Dear Emily,

I hope that you made the most out of your study abroad experience. I hope that you didn’t hold back and that you tried everything that was possible. Don’t hold back because you are worried about spending money but still be smart with your money. I hope that you make the most out of the time with the people going because you guys are such a small group. I hope that you guys are scared to try stuff (food, activities, and much more) because you are scared to venture out of your comfort zone. You have to try things that scare you the most (like heights) and try and conquer them. Go zip-lining and don’t worry about what others think. Make yourself at home while still being respectful because you are Costa Rican and do belong there. I know you are worried about not fitting in because you haven’t been back and you have an accent but that is something that can change. You are part of the culture and the people and you have so much family that supports you there. Don’t be afraid while you are there to say you were born there and are one of them, don’t be ashamed to show off both sides of yourself like you are here at home. Make yourself proud. You will miss Tim and the girls but you can do it and they will wait right here when you get back. Don’t be scared that they won’t be with you and they will all be at the airport when you land. You will miss them but that is part of the experience and think about the research you will be doing there to distract yourself. You got the grant you know your research and you are smart. You need to gather your data and talk to local natives for it but you got it. Look how far and much you have accomplished just this one year at NCC and how strong you are. This was a very shitty year from the start but you get to focus on school while in Costa Rica and your internship will go fine. You are super friendly and know the language you will do great!

I want you to focus on yourself while you are there and focus on connecting with the country that you were forced to leave at such a young age. You can enjoy yourself and relax and live in the sunshine when it starts to get cold here. Enjoy the temperature, the weather, the people, the food, and so much more. Be happy and grateful that you have this opportunity that some would love to have. You are a hard-worker and a motivated student and will be great in all aspects of being there. Make the most out of the time you are there and enjoy things that you can’t in the US. Don’t worry about Papi and all his nonsense and make this trip about you not like the others have been for him. But mostly, this is your trip and get this thesis work done because you don’t want to procrastinate and do it all when you get back. Stay happy and strong.

Throughout my time in Costa Rica I know there will be plenty of personal high and lows. This is an experience that is going to change my life while I am there and then upon my return as well. From talking to other students who have studied abroad as well as doing the activities in the Maximizing Study Abroad book, I will face some hardships while I am away. I do want to add that while I was born in Costa Rica and my entire dad’s side of the family lives there, I do not consider it home anymore. As sad as that sounds I will miss home and will be homesick just as much as the kids who have never left home. That being said, my low points may happen with simple things that I messed up on such as: My sister’s birthday was while I was abroad and that made me miss my family, or I got on the wrong bus and ended up somewhere else rather than my original destination. In addition to having low points I know I will also have high points and that it is important to stay positive and be grateful for the opportunity to study abroad. Some high points may be navigating to the city and leading the way, or planning a small trip for myself and the others going. The high points will outweigh the low ones and staying positive and being grateful will keep me going.

While I am there and I have some low points I will have to cope with them. Some coping strategies our book gives us are: keeping a journal, get involved and stay busy to avoid sadness, or plan excursions with others on the trip. I know personally, I do better when I am busy and from my previous study abroad in Spain I learned that I need to stay busy and contact every once in awhile my family rather than over communicating with them and missing them more. I also know that because this trip is longer and I will have family there with me I will be alright and always have someone there that I can talk to or even the girls that are also going.

In addition to personal coping, and hardships there will also be awareness of culture. Cultural awareness is very important and the activity done on page 105 of our book allowed me to see how aware I am of a culture. In some aspects I was unconscious competence and in others I was conscious competence. There were no aspects that I was incompetent in. I think that because I was born and grew up in Costa Rica I am a bit more aware of the culture than others who have never traveled outside of the US. While there might be some unknown aspects of the culture that may make me incompetent, those were not examples listed in the book. I hope that my unawareness of these aspects impedes on my time and immersion of Costa Rica.

Some additional questions about further interactions are: What significance does being a US American have to a person from your host country? Are we viewed as having a lot of money? And how might media stereotypes about US Americans affect how a potential person looks at us? These questions have significance to me because as I want to fully immerse myself in the Costa Rican culture I believe that these will hinder my ability to do so. But I will try my best to understand how the image of US Americans will affect me.

