Costa Rica - Un bueno pais Past Review
By Matthias S (None, New Mexico State University) for
Centro Panamericano de Idiomas (CPI): Monteverde - CPI Language Center
My spanish improved significantly in the short time I was there. I learned more than in two semesters of spanish courses on college.
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
Although I really enjoyed the food, Costa Ricans tend to have rice and beans to every meal, and after some time I was just happy about any meal that didn't involve rice or beans, for example in an international restaurant. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
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| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
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| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | None |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
In Costa Rica speaking spanish is highly essential. Very few Costa Ricans speak or like to speak english. Although outside of the school property you are dependent on spanish, it wasn't too hard to communicate, as the people are very patient and try to rephrase their sentences multiple times if you don't understand them. |
