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Nancy Henry-Socha
"I graduated from medical school this spring and since there are many Spanish speaking patients in Minnesota, I wanted to begin learning Spanish.  Initially, I chose Personalized Spanish because I only had two weeks in Costa Rica and wanted a school that would be effective and responsive to my learning needs as a non-traditional student.   I couldn’t have been happier with my choice.  I was very impressed by my experiences at Personalized Spanish from the beginning.  Class sizes are small, so students get lots of individual attention.   The professors pay careful attention to the needs of the students and adjust lessons accordingly.   In the afternoon I took private lessons in medical Spanish, which I would highly recommend to anyone in the medical field wanting to improve their Spanish.."

Jennifer Ellsworth-Aults
Personalized Spanish is everything that it advertises -- they provide excellent teachers in a pleasant surrounding, and customize their program to fit your needs rather than requiring that you simply fall in with a pre-arranged schedule or lesson plan. The families that you can stay with are kind, generous, and only a ten minute walk from the school. Both they and the wonderful teachers open their lives to you, so that you feel as though you are among friends and family in a very short time.

As a law student who was also taking legal courses during my time in Costa Rica, I had very specific scheduling and lesson content needs. Gabby and the rest of the staff opened the school early so that I could have lessons start at a more convenient time, created each lesson from scratch to teach new grammar and vocabulary that were specific to my goals, and even arranged tailored field trips to the local Supreme Court so that I could compare legal systems in the US vs. Costa Rica. Thanks to both the skills and the confidence I gained at Personalized Spanish, I was able to spend the summer working with Spanish speaking clients in the US.

Chris Willmore
In January 2009 I accompanied a group of 18 high school students for a week of classes at Personalized Spanish School. The entire experience was outstanding. The classes, which were no larger than 4 students, were designed to meet the specific language needs of each child. The teachers created lessons that were engaging and took a personal interest of each student and in their language development. The weekday cultural activities and the weekend excursion were well-planned and provided the students with insight into Costa Rican culture. Lastly, enough cannot be said about the host families. They were warm, hospitable, and caring. Many tears were shed when the students had to say good-bye to their mama tica and papa tico. I have received only positive feedback from all of the students who went on the trip and their parents. I look forward to bringing another group next year.

Rebecca Edwards
As a professional in the Texas education system I have found a great need for Spanish speaking skills. Studying at Personalized Spanish has more than accomplished this need. The teachers at Personalized Spanish use various activities to meet the needs of all learning styles. The instant I arrived at Personalized Spanish I felt like I was at home. The school is extremely professional and the staff is friendly and helpful. The staff at Personalized Spanish is devoted to accommodating all of their students. In my time in Costa Rica, they arranged canopy tours, weekend trips to the beach, and various other cultural activities during my stay. After 6 weeks of studying I feel comfortable having conversations with students and parents in Spanish.

Julia Davis - School conselor in Denver Colorado
My experience at Personalized Spanish was outstanding and I would immediately recommend it to anyone wanting to learn the language! I was fortunate to have a five week program tailored to meet my interests and needs. The staff were all professional, super friendly and shared all sorts of information with me, as well as going out of their way to accompany me to many cultural activities. My wonderful Tico family also helped me learn Spanish and included me in many of their daily activities. After my lessons, Gaby made recommendations and reservations for a mini tour around the country, which was the perfect ending to an unforgettable trip

Thomas Roussin - ESL Teacher
As an ESL teacher, I've always had some difficulty communicating with my student's parents. Now, I am able to better understand and communicate some of the basics with them. Personalized Spanish was a great experience. The classes were small and quite challenging. The groups changed as the needs of the students changed. I highly recommend Personalized Spanish to anyone who is interested in learning Spanish. "

Heather Schwersinske - Internal Auditor of a Multi-national Products Company (
In only a week of private classes, I reviewed almost everything I had learned in high school.The instructors were unbelievably impressive, and I was very pleased with the teaching methods employed. They focused on my business needs and language weaknesses which was very important to my goals.

