PURA VIDA

I enjoyed every second of my experience in Costa Rica, and I think program and the staff had every bit to do with it. The family that ISA chose to put me with was fantastic, I still skype with them today. They wanted to be involved in my life and I even took dance classes with my mama, and she taught me how to cook traditional food.
The food was full of carbs, and I gained lots of weight, but it was delicious. Gallo Pinto, Platanos, Casados, everything that I was served or ordered out was always very traditional. It was so different to what I would eat at home, but never once was I homesick for American food; however, now I'm homesick for Costa Rican food! Their food uses a lot of meat, but also a lot of dishes that were chopped vegetables, and it would definitely be easy to be a vegetarian if that was desired.
The staff at ISA was wonderful, from when they picked us up at the airport to our very last goodbye. The director did not only want to be our director, but also wanted to be our friend. She held meetings with us to make sure everything was going okay, and any problem was immediately addressed. When we were in the office they would help us plan trips, with our homework, tell us the best places to go, or just hang out with us. The classes I took were challenging because they were all in Spanish, but not only were they challenging, I felt like I learned way more in these classes than I ever did in any Spanish class in America. Also, the school was very welcoming, everyone wanted to get to know the Americans. There was even a club made just for us, the "culture club" where students from the university got together to show us traditional things that Costa Rican's would do.
I was always worried before leaving to go abroad; going to a foreign country, with a foreign language, with no one that I knew. However, once I arrived there, I immediately bonded with people in the program, and realized that these would be great friends. Now looking back I know that every single person I went on this study abroad with will be my friend for life. The experiences we had together are to great to put into words. I wish that someone would have told me to relax before I leave, be less uptight, because I didn't have anything to worry about.
Bottom line, I would recommend this program over and over again to a friend. I got to live in a city and experience a life completely different to my normal one. I think this program made me a better person, and I take so much less for granted now. Also, I had the opportunity to travel to beaches that people go to for their honeymoons. Some of the sites that I saw were incredible! As soon as it was time to leave I wished that I had signed up for a year abroad. Even now I find myself wishing I was still there living the Pura Vida life.