I got an email from the Chair of Modern Languages (who was also one of my teachers last semester), asking me if I would write a paragraph about my experience in Costa Rica. I assume it´s because they want to get people excited about languages, travel; all that good stuff. Anyway, this is what I wrote:
Mark Twain once wrote: “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn´t do than by the ones you did do. So cast off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade wind in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” It is because of this very sentiment that I chose to spend the month of January in Costa Rica, studying Latin American literature. I am currently enrolled in the PBTL program through the DGCE program to become a high school Spanish teacher, and I am using this course to help fulfill a requirement. I feel so lucky that I was able to have this wonderful experience - Costa Rica is a beautiful land of contrasts, and a living testament to the incredible majesty of the planet we inhabit. In my short time here I have seen everything from volcanoes to cloud forests, but the best part about this adventure has been getting to know the people in this tiny country. The phrase used here is ¡Pura vida!, which means “pure life”, and it really is. Through my time here, I have grown as a person, and for that I will be forever grateful. The opportunity to study and travel abroad has immeasurable benefits and should not be missed, even if you´re not studying another language. Exposure to other countries and cultures gives you such great perspective and transforms you more than anything else.
Happy adventuring and ¡Pura vida!
*Olivia
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