Hello fellow Buffs, my name is Shandi and I am currently studying abroad at Universidad Latina in Heredia, Costa Rica. My program is called Sol Education Abroad and it is absolutely wonderful. We have the most down to earth, caring, and adventurous directors. I am a Spanish major at WTAMU and this experience has opened so many doors for me already. I have been here since January 16th and to be honest with you all, I was not expecting to fall in love with this beautiful country as much as I have and it has taken me by surprise.

I am staying with the sweetest host mom named Ubelia and the most incredible house mate and friend, Megan. We live in a little neighborhood about 10 minutes away from our university. It is such a close knit community – we play soccer almost every night and know the owner of the Panaderia (corner bakery).

Our semester is split into four three week modules: Module 1 (Advanced 2 Spanish), Module 2 (Open), Module 3 (Latin American Literature), and Module 4 (Latin American Culture and Civilization). In addition to these classes I have two classes with locals aka other students from Costa Rica on Mondays, digital photography and history of Costa Rica. History is extremely challenging. However, I have also felt so much warmth and love from my Tico classmates that it makes it worth while. I gave a presentation with a partner, David, a couple of weeks ago and as I nervously walked towards the front of the class, one of my classmates looked at me and said, “Tranquila, le podemos ayudar,” which means “relax, we can help you.” They are all so patient and understanding with me and it is very reassuring. ESPECIALLY because after my presentation and before class was over, we had to form another group for a separate project and the class “hipsters” asked ME to be in their group. It made me feel so special that they would want me to be a part of their work. Actually, last night we had to get into groups to read an article and some Ticos were teaching my friend Morrissa and me Costa Rican slang and how guys fist bump here.

As I included previously, I am currently living in Heredia. Heredia is a small town just outside of San José; it is actually very similar to Canyon. Here’s a fun fact for you: Heredia is called the “City of Flowers” because

1. It has a lot of flowers.

2. The women here are considered “flowers” because of their beauty. Actually one time I was walking down the street and some old guy yelled out his window that I was a flower of Heredia, which was both flattering and creepy at the same time.

3. A man (whose last name happens to be “Flores”) who owned the most intricate/beautiful house in Costa Rica had two or three daughters who would play on the front porch, and everyone would walk in front of their house to see them playing.

One of my favorite spots is the Catholic church in the heart of Heredia. Although I am not Catholic, I enjoyed walking through Iglesia De La Imaculada Concepción. It was so cool to see people stopping in the midst of the hustle and bustle of life just to pray. It made me realize that I need to be more like that. I need to stop in the chaos of life to spend time with the Lord, in the good moments and the bad. It made me very emotional to see the Catholic students in my group stop to pray and also to reflect on all the moments that led me here and how great God is that he would bring me to such a beautiful place with such beautiful people (which I must say that 90% of Costa Rican men are beautiful, so girls if you’re looking for an attractive/latin boyfriend, this is the place to visit hahaha). 

So far I have finished two modules of my semester and I cannot wrap my mind around the fact that my trip is halfway over. I did not expect to find such amazing friends throughout this experience, but I have. I did not expect to love Costa Rica has much as I do. I did not expect to find myself here, but I have.

Pura Vida.

P.S. If you would like to follow my adventures in detail, check out my personal blog (www.shandipuravidablog.wordpress.com).