The Time I Studied in Costa Rica and Vactioned in Panama in 3 and 1/2 Weeks!

To kick off summer 2017, I went to Costa Rica to study Human Rights and Serving Learning! My time in Costa Rica was nothing but magical! I ate the best food, met the best people, and had experiences that I would not have had back at home. I am truly grateful for those who helped me plan for this trip, fund this trip, and enjoy it!

Before the Trip

When I first learned about this trip, December 2016, I was truly excited that this might be a possibility for me to take my first trip out of the country! Side note: I've been to Canada but I also don't remember because I was so young. It had been a goal of mine for a few years so I knew I had to have faith and simply apply and sure enough, look who studied abroad in Costa Rica. Once I was sure it was what I wanted to do, I met with the MASS office staff and other students frequently in order to learn about what the trip would entail and to make sure everyone was staying up to date on due dates. Another goal of mine was to get a passport and sure enough, right before I headed out to Costa Rica, I had my very own passport to leave the country and adventure off into new boundaries.

Flights

My flights were from Gerald R. Ford International Airport, Grand Rapids to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and from Atlanta to San Jose International Airport, Alajuela. The flight's total was ten hours long. It was only two hours from GR to ATL so it was good to have that break to relax in the airport for about four to five hours. By that point all of the students and staff traveling to Costa Rica we're all together (excluding two people who flew straight from Chicago, IL into Costa Rica). I did feel jet lag and sickness from my flight, which was expected, for about two to three days after my flight. I flew Spirit Airlines and all of my flights were on-time with the exception of one delay between Atlanta to Costa Rica.

Transportation and Housing

Once we made it to the airport, CEA sent a driver for us to get to our home stays. With two supervisors in one house, eleven females separated into two house holds, and three males separated into two also. We all stayed with households set up through CEA. We arrived to the houses around 11 PM that night, were fed dinner, and then we all headed to sleep to be well rested for our tour of Costa Rica and the school that CEA has in San Jose. CEA also provided transportation to take us all to our service learning in the next city over in San Carlos, Alajuela. Along the way, they drove us to bathe in the Baldi Hot Springs Hotel and Spa that runs its water from a volcano into the hot springs! That was first weekend. On the second weekend, CEA asked where what we wanted to do and we settled on traveling to Panama for Friday ands Saturday and then returned to Costa Rica on Sunday for class the next day. If we wanted to go out on the town after or between class, we would just walk or catch a cab. Downtown San Jose was only about a 20-minute walk from the school so it wasn't a hassle to get places.

Studying Human Rights and Service Learning

I signed up to study Human Rights and Service Learning through Central Michigan University study abroad program. This was a three week/credit class that was able to be transferred into CMU to be applied to my overall credits and also counts as a class. Just like any class you might take, we had class every week day for about three hours with a break. We each had one presentation about various Human Rights topics and one groups presentation on the service learning we did. For some examples of human rights we read articles and presented on: The right to marriage and family, workers' rights, right to democracy, right to public assembly, right to education, women's rights, child rights, and environmental rights. Along with our presentations, our professor would bring in speakers and do Skype calls to hear from people working and learning about Human Rights around the world and in Costa Rica.

Our service learning was related to child rights and women's rights. The first time we arrived at Posada De Belen, a shelter for teenage mothers, we were introduced to the ladies we would be working with for the time we would spend there. Some of them spoke English and some of them were bilingual in English and Spanish. They took us to see where all the babies, toddlers, and mother were and we were all ready to jump right in and provide lots of cuddles, diaper changes, and find playmates. They told us all about the religion that some of he women belong to, where they came from, and a broad sense of how they (the women and children) got to Posada de Belen.

As part of the service learning part of the class, at Posada De Belen we not only cuddled babies but also sorted clothes to make sure they knew which clothes were good to go for the kids and which ones needed to be thrown out. It was a lot of fun helping them get organized and ready to support any mothers that may need that assistance with clothing. To finish off the class, we got into groups of four to organize a video about our experience volunteering. When we finished these videos, we uploaded them to Youtube. If you are interested, it should show up under MASS Costa Rica Study Abroad.

Panama

The weekend we were given the chance to do whatever we wanted, we decided to plan a trip to Bocas de toro, Panama. The total trip cost about $200 total when we paid through CEA. CEA set everything up for us from the hotel to the islands and beaches we would visit to the boat that would take us to these places. It was a great deal and well set up schedule. We got to visit about five different islands and beaches like Starfish island and beach, and Sloth island. We didn't get to swim with the dolphins but we did get to see them! Instead of going all the way back to our island to eat meals, we were fortunate enough to be able to stop at another island on the way to get fresh food and drinks. Me and a friend that was along the trip with me decided to walk around an entire island and wow what that a workout and an adventure. We ran into so many different types of crabs it was really unexpected. They would all run away from us when we came near. There were dark sandy brown crabs, red crabs, and light tan crabs.

On our first trip off the island, we got the chance to try snorkeling in the Caribbean sea and if you're like me and haven't been in a sea before, you may forget to close your eyes! I got salt water in my eyes and mouth, forgetting that I was not in Lake Michigan. I quickly grabbed the boat, fixed my eyes, and rinsed my mouth and got back into the water to find myself swimming in a school of fish. It was a great experience! When we got back to our hotel to get clean and get dressed, we talked about where we would go to eat. On this island, every restaurant turned into a club type of joint by that night and it was fantastic! Everything was in walking distance so we deiced to go grab some food and then go back to our hotel to get ready to see what the night life was like in Panama. We met people from that island that were from London, U.S., Costa Rica, and different Caribbean islands. We got the chance to hangout with people we've never met and gets tips on how to find food and fun around the island.

Costs

The cost of this study abroad trip was paid to my CMU student account. Depending on how I set up the payments, they would be taken care of by financial aid, scholarships, and personal funds. I decided to take about $600/ colones with me in order to make sure I ate whenever we weren't at our homestay where meals were provided. I also used that money to pay for my trip to Panama, gifts for family and friends, and lots of sushi! The cost that was applied to my student account was about $5,000, including tuition, housing, travel for school purposes in costa rica, and meals on homestay, etc. I was able to apply for a few scholarships through the MASS office and study abroad.

Weather

May in Costa Rica is rainy season! So it rained most of the time that we were there and we still enjoyed it! Although I didn't think to bring my rain boats, I enjoyed the warm water against my feet each morning we got a downpour. It rained typically in the morning and later in the afternoon, giving us a good block of time to walk to class or go shopping. But if we were still downtown around 2 PM, and we have not headed back our house, we knew we would possibly get caught in the pouring rain! Going into the umbrella business during that season will be the best thing you are to do.

Take-Away

Traveling opened my eyes to different human rights, ways of living, and perspectives on different issues. I was humbled to have been a part of that experience. It is very important that everyone knows their human rights to live their best life. If you don't know what you have the right to, you will have to believe what others say without taking your own stance. Don't be that person! Know what you are voting for. Know what rights will affect you and how to use them to the best of you knowledge. Knowing your rights will help you and those around you live a more mindful life!

Peace. Love. Namaste!