Study Abroad and Domestic Study Away

I've been having a great time in Costa Rica! My weeks have been spent in the capital city of San Jose studying Spanish, the history of Latin America, the science of freshwater ecosystems, and the integration of environmental systems and processes into design frameworks. Every weekend, I have been able to visit new locations around the country—mountains, beaches, volcanoes, waterfalls, cloud forests, and more. On these various excursions, I’ve seen so many different kinds of animals: two-fingered and three-fingered sloths, iguanas, crocodiles, poison dart frogs, land and sea crabs, bats, all three types of monkeys found in Costa Rica, cranes, toucans, macaws, flycatchers, hummingbirds, coatis, dozens of kinds of butterflies—and I even held a five-day-old goat!  

On a different note, I have been eating so much fruit the past few weeks. From bananas to pineapples to mangoes to papaya, I haven’t gone a single day without eating fresh fruit. All the food I have been eating has been great. My host mom, Rosa, is probably the best cook in the world. She is also so sweet and loves joking with me and my other housemate—the dynamic is a lot of fun.  

As for my new experiences, I have been able to go on both a coffee tour and a chocolate tour, during which a local guide explained the process from plant to plate (or cup). I have gained hands-on experience in natural home-building and on a permaculture farm. I have sampled streams in high- and low-land rivers and evaluated the water health using macroinvertebrate bioindicators. And not only has it all been a lot of fun, I have been able to do these things with great company—with students from all across the United States who share my interest in study of the environment. 

I’m very happy to be here, and I’m so grateful for the funding from the Ingrid H. and George Speros Scholarship that helped to make this experience a reality! 

A hike through the Cartago Cloud Forest