My host family was incredible and still keeps in touch. My Spanish improved to the point I was able to give an opening meeting in Spanish in Colombia the following week and perform the entire audit in Spanish with minimal translation assistance. I cannot speak highly enough about my experience at Personalized Spanish, and I would encourage it for anyone at any level with a desire to learn Spanish!"

Mike Bertram - Pastor of a Catholic Church
As the pastor of a Catholic Church in a heavily Puerto Rican community, I was interested in getting some Spanish experience in order to relate better to the Latino members of his congregation. Personalized Spanish provided me with very specific lessons and vocabulary which have allowed me to reach out to the large Spanish population and even hear confessions given in Spanish!

At Personalized Spanish I received more than just classes, I participated in a complete program built specifically for me which even included a trip to rural Costa Rica to do volunteer work with Catholic Friars in the area. My experience went above and beyond what I was expecting!

Riitta Jonsson - Fundraiser for Swedish Cooperative Centre
If you are looking for a personal, efficient way of learning Spanish, then Personalized Spanish is just right for you. I loved going to school every single day in four weeks. It was incredibly rewarding and I felt like I was entering into a whole new world with my increasing Spanish skills.

The atmosphere and the lectures at the school were open and friendly, but at the same time demanding. The time at the school is an investment for your life. I trained both my written and spoken skills and the topics were chosen with preference to my international aid work as a fundraiser.

I had two families; the school and my "Tico” family and I loved them both. They have enriched my life a lot! I truly recommend the Personalized Spanish with all of my heart.

Adam Raffkind - Healthcare Professional (
I arrived to Personalized Spanish with zero Spanish. Working in a busy children’s hospital in Colorado, I found it difficult and disheartening not being able to communicate well with Latino parents about serious matters concerning their children. After an intensive 6 week course, even taking lessons on the weekend, I progressed drastically with my Spanish speaking ability. Not a night goes by where I don't use my Spanish. I can't tell you how satisfying it is to be able to communicate with these families. I feel victorious when I walk out of a room!

Matt Hastings - Director of International Membership Development, Edison Electric Institute (
With very rusty high school and college Spanish I was unsure how much I would learn at Personalized Spanish. With the quality and dedication of Gaby and her staff I was able to make amazing progress, far beyond my expectations. By Wednesday I could deliver a 15 minute speech on American politics! Anyone who wants to expand their grasp of conversing and reading Spanish would be well-served at this school. The staff was polite, supportive, helpful and challenging. The homestay program was wonderful and greatly helpful in the learning process. The school is in a beautiful part of San Jose and the learning materials were interesting and useful. I've used the Spanish I learned at Personalized Spanish with clients in South America and Spain, and with Latinos here in Washington. I plan to return next year. My only complaint is that the time went too quickly.

Marit Befring - Reporter, National Broadcast Corporation of Norway(
I wanted to refresh my Spanish, and after two weeks in a private class I felt that I had reached my goal: to be able to make an interview in Spanish. I had the most wonderful teacher. She reviewed almost all the grammar I had learned at the University and inspired me to speak Spanish from the first day. My two year old daughter stayed with my "Ticamother" while I was at school. Before I arrived at Costa Rica I was a little bit worried about that, but my host family were wonderful and my daughter loved it. She still speaks some spanish words!

Jeg onsket aa friske opp spansken min, og etter to uker med privatundervisning syntes jeg at jeg hadde naadd maalet mitt: aa klare aa intervjue noen paa spansk. Jeg hadde en fantastisk laerer. Hun repeterte nesten all gramatikk som jeg hadde laert på universitetet og inspirerte meg til aa snakke fra dag en. Min to aar gamle datter var sammen med min Tica-mor mens jeg var paa skolen. Jeg var litt bekymret for dette mens jeg var i Norge, men hun var bare helt fantastisk. Datteren min elsket det. Hun kan ennaa noen spanske ord!