The most eventful week of my life was the last week of May in 2018. It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost a year, because I’ll never forget how wonderfully stressful that week was for me. I graduated from Sheldon High School, cut about two feet of hair off my head, drove to Ames for college orientation, drove back home, then got right on a plane for Costa Rica!
I reminisce about Costa Rica all the time. I traveled there for a week-long study abroad trip with my school’s Spanish Club. Many of you may not know, but I am extremely passionate about Spanish language and culture. Traveling to Costa Rica was an eye-opening experience that I’ll never forget.
We flew out of Omaha early in the morning, all dressed in our matching t-shirts.
I was able to go to Costa Rica with some of my closest of my friends, which made this experience even more valuable to me.
I stayed with my best friend Maddy (pictured above on the left) in a homestay in Alajuela with our Mamatica Erlita and Papá Manuel. Maddy and I loved Erlita to death. She was a tiny, adorable tica and always fed us delicious Costa Rican comidas (meals). If you’ve ever been to Costa Rica, then you’ll understand that there’s just something better about boxed juice over there. ((Erlita did make us fresh juice in the morning, though.))
Our house was located about halfway down a quiet alleyway off a busy road. Maddy and I loved to sit outside and call, “¡Pura vida!” (Pure life) to all the passersby. They always laughed and shouted “Pura vida” back to us, making us ecstatic. They were probably thinking to themselves, “These tourists are weird.” But we were okay with that.
We arrived in Costa Rica just in time for the rainy season, so a lot of our days were very cloudy and gloomy, though this didn’t stop our fun!
Our days began with class until lunchtime. We were split into groups and each had their own instructor; mine was named Lourdes and she was a very happy, sassy tica! Each group was assigned different regions of Costa Rica to research and make a presentation about that we would present to the entire group at the end of the week. I’m pretty sure my group’s region was Cartago, but my memory is also not the best. Despite our clear Americanness and medium-level Spanish ability, Lourdes was very encouraging and patient with us. In the short amount of time we spent together, she helped me double my Spanish speaking confidence and soon I was able to speak with natives comfortably.
We had class in small outdoor huts which had screen windows that let all the hot, humid air inside. I remember once there was a wasp or some other threatening flying insect in our hut and we all ran outside screaming.
We went on a TON of outings and did a lot of sightseeing on this trip. We learned a bunch of Latin dances, including the salsa and bachata!
We explored the city of Alajuela and visited el mercado (market) where we practiced our regateando (bargaining) skills and purchased frutas for our mamas y papas. Erlita told us that she loves guavas and avocados, so Maddy and I purchased the biggest fruits we could find to gift to her.
We also went to an elementary school and played fútbol with the niños (kids) during their break. Those niños had SO much energy and were all so talented at fútbol, they really kicked our butts! It was so rewarding to be able to spend time with them and get to know them! After playing with the niños, we split off into groups and helped with different projects around the large schoolyard. My group was assigned to pull weeds from a patch full of pebbles on the side of the schoolyard, which was in the process of being converted into a small flower garden!
Our days consisted of a fair amount of traveling to and from our destinations. We spent a lot of time in a cramped little bus driving down the bumpy Costa Rican streets which, unfortunately, made me motion sick every time we rode. But I was alright. Even though I was told to not look out the windows because it would make my motion sickness worse, I couldn’t help myself. Costa Rica is so beautiful and SO GREEN. I didn’t even know a shade of green that vibrant could ever exist.
As our week came to an end, we visited the beautiful beaches of San Jose,
“graduated” from our weeklong study program by giving our Cartago presentation, (and got certificates!)
wrapped up our trip by visiting the luxurious Baldi Hot Springs and drinking (virgin) strawberry daquiris,
and said goodbye to our Mamatica, Erlita (Erlita is on the right. Her sister, Ligia (middle), housed two other girls that went on the trip with us!)
In the end, this short study abroad trip to Costa Rica was one that will always come to mind as one of my most favorite experiences. It was so hard for me to believe that I was actually in such a beautiful place; every day Maddy and I would say to each other, “Dude, we’re literally IN Costa Rica right now!” And honestly, I wish I could go back. Just for a little bit. The culture, the atmosphere, the GREEN, everything was so breathtaking and it felt like my eyes couldn’t see enough in the week we were there. I will never forget my trip to Costa Rica.
Written by Lauren "Lanirosé" Davis