Having never left out the country period, let alone to live in another one, Costa Rica will always have a special place in my heart. I've grown tremendously as a person and learned a lot of things about myself and life in general. I’ve also definitely become more independent, all thanks to Costa Rica. So for those reasons (and many more, which would end up being its own blog by itself), I have decided to compile a list of 10 reasons why you should study in this great country.
1) The climate is warm YEAR-ROUND. Coming from the United States, which is relatively colder than Costa Rica, it was great not worrying about forgetting my jacket, hat or scarf when rushing out of the house. (Thank goodness I decided to study abroad during the US’ Winter season!)
2) You’ll live in the happiest country on Earth! Costa Rica has been deemed the happiest country on Earth by the Travel Channel. Maybe it’s because they don’t have a military or because the country hosts a number of beautiful places. Who knows? But you’ll definitely notice the friendliness and happiness when you study here.
3) Locals are more than happy to practice Spanish with you while they practice their English --it’s an even trade. Practicing Spanish with native speakers is beneficial in the long run. (I’m basically a native speaker now…joking…kinda.)
4) You can visit the beautiful neighboring countries, Nicaragua and Panama…and the prices are CHEAP. It was about $55 round trip to Nicaragua and $24 round trip to Panama (excluding border fees).
5) The fruit here is AMAZING. There are so many fruits here that I’ve never heard of, such as Guanabana and Cas (my two favorites). The fruits are fresh, sweet and juicy--the smoothies and natural drinks are, too. They’re all delicious.
6) You’ll be able to study in the best university ever in San Jose: Veritas University! Classes are from 8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. every day (with a break), but the professors make time fly by fast. Also, in my opinion, having class for that amount of time every day improved my Spanish tenfold.
7) No matter how many times you go to the beach, seeing the sunset (and being able to take cool pictures) will never get old!
8) There are so many beautiful beaches, forests, national parks--you name it. San Jose is home to a lot of museums and buildings that are very important in Costa Rica’s history. Also, Costa Rica is said to have the highest density of biodiversity in the world. ¡Que chiva (how cool)!
9) Pura Vida. While you’re here, you’ll definitely start living the tranquila, pura vida lifestyle. You’ll become more laid back and enjoy life. Who doesn’t need that?
10) And finally, you’ll meet the best people ever, like I did.
1) The climate is warm YEAR-ROUND. Coming from the United States, which is relatively colder than Costa Rica, it was great not worrying about forgetting my jacket, hat or scarf when rushing out of the house. (Thank goodness I decided to study abroad during the US’ Winter season!)
 |
| Soaking up the sun |
2) You’ll live in the happiest country on Earth! Costa Rica has been deemed the happiest country on Earth by the Travel Channel. Maybe it’s because they don’t have a military or because the country hosts a number of beautiful places. Who knows? But you’ll definitely notice the friendliness and happiness when you study here.
3) Locals are more than happy to practice Spanish with you while they practice their English --it’s an even trade. Practicing Spanish with native speakers is beneficial in the long run. (I’m basically a native speaker now…joking…kinda.)
4) You can visit the beautiful neighboring countries, Nicaragua and Panama…and the prices are CHEAP. It was about $55 round trip to Nicaragua and $24 round trip to Panama (excluding border fees).
 |
| Panama |
 |
 |
| Nicaragua |
5) The fruit here is AMAZING. There are so many fruits here that I’ve never heard of, such as Guanabana and Cas (my two favorites). The fruits are fresh, sweet and juicy--the smoothies and natural drinks are, too. They’re all delicious.
6) You’ll be able to study in the best university ever in San Jose: Veritas University! Classes are from 8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. every day (with a break), but the professors make time fly by fast. Also, in my opinion, having class for that amount of time every day improved my Spanish tenfold.
 |
| Fooling around during break |
7) No matter how many times you go to the beach, seeing the sunset (and being able to take cool pictures) will never get old!
8) There are so many beautiful beaches, forests, national parks--you name it. San Jose is home to a lot of museums and buildings that are very important in Costa Rica’s history. Also, Costa Rica is said to have the highest density of biodiversity in the world. ¡Que chiva (how cool)!
9) Pura Vida. While you’re here, you’ll definitely start living the tranquila, pura vida lifestyle. You’ll become more laid back and enjoy life. Who doesn’t need that?
10) And finally, you’ll meet the best people ever, like I did.
Living here will definitely change your life and I encourage any and everyone to study here. ¡¡¡VALE LA PENA (It’s worth it)!!!
¡Pura Vida!
Leslie Brown is the Spring 2014 CEA MOJO in San José, Costa Rica. She is currently a junior at Winthrop University.