Costa Rica will now forever be "home"

I spent a full school year in Costa Rica, working in a 300 person rural community in the mountains. It was absolutely everything I was looking for! I requested to be as rural as possible, with a host family, where no one speaks English, and this is exactly what I got. I taught grades K-6 every day to 40 students, and spent my weekends going on local hikes, playing in the river with my host family, or helping my host mother cook. I was immediately accepted into the community and have already been back to visit! WorldTeach offered me support but it was definitely a time to teach myself how to tackle daily obstacles and problem solve on my own. I still look back on my year in Costa Rica as one of the best of my life.