Stepping off the plain in San Jose, Costa Rica is very different than entering any airport I have ever experienced. Immediately, I experienced the culture shock of employees not knowing English and having to navigate a facility with signs in a language I couldn’t understand. After arriving at my homestay, I learned my host mom (or “Mama-tica”) and I can’t really communicate beyond the very basic Spanish words I learned in high school. Quickly, I saw how drastically different these two worlds were.
Despite my initial uneasiness at the differences, I soon found the similarities and the whole reason that a trip like this would be valuable for us as students. We got to see how involved and close-knit the families are here, the humble beginnings of many successful businesses, and the generosity of those who helped educate U.S. students. At Mays, we are taught to lead inclusively and have a global mindset, and seeing a man who built a trail from the ground up with sheer determination and hard work is helping us see into a different world than the one we may have come from.
In the U.S., our main focus is on the top companies and profits that we often forget the hard work that many individuals put in to be entrepreneurs in their own ways, whether starting a business or trying to move through the ranks. An experience like this has allowed us to hear from and understand the diversity of people we may one day be in charge of leading.
While this study abroad trip has pushed, and will continue to do so, the boundaries of my comfort zone, I know that I will become a better leader because of it!