API Costa Rica= Pura Vida (para siempre!) Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The professors were great! All were from various universities in Costa Rica and they came to El Instituto to teach-all my classes were in Spanish. The workload was similar to what I would have been doing at my home university-I didn't feel that it was too much, but there was homework. Also, grading and teaching methods were similar to in the U.S. but what I really liked about my classes was that the professors really wanted us to get hands on experience; for example, for my business Spanish class we had to go out into the community and interview people about business practices in Costa Rica!

On-site administration of your program

The onsight staff in Costa Rica are excellent and I considered them not only great resources but also friends. They were always full of helpful information and support and I felt comfortable in approaching them with any concerns I had. Asside from that they were willing to spend time with us outside of work, for example Francy (one of the resident directors) liked to go to basketball games with us. Since the program was so small I felt like I received a lot of personal attention.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

My host mom (mama tica) was fantastic! All the students in my group refered to her as a little firecracker because she always had so much energy and she loves to dance! She welcomed me into her home right away, and loved to take me shopping and do things like my hair and nails! Also, her grandson lived in the house with us and he become like my best playmate. Sometimes it was challenging to live with a young child, but once I learned how to be patient and strict when need be things went smoothly with him. I was within walking distance to the school (about 15 min once I learned the faster route!) and felt comfortable walking on my own to school. At night I usually didn't go out alone, but if I needed to get somewhere on my own it was always easy to reach a taxi.

Lots of rice and beans I'm basically addicted to gallo pinto now! :) And the fresh fruit is amazing.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I took a yoga class while I was in Costa Rica-it was incredible! I did/still do yoga in the US, but had never been to a class quite like this! It was with all locals and the instructor had studied for a year in India before returning to teach yoga in Costa Rica. It felt like I was at a true Indian yoga class. Also, taking dance lessons made going to the clubs a lot more fun!- I actually knew how to dance the local dancecs like merengue and salsa.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I never personally got really sick, but some of the students in my program did. The onsight staff did not hestitate to take them to the local medical clinic and get the necessary accomidations for the students. As far as safety, I had to be more aware of my surroundings at night time, but never felt like I was in danger. It did take me some time to adjust to receiving cat calls from men on the street, but once I understood the Latin American concept of "machismo" a little better I learned to deal with receiving extra attention.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

We were encouraged to only speak in Spanish at all times while inside El Instituto de San Joaquin de Flores, which was great practice! I also lived with a host family that did not speak any English, so I was using Spanish consistantly in my home to communicate every-day conversation. My favorite part was that there was a 2-year-old in my house, which really pushed me to expand my Spanish skills in order to communicate with both adults and children!

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• Host Family

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• Host Family