Costa Rica: Study Abroad 2021

What exactly is a "finca?" The closest equivalent in English would be a ranch or country home. Essentially, any home that is not downtown or in the suburbs is a finca.  While studying abroad here in Costa Rica, we are staying at a finca called ABC de la Vida (the ABCs of Life) in Ciudad Colón. We all have our own bedrooms and bathrooms here, and we share a communal kitchen, dining room, and large outdoor patio space.  The bedrooms are slightly different, but all of them contain a full-sized bed; two large, open-faced bookshelves/closets, a trashcan, a fan, a full-length mirror, and some other piece of lounging furniture (a desk, chair, small sofa, etc.). Most of the bedrooms have large windows with colorful curtains, which can provide privacy when closed and fresh air when opened. One important difference here is that everything in the bedroom has a function. Unlike in the U.S., many rooms here only have the essentials for daily life. In other words, there is not a lot of art...

 So you're now in a new country and have no idea where to go or how in the world to get there. Don't worry; Costa Rica has great public transportation and opportunities to use private transportation like taxis or Ubers. Public Transportation: The city buses are the most common method of public transportation near San José. For the equivalent of about $3, you can travel from Ciudad Colón to San José, which is about 13 miles! We used the bus on the weekends to visit different places around San José, like barrio Escalante and the local mall, Multiplaza. While we usually stayed on the same one or two bus routes, there are many routes that travel all around Costa Rica, especially to tourist locations.  Traveler's Tip: Bus stops may not always look like the standard bus stops in the U.S. Keep an eye out for the words "la parada," which means "bus stop" in Spanish. Private Transportation: Private transportation is usually easier than the bus routes because it ...

 One thing that really surprised me about Costa Rica is all of the sounds of wildlife! Without the endless droning of the air conditioner, cars passing by, and planes overhead, the only sounds come from nature. I remember on my first night here, as we were driving away from the airport, we entered the countryside and were amazed to find the chirping of geckos, hooting of owls, and croaking of frog. And to complete the orchestra, the night wind whistled through the bamboo and rattled the bushes. One of the other girls commented that it was like being in Disneyland or Disney World because the scenery and sounds were so realistic.  The next morning, I was awakened to the sound of the two roosters crowing around 6:00am. While the roosters are now living with a neighbor, the first few weeks here were filled with their belting. Needless to say, if the roosters didn't wake me up, the calls of the toucans and macaws usually did! Like the wildlife, the people here in the countryside of...

 " But how exactly do the classes work while abroad? " -almost every student who has ever considered studying abroad Yes, the "study" portion of "study abroad" is important. After all, as much as it may feel like vacation, this  is still college. Below I'll explain how our classes and homework are here in Costa Rica.  Classes: where, when, and how     As I have mentioned in other posts, some things have changed for this semester due to the Covid-19 pandemic, including classes. While students usually live with host families and attend in-person classes at Universidad Fidélitas in San José, we are living together at a finca (see my post "Your New Home: A Tour of the Finca" for more about where we are living) and our classes are right here on the patio! In order to decrease the risks associated with Covid-19, we have all of our classes together here at ABC de la Vida in Ciudad Colón.      For our first six weeks, a professor from Universidad Fid...

 The food of Costa Rica is almost always very fresh and traditional. The most popular dish is called Gallo Pinto, which translates to "spotted rooster," because it resembles the spotted feathers on a rooster's chest. According to The Costa Rica Star , the dish was brought to Costa Rica by Jamaican immigrants who mixed rice and beans with the meat of a rooster in order to feed the most people possible. The dish gained popularity over the decades, and now it is a stable of Costa Rican cuisine.         Gallo Pinto is usually eaten with eggs during breakfast, but we have eaten it during lunch and dinner, too. A few days ago, Flaco, who cooks all of our meals here at ABC de la Vida, taught us how to make this delicious dish. Below is his recipe for Gallo Pinto in both Spanish and English. Enjoy, and let me know in the comments if you try this recipe! In English: Flaco's Recipe for Gallo Pinto Ingredients: 2-3 stalks of celery one red bell pepper   ...

While Costa Rica may not seem that far away from the United States, the food can be radically different here. Costa Rica has the most biodiversity in the entire world, which makes for some incredible new foods! For example, the fruit here in Costa Rica are often unrecognizable to tourists because they are so unique. Below are 12 colorful, Costa Rican fruits that we bought from a local farmer's market in Santa Ana. 1. Caimito : Also known as "the Star Apple," this purple fruit resembles a plum or fig. However, it tastes quite dry and sour. It has large, black seeds in the center that should not be consumed. Some varieties come in a shade of green and white and often taste slightly more sweet.  2. Carambola : This fruit is also known as Starfruit, due to its star-like shape when sliced. It is also one of the most colorful fruits due to its bright orange hue. Carambolas become more yellow and sweet as they ripen, making them perfect for a fresco, salad, or jam.  3. Tomate de...

The History of Monteverde  A three and a half hour drive from the capital of San José, Monteverde rises above the horizon, a surprizing change in elevation compared to its surrounding beaches. At 4,600 ft in height, it is one of the shortest, yet most popular, mountains in Costa Rica. A direct translation of "Monteverde" is "green mountain," which perfectly describes the lush rain forests there.  Monteverde is now one of the most famous tourist attractions in the country, largely due to its history. In the late 1940's, an American Quaker group called the Meeting of Friends in Fairhope refused to enlist in the draft for World War Two. After serving four months in prison for their refusal, the eleven families decided to leave the United States in favor of a place that did not participate in the war. In 1949, they moved to San José because it had good farming land and, most importantly, Costa Rica had just abolished its army.  Eventually, the Quakers bought 3,500 a...