Best Five Weeks of My Life: Why you should go to the land of Pura Vida Past Review
By Joe O (English, University of Houston) for
Study Abroad Programs in Costa Rica
I learned Spanish, had fun, ate great food and visited awesome beaches. I want to go back and soon !
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I only spent five weeks to learn Spanish in the beautiful country of Costa Rica. In short best experience of my life. My Spanish has tremendously improved. I got to visit quite possibly the most beautiful country on the planet. Every day there was something new and exciting to explore. I would recommend this program to anybody! Definitely go! Like right now ! |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Everyone was professional and wonderful. The professor, Maria, was fantastic. The course itself was tough, but fair. I learned a lot. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Lived with host family that had an apartment building attached to their house. Apartment was about 4 blocks from the college which was great. |
| * Food: |
Food in Costa Rica is great. But nothing is spicy which I was a bit disappointed with. I hope you like rice and beans because it is the bread/butter of the country. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Going to Manuel Antonio beach was my favorite. I am a beach bum at heart. The beach was crystal clear and the land is in a tropical location. Lots of monkeys, racoons, sloths toucans. It was fantastic. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
We did have one student who got sick. She received medical care and the undivided attention of the Sol staff. |
| 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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Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
Don't be afraid to make friends with the locals. Best way to learn Spanish is to make friends; share beers, and just push yourself everyday to interact with the people of the host country. Most people did not speak English unless you are in a touristy area. So you do have to learn to survive with day to day; so learn fast and have a dictionary handy. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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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? | Anybody. Even if your Spanish stinks. You will learn, and learn fast. I was a B-C student in Spanish and even I walked with an "A" in both classes I took. You really learn and more importantly RETAIN Spanish when you are forced to use it everyday. Unlike taking it back home and just learning enough to pass the upcoming quiz/test then forget everything the next day. |
