Living the Pura Vida Lifestyle

I chose USAC Puntarenas, Costa Rica for the Spanish classes, host family housing option, surfing course, and the opportunity to live on a tropical beach. My main study abroad goal was to improve my Spanish so I took 4 intensive Spanish language courses (totally doable) during the semester which vastly improved my Spanish especially since I also lived with a host mom who did not speak any English. It was a great experience living with a local family learning their cultures and eating typical Costa Rican dishes while always practicing my Spanish.
My host mom's house was a few steps from the beach which made for peaceful morning runs and breathtaking sunsets in the evening. At a nearby beach where our 4 surf weekend classes took place, I learned how to surf! I had never surfed before, but I gradually improved over the classes and accepted the difficulty of surfing as an exhilarating experience.
Throughout the semester, I traveled all over Costa Rica and even visited Panama on a tour my program offered! I saw a lot of wildlife like sloths and monkeys, hiked up to too many waterfalls to count, relaxed on a plethora of beautiful beaches, and met many amazing people in and out of my study abroad program. For these reasons, I am grateful for the memories I have made because of USAC Puntarenas, Costa Rica! Pura Vida!