In 1998 I had the blessing of being introduced to Costa Rica through a high school exchange program. In a few short weeks I fell absolutely in love with the country, it’s people and the culture. I saw active and inactive volcanoes, visited both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, rode a horse through a cloud rainforest, took a boat ride through a “dry rainforest”, saw countless tropical birds and ate some of the most amazing food! I knew that one day I HAD to return.
I don’t really know what I thought a degree in Spanish would get me, I had dreams of being one of those translators you see in the movies whispering in the ear of some fancy business man. I found out during my senior year that to achieve that kind of dream I should have been going to translator/interpreter school.
One thing I was sure of though, was that a Spanish major simply HAD to do a study abroad. There was no chance I would be doing that study abroad anywhere other than Costa Rica! So despite the pattern of how things are “normally done” with study abroad, I made it happen.
I lived in CR for 5 months in 2001. I lived with a host family and attended Spanish classes at the University of Costa Rica. I spoke Spanish almost entirely and was so focused on it that at one point, on the phone with my mother, I was starting sentences in English and switching to Spanish without realizing it! Poor Mom! In the latter half of my time there I worked as an intern for the American-Costa Rican Chamber of Commerce. I worked on translating their Spanish Bylaws and Code of Ethics into English.
During my study abroad, I didn’t take many trips or spend much time in vacation places. I lived a fairly normal life.
I had my moments of homesickness, but for the most part, I enjoyed the normalcy. Waking up, drinking coffee, eating fresh bread and fresh fruits every day. Taking the bus to school, walking the neighborhood, learning how to SLOW DOWN. Learning to check my schedule at the door and relax! Going out to dance (clumsily) with my friends. Watching soccer games and living the PURA VIDA way!
(Pura Vida is the national slogan. It literally translates to “pure life” but can mean hello, good bye or agreement.)
It has been 15 years since my time in CR, but I have never stopped KNOWING that someday I would return. What an amazing God that he would have this plan in store for me! He has taken so many bits and pieces of my life to weave them together into His perfect plan!