Testimonies / ICDS's students

ICDS Summer and Fall 2009

My experience in Costa Rica has been an amazing journey that began with a crash-course on Spanish language and ended with a trip to Puerto Viejo, a beach on the Caribbean. When I arrived in San Jose, Costa Rica, I did not have many expectations for the class or the experience as a whole but as the program developed I learned about Costa Rica and development issues. Most importantly, this experience has fostered personal growth in a deep and meaningfully way. Costa Rica has changed some of my old habits and has challenged me through experiencing life in a country very different from the United States.

The classes were very interesting and the professors succeeded in relating the course material to real-world events. My Spanish improved significantly during the five-week course and I became much more comfortable with my conversation skills. Jointly with the Spanish language classes there was a development component where we examined the problems facing Central and South America. The professors lectured on multiple case studies and always included the most recent and interesting information. For example, we significantly modified the lecture after the coup d'etat in Honduras occurred. This situation resulted in the former president of Honduras being sent to San Jose in his pajamas.

The excursions to Punta Leona and Rio Celeste were simply amazing and truly representative of the natural beauty of Costa Rica. Every aspect of both locals were visually stunning and it was great to be able to both swim in the Atlantic Ocean and experience a waterfall with water enhanced by natural minerals. Costa Rica also has numerous other adventure activities including zip-lining and river-rafting. Costa Rica contains 5% of the world’s biodiversity and I feel that the excursions were a great opportunity to experience everything from trekking through the rainforest to riding bikes along the beach.

My home-stay has been one of the most enriching experiences of my life. I learned about Costa Rican culture, cuisine, music, and daily life from my wonderful host family. I also had ample time to speak Spanish in a natural and relevant setting. My host parents have been extremely patient and nurturing when it comes to helping me with Spanish and any other problems that may arise. There is also a special connection to the country that is made that will long after your departure. I would definitely recommend it to all others who want to improve their Spanish and learn about development issues.

I was extremely impressed by the other ICDS participants who were selected for their passion for development issues and expansive knowledge of examples from around the world. The group was very diverse in terms of region, race, and religion, which lead to interesting conversations from various different points of view. They had an inner drive to explore the Costa Rica, and every weekend we would visit a different area and try to imagine what it would be like to grow up there. We also shared great adventures including walking across rope bridges, zip-lining, and of course checking out the local hang-out spots.