Cross-Cultural Solutions: Volunteer Abroad in Costa Rica

Why did you decide to enroll with Cross Cultural Solutions in Costa Rica?

Alyssa: I decided to enroll with Cross-Cultural Solutions (CCS) in Costa Rica because I had completed a service trip a year prior through YUDA Bands, and I wanted to make an impact again.

Through very thorough research, I found that CCS offered everything I was looking for in a service abroad program. It was flexible in timing, which was necessary as I am a student.

They were also very helpful in funding my trip, with fundraising tips, extending my deadlines, and offering me a scholarship. Most importantly, CCS was safe and reputable, which was significant to me as a teenage girl traveling abroad alone.

Do you feel like you made a significant impact on the local community? Why or why not?

Alyssa: I was only able to stay in Costa Rica for a week, so I doubt my efforts in that short of a time made a lasting impact on the school and students I volunteered with.

However, I know that each day that I spent at that school made a difference in those teachers and students’ days, which I think is still significant. Those teachers were highly understaffed and discouraged from not being able to spend enough time with each student.

During my time there, I was able to work on fixing the school gates, a job the teachers would’ve had to do on their own time, which gave them more time to teach their students. I was able to spend extra time focusing on a troubled student so the teacher could spend tend to the rest of the class.

I was able to keep the kids entertained at recess so the teachers could have a moment to breathe. I know these things made their lives a little easier that day, and the students’ school day a little more meaningful. I believe that is significant.

What did you wish you knew before going to Costa Rica?

Alyssa: I felt very well prepared going to Costa Rica.

CCS has their volunteers go through several training sessions that cover the basis of everything you need to know, from the program specificities to the Costa Rican culture and volunteer placements.

They even have you virtually meet other volunteers traveling at the same time as you. Your Program Site Specialist quickly answered any question you may have had before your trip.

I also found that the program was very transparent about everything you should expect from them and the country.

Because I had traveled to Guatemala the year before, I felt comfortable with the language, transportation system, and other cultural aspects of Costa Rica.

There isn’t anything that stands out to me that I wish I had known before taking my trip.

Tell me about one person you met.

Alyssa: Traveling alone to Costa Rica, I was very unsure about the people I would meet while I was there, going in with low expectations.

However, as I waited at the airport for the other volunteers to arrive, I found that I connected quickly with four other volunteers who were girls around my age. They came from California, Texas, New Jersey, and Delaware.

We became close almost instantly. It’s amazing how a foreign experience can bond complete strangers. Throughout our trip, we volunteered together, explored together, shared stories, and took excursions together.

I learned so much from those girls in such a short amount of time. I found how easy it is to befriend others who have the common passion of volunteer abroad. I still keep in touch with some of them, but even those who I don’t, I will never forget.

There is an indescribable value in forming connections with people from different parts of the world with entirely different backgrounds in the name of a positive cause; it is a lesson I will carry with me for the rest of my life.

What was the best moment of the entire trip?

Alyssa: The best moment of the entire trip was my first day volunteering at the elementary school. I had a few butterflies in my stomach before hopping out of the van, not sure if I had what it took to make an impact at this elementary school.

We arrived just in time for recess, and right away a sweet little boy in Kindergarten ran up to me with no reservations, grabbed my hand, and pulled me along for an adventure. The rest of the week he was attached at my hip, ordering me to give him piggyback rides and insisting that I admire the cool leaves he picked from the tree.

In class, I got to teach him English and during recess he helped me (somewhat impatiently) with my Spanish. We brought each other so much joy throughout that week, and for me, it will always come back to that initial moment when he grabbed my hand.

What is your role at Cross-Cultural Solutions (CCS)? Can you tell us a bit about your role and what inspired you to join CCS?

Kelly: I’m the Director of our Program Enrollment Department at CCS. I manage our team of Program Advisors, a team of amazing CCS alumni, who come to work every day to inspire potential volunteers to follow their dream of volunteering abroad. We focus on educating people about the field of short-term international volunteering, as well as the impact that CCS has, in the communities in ten countries around the world, where we work alongside local initiatives.

