Teacher: 2 different tracks. One is Spanish Immersion for Spanish teachers that are not native. It’s advanced level Spanish, not a lot of grammar but lots of conversation. Second track is Spanish for those that work in dual language immersion schools or have a high percentage of Spanish speaking population. Context of learning is for parent-teacher conferences, behavior, classroom management, etc.
Medical: designed around clinical conversations. It has some general conversation learning as well.

Can my teacher friend and I be paired with the same host family?

Yes, you just have to let us know beforehand you want to be paired up.

Is it easy to get cash in both places where we will be?

Ecuador – yes, they actually use the US dollar as their currency.
Costa Rica – yes, they use Colones but there are several ATMs in town.

Will you provide a suggested packing list?

Yes, along with a pre-departure course.

Is credit card accepted in most establishments in the places where we will be?

Yes in most establishments. Only local indigenous villages or directly with artisans only accept cash. 

Do we find out about our host families pre departure?

Yes, we send the information about a week before your arrival.

Which airport do we fly into?

Cuenca, Ecuador – CUE is the airport code, you may need to book to Quito – UIO and then book a separate domestic flight.
San Jose, Costa Rica – SJO is the airport code.

Is the medical immersion program is only for “actual medical professionals”? 

No, it’s not. Anyone who wishes to improve their medical terminology is welcome. 

Is this like missions?

No, not necessarily, there’s no faith component to our programs.

What do the adults do as volunteer work? 

Primarily they work with children and do interactive/educational activities. 

Do you have payment plans? 

Yes, your first payment is a deposit and you have until 40-45 days before your program starts as the deadline for your final payment.

I am a Spanish teacher. Is this a good fit for me? 

Absolutely.

Are the classes pretty personalized to learners’ needs, or is there a set curriculum that you don’t stray from?

A bit of both. There is a curriculum that can be tailored to the students’ needs. 

If you are beginner speaker should you do Adult Spanish first before attempting the medical piece?

Not necessarily, we have all levels of medical classes as well.

How much of a fit is this trip for a Spanish beginner? 

It’s perfect.

Are there monkeys in Santo Domingo?

No.

How similar is the Spanish in Costa Rica to Spanish in Mexico?

It’s very similar (except for a few colloquialisms).

For the combo trip, does the cost include transportation from Ecuador to Costa Rica?

No.

Is the deposit refundable if you can not make the trip?

It’s transferrable.

How much time do you have to yourself, to let your brain relax? 

The program days are pretty full but no activity is mandatory. You can always choose to take a break.

Do we need to tip the host family?

No, but you can always bring them a small gift from home or invite them for dinner, etc.

Are there volunteer options that don’t involve working with kids?

Yes.

Would you recommend doing online courses before a trip with you?

Any course you can do ahead of time would be super beneficial to your learning. We offer online pre-trip tutoring.

Is it safe to travel to Ecuador?

We are always monitoring the situation with local contacts.

On average how much will the weekend trips cost?

In Costa Rica just shy of $400 USD. In Ecuador day trips are around $100 USD.

For the medical immersion are we working in a clinic?

No, the volunteer work is focused mainly on public health education work, you won’t be doing clinical work.

How many credits can you get for each program?

The Medical Immersion program is 20 CME credits. For Nursing it can be as much as 20 CE credits per week. Teachers can also get CEUs and PDUs.

Which are the best airlines to fly into Costa Rica?

Some are Southwest, JetBlue, United.

Spanish immersion program details:

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Keep an eye out for and email or two from Leslie Foster [email protected] with login details for the Immersion info webinar... See you online!

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I want to learn more!

Join Leslie and Rory for the immersion info meeting.

And be sure to stay through the end for program discounts!

Keep an eye out for and email or two from Rory Foster [email protected] with login details for the Immersion info webinar... See you online!

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