Heredia, Costa Rica
4 months in Heredia Costa Rica
Meet Micah!
I was a dual major in international affairs and Spanish and I absolutely loved every second of studying abroad! I think the best part was being able to step outside of my comfort zone every single day and grow so much both as a student and a person! When I’m not planning trips I love to attend dance and pilates classes and am currently working on law school applications!
Program type: USAC external program (learn more about this program here)
Most time spent in: Heredia, Costa Rica
Length: 4 months
Semester/Year: Fall 2022
Year at GVSU when studied abroad: Junior year
Background
I was really interested in advancing my Spanish speaking skills and exploring more of the world! The countries [Costa Rica and Chile] I ended up in just offered the classes that best matched my needs.
Example Day
Wake up and have breakfast with my host family before commuting to campus. After a few classes I usually had free time to spend with friends exploring the city before heading back home to work on homework and converse with my host family.
Reflection
It was pretty much what I was expecting both times [Costa Rica and Chile], but I would advise anyone wanting to learn a second language to try and use it even more than I did. I found myself reverting to English around the other students in my program (because that was what was most comfortable for all of us) but I wish I would have encouraged everyone to speak more spanish! To better prepare I think I could have done a little more research about each individual country so there was a little less culture shock.
"I wish I would have encouraged everyone to speak more Spanish!"
Advice/Recommendations
Treat every experience as a chance to learn and grow! It will be incredibly challenging and mentally exhausting at times but it is so worth it. Never pass up an opportunity to explore and/or practice your Spanish! Try and live in the moment because your time will go by so fast!
"Try and live in the moment because your time will go by so fast!"
If you have any questions about the program above or the experience of this page's author Micah specifically, feel free to contact him using the following email: micahbartek@gmail.com
La Tertulia (GVSU Spanish Club)
This website is kept up by La Tertulia, the GVSU Spanish Club. This club gives students the opportunity to practice their Spanish and expand their knowledge about different countries where Spanish is spoken. Check out the La Tertulia Laker Link page for more details!
If you want to share your own experience studying abroad and be featured on this website to help future fellow students, fill out the following form: https://forms.gle/anqjj4d2tP5eQwWE9