Hello! My name is Madison and I’m currently in my last semester at Sinclair School of Nursing. I had the wonderful opportunity over winter break to study abroad for a week and a half in Costa Rica. Even though we weren’t there for long, I learned so much and saw many beauties of Costa Rica.

When we first arrived, I was really nervous about the language barrier I knew I would have. I took two years of Spanish in high school, which didn’t help much. Thankfully, a part of our program included taking Spanish classes to help us communicate better. I learned so much in the few lessons that we had and I recognized a difference throughout my time there.

While we were abroad, we learned all about Costa Rica’s public health system. It was interesting to see the differences between them and the United States. They do a wonderful job of preventing chronic illnesses. Yearly checkups and vaccines are very common in their country.

In addition to learning, we got to explore Costa Rica. Not only did we get to see their city, but we also got to travel to the coast and stay at a resort for the weekend. During this time, we got to relax at their beautiful beaches and even go zip lining! This program is a great opportunity, and if you have the chance to experience it yourself, I highly recommend it.

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