For my STEP signature project, I participated in an Education Abroad experience in Heredia, Costa Rica. I stayed with a host family for 5 weeks taking two 3-credit hour courses in Spanish. The two classes were a phonetics class and advanced oral and written expression class.
My experience in Costa Rica has given me the opportunity to expand my values, broaden my understanding of different cultures, and ultimately has transformed my world view as a whole. A huge theme in Costa Rican culture is the concept of “Pura Vida” which directly translates to “Pure Life” This phrase is used as a response to just about anything and represents the idea that life is good and to enjoy it. This idea complements another common phrase, “tranquilo” which means calm down or relax. Going into my study abroad I was told repeatedly that among other things, the pace in the United States would be different than that in other countries. These two phrases really show how Ticos live a more relaxed life than people in the U.S. When talking to Ticos, they would throw around the phrase “Pura Vida” and when we would respond with the same phrase it was a way that we could connect with the culture. In times of stress “tranquilo” was a common sentiment that everything would work out in the end and to just relax. I am a very type A type of person and to relax and just let things happen and enjoy the time I had was the most important lesson I learned while I was there. It really allowed me to make the most of my trip, especially with all the cultural differences I experienced.
While the pace that Ticos lived by was different, there were many other cultural differences that allowed me to expand my values and world perspective. A huge way that I was incorporated into Costa Rican culture was through my host family. While my host mom was Costa Rican, my host dad was Chilean. This dynamic with a little prod from my phonetics class pushed me to explore the differences in cultures even between different Latin American countries. Every Latin American country has their own Spanish variations for specific words, some enough so that they cannot understand each other. Along with their dialects, accents vary which can change the way that a word can sound when said by different Latin Americans. Costa Ricans have difficulties saying words with the double r, known as a trill. I found all these variances interesting to learn about and provided me with a better understanding of Costa Rican culture and how different it was from different Central American countries. It is comparable to how in the United States each state has its unique qualities that differentiate them. All my encounters helped me to form a better-informed opinion of Costa Rica and bring some of their values into my own life.
I would have liked to think that there was an a-ha moment when everything just clicked into place, but in reality, it was a more gradual transformation that even on my last day I was still learning new things about Costa Rica and myself. Week 1 was probably the biggest adjustment, starting a new routine and my Spanish being a little rusty. Every day was exhausting: we would wake up early everyday (as per Costa Rican culture), spend 6 hours in class, and then return home for a 2-hour dinner, all of which was in Spanish. As stressful as the complete immersion was during the first week, it really helped so that by week 2 I had not only gotten used to the new routine but had also gotten more comfortable using my Spanish. It was easier to understand and communicate in Spanish when I was calm as opposed to stressing that I would mess up, what Costa Ricans would call “tranquilo”.
While classes and living with a host family was a daily way to practice and improve my Spanish, I think that it was almost more beneficial when our group would go out and explore the country on our own. We were completely reliant on our Spanish abilities and when people spoke it was not slowed down to accommodate our imperfect Spanish but spoken at a normal pace which led to more natural encounters. Many locals were even complimentary that we were trying to speak in Spanish rather than English because it is a common stereotype that Americans are very culturally ignorant. This was not only a way for me to practice my Spanish, but also a way to break down some of the negative stereotypes that foreigners have of Americans. As a group of 8 international students, we were able to see much of the country on our free weekends and help each other better our Spanish. We saw beaches, mountains, national parks, wildlife, and with the help of our host family’s friend who acted as a guide we learned a lot about the different cultural and environmental factors of the country.
Another way that I was able to experience the country was through activities organized by ISA, which was the program that organized my study abroad program. Many of the activities allowed us to explore the city, Heredia, which we lived in and to become more comfortable with it as it was different than a lot of the touristy places that we visited. We had an in-country coordinator who would take us on these activities and was a source we could go to with questions or if we needed advice on anything including help with our homework and assignments. She took us to a couple historical centers in both Heredia and the capital, San Jose. Also, she taught us how to barter at the market and use the public transportation. These are difficult in a first language let alone a different one with different customs. She also became a friend to our group since it was such a small one and was great about correcting mistakes we made when speaking and writing in Spanish. Overall my host family, the locals, and my coordinator all helped me to make the most out of my study abroad experience.
This transformation has been valuable to life in many ways. With help from the “Pura Vida” lifestyle I am making a point to enjoy every moment of my life from the small things to the big and to not stress the small stuff. In the end, they will seem insignificant and will only prevent you from living life to its fullest. I have also improved my Spanish with hopes to keep practicing and become fluent. One of my goals before my trip was to improve my Spanish which I have realized will be a lifelong task, even locals who speak Spanish as their first language can still improve their Spanish and it is never something you will be perfect at. Instead of practice makes perfect, practice makes improvement. Lastly this trip has only further my motivation to travel more and gain a worldlier view to benefit me in a hopeful career in the State Department.
Downtown Heredia
Ficus Tree