Sustainable Development & Social Justice in Latin America

ICDS truly made my study abroad experience the best it could have been. A big part of why I chose this program was its focus on sustainability and community engagement, and also the component of staying with a host family. In all of these areas ICDS exceeded my expectations. They did a great job in choosing families that fit well for each student. Throughout the program, ICDS made sure we were all comfortable at our home-stays and were willing to help in any situation. By the end of the program, my host family became like a second family to me. In addition, the focus of the classes were all connected and all had a sustainable, social justice component included. The community engagement work was also something very unique to this program and something that I learned a lot from. Overall, ICDS runs a very well-thought out, organized, educational, and fun program. The people who work for ICDS are also some of the best people I’ve met and are always willing to help or just chat!

The opportunities that came from the ICDS program study abroad led to my most amazing experiences in Costa Rica. The different cultural activities that we got to do and the classes and service learning component of the program helped me to immerse myself into this beautiful new country. ICDS also did a really good job of picking host families for myself and the other students. I had zero complaints throughout my time in Costa Rica. The ICDS program and staff members were always available for any questions and ready to help with anything. I left Costa Rica not only with new memories and knowledge but also new friends and important people in my life. I know I can turn to ICDS members even now that my program is over. My whole experience was smooth and unforgettable in the best way thanks to ICDS.

My experience abroad in Costa Rica was the best experience of my life. The staff of ICDS were incredible, they were friendly, warm and welcoming. They were also a great resource for information about Costa Rica and its culture. Whenever I needed anything, I was able to go into the ICDS office and ask questions, or needed support. The programs organized for us were incredible. We were able to see beautiful sights in Costa Rica and had great opportunities to learn abou and interact with the culture and locals of the country. Living with a host family was a great component of the program and was a wonderful gateway into the ways of life in Costa Rica. I made lifetime friends during my study abroad and formed bonds with the members of ICDS. While abroad, I was really able to challenge myself, and learn a ton of Spanish. I would definitely recommend this program to a friend, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. Going abroad to Costa Rica was the best decision of my life. The people there were so welcoming and warm, and it allowed me to learn make the most out of my experience and really dive into the culture. I really enjoyed my classes and the teachers were always helpful when I had questions. Our ability to travel on our own was awesome. We got to see so many different locations such as beautiful beaches, waterfalls, volcanoes, and rainforests.

I studied at ICDS from August 2007-February 2008. I took classes from ICDS staff, stayed with a host family, and participated in a 2-month-long internship through ICDS. Overall, the experience pushed my middle-of-the-road Spanish into fluency, made me think about Central America in a completely new way, and was so, ridiculously fun!

The classes I took had to do with environmental sustainability (i.e. ecotourism), human rights, and Spanish. I loved all of them, except for one - the sustainable tourism one. The teacher just wasn't qualified to teach, and she was super disorganized. But, she had real-life experience and was nice, and I don't think she was brought back to teach again. The other classes were all incredible - they covered the Millennium Development Goals, as they applied to Costa Rica, Latin America, and the US. The classes also covered current and historic events and were super relevant to my time in Costa Rica, and in one class we went to a really poverty-stricken slum and learned about a really dark side to Costa Rica, including poverty and xenophobia against some immigrants. It completely changed my life.

The Spanish class was incredible - I went from intermediate to advanced through the classes and from simple immersion. One friend of mine arrived with minimal Spanish background, and was put in the beginner class, and her Spanish improved drastically in the first month - her teacher was great, and her host family was so sweet and patient.

My internship was through ICDS, and I worked with a partner to research the ;Law for Women's Real Equality', which was incredible. Through the ICDS's connections, we set up and conducted (in Spanish)interviews with some truly incredible people, including the former first lady and one of Oscar Arias' former aides. Being able to point to this internship has really made me stand out in interviews for jobs since graduating college!

Living with the host family was the best part. My host mom and I became so close, and she was patient and helpful with my Spanish. We had breakfast and dinner together every day, unless I was travelling, and these meals were vital to improving my Spanish and ensuring I felt very connected to Costa Rica!

When I went on the program, we had class all day for 4 days a week; that left three-day weekends every week. It was perfect - three days was the perfect amount of time to go travel to some beach or rainforest or volcano or other hidden gem in Costa Rica. Some weekends I stayed in San Pedro, and went to cultural events there or in San Jose (the capitol). It was incredibly easy to navigate the city and the country - In just a few days, I was comfortable taking the bus or walking to class or ICDS. Travelling around CR was also easy - we took trains, buses, taxis, ferries, even a small plane, and through our improving Spanish and the Costa Ricans' limited English, we had few problems.

In general, I felt VERY safe. I was a cautious traveler, but not overly paranoid. I felt safe taking taxis and walking - this was largely because the ICDS does a very helpful orientation that addresses real-life situations - including which taxis to take, and which to ignore. During the entire 7 months I was there, I had only 1 time that I felt unsafe, when I was taxiing home alone around 10:00 p.m. from a friend's host house. My taxi driver took a wrong turn and wouldn't go where I was telling him, so I got home about 15 minutes later than my host mom was expecting. I was a little scared, and frustrated because my taxi rate was way higher than I was prepared for. BUT, when we got to my host house, my host mom was waiting and I explained what happened and she railed against the taxi driver with the wrath of a mama bear, which made me feel way safe. She was rarely overbearing, too, so it was amazing. I miss her!

I would so strongly recommend not only studying in Costa Rica but going through ICDS. The folks here know Costa Rica so well, truly care about the well-being and development of their students, and are, above all, well-prepared to guide students through study abroad.

Although this experience was excellent, i would recommend the program to focus more on the availability of academic courses. I feel that, for such a small group the discipline was too intense, but I enjoyed the presence of the staff nevertheless.

Costa Rica is a wonderful country for the student of sustainable development and this program takes good advantage of this. Classes were not as challenging as my classes in the US but the subject matter was very engaging, particularly in the Rural and Urban Development class and the Sustainable Tourism class. The homestay experience was fantastic and the program staff are extremely helpful. San Jose is very accesible and living there allows you to travel all over the country. In order to make the most of the language aspect you MUST sign up for the lit of film class in Spanish--even if you don't feel very confident about your Spanish.