Ifsa-Butler Costa Rica- Completely Emerged and My Favorite Semester Past Review
By Alexa H (Spanish and International Studies, Trinity University) for
IFSA: Heredia - Universidad Nacional
I love the country. For such a small country, it has a little of everything and is rapidly growing in popularity. I'm glad I got to see it before it became too developed. The people are all very special to me. Everyone I met there became my family, not only my familia, which I will keep in contact with and make sure to visit, but also the fellow students on my program. I know we will all be very close for a long time. Before we left we were already planning reunions. Personally, my Spanish has not only improved, but I have become more confident using it. I now know I am able to live abroad without too much difficulty, and have connections all over the world. I loved my abroad experience.
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Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Most of the work is group work, which divides the workload, but it is sometimes difficult to get the entire group together to do the planning and executing of the assignment. Costa Ricans are notorious for being fashionably late to everything, which can cause problems getting groups together. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The two women that ran the program were wonderful. Teresita has years of experience and Yanori has many connections within the university and the area. Between the two, any question you came to them with, they were able to answer. If you wanted to plan a weekend trip, they could set you up with special deals. If you had questions about classes, they could provide you with a tutor or talk to the professor. The office consisted of a large room for studying and a small library useful for projects. The only negative aspect is that the wifi from the university does not reach the office even though the building is part of the university. It wasn't that big of a problem because next door was one of the university libraries that had a computer lab open to students. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
During the application process, we filled out a survey so the program could match us with a host family. The families for this program are contracted to serve you three meals a day and do your laundry and change your sheets at least once a week. I was treated as a family member (ate with the family and went to events with them), but also as a guest (no chores). |
| * Food: |
If you are vegetarian, the families are very accommodating and it was not a problem for the 3 vegetarians in my program. The madres love to feed. The meals are always very large and you will never be hungry. There are many local sodas, or family owned diners, in town that are very good and cheap, but the best deal is to eat at home since it's included with the program cost. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
With the program outside of orientation, we took at trip to go rafting and on a chocolate tour, which was one of the best experiences of my life, and a |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Costa Rica has an excellent health care system. The program requires a certain health insurance that is easy to work with. The doctors here in the states will tell you to look out for more diseases than necessary. The doctors in Costa Rica told us there is no threat of Malaria, so don't bother with the Malaria medicine, because they also told us that it doesn't work. The biggest disease is Dengue Fever, which is treatable and causes a few days of feeling extremely run down. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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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) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Since food was provided at your house and I walked to and from school, I could go an entire week without spending more that 5 dollars. The only time I spent large amounts of money was when I was traveling, but it was never too much. A bus to the coast would cost $5, a hotel $10, 3 meals a day $10. If you go to parks or museums, make sure you get the resident student discount by showing them your university ID card, otherwise you'll get charged as a foreigner, which can be 3 times more expensive. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | There are no textbooks for the classes, so if the professor wants you to read something for the next class, you pick up a copy at a local copy shop. It's always less than a dollar, but a reading every week for each class, can add up. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
The classes were with local Costa Rican students and were in 100% Spanish. Also, the directors and our families only spoke to us in Spanish. Very few people spoke fluent English. If there were emergencies, the head director knows English to communicate with universities and families back home. The only place we found fluent English speakers was in tourist areas. |
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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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | For all Costa Rica programs- Be Patient. Costa Ricans work on a slower pace of life than we do. They live the 'pura vida' and are always 'tranquilo.' If something looks like it's not going to work out, give it time and everything will turn out fine. Take side trips. Make friends in the program and travel together. Explore the country. Compare the Pacific with the Caribbean. Try to make it to Nicaragua or Panama. Plan a trip by not making any plans at all. |
