Ever since I could comprehend what college was and that there were opportunities to get school credit by traveling the world I knew I had to do it. After finishing my trip to Costa Rica I can now say that I have completed that lifetime goal. Costa Rica exceeded my expectations in a lot of ways. For example, I have spoken Spanish the majority of my life and was so excited to practice and learn more while I was abroad and we got to stay in host-homes which allowed me to do this everyday. My host-parents didn’t speak any English and at times it was uncomfortable to have a loss of words, not knowing how to communicate what you’re trying to say, but it allowed me so much more growth than if they spoke English with me. The homestay also allowed me to learn so much about Costa Rican culture that staying in a hotel would have never given me. I got to be completely immersed into the culture and was fully welcomed by my host family. The food was really good and that’s coming from a picky eater. The only thing I will say is that I never imagined I could eat so much beans and rice every meal of the day, even for breakfast. Learning about Latin American markets was also extremely interesting. It brought to mind something my mom always reminds me: there’s more than one right way to do things. To further explain that, all the Costa Rican businesses do business and all the details of business very differently than American businesses, yet they are still successful. It was extremely encouraging to have that reminder that there is more than one right way to run a business. Studying abroad was as everyone says, “an eye opening experience” and “changed my perspective on the world,” and as overused as those sayings are, they’re true. Cliche might be the right word for it, but studying abroad is truly not like any other thing I have experienced. I enjoyed this trip so much I am already planned to go on my second study abroad this summer to Spain.
Center for International Business Studies Blog