What significance does being a US American have to a person from your host country?

The significance of being a US American can have a negative or a positive effect on the person. There can be differences in cultural norms and values that may not be compatible in their host country. While the cultural norms and values are somewhat similar to those of Costa Rica there may be slight instances that they do not match up and you have to be able to adapt in the situation. There may also be instances that people from your host country have preconceived ideas about what it means to be a US American by other people they have met, media, or other examples of US Americans. In those instances that may affect you negatively or positively based on the people you meet in your host country. If they have experienced a US American that may work in your favor and connect with the person because you have something in common.

Are we viewed as having a lot of money?

Yes. And because the dollar is worth more than the colon, the Costa Rican currency people are going to automatically look at us differently. In addition, from personal experience the fashion in Costa Rica is upcoming and they are very much into brand named things such as Nike, Adidas and other popular brands. These brands for us in the US, while they are expensive they are easily purchased while in Costa Rica the brands are costly due to importation. A majority of us have these brands and unknowing to us, people in Costa Rica will notice these brands and see us for having money because they are so hard to purchase in Costa Rica. This may be a caution to us when in Costa Rica to be aware of.

How might media stereotypes about US Americans affect how a potential person looks at us?

This question in my own opinion is the most important. As long as Donald Trump is our president Costa Ricans will continue to make fun of us. The fact that Costa Rica is known as the Switzerland of Central America makes for the stereotype that all US Americans are loud, rude and laughable people. In addition, movies can be a huge contributor to stereotypes of US Americans. Movies such as Project X, and Spring Breakers show US Americans as party-animals and loud people which can mean that people think we just like the movies portray us to be.

I interviewed Annie Garrison, who backpacked all around Central and South America after college. She stayed in many countries including Costa Rica. Annie is also holding the 101 and 201 information sessions that we need to attend tomorrow. I asked Annie a few questions about her travels in general as well as her time in Costa Rica.

• What was the benefit to traveling to many Spanish-speaking countries?

While I traveled I was able to learn about the different dialects and cultures of many different countries. I traveled to Costa Rica, Mexico, and other smaller countries. I was able to better my fluidity and conversational Spanish with native speakers of the countries I visited. In addition, as a professional, many companies looked for the fact that I spoke multiple languages and had the opportunity to travel and gain experiences from other countries.

• What is the best advice for someone who is homesick?

Bring something from home, a picture, stuffed animal, or something that reminds you of home to make it easier when you feel like you have no one around. I also made sure that I went out and tried to keep busy rather than stay inside and worry about how many days until I got home.

• What was one thing you brought that you wish you hadn’t?

The one thing that I regret bringing was too many clothing items. I realized I wanted to buy clothing or items in the countries I was at. I also brought too many of the same clothing item and avoiding bringing pants which I later regretted and had to buy. I also found that a ponch helped me a lot in the rainforest countries like Costa Rica with the nonstop rainy season.

• Did you spend a lot of money while traveling?

I had saved up previously before backpacking but I tried to go the cheapest route as I traveled. I stayed in cheap hostels, tried every student discount and avoided eating out. I also looked at what restaurants had bundle deals when eating. For example, one restaurant had where you could get an appetizer, a beer and a meal for very cheap. I also did splurge a bit on some keepsakes to bring back from my travels to remember my time. I brought postcards, little keychains and smaller items that I could give to my friends and family. I overall tried to avoid spending a lot on clothes and food so that I was able to do more fun things like zip lining and more cultural activities instead.

• If you could go back to Costa Rica would you?

Definitely! Costa Rica was beautiful and the people were so friendly and welcoming that I wish I could take time off work and go back. I also want to add that even though the people are friendly that that doesn’t mean you can not watch your things and keep an eye out for yourself. I never want to hear on the news about a student or someone traveling and something bad happening to them. I want to add that if you don’t trust people while traveling within your own country you shouldn’t try it for the first time in a completely different country.

In understanding nonverbal norms between Costa Rica and the United States I have felt that these activities have helped in recognizing the differences between each country.

