Costa Rica: Good, sometimes dirty fun and living. Past Review
By Ashley S (Environmental Studies., Rollins College) for
Rollins College: Traveling - First Year Field Study: Costa Rica
My experience was definitely worth-while, it provided insight into a county which is not as materialistic as America, an important thing to have with the environmental crisis the world faces today.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
|
* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Before participating in the trip each student was given the assignment of reading a number of e-reserves regarding sustainability in Costa Rica. The e-reserves had detailed descriptions of each eco lodge we visited. This yielded a better appreciation of understanding of each eco lodge visited. Therefore, I was able to gain a richer experience from the hands-on learning while in Costa Rica |
|
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Our group stayed at several different hotels through out the trip. They were all eco friendly to some degree. They staff at the hotels were typically very hospitable and charming. The meals were typically served family style. For the majority of the time the rooms and the environment were very comfortable. However, because some lodges were so eco friendly it was often hard to avoid a large number of bugs while sleeping and during the day. |
| * Food: |
The quality of the food was always wonderful. The food was diverse and usually very healthy. |
|
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The social scene was pleasant, laid back, and enjoyable. |
|
* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
|
| * Safety: |
Costa Rica is a generally a very safe place, very little health issues were encountered. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
|
Finances
|
* 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) |
|
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | A maximum of twenty dollars. There is not a lot of shopping and all of the food was supplied. I brought the majority of the things i needed. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Make sure to bring money for snacks, but other than that not much money is needed throughout the trip. |
Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
|
Other Program Information
|
* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
|
A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Any student who intends to major in environmental studies and any of the sciences would enjoy and benefit from this trip. |
