Human Rights Advocacy Study Abroad Programs in Central America

Altogether, I had a great time. We got to see so much and I believe the pacing of the program was great, spending the right amount of time at each location. La Fortuna was my favorite! Traveling in a large group brought up trouble with waiting on students, health issues, etc. but I still think they were able to make the most of it. Having a flexible schedule and being open to adjustments definitely helps. Our guide Rodrigo and our bus drivers were the best!

I really enjoyed this experience. My review is based off of a free trip less expenses such as food and transportation, as I received scholarships for this course. I do know that many students paid upwards of $7,000 on this study abroad trip, which I do find to be a bit much. Considering we were staying in $80 / night hotels with non-working lights, mediocre amenities, and bad air conditioning and bedding coupled with the scarcity of included meals, the figure should have been more around $3,000 without airfare cost. I do not understand how the cost was so high for what was received. I also found living in the dorms with random Costa Rican people to be fun, but a bit restrictive. The morning meals were literally eggs, a piece of bread, and really bad coffee. I was also staying in a really small bunk bed which was uncomfortable. Staying in an affordable hotel would have been better. Next time I recommend the school book out Ester’s Place which is closer to the tech campus and run by a lovely lady who has many rooms available in her home hotel. She also had a much better breakfast and the cost was only $65 / night per person. I stayed here my first night flying in on the 12th and wish I could have gone back but due to restrictions I was not allowed. My family of four at the time in 2019 went on an all inclusive cruise to Italy, Spain, and France for under $10,000 with included meals, drinks , stay, etc. So this trip being $7,000 + for just ONE PERSON is a bit crazy. Regardless, the activities were awesome and for me, price was not an issue as stated before. So, my review without price factored was it was amazing. Great tour guide Rodrigo was so knowledgeable and a very nice guy. He took us to authentic places and not just generic touristy places. I enjoyed seeing the stark contrast in sustainability initiatives between exotic resorts, quasi-governmental organizations, and design firms. I truly did get a wonderful experience with understanding how firms work and the metric process used to gather sustainability info, as well as how to tell if a company may be kind of BS-ing the situation with their sustainability initiatives, or holding themselves accountable. I loved the zip line tour and the coffee and cocoa bean tour. The history tours around the towns was cool, but truly was not necessary. I feel we could have just had an informational PDF sent to us instead of touring these relatively boring historical landmarks. Activities are always more fun than learning about history. I think it would have been much more effective to fly into Liberia, tour the beach and Penninsula Papagayo’s HOA office, then make our way back to San Jose and visit firms, then fly out of SJO. The amount of time driving was frustrating. Or, instead, we would just fly into SJO and tour the Caribbean side of things and skip the western side of Costa Rica altogether. This way the time could be allocated more effectively. I also wish the professors would have split us into groups so we could have gotten to know everyone. There were certain folks I never really got to have conversations with because the groups would naturally clique and we never had forced exposure to each other. Overall it was a wonderful trip and, with a few adjustments I know the next one will be awesome as well!

Coming to TTU Costa Rica was an amazing experience and allowed me to try lots of new and unique things. Rodrigo was the absolute best and the entire trip wouldn't have been half as great and smooth without him! Gonna miss him back in the states, thank you so much for an amazing time!

We had a fantastic time and learned so much. The teaching and service were excellent. We are coming back again. We had a life changing experience! During this trip we me so many wonderful people. The city is lovely and the country is full of wonderful animals and natural vistas. Doug and Di

Tremendous staff. Environment is like none other and they accommodate well. For Seville, the city has been tremendous and CIEE gives you a proper introduction to this magnificent city. Whether an intern or a student during one of the sessions, you can get along with everyone and overcome the anxieties of a new city

I would be very likely to recommend CIEE Study Abroad to a friend because this program gives you many opportunities to explore the city you are in as well as the surrounding areas. All of the employees are very kind people who will be their to uplift and support the students who are abroad.

I attended a small-group class in Spanish as a beginner with basic-level in order to communicate while travelling in South America. Therefore I joined Maximo Nivel I San Jose for 3 weeks. At the weekends I explored Costa Rica with its beautiful beaches, volcanos and the huge bio diversity of its national parks. I learned quickly the most important expressions and questions in Spanish but also had a lot of fun at class with my classmates and the teachers which teached us Spanish also by using games and connecting the classes with our own experiences we made in Costa Rica. I can definitely recommend Maximo Nivel and also its location in San Jose as it is centrally located, which makes it the perfect location for exploring whole Costa Rica.

I spent the last 2 weeks studying Medical Spanish in Costa Rica at Maximo Nivel. The staff here has been super supportive from start to finish. They are able to turn and anxiety provoking process into a smooth experience. I was picked up from the airport on the day of arrival and taken to Maximo nivel. We had an orientation which was super helpful and then taken to our host family. The host family accommodations were fantastic. Great food and coffee. The host family was super inviting. It was clean. The other students were super friendly. Spanish classes were fantastic as well. I do think that these classes will help me treat spanish speaking patients in the future.

