Howdy, my name is Nicole Kohers, and I have been abroad in Costa Rica for about 1 week. It’s even more beautiful here than I imagined or saw online. To be able to witness all the greenery and wildlife in person is a completely different experience than what you would get looking it up on the internet. One of my first observations since getting here, was their ability to conserve resources, meaning they do not waste. For example, water conservation has been the most obvious form of conservation since I’ve been in Costa Rica. The shower time is limited and the water does not get very hot. They also make you pay for water everywhere except the houses we stay at and the University.
Another aspect of Costa Rica that I have noticed before my arrival at the airport is the friendliness of the people. The two women, Angie and Lady, who work for ARCOS in Costa Rica, have been very helpful to us as we prepared to leave for the study abroad, and have continued to guide us as we experience our first week here. I have noticed that our homestays and other Costa Rican citizens have been just as welcoming and friendly as Angie.
The homestay experience has been the most unique part of this trip. I am rooming with 2 other girls, and none of us speak Spanish which makes it difficult to communicate with our homestay family because none of them speak English. We have been adapting to this language barrier by picking up on key words as we slowly learn a little bit of Spanish. We are also utilizing the translate app, so that we can share conversations with our host family.
Overall, the main differences I have noticed between Costa Rica and the United States is that Costa Rica cares more about conserving resources and they appear to have a more relaxed lifestyle than the United States.
