Having the chance to study abroad was something that I did not want to pass up. I had been to a few places outside of the country, but I never actually got to spend a long enough amount of time that would allow me to immerse myself into their culture. In the summer of 2019, I went to San Jose, Costa Rica and studied there for a month.
I was placed with a host family who only spoke Spanish, while I am only at the beginner level, and immediately was thrown into this new world it seemed. It was a bit nerve racking at first, but it pushed me out of my comfort zone and forced me to break out of my shell. I was able to attempt communicating with them, when I used to not even be comfortable practicing my Spanish with my professor.
I learned a lot not only about Costa Rica and the ways in which the people there live their life, but also I learned a lot about myself. Even when I tell people that I studied abroad, others found that to be an act of bravery and adventure. I had never really thought about how scary it could be for others to try that out, but it was so worth it.
I am someone who wants to go visit all around the world, and learn as much about other cultures as I can. It helps to have more of a knowledge and understanding of others. Not everyone grows up the same way, learning to act and speak the same things. There is a reason why people do the things they do, and much of it has to do with their traditions. I was blessed to learn and be included in the traditional ways of Costaricans, and I would not trade it for the world.
Princess Petrus is majoring in Communication and spent 5-weeks over Summer 2019 studying abroad in San Jose, Costa Rica through a Spanish department faculty-led trip organized by CISabroad. Princess had the following to say about studying abroad, “Studying abroad helped me learn not only about another culture, but also about myself. It strengthened my understandings for others, and realizing how much more there is to the world.”
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