Natasha Montesdeoca, Plus3 Costa Rica Summer 2024
Hi everyone! My name is Natasha Montesdeoca, and this summer, I had the incredible opportunity to study abroad in Costa Rica through the Plus3 Program! One of the most memorable aspects of my experience was living with a local host family, which truly enriched my cultural immersion and understanding. While most countries participating in the Plus3 Program have their students stay in hotels during the duration of the program, our itinerary was a bit different, and consisted of us staying in the homes of local Costa Rican families. At first, the thought of staying in someone else’s house for two weeks made me a bit nervous. However, it turned out to be one of the most wonderful and transformative experiences of my life. Our class was split into small groups of 2-4, and each assigned a “Mama Tica”, a Costa Rican mother, who provided us with a place to stay, delicious meals, authentically experiential Spanish lessons, and genuine care, treating us like family. I had the opportunity to room with a close friend of mine that was also participating in this program, so having her there with me made things so much better. It was beautiful to see her, as well as the rest of my peers, progress in their Spanish day by day and beneficial for me, as someone fluent in Spanish, to practice using distinct words that aren’t in my everyday vocabulary. Living in homestays truly made this experience one to remember because it allowed us all to immerse ourselves directly in the community and witness the Costa Rican way of life firsthand. It also allowed me to create a strong bond with my peers, as we were all living in the same neighborhood and participated in activities together everyday. We were together almost all the time and always found something to chat and laugh about as we eagerly shared all of our experiences with one another. Thinking back to that now, some of my favorite nights were the ones in which we spent eating Pops ice cream in the park and playing basketball and soccer with the local children. I have grown so much and made so many beautiful memories on this trip that I can’t help but smile reflecting on it all. Costa Rica was truly a pleasure to explore, and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. To those considering participating in study abroad experiences, I hope this blog is a sign for you to say yes! I can’t wait for my next study abroad adventure. The world is waiting—go explore it!
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