Volunteer Programs in Heredia, Costa Rica

I spent six weeks in Ecuador this summer through Beyond Travels, including four weeks living with the Yumbo family near Tena in the Amazon. I still talk about this experience all the time. It continues to shape how I think about food, medicine, land, and community, but what stays with me most is the relationships I developed. Clemente and Elena welcomed me with open arms into their family. I developed relationships with their children and grandchildren, and over time, I felt increasingly part of the family’s everyday life. Being included and cared for in that way meant so much to me. When I think back on Ecuador, I think about the people I miss just as much as everything I learned. My time at Pakarina was also an important part of those six weeks and something I would love to share more about. I arrived with an interest in medicinal plants, agriculture, and community health, and living with the family gave those interests a much deeper meaning. Walking through the chacra with Clemente, I would ask about the fruits, roots, and plants around us, and he would explain what they were, how they were used, and where they grew. Harvesting hearts of palm together made me appreciate the knowledge and work behind a food I had previously encountered without understanding its origins. Some of the conversations that stayed with me most were about Kichwa and the knowledge held within the language. Hearing concerns about younger generations speaking less Kichwa made me think about how plant knowledge is passed down through words, stories, and shared practices. These are questions I’ve continued exploring since returning home. The experience also required patience, flexibility, and a willingness to be uncomfortable sometimes. I had to slow down, listen, and recognize how much I still had to learn. Four weeks offers only a small glimpse into a family’s life, but the relationships we built during that time were meaningful to me. I’m deeply grateful to Clemente, Elena, and their family for welcoming me so fully and sharing their time and knowledge. I returned home with people I hope to stay connected with and experiences that continue to influence my studies and my interest in medicinal plants and healing spaces. For someone willing to participate in everyday life, ask thoughtful questions, and remain open to unfamiliar ways of learning, this experience has so much to offer.

I actually already reviewed my Spanish and homestay program, but I also wanted to give a shout out to Annia and Holli for helping me volunteer for two days while I was there. I've been a basketball player all my life, and I've mentored kids from vulnerable areas in my home town of San Jose, through basketball. So I figured why not see if there was something I could do while in Heredia. I volunteered two afternoons after my Spanish classes at a local children's center called Obras de Jesus, which was founded by an association to provide after school tutoring and meals to kids from a neighborhood called Guarari which is really marginalized and has very few opportunities for kids. Alot of the kids I met only ate once a day there at the center, because their parents didn't have enough money to feed them otherwise. Some of them woudl come without shoes, and the center was always doing drives to collect shoes for them. I'm planning on taking down a suitcase full of sneakers next time I go. So anyway, basically I taught them the rules and we played pickup games which i think are called mehengas there, and it was so fun and just a great feeling seeing the kids out there having fun and getting into something most had never played before. In Costa Rica it's mostly football, but there are basketball courts everywhere in the local playgrounds. I bought a few balls to leave with the center, and I hope the kids keep playing and practicing. I also really liked that both boys and girls played, there was no division or feeling like it was only for boys.

As a professional journalist with a strong interest in languages, I was terrifically inspired by the quality of teaching at Intercultura and the application that it had for my work as a writer and publisher. After spending just two weeks at Intercultura studying Spanish - a new language for me - I was able to deliver a short valedictory in Spanish and leave the school with an appreciation of both the language and the local culture. Intercultura is a vital part of this culture, and a tremendous opportunity for students from around the world to expand their knowledge of other cultures and their impact on everyday life. My daughter also studied at Intercultura several years later, and did a work-study internship in the office for three months at the same time. She came back fluent in Spanish, and with a whole new group of friends from all over the world.

Before going to Intercultura, I hadn't spoken a word of Spanish. At the end of the week I was talking to my host family and although my Spanish wasn't perfect (obviously) it was MUCH easier to communicate. The lessons were extremely helpful, and the teacher was fantastic. I thought the lessons were the right balance of fun and hard work, and I was put in a class which perfectly suited my level and challenged me. I loved the excursions, which included nights out in San Jose, and staying with my lovely host family was amazing and we are still in contact. I couldn't recommend Intercultura more.

I have been to Samara, Costa Rica, last year for four month. I came there in february and was greeted very friendly from a worker in the Intercultura language school. I really loved the Family I lived with. They were very friendly and the mother was like the best cooker in the world and was very helpfully and always had time for me. The spanish lessons were very helpfull too because we learned in small groups what gave us the chance to talk very much. Also I had very much fun in the volunteer programm and really liked my job and the persons I worked with. It was very easy to make new friends and we met every evening at the beach or in a bar. It was just like the best time in my life!