Located in the beautiful and tranquil Montezuma, Costa Rica, LEDS is founded on the principle of self enhancement of the body, the mind and the soul. It is a one of a kind educational vacation that begs to be remembered for the rest of your life.
The Vacation Crew:
You can count on these guys to not only teach you something, but to make sure you're getting everything out of your dream adventure vacation. These guys will keep you smilin' on a day to day basis:
Rodolfo Pereira Torres
Spanish Department Chairman
Spanish Teacher
Rodolfo is a burst of energy and inspiration! He was born in Costa Rica and began traveling and studying abroad in 1975. He received his Masters degree in Education with an emphasis in teaching foreign languages at the Moscow Linguistic University in 1988, following studies in French, Polish and Theater in universities of Costa Rica and Poland! To date, Rodolfo speaks 5 languages fluently (Spanish, English, Portuguese, French and Russian) and has a fair handle on Dutch and Polish! He has taught his native Spanish in the USA, Netherlands, Bahamas and how in Costa Rica with La Escuela Del Sol. One of his favorite songs is 'Soñar un sueño imposible (Dream and impossible dream)' from the musical 'Man of La Mancha' and he knows this song in at least Portuguese (Sonhar um sonho imposs
ível), French (La Qu
ête) and English (The Quest). His 'impossible dream' is fulfilling his wish that his students will learn how to fight to overcomoe those language barriers in the same way he has learned throughout his life for the better understanding of the peoples of the world.
Gustavo Merlino
Spanish Teacher, Surf Instructor
Gustavo teaches
Spanish in his sleep! He is a native
Spanish speaker who was born and raised in Argentina, and has a great deal of
passion and energy for discovering new people and places. In Argentina, he tutored exchange students
for several years during college. As
part of his studies at the Universidad Abierta Interamericana in Buenos Aires, he
traveled extensively throughout Latin America, studying different cultures. He also spent time on the school’s diving
team (ask him to show you a flawless swan dive over our local 40 foot waterfall!). In 2000 he graduated with a degree in
Tourism. That along with his great
personality helps our students get the most out of their experiences in Costa
Rica!
Mauricio Saborio Sanchez
Surfing Instructor
Mauricio lives and breathes Pura Vida! Born and raised on the coast of Costa Rica, he picked up a surfboard at an early age. Mau has taught surfing now for more than 15 years, the majority of which has been exclusively in Montezuma. Ask him about how he practically discovered the surfing beaches nearby and he'll tell about a time when he and his friend Pablo were the only ones surfing in Playa Grande and Los Cedros, two of the staples of Montezuma's surf scene today. He's not only a kick ass surfer. He wins salsa dancing competitions in his spare time. If you get to see Mau dance with our Spanish teacher/semi-professional dancer, Andrea, you're in for a real treat.
Wagner Zamora
Surfing Instructor
Considering the success of one of his former students, Wagner might be one of the top tier surf instructors in the world! Also born and raised in Costa Rica, Wagner has been surfing since childhood. He too has taught surfing in Montezuma for more than 10 years. He even introduced the sport to an 11 year old Montezuma resident by the name of Mattias Braun. Today, Mattias is ranked the #3 surfer in Costa Rica and often wins international competitions. Who knows, after 4 weeks with Wagner, maybe you'll be the next surfing champion!!
Dagmar Spremberg
Yoga Instructor
Dagmar will do your body good! After years in the European music business, she moved from
Germany to Los Angeles in 1996 and began practicing and studying yoga. After moving to New York, she intensified her
studies and trained with certified Anusara teacher Elena Brower at Virayoga. In 2001, she moved to Montezuma to begin teaching
yoga. In addition to teaching Vinyasa
flow, recently completed an Anusara Teacher Training with Lois Nesbitt from
NY. She is a 500 hour certified E-RYT
with the Yoga Alliance and an Anusara inspired teacher. Dagmar believes that yoga is more than just
bringing the foot behind the head. It is
about reconnecting and feeling good about ourselves. It allows us to remember our own strength and
beauty and re-align ourselves with something that is bigger than us. She says, “Through yoga we can get out of the
mind and into the body and heart. Our
goal is to create balance and remove any blockages that keep us from living
with joy. When we are living our truth
and free from fear, we will inspire others to do the same.” As a graduate of the Institute for Integrative
Nutrition in NYC, she compliments yoga with her work as a certified Holistic
Health Counselor. Dagmar has been known to give classes in English and in German.
