Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
This time last year, I was anxiously awaiting news from the colleges I applied to. Having
already lived and studied abroad in middle and high school, I figured that regardless
of the college I chose to attend I would be spending semesters abroad again. Northeastern
was my first choice, and after receiving the acceptance letter to NUin, I remember feeling
a mix of excitement and apprehension. I had never imagined studying abroad for my first
semester of college, and it went against all of my preconceptions of the typical college
experience. Yet the more I thought about it, the more I warmed to the idea of doing something
different. I didn't have any real expectations for the program or country; my plan was more
just to go with the flow once I arrived. Pre-departure and on-site orientations were helpful in acclimating
myself to life in San Jose and the culture of Costa Rica in general. I had never learned
any spanish in school, and that was the only thing I knew would be hard. Pero despues solo
cuatro meses, yo he aprendido mucho de EspaƱol. In addition to the spanish class I took, my
home stay was a huge part of learning spanish. They were always willing to talk with me,
and always made me feel like I was a part of their family. My mom and maid's food was
always delicious, and the variety of meals they made an effort to serve was something
I really came to appreciate in such a culinarily monotonous country. Having classes as small
as we did also helped me get a sense of what college curriculum would be like while also
providing me a chance to interact with my professors. I didn't have any trouble with
my classes, and tried to help out other people when I could. My favorite class was probably
Latin American Film, because it covered a lot of important social topics and historical
events that are omitted from curriculum in the US. Cultural immersion was also a very
helpful class, and I enjoyed the topics we covered and discussions we had a lot, as well
as the informative field trips with Luis. In addition, Global Experience with Mary Gray
was a great way to summarize and reflect on social and cultural issues encountered in
Costa Rica and in the world in general. Our ISAs, Alexa and Catherine, were also really
helpful in organizing events and trips and giving us tips in general about everything
from things to do to information about Northeastern. The city of San Jose is unlike any city I've
spent time in before. Early morning streetcar vendors, constant road construction, crazy
drivers, artistic graffiti and the many stray dogs give it a truly unique feel. Walking
to school in the morning was a great way to start my day, and the cool afternoon showers
never became too much of a nuisance. Museums, dance classes, artisan markets and shows at
the national theatre helped fill up some of my free time. Weekly soccer matches amongst
ourselves and against Ticos were also a great way to have fun and stay in shape. Weekend
nights spent in town at bars and in clubs were always a blast too.
Traveling on the weekends was definitely one of the best things about my experience here.
Being able to hop on a bus and hang out at a Caribbean or Pacific beach for a day or
two was awesome, especially knowing that some of my friends were having to break out their
sweatshirts and jackets back in the states. Other weekends we saw beautiful beautiful
waterfalls and rivers, like at Rio Celeste and La Fortuna, or went swimming in hot springs,
or hiked volcanos or went boating on a river full of caymans. In Cahuita we went to two
animal sanctuaries and got to play with baby monkeys, and in Tortuguero we were lucky enough
to see a turtle launch with hundreds of newly hatched turtles racing into the sea. For fall
break I went to an eco lodge on a beach in Panama with a few friends, and the lukewarm
water and extremely chill atmosphere made for the perfect mid semester getaway. Another
important aspect of my time here was the service learning that we did. As a group, we helped
build a path in Tortuguero for kids who have to walk from the dock to the school on an
often flooded path. Later in the semester, we helped a community organization that educates
single mothers with a landscaping project. For my individual service learning, I played
and coached soccer with kids from disadvantaged communities. The organization that I worked
with, Futbol por la Vida, does an awesome job not only at providing these kids something
to do every week, but also providing them with clothes, cleats and general education
about things like safe sex and sanitation. During one of the last sessions I did with
them, we went to and walked though the favela community that the kids live in. It was an
extremely humbling experience, and was as tangible as proof can get that as far as we've
come with technology and social advancement, we are still failing to address a world full
or inequality. Come the end of every week, blogging was an important way for me to process
and reflect on what I had experienced and learned in the prior seven days. I didn't
really keep a blog or journal before coming here, but there is definitely therapeutic
value in getting everything off your chest and onto paper, and it's something I plan
to continue doing when I return home. The culture shock never really hit me, but I have
become increasingly more anxious to go home as the days have been winding down - perhaps
a mixture of homesickness and wanting to start up college in Boston. But beginning college
in Costa Rica as part of the NUin program has nevertheless been an overwhelmingly positive
experience, and is something I'll carry with me into my years at Northeastern and beyond.
Not everyone gets the opportunity to do something so different and exciting for their first
semester of college, and I'm grateful I was given this opportunity and thankful that I
chose to accept it.