Studying community and public health in Costa Rica was an amazing time! Our program was jam packed with activities and clinical experiences. Learning about the Costa Rican health care system and comparing it to the U.S. health care system was very interesting. We attended a lecture where we learned about the system from a doctor, visited public and private hospitals, and a private university’s nursing school. In all of these experiences, we received lots of information regarding the inner workings of the Costa Rican health care system.

My clinical group visited the Naciones Unidas Public Elementary School. There, we helped to update their health records by measuring and weighing the students and calculating their BMIs. Here we discovered that many of the students’ BMIs fell into the underweight and severely underweight categories, which is what motivated our clinical project. To address this issue we created a form for the staff to use at the school to help determine who is at risk and who to prioritize when there is excess food.

Beyond our clinical experience, a big accomplishment I had personally was visiting another country. Prior to traveling to Costa Rica, I had never been outside of the U.S. Costa Rica is an absolutely beautiful country. I loved the view of the green mountains around every turn. One day we visited the Doka Coffee Plantation, Poas Volcano and a waterfall. It was one of my favorite days of the program. The scenery was gorgeous and it was nice to get out of the city for a day.

Another great experience was our weekend in Punta Leona on the Pacific Coast, where we spent time at the beach relaxing in the sun. I also enjoyed our Spanish classes, even though they were challenging. I took Spanish during high school, and even received my Seal of Biliteracy. Unfortunately, when I stopped taking Spanish classes I forgot a lot of it. The classes at CRLA were hard but my teacher, Evelyn, made them fun with lots of games. I found that one of the most difficult parts of studying abroad in Costa Rica was navigating the language barrier. It was very interesting to be immersed into the culture, speak Spanish with natives and the students at the school, and to explore.

Lastly, I would be remiss to not mention my Mama Tica, Mari. She truly made the time in Costa Rica so special. Her hospitality, humor and cooking were above and beyond what I imagined. She hosted myself and five other nursing students. We all looked forward to spending time with her each evening at the dinner table where we listened to her tell stories about past guests and her family. I will miss her the most!

---

Learn more about this blogger’s study abroad program: Nursing in Communities Clinical in Costa Rica