Teaching English in the mountains of Costa Rica

I spent almost a year in San Gerardo and Herradura teaching English. I had a great time there and gained excellent experience both in teaching English and in speaking Spanish. Both of these skills have helped me in my later work and education.

While in Costa Rica, I lived with two host families, first in San Gerardo, then in Herradura. Both families were so welcoming and friendly. They were always feeding me great Costa Rican foods (I still miss Eneida's arroz con leche and Yeti's tres leches) and were happy to chat with me (in spite of my stumbling Spanish) and would include me in their outings and social events in the area.

Jenny was always very friendly and supportive, and Pedro was always around to make a joke and have a laugh. I miss drinking coffee with them in their kitchen (while simultaneously being attacked by their kittens).

Costa Rica is of course, incredibly beautiful. Having the Cloudbridge Nature Reserve just up the road was awesome. It provided both beautiful hikes and fun volunteers with whom I had a great time socializing with. Although, I admit, it took me a couple of months to find them... In addition, they have the hot springs nearby, and Uvita and Dominical are a couple of lovely beaches just a couple of hours away. Great options for a weekend trip!

I really learned how to teach in Costa Rica. Students were forgiving of my imperfect Spanish and my newly tried English teaching techniques. Many students were very enthusiastic about learning English (although there were certainly exceptions). Overall, I really enjoyed the small classes and informal setting.

I would definitely recommend Proyecto San Gerardo as a great place to volunteer if you're looking for a quiet, rural, mountainous location.