Costa Rica: Puntarenas - Spanish, Ecology, Latin American Studies

I can honestly say that the 5 months I spent in Puntarenas were some of the best months of my life. I made so many close friends so quickly, and it's great because everyone's in the same boat as you. Everyone is out of their comfort zone and everyone needs to make new friends ASAP. The social scene is great, and all the professors are very easy to work with and the school is informative.

As new as I was to the culture of Costa Rica, I was lucky enough to have gone into the program knowing a good amount of Spanish. Communication is key in social situations, and I was extremely grateful to have had sufficient background in the language. This unique aspect completely altered my experience, specifically in regards to living with a local family, completely. I was able to communicate with my host family fairly fluidly, and with that we were able to build a strong connection. However, the USAC Program did a great job of helping students who had come to Costa Rica with no more Spanish knowledge beyond "hola". Their respective host families were understanding of their communication boundaries, and helped them learn along the way.
Although language didn't prove as much of a difficulty for me, it was challenging for me to adjust to Costa Rica's leisurely culture.With the extremely hot and humid climate of Puntarenas combined with the heaping plates of hot, greasy food in the afternoons and the three hour breaks the whole town took for almuerzo and a siesta every day, I wasn't used to relaxing so much and not being constantly busy. Naturally, I am a very active person which didn't coalesce with the tranquila vibes of Puntarenas, Costa Rica. However, I slowly adjusted to my new environment abroad and eased into my daily life as a tica which proved to be just the break that I needed.

Spending the past year in Puntareñas, Costa Rica was the most challenging and rewarding decision I have ever made. The language, the culture and most of all the people are what make this location a destination that I can not wait to get back to. The memories that came along with the exciting classes, amazing surf and unbelievable family all while doing these things with my best friends made it a dream come true. I love Costa Rica.

Puntarenas day to day was awesome! Something I loved was that we all lived near each other so we could meet up at local cafes. It was also really cool because the people in charge of local shops were really nice and helpful and I got to know them.

I was in Puntarenas for about 9 months, from August 2013- May 2014. I loved the staff in the University and they offered some AMAZING tour options including a 7 day tour of Cuba which was a once in a lifetime opportunity that I will always cherish.

The host families were very hit or miss, they need to be held accountable more for the roles in the students lives, especially the role in feeding the students- some families let the students eat leftover meals while they went out to eat- or feeding them the basic beans and rice while the host family ate other dishes, make sure they are feeding you what they are paid to feed you.

The community has put a lot of money into the area recently- so the pool at the point has been finished and looks nice- the beach is a nice way to tan and cool off on hot days, although the water is not cleanest, still refreshing. The location was good because the ferry to the Nicoya peninsula is right in town and there are busses to take you all over to prime destinations.

If you are looking for a relaxed time abroad- this is the best location in USAC for Costa Rica- the others are more fast paced and demanding. The professors in the location are awesome- great for learning Spanish. There is a Burger King and Pizza Hut in Puntarenas which was sad, this country is so Americanized, they have Wendys, Mc D's, Popeyes, Taco Bell, Subway, KFC, and other American food chains....

I wish there were more diversity in students, I studied with primarily American students, and some whom, as expected, went to Costa Rica expecting to be in Miami or Palm Beach Florida.... Please remember that Costa Rica is in Central America- a LATIN Country, not North America. The only hot water you will get is in a hotel or the city. Hearing the students complaining got to be a drag- making local friends can help you beat this annoying spell.

In the fall semester the days were hot and the water was warm. The locals are more than friendly and the USAC program selects excellent caregivers for the students as well as an incredible expirience.

I can't think of anywhere else I would have rather studied than Puntarenas. I went to Costa Rica knowing minimal Spanish, and having never been too far out of the Northeast US. Puntarenas is unlike anything we have in the United States. It's small size (you can easily walk through the entire town) and laid back atmosphere was so different than the pace of life that I am used to.
I really liked the way USAC structured their Spanish classes. Because hardly anyone in the town spoke English, it was incredibly important to fit in as much Spanish language instruction as possible. I took 14 credits of Spanish during the one semester that I was there. They basically split the semester into multiple different classes, so that for the first few weeks you are in intro to Spanish, then in the middle you switch to Intermediate, etc. The staff was also phenomenal!
Students are also given the opportunity to volunteer at the nearby marine park. I figured they would have me mopping floors, or other meaningless tasks, but when I got their for my first day I was able to apply medicine to an injured sea turtle's shell and help with a pelican's amputated wing. It was a completely unexpected and awesome aspect of the program.
Finally, USAC is super cheap! It cost me less in tuition to go to Costa Rica then it would have cost me to go to my own state school for the semester. Cost of living is pretty cheap too, so you don't have to spend a small fortune every time you go out.

My year in Costa Rica was amazing. Not to say many challenges didn't come my way. I honestly, cried for the first month! Though, after my year I can happily say that it did indeed make me a different person and helped me grow.

Every morning I would wake up for a run, enjoy gallo of course, drink some coffee, eat fresh fruit, then walk 2 minutes to class, arriving every day dripping in sweat.