Hola! This has been an experience that I will never forget as long as I live.

The anticipation of this being my first study abroad experience kept me up the night prior to leaving. I really did not know what to expect. I was a bit nervous because I had never stayed with strangers much less with a family that did not speak English.

How was this going to work? Once on the plane I was not nervous but just ready to get there. When I arrived I was whisked off to my family. I felt like wow, my mom has sent me away to camp for the summer. The ride to my tica family was weird no more speaking English was becoming concrete in my head. How was I going to survive for 30 days?

My new family was pleasant and happy to see me. They spoke some English but just enough for me to understand and communicate with them. Mama Tica is a wonderful mom. Papa Tica is so funny and loves futbol. The first night I was not home sick yet but I felt it coming.

The next morning at school felt much better. There were new faces from different Universities in the US and independent students working their way across Central America. Then there were faces I knew and voices I heard that were familiar, Marketa and Hellen. Finally meeting Marketa and Hellen the voices of ILISA was the best I had felt since arriving to Costa Rica. I was finally with the “counselors of the summer camp.”

The first week went by slow. I felt home sick by Friday. But was elated when we went to Tortuguero National Park. This was like going to paradise.

The rain forest was like nature truly at peace. It truly rains in the rainforest. And is very humid. So humid my nail polish melted on my toes and stuck to my socks. The air was so fresh that if I could have bottled it up. I would have brought it  back home with me. I finally remembered why I was in Costa Rica studying abroad.

The trip to Costa Rica was not just about going to learn Spanish in another country. It was about exploring my comfort zone and appreciating all that there is in stillness. Knowing when you have finally found your own definition of paradise and peace.

Now when I think about the past few weeks. I smile at the trip to Tortuguero and the mini weekend getaways in town. I laugh about the “no flush of toilet paper and the only cold faucet water in the sink”. I know that I have a limit to my exploration into unknown territories. But I am open to new experiences.

I have two new families one from SPC Study Abroad and the other my Costa Rican Ticas. I implore all students to experience study abroad and learn not just about a new culture but about self discovery.