When I went to Costa Rica, it was my first time out of the country, so I was a little worried about how everything would go. Another concern of mine was that I didn’t really have any friends going on the program as well, so I worried about feeling alone or left out. However, after flying with two of the other people who were going on the program as well, I had a feeling it was going to be great.

When we first arrived at the hotel in San José, I was still a little worried about whether the other people in the group would be nice and welcoming. However, the first moment we met another group member, my worries went away. The group member approached us and talked about the plans that had been made for a little later that night. We went to those plans, where everyone talked and learned more about one another. This proved to be very helpful because the group stayed quite close, and we all hung out a lot. Even the group leaders said that the group we had was one of the closer groups they had seen during their time with this study abroad.

Every day of this program brought a different and exciting experience with it. The tour of San José was amazing. The visit to the coffee plantation, followed by a trip to a volcano, a walkthrough of a place filled with amazing animals and a great waterfall experience, was a long but exciting day. The trip to Montezuma was a tough day because of the different roads and transportation they had there, but it was a fun experience for sure. Once in Montezuma, the small city had so many different experiences to offer. From swimming in the ocean, to releasing sea turtles that had hatched, to seeing a mother sea turtle lay her eggs, to experiencing a waterfall that was even better than the first waterfall we saw, there was never a dull moment.

There were even times when we took short trips to different areas around Costa Rica from Montezuma, such as Banana Beach and Isla Tortuga. Isla Tortuga allowed us to snorkel and see some of the marine life around the area, and we even saw dolphins on the boat ride to the island. At Banana Beach, we saw the beautiful sunset in an area that prevented any obstruction from the natural landscape and allowed us to get a different look at how other areas in Costa Rica are. I also really enjoyed that most of the people we worked with on our service were similar to us in age and came from different countries.

When working at ASVO, we were able to interact with people from Argentina, Germany, Spain and France. They were very accepting and nice to us. It was also notable that the food there was different but also very good. We were able to experience a lot of home cooking during our time there. They have a different platter, mainly in Montezuma, because of their lack of fast food places with it being a smaller town. I felt very cared about there because everyone was so nice.

Pura Vida is a phrase that is used a lot in Costa Rica, which means pure life or simple life. This is often used as a greeting or farewell and it represents just living life relaxed and to the fullest. This is a phrase that they seem to really live their lives by. People there do not seem to be in a rush or get frustrated over small things. They are caring and welcoming, which just shows how Pura Vida is so important in their lives. I definitely don’t blame them though!

This beautiful country led me to a different level of relaxation than I have ever felt. This program has actually changed my life for the better and I cannot emphasize how much it meant to me. If anyone asked me whether or not they should go on this program, I would tell them that I cannot recommend it enough. Every experience that I had was nothing short of incredible.

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Learn more about this blogger’s study abroad program: Global Service: Sea Turtle Conservation in Costa Rica