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Although we do not have an unlimited pool of families, we do have a very large database of families to choose from. It is very important that you complete the Immersion Pre-Program Interview with the most anticipation as possible of the start date of your Spanish course. In this way more families will be available and that will help us select the best family for you.
Description of our host families that provide home stays
It is somehow difficult to describe a typical host family as there is such a variety. Some are young couples without children, others have babies or teenagers. We also have single parents and couples whose grown-up children no longer live at home but come to visit once in a while and we even have families that have a set of grandparents living with them, which offer an amazing opportunity to lean even more about our past.
Our host families are middle class by local standards. A typical house will have a living room/dining room, a kitchen and bathroom and 3 or 4 bedrooms. There is often a yard outside which people use as an extension of the house. Air condition is not necessary because Boquete's temperature is naturally fresh. As there are so many different types of host families we ask our students to fill out an Immersion Pre-Program Interview that will help us select the best family for them. We will do our best to choose the family that you are looking for.
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Most families are located within walking distance to the school (5 -15 minute walk) and only a few of our host families homes are located in the outer parts of the town of Boquete and require public transportation (never more than 10 minutes). The families that are a little bit further away have more up-scale homes and host couples or entire families. Several of those families can give you a ride at certain times of the day.
Facilities included with accommodation at a local host family
Each Spanish language immersion student will be given a private room and study area. Each bedroom is clean, well ventilated and illuminated. Upon request we can arrange a shared room suitable for couples with a private bathroom. Houses that can offer these facilities are usually outside of town within a 10 minute ride by public transportation. Clean bed linen and towels are given on a weekly basis. Each house provides students with access to daily bath or shower and such is the hygienic custom in our culture. Each family provides basic laundry facilities with detergent included and an iron. Laundry and ironing service can also provided if required at an additional weekly fee of $5.
Spanish language students will be provided with a key to the house and will be allowed to come and go as the please. Our families really know how to look after our students and make them feel at home. Our immersion students are asked to be respectful with the family's customs and although the family will make them feel as comfortably as any other member of the family, we ask our students to remember that they are guests and to always think about how they would like a visitor to behave if they were the hosts. For example, there is no harm in arriving late on weekends, but families always appreciate if you let them know where you plan to be and at what time you plan to arrive because they will have concern of your wellbeing just as any good family would.
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Even if our families are not responsible for our immersion student's safety, they do feel as they are. It is a nice sign of gratitude and a polite gesture to make them feel at ease.
Selecting our host families in Boquete
Nowadays our Spanish school has plenty of host families. It all started out by knocking on stranger's doors when our Spanish school had just begun to receive its first students looking to live a Spanish Immersion Program. As time has passed by the word has spread out and now families refer new families and we even have families come to our Spanish school telling us that they would also love to have a Habla Ya student at their home. We have many local families for the homestays of our language students but that does not keep us from looking for more families. Once in a while we do find a new family, enthusiastic about the idea of taking part of this beautiful cultural exchange program.
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We always visit and interview each family before accepting them and monitor the quality of their hospitality through routine visits, phone calls and student's feedback.
Starting and Finishing Dates for family home stays
Students should arrive to the school before 12:00 p.m. on the Saturday before their Spanish course begins. After meeting with the School Director, they will be taken to their host family. If students plan to arrive between the Monday and Friday before their course begins we ask them to please let us know just to make sure that their intended host family is available. If students were to arrive on the Sunday before their Spanish course begins they will be given the School Director's mobile number to contact him once they arrive to Boquete and he will then take them to their host family.
Students should inform us about their travel arrangements and estimated time of arrival as this will avoid the family having to wait at home unnecessarily. Families also like to receive their new family member with a special meal so they highly appreciate knowing when you intend to arrive.
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Home stays usually begin on Saturdays at noon. Students should plan to leave their host family on the Saturday after their course ends before 10:00 a.m. as this will allow enough time for another student to arrive to that host family. If you plan to arrive before Saturday (or on the Sunday before your course begins) or if you would like to stay for more days after your course has ended, please let us know about your intentions so that we can plan ahead of time taking into account host family availability or any other arrangment needed to be made (for example, you may need the School's Director cellphone in case you arrive on a Sunday so that he can meet you somewhere in town and then take you to your host family).
Cost per day of family homestays during your Spanish Course
The cost given is as per day of accommodation with a local family. Prices are shown in U.S. dollars. We normally place only 1 student with each local family. The number of students column refers to arrangements for couples and families or friends traveling together who wish to be placed within the same local family.
| Students | without meals | 1 meal per day | 2 meals per day | 3 meals per day |
| 1 | $12 | $13 | $15 | $20 |
| 2 | $22 | $25 | $30 | $35 |
| 3 | $30 | $35 | $40 | $45 |
| 4 | $40 | $45 | $50 | $55 |
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Each family home stay has a $25 setup fee that includes the processing of your Immersion Pre-Program Interview and the selection of your host family as well as transportation to their house upon arrival. Laundry and ironing services can be provided for a $5 weekly fee per person.
hablaya@hotmail.co.uk
+507-720-1294
+507-6-480-4506
