Does Spanish School close for holidays?
SEPA Spanish School is only closed 4 days per year!
We realize your time is very valuable! SEPA Spanish School rarely closes: only for Christmas, New Years, and Thursday and Friday of Easter week. But don’t delay your trip because of holidays! Even though you won’t be in school on those days, you’ll be having a magnificent cultural Spanish immersion experience with your homestay family!
Christmas Day in Costa Rica
On Christmas Eve, your family cooks many delicious traditional foods (such as Christmas tamales) and at midnight there is great fun: the children play the piñata; everybody exchanges gifts (don’t worry – you won’t be expected to provide gifts); and together you eat a fabulous meal, including roast pig. On Christmas morning we find our students are too full and too happy to go to school but they still learn tons of Spanish with their host family on these splendid days!
New Years Day Costa Rica Style
On New Years Eve, once again, your family cooks many delicious traditional foods, including mouth-watering barbecued meats. At midnight, everybody eats and party hard: people set off fireworks (like on the 4th of July in the United States). They also shake up sodas, then flip off the top so they spray all over, and turn the hose on each other (remember it is summer here!) On New Years morning you will be tired and happy to go to school but you will still learn plenty of Spanish as you get your party on with your homestay family!
Easter Thursday and Friday
On our next holiday, holy Thursday and holy Friday of Easter, there are beautiful parades in town. Some people commemorate the last supper by washing one another’s feet and eating special unleavened bread along with a sumptuous traditional meal. Some families decorate wooden crosses with flowers from their garden and post them along the road. Everybody rushes to get everything done that needs to be done, because the next week, La Semana Santa, most businesses are closed as many people head for the beach!
As you can see, SEPA Spanish Language School and Environmental Center is not closed very often – only 4 days per year, but it doesn’t slow the learning one bit! For your convenience, here are the dates we are closed:
- January 1 (New Year’s Day)
- December 25 (Christmas)
- Holy Thursday (Easter time)
- Good Friday (Easter time)
Maybe there are no formal Spanish lessons in at SEPA Spanish School on these days, but more importantly, you experience a priceless Spanish immersion and cultural exchange with your native homestay family!
