Pura Vida, Café y Comida! Past Review
By Benjamin C (Environmental Science/Spanish, University of Massachusetts Amherst) - abroad from 08/31/2013 to 12/15/2013 with
Study Abroad Programs in Costa Rica
I learned how to speak Spanish, gained invaluable friends, and learned about what it was like to live in a more or less impoverished country with a family. Also, the biological differences in produce and environment were astounding! Totally interesting and worthwhile! I saw monkeys and plants with leaves bigger than me!
Review Photos
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. |
My courses included intensive Spanish Immersion, and I knew very little Spanish prior to the program. Compositions, oral presentations, drills, and worksheets were all a part of the coursework. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Our director was months pregnant, and continued to accompany our group to our volunteer locations and even assist me one-on-one with reading an Argentenitan Spanish novel. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I was satisfied. The host family I was with was very nice, and my host mother cooked delicious meals every night. They also took me to family events at their relative's house in the mountains, and around downtown to good places. They even helped me get a Halloween costume! |
| * Food: |
The food was great! Gallo Pinto every morning was hearty and yummy. They had fresh pineapple and papaya every day as well, which was the freshest and juiciest fruit I've ever had in my life! My host mom cooked postres regularly, and would make huge pots of spahgetti with lots of extra bits of meat and sauses. I was so full after every meal! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I made three of four friends at the university, and they were all locals. I felt a part of the local culture, but kept at a distance, as they knew I was only there temporarily. But the coffee plantation aspect of their culture was something I felt I got to know fairly well by the end of my time there. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I never personally had an experience with healthcare, but my fellow students abroad had a few instances, and each time they told me that their problems were dealt with efficiently and successfully. Nobody was unable to participate in group activities or trips. |
| * Safety: |
The city of Heredia is a place I felt fairly safe walking around in at night. During the day, I felt no issue of safety. I was living just outside the city, and felt even safer there. There are security guards at each street with residential housing, and they blow whistles to signify safety. Everyone warns you to be cautious, and there were no gangs or shootings that I noticed or heard of while abroad. |
| 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) |
I found it easy to live off of $50~$100 a week, because all my meals were provided to me by my host family. Those expenses were souvineers or extra activities like traveling to the coast or National Park admission. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | I spent maybe $10 a week on food (drinks at a cafe) and nothing on other expenses expcept the bus (less than $1) to get to volunteer sites. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Transfer money from $ to the local currency in large amounts and budget the amount you spend in a week of for a certain event. The exchange rate takes out a smaller % when you transfer it all at once. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
Every day I spoke Spanish and it improved a lot very quickly. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Latin II - Epic Poetry |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | 10+ |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Carry a notepad with words or ways to say things, I did this, and by the end had memorized unique colloquial terms and words not found easily otherwise. Also befriending people that speak the language, and possibly speak English as well helps immensely. |
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? |
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? | I wish I knew that if I took more advanced Spanish courses, then they would count as credit towards a Spanish Minor. |
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 Nearly Native or Trail BlazerCraving the most authentic experience possible, perhaps you lived with a host family or really got in good with the locals. You may have felt confined by your program requirements and group excursions. Instead, you'd have preferred to plan your own trips, even skipping class to conduct your own 'field work.' |
