Arcos is an experience I could recommend to anyone and know they’ll love it! August 13, 2024
By Amelia D (High School) - abroad from 06/22/2024 to 07/06/2024 with
Arcos Journeys Abroad: High School Program - Spanish Language & Costa Rican Culture
At first I was very nervous for the trip and throughout the first day I felt homesick, but with each day I fell more and more in love with the people of Atenas and with my new friends and the program overall. I became more independent, made new friends, gained new cooking/baking/art/dance skills from the classes we took, and became a more fluent Spanish speakers.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I loved the educational aspect, but I wish I was in a more challenging Spanish class. I felt the class met my level of Spanish, but I would have loved to be challenged more like the other group even if it meant the class would be harder for me. One thing I really liked was that we got to choose what we wanted to learn so I didn’t feel like the classes were a waste of time. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Catalina and Laura were super nice and understanding. They were always there if we needed anything and I liked how they sent reminders before each day. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I loved Carlos and Genia they were sweet, funny, caring, and overall a great family to live with for two weeks. |
| * Food: |
Genia always cooked us the most delicious meals. She let us serve ourselves which I thought was nice and she always talked with us about our days. On some nights we also went out to dinner which was great and allowed us a lot of independence. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Everyone around was very friendly and I liked how there were not a lot of tourists. I felt safe in the town at some points but there was also a lot of cat calling which was uncomfortable but it wasn’t that big of a deal. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Though I didn’t experience any health problems during the trip, my roommate Eleena felt kind of sick on one of the last nights. She called Catalina who happily took her to the store to buy medicine and let her rest instead of going to the classes. |
| * Safety: |
Atenas was pretty safe. There was a lot of cat calling. My advice for future students is to be careful in taxis because some taxi drivers are sketchy and a lot of people in Costs Rica drive crazy. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I love arcos becuase everyone in the program was so sweet. I made so many close friends that I have stayed in touch with. It was nice to have Catalina becuase was native to a town near Atenas and showed as a bunch of cool local spots that we wouldn’t have been able to see if we we did a different program. One of the highlights of my trip was going to the secret waterfall and walking across the bridge hundreds of feet above a river. |
Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
I was given $60 dollars a week to pay for everything, but I also had my Greenlight debit card which I also used. I would recommend $100 dollars a week because though food doesn’t seem expensive in the moment, it adds up in the end. I only bought a few souvenirs but they were a lot of money because I bought them in places with a lot of tourists. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | I spent about $60 each week on food |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | I would only recommend buying food on some days. I spent money almost every day in food because I wanted to try all the restaurants and cafes. Also, if you do go out to dinner with a big group, I would recommend buying a lot of food to share and then splitting it equally as well as the price. This makes it easier to try lots of things as well as reduce the cost. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? | 0 |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Even though the first day is hard, trust the program and trust that you will be forced to make friends and have fun whether you like it or not. Enjoy every moment because you will look back and wish you could relive it |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Avid AdventurerThe wardrobe you packed was better suited for a semester of camping than club hopping. Outdoorsy, you might forgo a crazy night out for an early all-day adventure. You'd rather take in the rich culture of an old town than the metropolis of a modern city, but for you getting off the grid is ideal. |
