Granja Integral
Luz del Corazon

Sustainability, Community, Diversity, Compassion, and Innovation

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What is it?

This relaxing, low stress seven day seminar, in tropical Costa Rica, is designed to prepare all levels of health care providers with basic and useful communication tools to assess, treat and teach your Spanish speaking clients. We will cover interviews & assessments, body parts & systems, associated symptoms, diseases, tests and treatments. The focus will be on basic communication skills, rather than on memorizing lists of words. We will learn how to listen to similarities and connections in terms & syntax, ask questions, listen for responses and ask clients to move, turn, deep breathe and participate in examination & treatment.

What’s the schedule? How is it set up? Will I have time to explore?

The course itself is 20 hours spread out over seven days, with plenty of free time to relax, enjoy the  resort facilities and explore the natural beauty of the areas. The class itself runs from Sunday Morning to Friday Evening. You are encouraged to come early and stay later for a more relaxing and memorable experience, we are happy to help with these arrangements. The class begins in Guanacaste with a few nights at an intimate Costa Rican  resort. This delightful place will be our home base for exploration of Guanacaste and immersing ourselves in the Language and Culture of what has been known to be ” The Happiest Country on Earth”

6575_1098848993373_1454024_nOne  day trip will be to a small village to meet with a Pharmacist and a Physician, discuss the medical care delivery systems and explore village life.  We will explore the  local pharmacy,  the Macrobiotica ( herbal store) and grocery store to examine products and terminology. The health care delivery system of Costa Rica is socialized medicine with private health care available for a fee; it is quite interesting to see what types of medicines are available from the pharmacist without any prescriptions.  Optional trips from here include zip line canopy tours, horse back riding and more.  We can discuss as a group what we want to do and see.  Costa Rica is a very progressive country, and gambling and other Las Vegas type activities are legal.   The class itself is set up for more class time on some days, and others less, to facilitate general relaxation and exploration. Immersion activities are interspersed with class learning sessions and active immersion & practice sessions, making each day new and interesting.

What is the cost? How does it break down? What about guests? Is my license covered with these hours?

SONY DSCThe course fee is $679.00; this fee includes the course itself, a 20 continuing education contact hour certificate — certified by the California Board of Registered Nursing CEP # 15387, at least one day trip away from our home base resort and a Medical Spanish reference tool that is yours to keep forever. California board of Registered Nursing CEU’s are accepted by most boards of practice, RT’s, PT’s, LAc’s, CMT’s, and CNA’s and Acupuncturists. The rule of thumb on whether your board will accept these hours is generally,” Is this content relevant to the licensee’s practice?”  You are welcome to bring a non participating guest and they need only pay the location fee to the travel agency,  not the class fee. The class officially ends on Friday Evening at our home resort.  We usually close it off with a big meal and goodbyes, as folks tend to leave at different times on Saturday. Although we are not providing you with transportation to or from the class start & end locations as part of the fee,  We are happy to assist or guide you in arranging extensions to your visit and ground transportation to accommodate your goals — just ask — we have picked up folks before from the Liberia (LIR) airport.

Any special discounts? 

Yes, if you complete registration and pay in FULL by two months in advance, you can take a 40% discount off the Course fee, as indicated on the registration form.

What are the accommodations?

This time we will be staying in a few small  resorts in Guanacaste, and taking day trips to explore other areas and delve deeply into the culture.

th-2The food is simple, fresh and delicious in Costa Rica. We tend to drink fresh “squeezed” juices with every meal (watermelon, mango, banana, pineapple, blackberry, etc). There is no concern with drinking the water or swimming in the pools and hot tubs while at the places we stay, Costa Rica has excellent sanitation standards. While teaching Public Health at an Acupuncture University I learned that Costa Rica actually has higher public health outcomes than the USA (in the main 12 indicators, such as life expectancy and maternal child health.)The food at the Rainforest Resort we stay at has been voted the best in Costa Rica by all my friends, both Tico and visitors alike. The food is grown on the surrounding farm, including the milk, homemade cheese and very yummy corn tortillas about ½ inch thick! The name of the hotel is Santa Maria Volcano Lodge in Colonia Blanca Costa Rica– this is about two hours from the Liberia International Airport (LIR is the airport code)

What is the weather like?

Most of the time it will be a warm and humid for most of us, the village trip tends to be a little cooler and windy , as it is in the mountains and it is not as hot as it is near the ocean. It is a tropical rainforest, so be prepared for an occasional shower. The rain is warm, and I have found that light clothes that dry quickly are best. When I hike in my waterproof windbreaker I find that the sweat and heat of it is more irritating then that of getting a little wet from the rain. I like light weight easy dry long sleeve shirts, boots and umbrellas. Sometimes at night between June and December it tends to cools down, so some fleece clothes or a scarf that are warm wet or dry and dry quick might be nice to bring along.

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What do I need to bring?

Bring a relaxed attitude leave the stress from work and home behind. Bring light easy to dry clothes , your bathing suit ( or two), waterproof sunscreen, a sun hat. and an extra lightweight( quick dry) towel. They are available in tourist areas in Costa Rica.  Bring all prescriptions medicines you need, waterproof shoes, sandals, clothes, umbrellas, hat, sun glasses, sun screen, bug spray and flashlight. Now you can shop and get all these things in Costa Rica, but remember to leave your self time to do so.You may want to bring field glasses, cameras, bird watching needs, and a small note pad. The resort  has a wireless network, so some students have bought lap tops and communication devices with them. Please bring the Spanish tool we send you upon completion of registration, any pens and note pads you might want as well. Please bring an open and willing mind, ready to practice Spanish and have a great time. We will have some simulated physical exams, real life pharmacy trip and some fun learning surprises as well.

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How do I register?

To register,contact me via email and we can make arrangements.  We are currently updating the registration form to reflect the great changes in our new program.

We will send you a confirmation receipt and more information soon after receiving your registration. Please call if you have any questions or need assistance with any of these processes; you can email Deepa at deepa@luzdelcorazon.net or you may call Deepa at 831-531-8349.

How do I get to Costa Rica?  How to I get to the event?

The class is in some of the loveliest and “mellowest” parts of Costa Rica. Where as the Ticos (Costa Ricans) would say it’s “muy tranquillo” these spots have been chosen for their beauty and relaxing nature, away from the hustle and bustle of the tourist trail.  The closest airport is Liberia, the capital city of the Province of Guanacaste, and it’s International Airport code is LIR. Round trip flights from Los Angeles to Liberia range from 300 to 700 dollars, depending on the time of year. San Jose is about 4-6 hours away from the class sites, and we can help guide you to transportation arrangements if you choose to fly to San Jose. If you wish to rent a car ( the travel agent can help with this) , we can provide instructions on driving to the class site. There are infinite combinations of local planes, taxis, buses, hired transport vans, and rental cars to get you around. You might want to arrive early or stay late to explore the other parts of Costa Rica, and we will happily make recommendations or contacts for you.

Pura Vida! ( Pure Life, as the Tico’s say, used like Aloha)