As an Asian American abroad, the homesickness I felt most was being apart from my culture. In Latin America, where not many Asian American students travel, I found myself wishing that I could have traveled to somewhere I felt familiar with instead. Language barriers, a different cuisine, and a different way of life were all challenges I faced abroad. However, by exploring the country and finding people of my ethnicity, I was able to step out of my comfort zone yet connect with those who are ethnically the same as me.  

After a tour of San Jose, I was surprised to see a Chinatown in a country like Costa Rica. Containing a lot of Chinese restaurants and shops, I frequented Chinatown almost every week I was abroad.  

In Chinatown, there was this supermarket with huge, red lanterns. I remember walking in and being amazed at the selection of imported Chinese goods that reminded me of home. 

In some of these photos, you can see my roommates and I with some older individuals. I met them at a Chinese Baptist church I came across, who happen to be relatives of people I knew from my church back home. At this church, my brain would be challenged with the sermons, as they were spoken in Mandarin and then translated in Spanish. Due to these Sunday services, I was able to improve my Mandarin and Spanish simultaneously. 

My university friend and I that went abroad would experience a lot of stares and comments due to our ethnicity. In Costa Rican culture, your appearance would be commented on. With this photo, I wanted to be transparent about the comments we faced. When going to this Starbucks, my friend named Tina, received this drink with her name written as “China”. While there was no malintent, or it could’ve been an accident, we did experience some bias, and I believe that it is important to shed light on this event for Asian American students.  

While exploring Chinatown, I passed by many Chinese barbecue restaurants. One of my favorite dishes, the roasted pork and duck on display was too tantalizing to simply pass by.  

I was surprised to see this fruit growing here. I often eat this fruit in Malaysia, so seeing it in Costa Rica was a shock to me. In Malaysia, we call this fruit “rambutan”. In Costa Rica, they call it “mamon chino”, with “chino” meaning Chinese.  

I did not realize that there were many immigrants from Asia who would call Costa Rica their home. When asking one of the older ladies I acquainted with on why she chose to move from Taiwan to Costa Rica, she said that in her new home, she was able to grow her own private garden. This garden full of fresh fruits and flora was a dream she couldn’t have when staying in the densely populated region of Taiwan. I was able to hear the perspectives from multiple people in the church, which helped me to feel more at home where I was.  

A lady I met from a Chinese church who took my roommates and I out for lunch. Here we’re holding hydrangeas, which we then gave to our host mom.  

My friend and I were surprised to see how much influence Asia has in Costa Rica. In this popular Korean restaurant, customers would write on the walls how much they enjoyed the food, along with other drawings and phrases from Asian pop culture. 

Since my Chinese roommate and I clearly don’t look native, we did receive some bias as shown in one of the photos, as well as comments when we would walk through the city. From visiting the host city’s Chinatown, to experiencing remarks based on my ethnicity, I want to give a personalized perspective on what it’s like being an Asian American student abroad. In this set of photos, I want to showcase how I felt aspects of my culture in a foreign country, the impact Asia has made in a country like Costa Rica, and the community I made.  

I was fortunate enough to meet this welcoming family. The parents of someone I’m acquainted with back home, these people I met from church invited my roommates and I over to make homemade dumplings.  

At our last get-together, my CEA CAPA friends and I went to Chinatown to get lunch and boba at a newly opened shop. After this photo, we gave our tearful goodbyes.  

This is the last photo my roommates and I had with our host mom. Since my roommates and I were all Asian, our host mom would make Asian dishes such as soy sauce chicken on some nights. We even watched a Korean reality television show together as well. Our host mom made us feel at home even in an unfamiliar place. We are so grateful to her and miss her every day.  

 This post was written by Alyssa Tsing, a CEA CAPA Alum from Thomas Jefferson University and studied abroad in San Jose, Costa Rica.