I stayed with a couple whose children had already moved out and one other girl from my university. It was amazing, I got to meet the family, stay in a regular home, and was able to walk right over to the local university. The host family was super kind, understanding, and accepting and loved to chat and teach, especially since my spanish could use some work at times, but they were always patient and helped me through a difficult moment. some parts were a little awkward or embarrassing but nothing that wrecked anything, just language, culture, and a change in environment make things funky sometimes. The classes were fun and mostly covering culture, food, history, and the environment. I loved seeing all of the cool museums, markets, and cities, it felt cool to immerse myself in a new environment but in a more controlled way so it didnt feel frightening or confusing. the fun activities were amazing, ziplining, cooking, dancing, tours, and so much nature. my personal favorite things were La Fortuna, a coffee tour, and a cooking class. The staff was also amazing and so fun and supportive, they were with us all the time ready to chat, teach, Crack jokes, and help if needed. I will treasure the memories forever and it was truly an amazing experience.
If you did this all over again, what's one thing you would change?
I would have explored on my own a bit more, or with a group. I mostly stuck to scheduled events as those were fun enough paired with classes and general fatigue from a new experience. But I would have loved to have done more, who knows what I would have found!
