By Katie P., Guestblogger from Coronado, Costa Rica Independent Teen program
This trip to Costa Rica has opened my eyes in so many ways. And I
don’t mean to sounds like a lame college essay either! Back home, in the US,
I’ve met all types of people but have never really had the chance to get to
people from all over the world. Not only have I been exposed to the Latin
American culture and language but also many other countries that I knew nothing
about before I reached out and met these people. Now I even know a handful of
German words (mostly inappropriate ones though) and even an Austrian word,
which I am obsessed with saying all the time now since I can finally pronounce
it (and remember it!): GadaLada Lella Shnala. It means…your mother’s bedroom
window blinds…strange I know.
But more then this I have just had such an amazing time meeting
all the different sorts of people here, including my teachers and the students
at my school and the weekend travelers at the hostels. At home we only have
regions of states to compare and it usually is not the most interesting
conversation starter as it is here.
At my Spanish school I have been hanging out with about 4-5
Americans and the rest Europeans, who surprisingly all speak German- (except
the French!) It’s a bit different when we’ll all be talking in a big group and
all of a sudden us Americans merge into a separate formation because the others
forgot our lack of language knowledge and started speaking in German again but
its all good fun. I have even begun to understand some of what they say and
they’re always shocked when I can translate in English what they just had said
in German. (Really, I’m just guessing from their body language!) As well, my
conversational Spanish has improved ten-fold.
Since I have been here I have befriended students from Germany,
Switzerland, France, Austria, and Slovakia. We’ve been over everything from
comical stereotypes to serious discussions about politics, universal
healthcare, the schooling system, the justice system, discrimination, the
United Nations, and then back the way we eat, music we listen to and how each
other dance and party. In hostels that I’ve stayed at I’ve spent entire
weekends with new friends from the US, Hungary, Holland, Canada, Ireland,
Australia, Turkey, and England.
I am happy that I traveled here to Costa Rica solo because it
forces me to reach out and make friends. Now I have my comfortable group from
the Spanish school in Coronado and it’s still awesome to meet all these other
people for just a couple days. I have even connected with some of these other
hostel guests via Facebook and I know for certain that I will be booking the
cheapest flight I can to Germany when I get home! I will return to the States
with a much keener interest in the rest of the world and I can’t wait to
continue my travels and exploration of cultures and languages. The people I’ve
met, the connections I’ve made- this is what has definitely opened my eyes to a
vaster, more captivating scene and world.
Click for more information on AmeriSpan’s Independent Teen program in Coronado, Costa Rica.
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