By: Maddy Williams

This summer, I had the incredible opportunity to study abroad in Costa Rica with MTSU’s Global Studies department. On this trip, I spent the majority of my 17-day stay with a local host family. Staying with a host family allowed me to better integrate into Costa Rican culture, learn about what the daily life of a Costa Rican looks like, and try local, home-cooked meals.

This aspect of the trip is what persuaded me to go. I wanted the experience of a homestay because this was the first time I had experienced something like it. My host parents were incredible. They were so welcoming and kind, and I learned so much from them.

Another thing I enjoyed was the food. The primary cuisine in Costa Rica is rice and beans, which I really enjoyed. My favorite style to eat it was for breakfast, called gallo pinto. I also really loved trying their local fruits. We had a fruit tasting on one of our first days, and my favorite fruit I tried was the mamon chino.

We also learned about local biodiversity and wildlife. We went to a rescue center to learn about sloths, monkeys, toucans and other local animals. I’ve always wanted to see Costa Rican sloths, so I was very excited.

We also got to see animals in the wild in Manuel Antonio. At the Manual Antonio National Park, we saw sloths, monkeys, lizards and bugs local to the area. Manuel Antonio has lots of beautiful beaches, and it was easy to spot monkeys on the beach. I had to make sure they didn’t steal my stuff, though!

Zip lining was a great way to see local biodiversity. For the canopy tour, we were in the middle of the woods, so we saw local bugs, frogs and lizards.

The biodiversity in Costa Rica is breathtaking. There is abundant lush greenery everywhere you turn. I loved being able to see both mountains and beaches during my stay. My prettiest mountain view was at the Indigenous community we visited outside San Jose.

This brings me to my next favorite part of the trip: visiting an Indigenous community. I was so thankful I got the opportunity to learn from a local tribe. We learned about their belief system, family dynamics, how they live off the land and their values. It was a really impactful and inspiring talk from one of the tribe leaders.

On the trip, we visited an area called La Fortuna. In this town, we could swim in hot springs and go on a waterfall hike. These were two bucket list activities for me when I was thinking about going to Costa Rica. It was incredible to experience the relaxing nature of the hot springs and swimming at the bottom of the waterfall. Our guide, Sergio, was amazing in explaining everything we needed to know about the area and its highlights.

On one of our free days, I (and a few others in our group) visited Cartago, one of Costa Rica’s seven provinces. We went there to visit the famous Basilica of Our Lady of the Angels. It was so beautiful. Since we went on a Sunday, we even got to see a few moments of mass.

While there, we also visited some historical ruins called the Ruinas de Santiago Apostol. These ruins have become a local spot for families and friends to congregate, similar to a public park. This was a really amazing sight to see and experience.

We also met local university students in Heredia, which I enjoyed. I enjoyed meeting people my age who grew up in a different country and culture. All of the students were extremely kind and interesting to hear from.

I learned many valuable aspects of Costa Rican life, culture and diversity. I thoroughly enjoyed this study abroad experience. I’m very grateful I had the opportunity to go to Costa Rica with MTSU and experience the Pura Vida lifestyle.

Maddy Williams is a senior majoring in Journalism in MTSU’s College of Media and Entertainment.