Overall Life in Costa Rica
Greetings everyone!
Last week officially marked my half way point of the ISA study abroad program. It's been such an incredible experience so far! I couldn't be any happier, and Costa Rica is defintely a place I consider my second home. I would recommend anyone who is considering Costa Rica to definitely take a shot at it because it will be something that will change your life.
Overall, I would recommend studying abroad because it might seem overwhelming at first but as the days pass it is something you won't regret doing. Coming from personal experience, at first I was scared and overwhelmed to be studying abroad. Especially, because it is a place I had never been to, and was worried about getting lost or feeling homesick. I didn't want to leave especially because I am close to my family and pets back home, but in the end you have to take the risk and just go because everything happens for a reason.
The classes at ULatina (name of the university) are a lot more relaxed and laid back compared to the traditional classroom set up at NIU. My campus is half inside and half outside which makes being in class a lot happier because of the incredible view. I am taking four classes here, with all of them being in Spanish. I am taking a yoga class, a history/culture class, Latin American cinema class, and an oral/grammar class. I would say most of them aren't too difficult, except for the oral/grammar class. This is because grammar has always been a trickier subject for me in any language I've known. The teacher and student relationship here is a lot closer then most teachers I've had in Illinois. They get to know you on a personal level, and are interested in each of our likes/dislikes, but also push us in each class to advance our Spanish and knowledge.
My host family is awesome! I love her house and the cooking is so delicious! We get two meals per day (breakfast and dinner) and I love how it is usually traditional Costa Rican food. It is definitely fun trying new foods, even if they don't look pleasing at first. That is the whole part to the study abroad experience! My house is about 20 minutes walking distance from the university, but pretty close to everything else like: the shopping mall, outdoor shops, and restaurants. In general, if you ever have any doubts about studying abroad I would say just to take the leap because everything happens for a reason and it is a life changing experience that you will treasure forever.
(View from my school's campus)
Last week officially marked my half way point of the ISA study abroad program. It's been such an incredible experience so far! I couldn't be any happier, and Costa Rica is defintely a place I consider my second home. I would recommend anyone who is considering Costa Rica to definitely take a shot at it because it will be something that will change your life.
Overall, I would recommend studying abroad because it might seem overwhelming at first but as the days pass it is something you won't regret doing. Coming from personal experience, at first I was scared and overwhelmed to be studying abroad. Especially, because it is a place I had never been to, and was worried about getting lost or feeling homesick. I didn't want to leave especially because I am close to my family and pets back home, but in the end you have to take the risk and just go because everything happens for a reason.
The classes at ULatina (name of the university) are a lot more relaxed and laid back compared to the traditional classroom set up at NIU. My campus is half inside and half outside which makes being in class a lot happier because of the incredible view. I am taking four classes here, with all of them being in Spanish. I am taking a yoga class, a history/culture class, Latin American cinema class, and an oral/grammar class. I would say most of them aren't too difficult, except for the oral/grammar class. This is because grammar has always been a trickier subject for me in any language I've known. The teacher and student relationship here is a lot closer then most teachers I've had in Illinois. They get to know you on a personal level, and are interested in each of our likes/dislikes, but also push us in each class to advance our Spanish and knowledge.
My host family is awesome! I love her house and the cooking is so delicious! We get two meals per day (breakfast and dinner) and I love how it is usually traditional Costa Rican food. It is definitely fun trying new foods, even if they don't look pleasing at first. That is the whole part to the study abroad experience! My house is about 20 minutes walking distance from the university, but pretty close to everything else like: the shopping mall, outdoor shops, and restaurants. In general, if you ever have any doubts about studying abroad I would say just to take the leap because everything happens for a reason and it is a life changing experience that you will treasure forever.
(View from my school's campus)
Comments
Post a Comment