Costa Rica: Pura Vida Past Review
By Jenna R (History and Spanish, Nebraska Wesleyan University) for
ISEP Exchange: Heredia - Exchange Program at Universidad Nacional
No matter where you go, studying in a different country away from your friends and family is a unique experience that will change you. In a way I still haven't grasped the different ways this experience has affected me. My Spanish improved immensely, I met amazing people, and saw some very beautiful landscapes including mountains and beaches. I learned the most through my volunteer experiences. The people living in the small communities didn't have much, but they had each other and the love and friendship between them is so obvious. It is difficult to find the "pura vida" in Heredia where every house has bars on the windows, but you don't have to look hard to find it in the country. I am very thankful for the opportunity to study abroad, and only through the hardships do you come to appreciate the everyday things you take for granted.
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. |
The majority of my classmates were 17/18 which was strange for me. The general education requirements were very easy. They were difficult in a way since I was taking them in Spanish. I had one challenging course called "Culture and Development in Latin America." We had a reading assignment and paper due each week, movie reviews to submit, two presentations in front of the class and a ten page paper. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I was not impressed with our host advisor. She was not very accessible and was not very understanding at times. I know other students in the program were not happy with her performance either. Perhaps she had too much on her plate. It's easy to look back on an experience with a romantic point of view, but I am trying to be open and realistic to provide an honest review. I don't want to push students away from this particular program because Costa Rica is awesome. Just remember that you might encounter some difficulty with the program advisor. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I felt very safe in Heredia. I did not walk alone at night though. My host family was very kind and I felt like I was part of the family. I participated in family functions such as birthday parties, shopping, dinner parties etc. |
| * Food: |
I encourage every student to try the local food. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I embraced the culture of dance in Costa Rica. I miss dancing a lot! I took two dance classes and I met a guy named David in one of them. We danced in class and then he took me out dancing at different clubs on the weekends. We remained friends throughout the experience and I learned a lot of Spanish and different dance moves through our interactions. I also studied at Cafe Britt every week. Cafe Britt is the major exporter of coffee in Costa Rica. I met some great people there and learned a lot about Costa Rican coffee. Lots of tourists stopped by to visit the plantation and it was fun to visit with them. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I felt safe walking alone during the day time, but I did not walk alone at night. Heredia is a fairly safe community, despite the bars on the windows. Stay away from San Jose. It's dirty and dangerous. Only go there if you have to take a bus to a different part of the country. The water is clean so there is no need to worry about that. |
| 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? | Too much. Costa Rica is not cheap so come prepared. I bet I spent anywhere from 10 dollars a week to 50 dollars depending on what I was doing. It's so hard to say...there are plenty of opportunities to travel and you can travel fairly inexpensively if you take the bus and stay in hostels. A good hostel costs around $12.00 a night. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | There were hidden ISEP program costs that I was not happy about. The student visa issue was a pain for all involved. They claim you need a student visa before you can receive your transcript, but a tourist visa should suffice. Make sure you talk things over with your advisor here and abroad before you go so you'll know exactly how much money you are paying. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Spanish Conversation |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
I spoke Spanish with my host family and with the locals at school. I spoke a lot to the taxi drivers who were suprised I knew Spanish. |
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 the most part I was happy with the program and I hope our evaluations will help them improve the kinks that we encountered. While they want you to have a good experience, you are a source of income, and be prepared to feel that at some point. I recommmend that everyone in the program takes part in the volunteer experience because it was amazing! If you want to see the "pura vida" that everyone talks about, go on the volunteer trips. You won't be sorry! |
