Yumans invited to join Costa Rica trip

Yuma residents are heading to Costa Rica this spring to study Spanish and explore everything from rain forest preserves and volcanoes to colonial cathedrals and coffee planations.

Central Arizona College in Coolidge is planning several tours to the tiny Central American nation in February and March. The destination is Costa Rica Spanish Institute (COSI), a language school with campuses in the capital city, as well as along the Pacific Coast beach.

The Arizona community college began taking groups from Yuma to Costa Rica earlier this year, adding to a tradition of local tours to Cuernavaca, Mexico, that began five years ago. The tours are organized by John Prevost, a Spanish professor with Central Arizona College who has been leading language expeditions to Latin American countries for more than 20 years.

Travelers typically spend each morning in class, then travel around the city and surrounding area for guided day trips to local attractions.

Prevost said the spring trips are aimed at retirees, while programs in the summer are geared more toward working professionals. He noted that COSI offers specialized Spanish training for people working in education, medicine or law enforcement.

For more information, Prevost can be reached at 1-520-560-0663 or John.Prevost@centralaz.edu. Information about COSI can be found online at www.cosi.co.cr or www.Facebook.com/costa.spanish.