In March and April, before we began our travels to Costa Rica, all students attended two required meetings to review the general layout, syllabus, and class expectations. This was an opportunity for all students to get to know one another and get an introduction to our professors. After each meeting, I remember being overly excited and partially overwhelmed by the amount of preparation that would occur before our travels and the amount of classwork that would happen when we arrived. One thing that the professors encouraged us to do was to meet up and get to know our classmates before we left. Now this seemed like a great suggestion but there was not a lot of time of school left. I was only able to get coffee once with Kyla before this trip! It was a great introduction and a positive experience that got me even more excited to go to Costa Rica. I was still unsure of what to expect from the rest of the class. At the start of my travels, I ran into classmates that I recognized from these meetings at the Atlanta, Georiga airport during my layover. They were almost strangers to me at the time but once we landed in San José, I learned their names and began to truly know and appreciate each and every student on this trip.
From May 29th to today, our class has grown especially close in this short period of time. We all share common spaces, eat every meal together, go on lots of hikes with each other, play many new games, and stay on top of our academic classwork. This new profound bond set the foundation for success and our knowledge within this trip. At first, many conversations revolved around learning each other’s name and their majors and it quickly developed into deeper, meaningful conversations that allowed everyone to gain respect for each other. We began to see the strengths and weaknesses of each other. Once we formed this bond, classes became instantly more enjoyable and easy. Presentations became fun and entertaining. Learning became our number one priority. Being a group full of honors students caught me off guard because I am so used to students slacking off and not putting in as much effort, but here everyone cared. Everyone was generally interested and wanted to learn. Everyone taught each other new things that they found interesting which created an environment that allowed us to succeed and have a meaningful takeaway from this study abroad program.
Accommodation: As a whole, our group has had to be accommodating for many reasons due to heat and weather, schedule changes, and several new environments each with new learning curves to overcome. I did not realize the importance of being flexible until this trip. I generally struggle with this in my life back home and it has given me more perspective and practice on how to handle changes. There are a couple of examples of accommodation that come to mind. Firstly, after the pineapple tour a tree fell in the middle of the road blocking it. Once we saw it, we just stared at the tree and then without words, we all got off the bus and began our hike back to La Selva in the pouring rain. No one complained. Everyone went into it with a great attitude and helped one another by sharing umbrellas and rain jackets. We simply made the best out of it given the circumstances. A second example of this was during our research project, my partner Kieran wanted to put our plots on a long trail that goes far into the primary forest, making our soil plots way over 8 miles a day. While placing these plots, it began to pour and the sun was going to set. It was not feasible for us to all of these out safely. He was very kind and considerate as he understood our original plan was not practical due to these outside factors. We may have not gotten to put the plots where we originally intended but we still got some great data from a primary forest and had a great time hiking! I have to give our whole group a round of applause because accommodation is hard, especially with preset expectations. We found a way to make everything work, learn, and everyone is happy and well!
Teamwork: One skill that played a crucial role in our time here has been teamwork. Throughout our research projects with partners and extensive card games, we have learned to come together and figure out the best way to go about things. We have figured out each other’s corks and poker faces. Most of our projects and card games are a brand new concept to all of us and we have so much to learn. Learning together and teaching each other has helped us trust each other, gain more respect for people, and learn to be patient and kind to the others around us. I had one day that was very difficult for me here and it was a comforting feeling when people I recently met were kind enough to offer a hug, talk, and be present. Kyla, Anna, and Audrey even came up to me after dinner and cheered me up. When I turned 20, Julia, Anna, and a couple of others pitched in to make me feel celebrated despite knowing everyone for such a short period of time. People will wait for you and you can always find a partner to exercise, play cards, or walk to dinner with! This underlining concept of teamwork and supporting everyone through this experience has made our new adventure more meaningful and we can take away new research skills along with new friendships.
The foundational skills of being accommodating, respectful, patient, and working together as a team have allowed me to become a better student as it is good to question each other, teach new skills, and tell some fun facts about things that interest you. These skills have also allowed me to even be a better friend. Any going into a study abroad program should expect to learn or utilize these skills as they are essential in times of being pushed out of your comfort zone and new experiences. I am beyond grateful for this experience and I will continue to soak up all of the amazing people, experiences, and wildlife Costa Rica has to offer!
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