ICADS: Intensive Spanish Program in Costa Rica

Why did you decide to study abroad with ICADS?

In preparation of my internship at the Ministry, I wanted to learn at least some Spanish. Both to be able to communicate with my colleagues (though my commission at the Ministry would be in English) but also in order be able to understand the country in a more profound way. Without speaking the language, you will never be able to really get to know a country and its people. Plus, people appreciate your attempt on learning their language very much, and will treat you differently than when you approach them in English.

This programme at ICADS was perfect, because it also taught me about the history, culture and politics of the country. All of which were very important in understanding the happenings at the Ministry.

What made this study abroad experience unique?

I had never before lived with a host family, which really makes you part of the society as opposed to just a visitor. Speaking the language and having all the knowledge about the country and region made it easier to really immerge in the country. While of course you’ll always be the strange foreigner from a country no one has ever heard of, but I got access to at least some extent. So I lived very independently there and constructed a real Tico life, but always knew I could return to ICADS for help (also after my programme there had ended). I had never been that far away from the Netherlands before, and still felt very much at home.

How has this experience impacted your future?

I wanted to find out whether I would like a job in which I’d live at many different places. What I found out is that I have not much trouble being away from ‘home’, because I quickly construct a new home in the country I end up in. Also, living in Costa Rica and the things I learned at ICADS about Latin America made me rethink the meaning of my life in the Netherlands. I want to find a way to make Costa Rica part of my life, because it enriches it and gives it more meaning. I might thus try to find a job somehow keeps me connected with the region there and its history, starting with making it the topic of my master’s thesis.

What did ICADS do for you and what did you need to do on your own?

ICADS gave a very warm welcome to the country: I got picked-up from the airport, was welcomed by my host mom and taken away for the weekend by my host sister. The following Monday ICADS introduced me to some cultural do’s and don’ts of the country, took me to withdraw money, helped me to open a bank account and even helped me with some visa difficulties I had.

Throughout the four weeks of courses they answered every question I had, took me to second hand book stores and helped with finding a place to stay after the programme ended and my internship started. (The internship was not part of ICADS!) They were always there, which is the most important thing they could do to give me a safe feeling.

What was the best place you visited outside of your study abroad city?

I travelled a lot and it would be unfair to list one of these places as the best. There are many things you can go to within the proximity of the city on a short bus ride (Playa Hermosa, Volcán Poás, Volcán Irazú, Volcán Turrialba, Manuel Antonio, La Fortuna/Volcán Arenal, to name a view).

I also very much enjoyed driving through the more remote parts of the country where the San José world is very far away: Volcan Tenorio, Venecia de San Ramon, Upala, San Isidrio de General. Liberia is a wonderful city and at Playa Grande in Peninsula Nicoya I had my first surfing experiences. Make sure to buy a good travel guide and if you are able to rent a four-wheel drive at some point, visit the less visited places! ICADS will provide you with the language skills and cultural understanding to really get to know the country!

Traveling is one of my favorite things in life. I’ve learned a lot through traveling. Each traveling experience is different as different are all the places you visit and the people you meet. It’s a difficult exercise to name only one favorite traveling experience…

I can classify my traveling experiences into several categories - within Costa Rica and abroad - in terms of food, music, art, culture, personal gratification, birds, and landscapes, to name just a few…

There are some traveling experiences that certainly fall into several of these categories. I must also consider that even if large visited cities - such as Paris, Mexico City, Buenos Aires, Vienna, Osaka, Rome – offer SO many wonders, I love small cities. They’re so much more personal and relaxed. In general terms, I must say that, with a few exceptions, my most favorite traveling experiences probably happened in small cities.

Bruges in Belgium, Salzburg in Austria, Florence in Italy and La Coruña in Spain are definitively my most favorite small cities’ traveling experiences abroad. Bruges is a small fairy tale-like beautiful town where I ate the most delicious steamed mussels, in the best of companies.

Salzburg is probably my favorite musical city experience; Florence is art at its greatest, and La Coruña offers great food and is home to one of my dearest friends. I must confess though I am biased towards Spain. It’s my most favorite country of all, especially because of the food!!!

I have had many great traveling experiences in Costa Rica. Naming one is also very difficult. Probably the greatest birding experience was Cocos Island, followed by many outings to watch the awesome feat of millions of migratory hawks passing through our country. My most challenging traveling experience has definitively been climbing Chirripó; the landscape at Costa Rica’s highest peak is absolutely out of this world!

Despite being their only girl, my parents always supported my inclination towards studying abroad. Following a college career while learning another language or improving my English language skills had always seemed very attractive to me. The time was the early 70s.

Costa Ricans who traveled to study abroad where mostly boys who had finished school and were pursuing graduate degrees not offered at the few public colleges in the country (private college education was inexistent at the time).

Studying abroad was definitively not normal in those days and definitively very expensive. Most students who studied abroad got scholarships and only a few who came from wealthy families were able to pay for their education abroad.

I knew the Ministry of Foreign Affairs offered scholarships to several European countries. I had thought about studying in Germany but after analyzing the paper work, the process seemed complex. The Costa Rica-US Cultural Center announced several scholarships to universities in the US and I decided to apply.

I approved the English proficiency test and the screening interviews also went well. Sooner than I thought I was offered the chance to study in BGSU in Ohio. At that time, I didn’t even know where Ohio was in the map!

I was a second year Psychology student at the time. I finished the first semester of school at the Universidad de Costa Rica and off I went to Ohio to start school in September 1971. I graduated in December 1973 and decided to come back to Costa Rica to do graduate school here.