The staff at Toucan Education Programs Inc (TEP) are exceptional! They are very professional, organized (while also maintaining some flexibility and adaptability to changing program needs), provide excellent communication and customer service, are great problem-solvers if any issues arise, and also very caring towards faculty and students and their needs. Additionally, the staff are well-versed in planning meaningful educational experiences, while also ensuring meals, travel, and accommodations are exceptional while in-country. I have special dietary restrictions, but all my meals were planned and taken care of without me having to worry too much about it. TEP really goes above and beyond in their services and I would wholeheartedly recommend them!

Toucan Education Programs (TOUCAN) responded to this reviewJuly 09, 2022

Hello Dehlia, we are so happy and grateful for the opportunity to facilitate your agriculture faculty-led program for you, your entire cohort, and your professors. It was an honor to host you and your cohort. Your openness made it so easy to serve you and the entire group. Thank you!

I thoroughly enjoyed learning the culture of Belize. Such a beautiful and peaceful area. I loved the sense of community. Although the students were in walking distance of the school, we as the leaders mostly had to do everything in the area we stayed and had to get a taxi to get to the city everyday.

I thoroughly enjoyed my study abroad experience using this program. There were activities planned for us relating to our major as well as extracurriculars. This was an amazing opportunity to enhance my cultural knowledge and apply what I had learned from my college classes. I would highly recommend this to other students!

The spring was overall a great experience. The people were very welcoming and there was a lot of assistance to make the transition easy for us. We were placed at Holy Family R.C. School, but there always a lot of confusion on what exactly we were supposed to be doing there on both ends, I feel like that should have been established before we got there so time wouldn’t have been waisted.

Toucan Education Programs (TOUCAN) responded to this reviewMarch 21, 2020

Hello Myah,<br/><br/>We hope you are well given how drastic our lives have changed since you left Belize. Your review is appreciated and valued. <br/><br/>We would be grateful if you explained further why you felt our program staff was not resourceful in providing pragmatic solutions to your needs. <br/><br/>On another note, we are pleased and excited about how engage you would like to remain with TEP.<br/><br/>Again, thank you for your review and we hope to hear from you soon.<br/><br/>Stay safe and healthy!<br/>The TEP team

The TEP trip to Belize was the trip of a lifetime! I learned so much about myself and the beautiful country of Belize. The TEP staff was very responsive to needs and took the time to get to know me as an individual.

Toucan Education Programs (TOUCAN) responded to this reviewMarch 21, 2020

Hello Ms. Worldwide!<br/><br/>Thank you for your review of your experience in Belize this spring. <br/><br/>We value and appreciate your time and response.<br/><br/>With continued gratitude.<br/>The TEP team

I have had a great experience, it is organized and comes at a good cost. The staff on-site is very supportive and helpful (as well as Brooke in Portland), but we had an emergency situation and the Portland higher-ups didn't handle it well, nor did anyone answer the emergency number provided to us.

I had a great time while studying abroad in Belize! I got the chance to stay with a Belizean family during a home stay. I learned so much about myself and my level of respect for other cultures has risen greatly. I learned to appreciate the daily necessities that I look for granted at home. My host mom and I still keep in contact today. We also were given a wonderful lady to guide us around Belize during our stay. She was very informative about the history of Belize and also the popular places that we should visit. Overall, my study abroad experience was very memorable. I have been back to Belize to vacation 2 times in my own since my study abroad and I plan to study abroad there again in 2020. Do I love Belize? You better BELIZE it!!

Toucan Education Programs (TOUCAN) responded to this reviewDecember 05, 2019

Dear Ciera,<br/><br/>Sincere thanks for taking the time to share your experience with other students. We hope your review inspires them to step out of their comfort zone and consider Belize.<br/>Sincerely,<br/>Rhondine

I feel that CIEE tries to have activities for us and I really do feel that I am learning a lot here. Also everyone here seems really nice and I feel that though we are different a lot of the students seem to have the same mindset and its a good chance to network.

TEP was a vital resource in making our study abroad experience a success. The cultural immersion experiences were by far the most meaningful and impacting part of the trip. I want to give a special thanks to David Hernandez for being a wealth of knowledge, a excellent resource, and a huge help to our group. He was phenomenal!

The entire experience was amazing. Most importantly, I feel the cultural immersion experiences were top notch! Very informative. Very well prepared. Very educational. In addition, the professionalism was impeccable along with the genuine welcoming spirit of everyone. The variety of food, housing, and flexibility offered was great! No complaints about anything.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Belize. TEP provided us with culturally immersive situations where we could share our own experiences and learn from the Belizean community. Thank you so much for this!

I had an amazing experience in Belize thanks to TEP. All members were kind and easy to work with. They made the experience as welcoming as possible. They also allowed for us to feel comfortable asking any questions we had.