How One Gringa Learned Spanish in Costa Rica without Losing Her Mind!
Recently, my good friend Laurie came down to Costa Rica for 3 months to learn Spanish. In this interview, she shares with me a very special thing that she did to maximize her language learning experience and have a lot of fun in the process.
Dennis: “Laurie, what made you decide to study Spanish and why did you choose Costa Rica?”
Laurie: “Well, as you know, my husband and I really enjoy traveling to Costa Rica, so it seemed a natural choice to come to Costa Rica to study Spanish. My husband knows quite a bit of Spanish and on our past trips to Costa Rica I found myself relying totally on his language skills. I wasn’t happy with the fact that I wouldn’t even try to speak the very limited amount of Spanish that I knew out of embarrassment and nervousness.
Ultimately, I hatched a plan to come down to Costa Rica by myself to study Spanish in an immersion program, so that I’d have no excuses and would quit relying solely on my husband’s language skills when we travel around Costa Rica or other Spanish speaking countries. I am a big believer in trying to communicate in the native language of the place you’re visiting as a traveler, or living in as an expat, so it was time for me to “put my money where my mouth is”, as they say.”
Dennis: “I’d like to interview you again in the future in order to share your story on the language schools you attended, but for now I’d like to focus on what you’ve told me about how you kept your sanity throughout the process. So, what’s that all about?”
Laurie: “Well, as you know, I studied some French, Italian, and German in college (that last one was a disaster, as you undoubtedly recall!), but that was some time ago. Well, once I was enrolled in the Spanish immersion program in San José last fall, I quickly realized that it was going to be difficult for my middle aged brain to absorb a new language. The first few weeks were difficult for me and I was physically and mentally exhausted every day after class!
Fortunately, in the third week or so, the school offered their students a free Latin dancing lesson. Now, I know you remember how much I love to boogie down, so I said, “Sure, sign me up!” Little did I know that taking advantage of the free class was the best decision I could have made because I am convinced that the dance class was the key to maintaining my sanity!”
Dennis: “That’s very interesting. Tell me more about how this helped you to “maintain your sanity”, as you say.”
Laurie: “Well, I was very fortunate to have another student in my initial dance class and he was just as jazzed about dancing as I was. So, we took the free lesson with an incredible dance instructor named Silvia Amaro Garcia from Cuba and we were both hooked! After the first class, he and I decided to hire Silvia to come to the school to teach us dance classes three more days per week, in addition to the free lesson offered by the school each week, for a total of four classes per week. So, we wound up dancing four days per week for the remainder of my time at the school in San José. It was wonderful!
It really helped to “save my sanity” because I would be tense and tired after my morning language lessons (anyone who knows me knows that I can be a bit of a perfectionist) and, frankly, feeling stressed out. Then, I would head to an hour and fifteen minutes of dance class after lunch and the stress would just melt away. For me, I’ve always used physical movement to ease stress and feel energetic. Well, let me tell you, Silvia Amaro Garcia’s dance class was the perfect remedy for me to decompress, have fun, learn Spanish, and get in shape!
Also, I was worried I was going to pack on the pounds in Costa Rica because you know how much I love to eat and we both know about these enormous Tico portions, delicious dishes, and Costa Rican style carb-loading (rice and beans, anyone?). Well, Silvia’s class helped keep that in check because her dance class is an amazing workout. I was able to eat all the delicious dishes I was served at the host family’s house and eat out occasionally and I didn’t gain weight thanks to my dance classes with Silvia.”
Dennis: “Why do you think the language school you attended in San José offers a free dance lesson every week?”
Laurie: “Well, let me tell you, it’s really genius. I don’t know if the school administrators are aware of the fact that it helps their students maintain their sanity and not run to the nearest volcano and hurl themselves into the crater – ha ha! – but I am sure they’re aware that it’s a very clever way to help their students build their Spanish language usage and comprehension.