The United States in general, we don’t have a lot of tolerance for lengthy periods of time during which not much is said. That means that someone, somewhere is constantly talking. Whether that be before meetings amongst coworkers or in an elevator with someone from class. We try and do a majority of talking to avoid silence. Silence is often seen as uncomfortable and is avoided at all cost. This can be related to the fact that some countries are lead to believe that the US is so friendly. Whether or not we are, I believe the question is: Is that related to the fact that our nonverbal norms tell us silence is uncomfortable? In Costa Rica, talking is somewhat similar to that of the United States. Silence may not be necessarily seen as uncomfortable therefore they constantly talk but as a big way of communicating. Costa Ricans, similar to people of the US are talkative people. They are constantly talking and making small talk with you but when there is silence there is no sense of uncomfortableness. I think it is important to note that there may be a higher level of tolerance between an adult and another adult than between a child and an adult. Similar to other countries, Costa Rica, requires young people to respect their elders. If you are spoken to then you may answer and continue the conversation respectfully. Unlike the US where you are able to talk to your grandparents like how you talk to your parents or even casually. This knowledge will allow for further preparation when going to Costa Rica in order to maintain comfort.

In addition, our Maximizing Study Abroad book suggests keeping a journal to record these encounters. I have tried to keep a journal during my day to day life in the US and found that to be hard and tedious. However, I believe that keeping a journal when studying abroad may be useful in trying to remember everything I did during my 3 and a half to 4 months there. It will also allow for me to remember embarrassing, funny, or sad moments throughout my trip. Those embarrassing moments may include a nonverbal communication norm that I was unfamiliar with before the encounter and then when I look back on it I can later laugh. The journal may also act as a record of situations that I may encounter during my time in Costa Rica and I can write myself some notes to remind myself of what a normal Costa Rican would do in that situation. I could write down types of encounters such as: greeting someone new, meeting my professor, meeting my host family, or even asking for something of a waiter. I could then across from each encounter write down a common types of nonverbal greeting for Costa Rica. Many of the nonverbal greeting would be a kiss on the check, or a handshake, or a simple nod of the head.

All of the nonverbal norms for communicating in Costa Rica will allow for a greater immersion of the country before I even arrive in Juan Santamaria Airport.

Contextual cultural dimension is differentiated in our Maximizing Study Abroad book as low-context and high-context communication across cultures. Both styles of communication are significant in differentiating with familiar and unfamiliar cultures and examine further impact that it has on communication.

Low- context communication is when we rely minamaly on cues from a context. An example of this can be if you grew up in the U.S it is quite possible that we have been using low-context communication all of our life. This is significant to our studying abroad trips because this communication tends to more verbal and explicit. In the U.S people do come from different cultures and ethnic backgrounds and the tendency is to rely heavily on verbal explicit communication. In order words, we tell people what we think they need to know in order to understand us and then we will fill in the blanks. The goal is to clarify communication and the importance of verbal communication.

High-context communication is when people pay a lot of attention to the situation they are in, the environment, and the people with whom they are communicating with. This also means that there is a high reliance on cues from the context in which someone is in. However, things don’t have to be spelled out as much as they are in low-context cultures because it relies heavily on nonverbal cues. This also means that you don’t have to worry so much about explaining everything since people will have a good understanding just from context itself. An example of this may be when you are talking with a close friend who knows you well in a situation and you don’t have to worry about saying much because they are able to understand your ideas and have background on you. Contrary to low-context communication, nonverbal cues are much more significant for conveying a meaning in high-context cultures. This may pose as a problem when going to a low-context culture because you may assume that others, much like your friends back home, will not be able to relate to you with no background knowledge on you.

In regards to my study abroad experience, I will be able to use my understanding of the low and high context communication styles and keep them in mind when encountering natives of Costa Rica. This is significant because I will be able to communicate across cultures other than just the United States. There will most likely be times where the high-context meets low-context and I will struggle to know what is going on and must use this knowledge to power through tough situations. However, I believe that my background knowledge while living in Costa Rica as a youngin will provide an advantage in the sense of communication styles. I also think that if I ever were to get stuck in a situation that I don’t understand I would be able to use my knowledge of context clues will allow for a last resort in a situation where I am stuck.

