As part of my degree program, I had the opportunity to study abroad during the fall semester of 2023 in San Ramón, Costa Rica. I had no idea what to expect, but I was excited to step out of my comfort zone and experience somewhere new. I traveled a lot growing up, so studying abroad was always something that I wanted to do upon entering college. I expected my study abroad experience to be similar to the travels I had done in the past, but I had no idea how different the experience would be. As I would quickly learn, spending a week exploring a new place is far different than living in a new place for months. 

 

Going into the program, the main goal I set for myself was to become proficient in speaking Spanish. I tried to set myself up to learn Spanish in the best way possible prior to my trip, requesting a host family that did not speak English so that I would communicate in Spanish everyday. 

 

When I arrived in Costa Rica, I was nervous but excited to meet new people and begin to become proficient in Spanish. I taxied from the airport in San José to the city of San Ramón, an hour car ride, with a taxi driver who did not speak English. At first, I was excited, but as he began to speak, I realized that I did not understand what he was saying as well as I expected to. I picked up words he was saying, but I was unable to understand the full picture. We approached my house and I became more nervous. I was unsure if I would be able to communicate with my host family. I entered the home and was immediately greeted with a popular Costa Rican meal, arroz con pollo. My host family introduced themselves and began to get to know me. As I began to settle in over the next few weeks, speaking with my host family became easier and easier, and soon, it became second nature to communicate with them in Spanish. As the semester progressed, I discovered that just as important as learning the language was, learning the culture was just as important. Trying new kinds of food, participating in the local festivals, and learning more about the people’s day to day lives. 

 

One of the first weekends I was in San Ramón, there was a holiday known as “San Ramón Day.” In this holiday, the people that live in San Ramón celebrate the saints associated with the town, and there is an ox cart parade through the main square. It was this day that I began to realize the importance of not only learning the language, but learning the culture as well, and this was something that continued to be of importance to me throughout the program.

 

Within my first couple of weeks in Costa Rica, I noticed some cultural differences between the United States and Costa Rica.  One of the first cultural differences I noticed was the difference in time. In the United States, when one of my friends were told me we were leaving at a specific time, we always left at that time. However, when my host family would give a time to leave, we always left later than expected. I learned that this was called "tico time," and although it stressed me out at first, I learned to enjoy living life more slowly. I have tried to implement this into my daily life now, and enjoy living life more slwly, instead of rushing from activity to activity. 

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Another cultural difference that I noticed was the importance of spending time with family, specifically extended family. In the United States, I tend to see my extended family at major holidays. However, I traveled from San Ramón to Puntarenas, which were approximately an hour and a half from each other, many times with my host family so that we could spend time with my host grandmother. These visits were surrounded by meals, and part of spending time with the family was spending time in the kitchen cooking together. This was something that I really enjoyed, and I now try to spend more time with my family surrounded by meals. 

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Although on the surface Costa Rica and the US seem drastically different, they were less different than I expected. Especially being from a southern city, the people are very friendly and open to talking. This is something that I experienced in Costa Rica as well. On one of our first days in the city, we found a local coffee shop that continued to be one of our favorites throughout the trip. Every person we interacted with went out of their way to talk to us, learn about us, and teach us something, whether it be a new restaurant, experience to try, or a hike to do on the weekend. 

 

My time studying abroad will always hold a special place in my heart, but there were specific moments that stood out to me. One was playing soccer with the local university students. In Costa Rica, soccer is part of the culture, and many of the students had played soccer since they were kids. Being able to experience soccer from their point of view and seeing their love for it made me realize the importance of it in their culture. Soccer is not a sport, it ties together the community. In the past, I had always considered culture as language, food, and traditions, but this expanded my view on what culture could be. 

 

During my time in Costa Rica, I was also able to experience a different style of learning and education. In my tropical ecology course, we took a weekend long field trip to a Biological Research Station in Costa Rica. There, we were able to see active research that was being done in the tropical ecosystem, and it was a more hands-on approach to learning, which also applied to the other courses I was taking. Being able to see a different style of education was a great experience that I feel enhanced my academic experience. 

 

Not only did studying abroad provide me with long-lasting memories and friendships, it also changed the way that I viewed myself. It provided me with a different perspective on life and a different way of living, which I will always value. Studying abroad not only allowed me to experience the town of San Ramón, but other surrounding cities as well. I was surprised to see how different each of the towns and regions of Costa Rica were. I had the opportunity to travel to San José, Alajuela, Puntarenas, Cartago, Quepos, and Panama. Overall, my experience studying abroad is something that I will cherish for the rest of my life and allowed me to gain a greater appreciation for the world we live in.