Teaching in Costa Rica: fun but frustrating Past Review
By Brianna M (Spanish Language and Literature., Western Washington University) for
EducatorsAbroad: Traveling - Student Teaching (10-18 Weeks)
I will never accept a teaching job in another country without living there first for at least three months. Going into it blindly is difficult, to say the least, because one cannot account for the cultural differences without living them first. I would definitely never want to teach in Costa Rica. The teaching style is antiquated and inadequate and the differences in cultural values were, personally, too great to overcome. Nevertheless, I learned a lot about interacting with students and building relationships before working on subject matter. I learned a lot about the culture and saw a great deal of the country, and all those experiences are going to be useful to me when I teach in the States, if nothing else than for the kind of world-knowledge they have provided me. It's impossible to say if I would do it all over again, but I don't regret it and I think it made me a better teacher.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
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 |
I find it difficult to answer this question. In terms of the school situation, there was essentially very little program administration in the host country. It was all done by the program coordinator's in the U.S. The home-stays were coordinated by a local woman, a Costa Rican, who also housed students. She was reliable, helpful and knowledgeable about the city and country, given that she was from there and had hosted foreign students for about 20 years. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Overall the homestay was great. It was arranged for me by the program and I felt comfortable there and was well taken care of. My only complaint was the food. Costa Rican food is pretty terrible and not very healthy, so part of it was just the culture of food in the country. However, my host mom was not that great of a cook and that added to the problem. |
| * Food: |
quality of food: poor to average, depending on the host family. quantity of food: excellent. dining out is expensive in costa rica. when traveling on your own, buy groceries. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
NA |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I had not experience with healthcare and I was never in danger or trouble - that I knew of. San Jose, however, is pretty sketchy and there was a lot of visible crime going on all the time. You just have to be smart, keep your eyes open and behave how the locals do. There's no need to be paranoid or overly protective as long as you are being smart and are always aware of your surroundings. |
| 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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Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
Almost no one in the school spoke English so all communication was in Spanish. I used it on a daily basis and always when I was at the school and in my homestay. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I would recommend this program to someone who has experience studying abroad before because it takes a great deal of openness and stamina to get through. Also, it requires someone who is very independent and a self-starter who will take the initiative, reach out to others first (Costa Ricans wait for others to make the first effort), and not feel uncomfortable speaking up and making sure their needs are met. You need endless amounts of patience and you need to be able to go with the flow and not let the frustrations get to you - because there are MANY and it will make you crazy if you let it. |