Why? Well, because the entire dance class is taught in Spanish! Silvia Amaro Garcia speaks just a little bit of English, so you’re forced to use your Spanish to ask questions about the moves and steps, while you fine tune your ear to the spoken language – you have to pay attention and refine your listening skills so that you can learn the moves and follow her instruction. Plus, all of the music is in Spanish. It really is a great way to improve your Spanish language skills. I know it really helped me to learn a lot of Spanish in a short period of time.”
Dennis: “Tell me a little bit more about your dance professor, Silvia Amaro Garcia, and the dances you learned.”
Laurie: “Well, first off, Silvia has an amazing spirit and she is incredibly energetic, funny, and just plain fun to be around. She is an incredible dancer and an excellent teacher. She was a ballerina and was granted the title of profesora de baile (professor of dance) in her native Cuba before she left her island nation in order to have the freedom to become a dance teacher and professional dancer outside of the confines of Cuba. Obviously, she is a courageous woman who is very genuine and her passion and upbeat spirit are contagious — her joy and zest for life literally flow into everyone around her!
She teaches a variety of Latin dances – Costa Rican salsa, Cuban salsa, merengue, rumba, cha-cha, etc. She also does workshops and gives performances in folkloric dancing. Recently, she even taught dance classes to physiotherapy employees at Hospital CIMA in Escazú!
While I was in her class, I only learned Costa Rican salsa and Cuban salsa because my dance partner wanted to focus solely on salsa dancing. I had never salsa danced before (or partner danced before, other than the torture that was square dancing back in 8th grade gym class), so it was totally new to me. I am good at line dancing and aerobic style dancing, but learning to partner dance, and learning it all in Spanish, was a bit of a challenge!
However, Silvia made it all seem so easy with her excellent instruction, easy to follow demonstrations, and endless heaps of patience. I went from zero experience to an accomplished salsa dancer in a couple of months and it was a blast! Plus, I believe I learned a lot more Spanish in that time period than I thought possible and her dance classes really augmented my language learning.”
Dennis: “So, if someone is interested in taking dance lessons with Silvia, how would they do so?”
Laurie: “She continues to teach lessons for the students of ILISA Spanish Language School in the San Pedro neighborhood of San José. So, if you sign up for Spanish lessons at ILISA, they can arrange for you to have lessons at their campus. Many of their immersion programs offer one free dance lesson per week, so be sure to inquire.
Silvia also teaches at a dance studio in the Pavas area of San José if you’d like to take lessons in a studio setting with a group of other dance enthusiasts. Furthermore, you can hire her for private lessons in the comfort of your home in the San José area.
If you want to take dance classes outside of the language school and If you speak little or no Spanish, it’s best to contact Silvia Amaro Garcia via email so she can translate your inquiry and answer you in English in writing. Her email address is
Also, she can be reached by phone in Costa Rica on her cell at 8301-5205 or at home at 2524-0150. If you’re calling from the U.S., you can call her directly at 786-541-9635.
Dennis: “Laurie, I want to thank you for sharing your dance and language learning experiences with us today. Hopefully we can chat again soon so that you can tell me more about your experiences with immersion Spanish language lessons in Costa Rica.”
Laurie: “Thank you, Dennis! I look forward to continuing the conversation. I really hope your readers will take the opportunity to explore the world of Latin dance with Silvia Amaro Garcia. She is a delightful person and her dance lessons are sure to bring a new, exciting dimension to anyone’s Costa Rican experience by heightening their appreciation of dance, the Spanish language, and the beauty of Latin culture.”
How One Gringa Learned Spanish in Costa Rica without Losing Her Mind!
Article/Property ID Number 4660
[custom_script adID=187]
Andrew Makarik
to@welovecostarica.comAndrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.
Are you into beautiful Costa Rica?
All interesting things you want to know about Costa Rica are right here in our newsletter! Enter your email and press "subscribe" button.
