IFSA Universidad Nacional Partnership

When I was searching for a study abroad program, there was never any doubt in my mind that I would pick a full language immersion program. I wanted to be able to connect with people and truly live in the culture, not just be an outside observer. I chose IFSA's Costa Rica program not just because Costa Rica is an absolutely beautiful country, but because I would be able to live with a host family and take classes with locals. I don't think I could have made a better choice. I won't lie, full immersion is challenging. Especially at the beginning, I struggled with speaking Spanish and often felt lost and confused. But my host family was patient with me, and so were my classmates. Slowly but surely the essays got easier, my speech got more fluid, and I began to make friends. I would not have been able to understand the Costa Rican culture in the way that I did without Spanish. Yes, I visited tourist sites, and tried the food, and even got lost on a volcano once. But because I knew Spanish I was able to take a folk dancing class, listen to the stories of my host parents, learn about the profound importance of sustainability in Costa Rican culture. IFSA provided great support throughout my experience and helped connect me to a lot of opportunities to get involved in my community. I formed close bonds with my fellow exchange students and we helped support each other and push each other out of our comfort zones. In just four months I had so many incredible experiences and looking back it was one of the best experiences of my life.

This experience was one of the most incredible of my life. The staff in-country were amazing. They were super supportive, but let me explore on my own. The academics were awesome as well. I absolutely would go back in a heartbeat.

My study abroad experience was everything I had hoped for and more. Although, at times I was very homesick I could not have imagined my life without this opportunity. I was fortunate enough to have the financial support to study abroad as well as to travel throughout my time in Costa Rica. I was able to have day excursions to volcanoes and waterfalls, weekend excursions to neighboring provinces in Costa Rica and I was able to travel outside the country to Peru, Guatemala and Panama. I loved every minute of my experience. I also was able to take classes within my major that taught me a lot as well as gave me the chance to meet a lot of Costa Rican students. It was interesting for me as a Mexican- American woman to interact with other Latinos who thought I was Costa Rican and then when they found out I was not they kind of got confused my nationality and ethnicity. I learned a lot about myself while being abroad and definitely have gained a lot more independence. I would do this experience all over again without a doubt.

I studied abroad in Costa Rica through IFSA. The director and assistant director, Rodney and Angélica, were super helpful in every step of the experience. They guided us through getting visas, organized cultural events and excursions, and were an amazing support system. They worked really hard to help us with any challenges that arose being abroad. Taking classes with other Costa Rican students was an overwhelming experience at first, but pushed me to develop my Spanish more and feel like a part of the community. In a similar way, living in a homestay gave me more direct insight into the country's culture, and ensured that I was using my Spanish every single day.

Before I went abroad with IFSA to Costa Rica, I only had a very basic level of Spanish. After my semester there, I feel nearly fluent. Having all of my classes in Spanish with Costa Rican students was an excellent way to immerse myself in the language. Additionally, the staff, Rodney and Angélica, were extremely helpful and informative. The host family placement is also done very well. I was paired with an excellent family that I still remain in contact with today. Overall, this program was very immersive, and I really got to feel like a member of the community, rather than just a traveling student.

When I came to Costa Rica, I was super nervous about my Spanish skills but the IFSA Costa Rica staff helped a lot with my transition by providing me with enough resources I can use. My favorite part of the program was the outdoor field trips that IFSA offered. We had a lot of fun while learning a lot of things about the environment. This experience changed my life and perspective in life, wouldn't change it for anything!

My experience in Costa Rica with IFSA Butler was one I will absolutely never forget. I spent 5 months living in Heredia, attending the Universidad Nacional and living with the most amazing host family who I still consider my second family. I was able to take some extremely interesting classes in Culture and Development, Spanish, Literature and Education, and I was able to participate in the language exchange conversation program at the university as well. Since all of my classes were in Spanish and since my host family did not speak English, my Spanish skills have improved dramatically which is something I am able to use in my life at home. The friends I made while abroad, both American and international, made my experience so much fun and are friends that I know will last a lifetime. I had the opportunity to travel to some truly incredible and breathtaking places that allowed me to further my knowledge of Costa Rica and its culture and people. More than all of that though, I would say I gained a knowledge about life and the world and myself while abroad that I know I couldn't have otherwise. Before I studied abroad, I was always waiting for the next big thing to happen to me, or the next big phase in my life. When I was in high school that was college, and in college it was graduation, and so on. I would tend to focus on my weekend plans and was in such a hurry to get to them that I would miss out on a lot of little things that happened to me on a daily basis which after studying abroad I have come to realize is life. Meeting so many new people who have such different stories than mine and being put in situations that I never would have thought I would be in just really opened my eyes to how sweet this life really is. In adjusting back to my life at home and on campus, I have really made it a point to focus on the every day, as opposed to things in the future. I have found that having this new found perspective I now realize that this life is full of some incredibly amazing things that we miss out on if we don't take the time to notice.