Something that I will be faced with in Costa Rica is being taught by non-Americans and their teaching strategies. By taking the Learning Style Survey I have come to the conclusion that I was not aware of how I preferred to learn. Something that will have to combat with while learning in Costa Rica is how I deal with language rules. I am more of an inductive learner and that requires for specific examples followed by the rules of language. In Spanish, some might say that it take a bit to “land the plane”. I have found that to be the case when learning as well. One good thing that will come of this will that we are taught at a language school with many other Americans. The professors are most likely trained in teaching similar to the way we are taught here. On the other hand, that will be a downfall as to immersing myself in the country and their education system.

Alongside, the way I blend in with the country will be due to my cultural-learning strategies as discussed in our reading assignment. These strategies I can somewhat learn before hand by asking other students who have studied abroad there but a majority of that will be learned as I am there. Questions such as: How a culture views “alone time?” Or When does a specific culture eat dinner? There are differences between cultural-learning strategies. Pre-departure strategies can easily be found online or asking someone while In- Country strategies will require more analysis of situations. Many students who study abroad also face “culture shock overload”. Culture shock overload is a feeling of overwhelming due to the immersion in a different culture. While I was born in Costa Rica and often visit I still come home feeling relieved to be home with a culture familiar to me. I am sure that I will feel very exhausted my first few weeks upon my arrival but I feel that once I get into my routine there I will be to feel more comfortable.

In addition, Spanish is my native language and will mean that the language barrier will affect me lesser than other students on the trip. This does not mean that speaking in Spanish will not be a stress factor for myself. English has become my native language with time, and Spanish has become a language that I have to constantly work on. As I have said, speaking another language can be exhausting and there will be times, I know, that I won’t want anything more than to speak with someone in English however, I know that with time speaking will become second nature. In our reading it is said that power/status could also be a stress factor. I have seen it first hand while visiting family in Costa Rica. Students studying there get frustrated while speaking and in stress use their power and status as Americans over citizens of the country. That, along with other stress factors will be noted and made conscious to never partake in. No matter status, power, or money because you are an America does not mean you are better than the citizens of the country you have chosen to study in.

With help of the diagram from our reading in the Maximizing Study Abroad book I feel that it has help identify myself and allow for further examination in how I may interact with my soon to be host country. The fact that I am studying abroad in a country I was born in is a bit intimidating. I do identify myself as “Tica” but I feel in doing so I may offend others that still live in Costa Rica. For example, I am too “white” when I do travel and visit family there but on the other hand when I am here I am noticeably “darker” than others here. In the explanation of the diagram it says, “the various roles that we play in life have an impact on our identity…” (page 45). I believe that my study abroad experience will be unique as visiting and having lived in the country will shape me differently.

Another bubble that I filled as with “Sister”. I believe that this is significant because as I leave my family here I will still follow the unassigned role of leadership I have upheld as an older sister. I am caring, and love to help others so I know that I will focus greatly on others on my trip. On the other hand, I know that being away from my family will swade me to take more precautions on my adventures. By this I mean, I will be sure to call them throughout the week and check in as I normally do when I am home. I realize that that may negatively impact my interact with my host country.

Another significant role I play is “worker”. I currently work two jobs and almost never miss a day of work. Putting myself through school financially has caused a lot of stress throughout the school year. While in Costa Rica I know I will be expected to attend classes and later in the program take part in an internship. I am very excited to focus and experience as much as I can while there rather than focusing on work as I have been doing.

Most significantly, my role as “ girlfriend” will be difficult. I am sure many people in relationships have studied abroad but I feel that no one can say it is easy. While missing my family I am going to be missing my boyfriend too. Being away from anyone can be hard but I believe that specifically this role will be difficult transfering to my host country. As the book explains, “… there are times when being independent is going to come first” (page 47). I have to study abroad not only for my degree at North Central but I also feel that it will give me a greater understanding and independence that I may have not gotten without leaving.

Most importantly, I am not abandoning these roles I play when leaving a adjusting to my host country. I am simply transferring or fixing them to help me in a different situation.