Panama City (El Dorado)

Program Outline

Your level of study will be determined by a placement exam on the first day of class. We use the Total Immersion method to help you learn Spanish quickly and thoroughly. Classes are conducted in Spanish only. Discussions on topics of interest and written exercises are an integral part of our program. To ensure personal attention, we limit classes to 4 people maximum. Upon completion of the course, students will receive a certificate and credits, where applicable. Classes are four hours daily, Monday to Friday, either in the mornings or in the afternoons. Individual tutorial and evening classes are available at an additional cost. All of the following are included in the Standard 4 hour Spanish program: Four hours of Spanish instruction daily. Workbook of exercises. City tour of Panama City School Sponsored Activities: Dance class, visit to theater, museum, souvenir shop, discothèque, movies in Spanish, walking tour, conversation classes and field trip. Arrangements of tours with agencies. Permanent coffee service.

Lodging

Homestay is with upper middle class Panamanian families, who allow students to practice their Spanish after class and share in the rich culture and beauty of this Latin America country. A wide variety of family situations are available, if you smoke or have a particular aversion to children or pets please indicate this in the application form. Homestay families are located in Panama City and most students walk to class or ride the local bus. Airport pick up and transfer to host family as well as Laundry service are also included.

There are also hotels and bed and breakfast establishments conveniently situated nearby for those who prefer not to stay with local family. For persons not taking classes the cost for a homestay is $175 per week.

Cultural

Panama is a culturally rich, technologically advanced country, at peace with its neighbors. Panama city because of its geographical location is full of cultural and ethnic contracts. Panama offers the student an attractive diversity, from the colonial city to a modern city of skyscrapers; from the densest jungle in the world to the archipelago with one of the purest indigenous cultures left the hemisphere, the Kunas. And Panama is much more than this. It is the robust salsa danced by its people, the human warmth of the Panamanians who confronts their difficulties with the rhythm of the happy “Tamborillo,” a folk rhythm. Inside of this tropical happiness, we also find a world of international commerce and finance where you can find merchandise from all parts of the world at bargain prices.

Locations

We are a small, friendly language institute in Panama City, the country's capital. Run by professionals with degrees in both International Relations and the teaching of Spanish as a second language, We have programs for people of all ages and levels of Spanish fluency. Located in the El Dorado section of the city on a quiet residential lane, the institute makes students feel that they are visiting their friends rather than going to school. Homestays are in the area around the school, or we can help you arrange accommodation at a local hotel or apartment.

Salsa & Merengue Dance Classes

Every Thursday, the institute sponsors classes in these popular Latin rhythms. You’ll have the chance to practice and live the language of through the rhythm, lyrics, and melodies of popular salsa and meringue songs.

Start Dates

New programs start every Monday. The school is closed for all Panamanian Holidays, Christmas and New Years. There is no refund for classes missed on account of holidays, but in all cases the classes are made up.

Main points about Panama City campus:

• Panama City is the crossroads of the world and is one of the most culturally diverse and cosmopolitan cities in Latin America.
• The Panama Canal is one of the modern wonders of the world
• Day trips from the capital city are many a diverse, from islands in the Gulf of Panama to the beaches north and south of the city
• Panama has some of the most undisturbed nature areas in the world, including the Darian jungle
• Because Panama is still off the beaten path there are not a as many tourists and prices are still cheap
• The school is very professionally run and the teachers are highly trained
• Host families are very specially chosen and are very accommodating and students feel like they have become a member of the family
• Colon is the largest Free Port in the world and has very inexpensive products for sale
• The Panamanian people love to dance and Panama City has some great discotheques and dance clubs
• The school is located in a very safe part of the city and there are a lot of things to do and see.