I was inspired to join CCS as a staff member, because I have done a lot of personal travel to many countries around the world, but the times that stand-out the most to me, aren’t walking the Great Wall of China, or swimming with whale sharks in the Philippines or visiting the fairy chimneys in Turkey, but rather the connections that I made with members of the local communities that I was traveling through. CCS makes these connections, especially accessible for volunteers, and combines them with education about the local culture, so it’s a really well-rounded experience, where cross-cultural understanding flows in both directions between the volunteers and the communities that they are serving.

What has been your most memorable experience as a volunteer abroad?

Kelly: When I volunteered with CCS in Lima, Peru, there were so many memorable experiences, and I remember them all like it was just yesterday, but I would say that the one memory that really stands out to me is the welcome and good-bye that our group of volunteers received at the elder care center. When we first arrived, we were all nervous, while the abuelos and abuelas looked on at us in the front of the room. All it took was hearing the joy in their voices as they sang a song to welcome us, and so many hugs and kisses. You could see this wasn’t fake or disingenuous, but they were literally so happy to have us spend time with them, even if it was only for a week, until a new group of volunteers arrived.

At the end of this very moving week, where we did home-visits, got to know the director at the center, after being on the receiving end of so many hugs/kisses, we were all crying as the center honored our contributions and each and every abuelo/abuela came up to us one by one to hug us and thank us in Spanish. Many of them were even crying themselves. I really learned that I needed to be more open to making these types of connections in my own community back home, and it may sound trite, but it really reinforced that idea that we have much to learn from our older generations.

You've got some great tips on fundraising and saving up for a volunteer trip abroad. Can you share a couple with us?

Kelly: Absolutely! After traveling or being abroad, many members of my personal circle of friends, family, and community members, often approach me and ask how I can afford to be going on these grand life adventures. I’m definitely not independently wealthy, nor do I have a golden ticket, but I think the key is really making it a priority in your life. It’s as simple as deciding that you are going to make this dream a reality. Start with cutting small things that you don’t need out of your life. I stopped buying coffee out, started having game nights with friends instead of going out to fancy dinner or movies, and quit my costly gym membership. I sold all of the things I owned that weren’t serving an immediate purpose. I didn’t go shopping for a brand new summer wardrobe. It doesn’t have to be all sacrifice though!

Fundraising is a great way to get your community involved in your goal. All of those folks who wish they could get abroad to volunteer, but maybe have other time constraints or responsibilities that make it not possible at this time, would be more than happy to see you serving, even if they can’t. I think when prospective volunteers get creative it’s a really powerful motivator for those who might fund their big adventure. We’ve had volunteers who ice skated a certain distance, those who didn’t shave their beard for months, and some who have even made a fundraising campaign with lawn ornaments. The sky’s the limit!

What trends do you see in terms of volunteer enrollment and which trends do you expect to see in the next 5/10 years?

Kelly: A really important and powerful new trend is emerging: the volunteering family. We’re seeing more and more family interest, which is amazing, because the CCS experience is a transformative one to share with those you love most. Often families return feeling like they have newfound respect for each other, and have found themselves in shock or awe at how much they learned about their relatives that they had never seen in daily life. A lot of parents return feeling like they’ve taught their children lessons about giving back, but also about the importance of cultural exchange, and are excited to have been able to provide their children with such global life-lessons.

What is the most inspiring story you've heard from a CCS volunteer?

Kelly: One of the best stories I’ve ever heard was from a returned Tanzania volunteer. Ten years ago, he volunteered in TZ at a school, where he became really close to one male student, in particular. He worked really hard with this student throughout his few months in the school. They became fast friends, and then inseparable. When the volunteer had to return home, both were crushed. The former volunteer kept in touch with the student off and on throughout the years. Recently, this former volunteer decided to return to TZ with CCS, a decade after his first trip. He arranged to meet up with the student, who was now grown with a family of his own.

The volunteer was so ecstatic to see that the English, that he and other volunteers after him, had taught the student had helped land him a great job within the tourism industry in TZ. The former student was so grateful that he treated this volunteer to a weekend away at the hotel that he now managed. The former student told the volunteer that his mother would always remind him to take actions in his life that would make this specific volunteer proud. I just find that story of impact fascinating. This type of tale is exactly what the CCS impact is all about; being a link in the chain to effect positive change.