Vidya
Yoga Instructor
Born into a family of seekers and yogis, Vidya was initiated into the
path of yoga in South India at age 7. A stressful career in business
and technology drew Vidya back to her yogic roots and she yearned for a
more holistic lifestyle. Her journey has taken her all around the world
to study and practice with various teachers and spiritual centers. With
a strong
working knowledge and experience in Ayurveda, the chakra
systems, vedanta, and tantra she weaves in these elements to create
yoga classes with the intention to support, nurture, and inspire
students along their path. Trained by YogaWorks, Vidya teaches
alignment focused vinyasa flow classes of all levels. She is also a
certified Esalen massage therapist. Vidya's driving force is her
passion for wellness - manifesting through yoga, her short films,
bodywork, and consulting. She strives to inspire people to take better
care of themselves and educate them about the foundations of a
holistically
healthy lifestyle - which lead to enriched life experiences.
Eli Ocampo
Fire Poi Instructor
Eli began his performance career at a young age when his parents enrolled him in dance and theater classes. He then spent several years augmenting his skills and talents stydying martial arts, juggling and mastering the unicycle. After years of hard work and training, Eli's skills crossed over to the fire arts when he joined the Costa Rican performance troop Fuego Tribal. The group criss-crossed Costa Rica several times over, stunning crowds with their high energy shows using poi, clubs, staff, devil sticks and other eye-catching toys. Eli then moved to Montezuma, burning up the streets until joining forces with La Escuela Del Sol. He's a happy go lucky guy that can light up any room (with or without fire) and thrill you with the skills he'll teach you.
Don William and Doña Vicky
General Managers of Hotel
The Office Crew:
These guys keep the school running on all cylinders. You'll see them more in the office than anywhere else, but they love it when you drop by between your suntan and your hammock time.
Jeremy Levine
Founder, Director, Substitute Fire Dancing Instructor
Jeremy's the man behind the curtain! He received his undergraduate
degree in business at Syracuse University in New York and his MBA from
the USC Marshall School of Business in Los Angeles, California. He
learned fire dancing on the beaches of Thailand years ago and it
quickly became his passion. Through business school, he was able to
find a way to keep fire dancing a part of his life while creating La
Escuela Del Sol. The school is something he takes very seriously and
strives continuously to make the best it can possibly be.
Andrea Hoyos
Co-Director, Substitute Spanish & Yoga Teacher
Andrea is the coolest chick you know! She is a
native Spanish speaker who was born in Bogota, Colombia where she was
taught to sing and dance at a young age. She moved to Costa Rica in
her teens and became famous on the hit show Buba, a Costa Rican
sensation of a talent search which was similar to, but predated,
American Idol. All this while obtaining her bachelor’s degree in
Liberal Arts and Graphics Design from the Universidad Nacional de Costa
Rica. Andrea has taught Spanish for 2 years and often cries when her
students leave. She's a committed teacher that everyone misses long
after they have left La Escuela Del Sol.
Rebeca Quesada will blow your mind! She too is a
native Spanish speaker who was born in Costa Rica and has seen the
world many times over. When she was a teen, her mother was chosen as
Costa Rican Foreign Minister to Bolivia under the assignment of Oscar
Arias (who would become the President of Costa Rica) and was
later sent to Portugal. Having lived and studied in Europe for several
years, she can now speak Portuguese, English, Italian and basic French
as well as her native Spanish. Years later, she moved to Montezuma and
opened the first tourism company in town. Her business, world and
academic experience along with 2 years of Spanish teaching experience make her uniquely qualified to run our school as
administrator as well as to teach Spanish when she is needed.
Flaca, Churra and Tsunami
School Mascots, Fire Dancing Instructors
Mauricio Saborio Sanchez
Dagmar Spremberg
Eli Ocampo
Don William and Doña Vicky
Jeremy Levine
Andrea Hoyos
Rebeca Quesada