I have just returned from 6 weeks in La Ceiba Honduras studying Spanish at the Centro Internacional de Idiomas (“CII”) Spanish School run by Manuel Mendizabal. I am posting to offer insight and suggestions to those considering enrolling in one of the immersion programs. What I learned was that there are essentially two programs in Copan, two in La Ceiba and one in Trujillo. In searching the web, there was also a site for a school in San Pedro Sula (“SPS”) affiliated with a home for children, however, if they are still operating they did not respond to my e-mails.
It is a long story, but my decision to enroll was made on a Thursday. I preferred the locations in La Ceiba because they did not require 3 hour bus rides – Copan being a 3 hour bus ride from SPS and Trujillo a similar bus ride from La Ceiba. La Ceiba is served by TACA on mainline jet service from the US and by regional airlines from SPS and Tegucigalpa. I planned on spending a few days in a hotel in La Ceiba and then visiting the two schools in La Ceiba, however, the week I planned to arrive was Carnival week and there were no hotels available. I left a message at the hondurasspanish.com website of CII and in the morning had a response from Manuel, by the afternoon I had plans to arrive Sunday and begin classes on Monday morning. It was an excellent choice.
CII is located in the barrio (neighborhood) Toronjal, an upscale neighborhood of principally single family homes within a mile of a modern air conditioned mall. The family I stayed with was in the same neighborhood and I was able to walk to my classes without having to take a taxi or walk the traffic congested main road to the school. The school is actually a single family home used exclusively as a school. Had I been able to visit La Ceiba before choosing a school I would have chosen CII since the other school is located on a noisy street in a building that is not very impressive.
I am a 60 year old professional and a very difficult student. I had learned to converse in Spanish from self study when I ran a cigar factory in SPS from 1997 to 1998 – however, my grammar and verb conjugation skills were almost non-existent. My challenge and that of the instructor was to help me to unlearn various bad habits. After a few days with an instructor who was not prepared to deal with a student like me, Manuel had me work one day each with three other instructors, all of which were experienced and patient. Christian has been with Manuel for 9 years, has some English skills and was an excellent fit. As a result of working over 4 weeks with Chrisitian, I made significant progress and my skills are vastly improved.
If you are travelling to Honduras one recommendation is immediately buy a cell phone, which will be under $30. Calls to the US are about $.11 a minute and the best value going. If you plan on bringing your computer, buy the internet wireless from TIGO, available for under $50 and it includes the USB drive and one months unlimited service with subsequent months being $45 - $15 and $30 plans being available with restrictions. It is not fast, but is faster than dial up.
The best recommendation I can offer to any service business is that the owner and staff care - at CII they care.
