| Why not e-mail us? Resources |
Staff Writer If you’ve ever considered studying abroad and wondered what it would be like to be totally immersed in another culture, let me assure you that my travels to Costa Rica this summer went way beyond my expectations. Earning the six hours of Spanish that I lacked for my English major became the major focus of this expedition. Little did I know what lay in store for myself and the group that I traveled with. My thoughts of living with an unfamiliar family for a month while studying in a foreign country seemed to be pretty optimistic. I felt this would be a great asset to my learning process in Costa Rica. What better way to understand the customs of another culture than by observing them on a daily basis?
The group, accompanied by University of Arkansas - Monticello Spanish instructor Isabel Bacon arrived late the evening of May 21 in the city of San Jose. The school provided a van that transported each of us to our assigned destinations, which would serve as our home away from home for the next four weeks. I felt very anxious when first meeting my “Mama Tica,” Spanish for the lady that would be caring for me. In my particular circumstance, I was left alone with an older Costa Rican woman who spoke absolutely no English, and my Spanish vocabulary left a lot to be desired. In other words, my arrival seemed to add confusion and anxiety to the household. Our daily routine became evident on the first day. We attended four hours of class, two consisted of grammar and two engulfed us in Spanish conversation. Our teachers used various teaching techniques, which ranged from flash cards to playing board games. I found myself intrigued by the way I latched on to the process and actually ended up thoroughly pleased at my newfound ability to read, write and speak in the native tongue. Bacon made sure that each student became very familiar with the transportation facilities during the first week. She accompanied us on several trips to San Jose where we shopped for souvenirs, went to museums, attended a ballet at the National Theater and observed the wares at the largest mall in San Jose.
The fruits in Costa Rica always appeared fresh, luscious and somehow tastier than what we purchase at our local grocery stores. It may have something to do with accessibility. The produce grows abundantly in the nearby areas and becomes available on a day-to-day basis. Some of these that seemed most popular among the Costa Rican people included pineapple, banana, guava, papaya, grapes, cantaloupe and kiwi. The avocado, considered a fruit, made a guacamole dip that needed nothing but a little squeeze of the lemon to provide a tempting treat for one’s taste buds. All these experiences led us to the knowledge of how the locals bought, prepared and ate their meals. It became evident from early on that Costa Rica is a poor country. Their basic food consists of beans and rice. Yours truly rejected the main dish shortly after eating it twice a day for a couple of weeks. I even ate it for breakfast. Some are fortunate enough to afford chicken, but believe me it’s not grilled, baked or even fried. Their serving of chicken “pollo” consists of small pieces of the meat cut up and added to beans and rice or some other staple such as pasta to make a meal. Several trips sponsored by the school offered students a chance to get out of the city for the weekends, or individuals could set out on their own and sort of do their own thing. I stuck with the school-sponsored trips because Bacon always went along, and she could fill us in on any additional information we needed. The natural landscape of this country left the group in awe. The tropical flowers grow in abundance. I couldn’t help notice that the begonias and impatiens we find ourselves planting each spring provide the natural setting of the streets and mountainsides. Our weekend excursions included trips to the Atlantic and Pacific coasts and a boat ride through the rain forest. We observed a variety of species of birds, which included the popular red-billed toucan and the brilliantly colored parrot. Many white-faced and spider monkeys could be seen swinging from tree to tree. They actually seemed to be enjoying the audience. During one particular adventure we encountered a crocodile having just given birth to 11 babies. Students looked on as a sloth slept upside down in the treetop and a pack of pickerings, (wild hogs) ran through the forest, which added an unexpected highlight to our trip. An educational visit to a banana plantation demonstrated how the plant grows, is cared for and later processed and marketed. The prime bananas are shipped to the states or elsewhere, the seconds are sold in the local supermarkets and the leftovers become transformed into baby food. In addition, the group traveled to the site of the Irazu Volcano, visited the coastal town of Tortuguero where turtles travel annually in mid-June to prepare their nests and enjoyed the serene beaches of Manuel Antonio on the Pacific coast of the country. If you would like to study abroad with a group and earn up to three or more hours of Spanish credit, I would urge you to plan now for the next time this fascinating trip is offered. Have a comment? Please e-mail us. ŠThe Voice 2006 Revised 08/30/2006 11:05:03 PM— http://www.uamont.edu/Organizations/TheVoice/4_1/costa.htm |
