Growing up I always watched shows and movies such as Dora the Explorer, Moana, and Adventure time. All of these have one similar overarching storyline and that is to see what lies beyond the comfort of your home and neighborhood and see what adventures await. Ever since I can remember I have loved to see and experience different cultures and languages. There has only been one true thing that held me back from seeing the world and that was fear of the unknown and going alone. The study abroad program gave me the safety and security I needed in order to travel for the first time without my family. Boy was it worth it, in the words of Moana “there is so much more beyond the reef”. I experienced culture, I spoke with locals, I ate the local cuisine, I learned more ASL and LESCO then I thought possible in one week, I made a friendship that I know will follow us through the interpreting program and far into the future, and last but definitely not least I learned the meaning and beauty of living PURA VIDA.
Not only did this program give me the opportunity to immerse myself in ASL and strengthen my signing skills but it also helped to bring my past learned Spanish back into use. Alongside Spanish and ASL I also learned the beautiful language of LESCO which is the sign language of Costa Rica. Unfortunately with all good and beauty there has to be some ugly and that rule applies even in Costa Rica. Speaking with the local Deaf individuals I learned how little opportunities they have in comparison to hearing people. Costa Rica does not have any video services to facilitate communication for Deaf individuals, this includes at home needs and emergencies such as hospital visits. Even if there were relay services in Costa Rica there are only 45 interpreters in the country which is not nearly enough. When asked what a women does in case of and national or person emergency and how she stays in formed she replied with “I cannot live alone”. The idea that an adult that is completely capable of living alone and taking care of herself can not due so because the country does not have the technology or resources to allow and aide in her communication was eye opening.
It was also sad to hear the stories about the lives of the children before they entered the Deaf school and how they were bullied and viewed as less than by not only their peers but also their parents. This fact was largely contradicted by the absolute joy and excitement that could be seen by the students using LESCO to communicate and no one being disabled in the eyes of one another. The students were also elated to see us so open and willing to learn their language and try our hardest to communicate because in that moment they got to be the smartest person in the room teaching their language to the Americans and that is a sight I will never forget. While there were some sad times on this trip they were things that I needed to see to understand what the Deaf community experiences on a daily basis as well as how deafness is viewed outside of America.
– Ashley, SPC Costa Rica (ASL) Study Abroad Program, May 2026