I absolutely loved my time abroad! It really changed me for the better. At first, I was very hesitant to get out of my comfort zone and really see the country because of my fear of spending money, but once I broke through that barrier, I couldn't stop traveling! I saw both coasts, went to both the Nicoya and Osa Peninsulas, visited the mountains in Monteverde, experienced San José night life, and so much more.
When I wasn't traveling, I really enjoyed spending time with my amazing host family, who included me in so many of their family activities, which made it feel like I had a home away from home. I really liked that I studied in San Ramón, because while it isn't nearly as big as something like San José, it still has so many things to do and see. It's smaller size also makes it a lot safer and easier to get around.
While I do speak Spanish, many of the other program students went into the experience with very little Spanish skills and were able to have an awesome experience while also learning SO MUCH of the language along the way - so if you're nervous or unsure about going because of Spanish skills, GO ANYWAYS :) If you DO study Spanish, studying abroad will help so much - my biggest Spanish issue before this experience was understanding native speakers, and now I'm SO much better at it. Costa Rican Spanish is a good place to start because it's a very neutral form compared to the Spanish in other Hispanic countries.
As for academics, while we did have some bumps in the roads with professors, for the most part, I learned so much and had some amazing professors with whom I formed some great bonds. The program staff was super helpful, and since it was such a small program, it was a more personal experience. The small class sizes allowed each individual to receive more academic attention and therefore have better success.
Overall, while my study abroad experience began because I was required to do so for my Spanish minor, I got so much more out of it than just that. I now have a network of friends all over the United States and Costa Rica and feel like a more well-rounded perspective with a more open-minded view on life.
What was your funniest moment?
We were coming back from San Jose on a bus, and my friend's duffel bag was stolen from the luggage compartment under the bus cabin. She was super worried because in the bag was her $150 pair of binoculars. Luckily, she had an AirTag on it, so she could see that someone got off the bus with it and was walking down the highway. We took an Uber down the highway to look for the person but saw nothing.
With no luck, we were waiting for another Uber to take us back to the bus stop, when we see a man coming around the corner with my friend's bag! Surprisingly, THE MAN was the one to approach and say "Is this your bag? I took it from the bus by accident." So, we took the bag from him, he kept walking, and we took an Uber back to the bus stop.
THE FUNNIEST MOMENT: On the Uber ride back, my friend checked to make sure everything was still in her bag. Everything was still there, including her expensive binoculars, except for one thing: HER DIRTY UNDERWEAR. THAT CREEP LEFT $150 BINOCULARS BUT TOOK HER DIRTY UNDERWEAR. We were astounded but continued to laugh about it for about 3 hours afterwards, and still joke about the Panty Raid to this day.
