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For those interested in an intense Spanish Program but that would also like to know more about other lodging options, please visit our Accommodation section.
Spanish Language Immersion with a host family in Panama
Living with a local family in Panama while you learn Spanish will put you in a privileged and unique position to practice Spanish outside of the classroom. Once you step through your family's door you will practice your Spanish in a relaxed and authentic environment.
Being able to listen and speak Spanish even when you are not in your Spanish lessons is definitively a plus and something you should seriously consider if you want to learn Spanish as fast as possible and in its most natural form.
Panamanian families are renowned for their hospitality, sense of humor and enjoyment of life. The intimate atmosphere that comes from living with a local family in Boquete encourages the natural use of every day Spanish outside of your Spanish course.
Besides being immersed by the language in their host family's house, students will also be totally immersed by Spanish everywhere else: it is on the radio, it's in the shops, on the TV, on every road sign, in the restaurants, in the newspaper, in our cultural and social activities, in the street, at the hair dresser, and basically everywhere the student goes to: a true Spanish Total Immersion!
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Students should be prepared for the fact that families will only speak Spanish, although those that work in tourism may have an elementary level of English. For those planning to relocate in Panama and that would like to hear about moving experiences, we can arrange a family with some English speakers.
Latin Cultural Immersion living with a host family in Boquete
Family life in Panama is informal and the people of Boquete are welcoming, friendly, light hearted and very talkative. In no time at all you will be picking up common idiomatic phrases and every day expressions. You will have plenty of opportunities to get to know about the Latin culture, cuisine and way of life. Daily contact with your host family will certainly and quickly enhance your understanding of the local customs and culture.
Families in Latin America tend to be larger than in most western countries and the concept of family is highly valued. Our host families will certainly introduce you to other members of their family that do not live with them as well as friends and neighbors.
Host families are the most important part of an Immersion Program. Selecting adequate families is the key for organizing a succesfull Immersion Program. This is why students are required to fill out a Pre-Program Interview before we choose their host family. In this way we are able to select the most adequate family for each student.
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Living with a local family during your Spanish course is undoubtedly the best way to get a real feel of the Latin American culture, customs & way of life. Living with a local family in Boquete will give you a privileged opportunity to experience our culture and people as close as possible.
Why is Boquete the perfect place for a Total Spanish Immersion in Latin America?
What makes Boquete the ideal place in Latin America for a Total Spanish Immersion Program? The answer is simple: it's people.
Boquete, besides being an intimate, lovely and charming town, is blessed with a combination of elements that allow its people to be happy, and learning a language with the help of happy people leads to the most amazing Spanish learning experience. Boquete has a lovely weather, Boquete is safe, Boquete has a stunning natural beauty, Boquete's land is fertile (best coffee in the world!), in Boquete people live longer (Boquete is also famous because many of its citizens live more than 100 years: no city stress, healthy food, gorgeous climate), Boquete has a very low unemployment rate (people have the opportunity to provide for their family), and the list goes on and on. If you would like to know more about our host families in Boquete, please visit the home stay page of our accommodation section.
On the other hand, Boquete is also a very convenient town for a Spanish Program like this one: everything is close, within walking distance: within 5 or 10 minutes you can get from our Spanish School, to several local supermarkets, pass by some restaurants and bars, and even head towards a hiking trail. Our students love the sense of community within our town and our teachers truly embrace each and one of our students. Many of our students return to Boquete just to visit and yet others come back next year to live the immersion experience once more.
Boquete is also known as Panama's Eco-Adventure Capital so there are always plenty of things to do in Boquete. Click here if you would like to know even more about Boquete (see maps, weather charts, activities) and about why it's the perfect place in Latin America to learn Spanish.
