AFS Summer Programs in Costa Rica

It's quite interesting to see the world from another's point of view. When I went abroad to Costa Rica, the Rio Olympics were ongoing and preparation for Presidential election was commencing. I learned what others thought of American politics-many mixed opinions (as is life in general). In addition to the culture (tica time, gallo pinto, big families), I learned quite a bit about myself. I found that I enjoyed spending time with people, merely just talking. I learned that I loved hugs because even if I didn't know all the nuances of the words "I love you" in Spanish, hugs could convey so much more. I learned that my definition of family could be greatly expanded to not only those who cared for me in my home country, but those who I truly allow to come into my life and who embrace me into their own.

The 4 weeks I spent at Costa Rica were amazing. I especially enjoyed my stay in palmares since we got to live with a host family. I felt like I had a new sister. We still keep in contact on facebook. The work we did was pretty hard especially at the volcano park on the 4th week but that just made it all the more rewarding. I really enjoyed my time with the volunteer group, as well as the individual time when we got to explore and work in Costa Rica. I hope that if you choose this particular experience you can also enjoy it as much as I did.

This was the best experience of my life. I loved going to school even if it was from 7am to 4:30 pm almost everyday. My host family and compañeros were the best and everyone I met was very helpful and kind. They tolerated my inability to speak Spanish and included me during recess and family events all the time. The social scene during my trip was a little dull but I was only there for 6 weeks and it was in the middle of their exam schedule at school so they did not have much time to have fun. Plus, school was very long. I love Costa Rican food too. It's muy rico. Life is completely pura vida. I wish I'd done a year exchange!!

While abroad with my program, I began having some recurring health issues and was promptly sent to a larger clinic in the capital city, San Jose. When talking with my doctor, I discovered that not only was he a former exchange student, but on his program, he lived about 20 minutes away from my hometown in the USA! Crazy how small the world is.

The greatest six weeks of my life. I spent 6 weeks with 7 amazing people learning Spanish in school, while going out and using Spanish in real life situations. We lived with host families, traveled the country, and became natives. My family, and friends over there will always be with me. On our last night in Costa Rica, all 8 of us created a super bed. In one of the rooms we pushed together two beds together and all spent the night in the room. We sang Taylor Swift, drew tattoos on each other, ate foreign junk food, and watched Easy A. We played fishbowl laughing at things like pina colada, and eventually cried as we realized that we would be going back tomorrow. However in the end we knew that we would remain friends no matter the distance and to this date we have kept our AFS group chat active, keeping everyone updated on our lives.

My time spent in Costa Rica was the best summer of my life! I was lucky and got an amazing host family. The people in Costa Rica are so friendly and excited to share their culture and learn about yours. I fell completely in love with the country and people. I became so used to the new culture that I had a hard time coming home. I didn't expect reverse culture shock to hit me so hard. I still communicate with my host family at least every week. I learned so much in 6 weeks and the support I got from my AFS volunteers was really great.