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For these and other reasons, Boquete was chosen during several years starting in 2001 as one of the best places on Earth for relocation. Luckily for us, with the world's financial crisis, the real estate boom suddenly slew down and of more than fifty planned gated communities less than ten came into fruition (and most of those that did, turned out to be smaller than originally planned and didn't sell out) and in the meantime Boquete became Panama's first ever district to have its own Integral Development and Zoning Plan (POTADU - Plan de Ordenamiento Territorial, Ambiental y de Desarrollo Urbano de Boquete). For Boquete, this means a better thought and planned future, as well as an opportunity to protect all of those things that make Boquete what it is and a timeframe to integrate those newcomers into our culture and community. Being Habla Ya Panama's premier Spanish School, we see ourselves as one of the key players in helping each newcomer learn Spanish so that he and she can fully integrate into our community.
Cost for a Total Spanish Immersion Program in Panama (2010)
There are two costs involved in any Total Spanish Immersion Program:
- The cost for your Spanish Course
- The cost to live with a Local Host Family
You can join our Total Immersion Program and have Group Lessons (20 hour per week), Private Lessons (20, 25 or 30 hours per week) or a combination of both (20 hours of Group Lessons + 5 or 10 hours of extra Private Lessons each week). Most students tend to sign up for Group Lessons, some add extra Private Lessons, and a minority of students sign up exclusively for Private Lessons.
When considering how many of hours to sign up for, take into account that each of our first three levels can be completed in an average of 60 hours of lessons each, our fourth and fifth in 100 hours each, and our sixth level in an average of 400 hours more (to be just like a native). When you join a Total Immersion Program you usually complete each level 10 to 25% faster. We will always make a professional suggestion based on your Spanish level, on how far you want to advance and on how fast you want to get there. To see what you will be able to do upon completing each level you can visit our level system section and if you know some Spanish, please remember to complete our Placement Test.
In the following table you will find TOTAL COSTS for Immersion Programs considering different types of Spanish Courses with Accommodation included at a Local Host Family with two meals per day (for other accommodation options please click here).
At Habla Ya we know that it's not easy to pay for something that you haven't seen, in a far distant country, miles and miles away: that is why you can PAY UPON ARRIVAL! No deposit required. But please remember to Sign Up & Register!
2010 Rates for our Total Spanish Immersion Program
| Amount of Weeks | |||||||||||||
| Type of Course | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | each extra week |
| Group 4 | $376 | $702 | $998 | $1279 | $1580 | $1876 | $2132 | $2338 | $2634 | $2880 | $3106 | $3332 | $275 |
| Group 4 PLUS 1 | $446 | $842 | $1198 | $1544 | $1910 | $2266 | $2582 | $2898 | $3204 | $3500 | $3786 | $4072 | $335 |
| Group 4 PLUS 2 | $516 | $972 | $1398 | $1804 | $2230 | $2646 | $3002 | $3368 | $3734 | $4080 | $4406 | $4732 | $390 |
| Private 20 | $446 | $852 | $1258 | $1624 | $2005 | $2376 | $2732 | $3083 | $3434 | $3785 | $4106 | $4412 | $365 |
| Private 25 | $516 | $992 | $1438 | $1879 | $2310 | $2716 | $3132 | $3533 | $3894 | $4250 | $4636 | $5032 | $415 |
| Private 30 | $586 | $1132 | $1628 | $2124 | $2590 | $3056 | $3502 | $3908 | $4334 | $4780 | $5236 | $5692 | $470 |
If you would like to see the cost of a Total Spanish Immersion Program breaked down you can visit our Spanish Courses section and checkout the prices of our Group 4 Course and Private Spanish Lessons, and then you can visit our Home Stay info page to see the cost for each item on their own.
SIGN UP NOW & REGISTER FOR A TOTAL SPANISH IMMERSION PROGRAM IN PANAMA »
Included in the Spanish course fees: registration, level test, class material and handouts, certificates, wifi internet connection at the school, cultural & social activities, all the coffees you can drink and access to all the school's facilities. Included in the home stay fees: bed in your own private room, change of towel and bed linen once a week, and two meals per day.
