After five months particpating in the IFSA-Butler study abroad Costa Rica program,  and hundreds and hundreds of new faces and places, I’m home. I feel very different, but yet unchanged at the same time. Maybe it is because I changed little by little and never really noticed a big leap. The first chance I get to show off my spanish, I am on it like bread on butter. At a family party with all my best friend’s family surrounding me, I let it all flow out and I could not even believe it myself as I spoke a smooth string of vowels, consonants, syllables, verbs, nouns, phrases…WOW! I impressed myself.

Since it has been a couple of weeks since my re-entry, do you wonder, whats LA like? Well I’ve had tons of small spanish encounters but I am certainly lacking in the in-depth, meaningful or between friends-playful spanish that became so familiar to me. I often struggled at first with my English, either I would respond to someone in Spanish or mix up words from both languages. It became sort of a joke that I would be taking ESL courses alongside some of my Los Angeles buddies! Good ol’ East Los Angeles, I always regarded it as sort of its own Spanish-speaking community but at the same time, it does not compare to Costa Rica in the least.


It is the little things that I miss the most, like sharing some sweet bread with my host Mom, watching soccer with my host Dad or running around the house with my host brother. Just the other day my mom here bought me a “Cars” balloon for my birthday and the first thought that came to mind was, Matias would love to have that. Every store I walk into, I can’t help but see shirts, cups, plates, toys…etc. from the movie “Cars,” and I always say the same thing, “I would get that for Matias.” Unfortunately, the realization hit me, I may never see him again. I try not to think that way though because I’m almost certain I will be back to Costa Rica.
So as I go about my days seeing everything for the first time again, being amazed by the small things even. I am amazed at the smoothness of the roads, the five-lane roads, the huge gas-guzzlers that zoom by me on the streets and the price of food, movies, and fun altogether! I try and make everyday meaningful here, because it is, whether it be going to the beach, driving around hollywood or going to scenic views of L.A. just to soak it all up. I realize that people are pretty much alike anywhere you go, just in different sizes, shapes, shades and languages. The only tools you need to have to travel the world are basically an open mind and an adventurous spirit! Just as I say to all of Costa Rica, until we meet again, PURA VIDA!

After more than a year of planning and 5 incredible months in Chile, my study abroad experience has come to a close. It is sad, but at the same time, I am happy to be home. I didn’t realize how much I missed my family and friends, and just my life in the United States, until I came back. I feel like I have closed one chapter in my life and now am ready for the next one. Maybe that is why I am not as sad to leave Chile as my other friends who came back from studying abroad in different locations around the world. For me, this experience was not a vacation, in the sense that I did not join the Chile study abroad program to party (although it is hard to get used to the fact that Americans don’t stay out partying until 5am—but this is the only issue I have reverse culture shock with hahahah).

If it makes any sense, I basically lived my life in the United States, but, while studying in Chile, I lived with a family, I attended classes and spent time studying, I hung out with my friends, and I volunteered and traveled to nearby destinations on weekends. And I am happy with this experience because I felt like I was truly living like a Chilean. I would like to think that I did not perpetuate the American stereotype in Chile, that I just came to the country to party and travel to locations that are too expensive for most Chileans to visit. Unfortunately, due to the cost of the trips and the time needed to travel, I never made it to Easter Island, San Pedro de Atacama, or Tierra del Fuego like I had planned before coming to Chile. But I’m okay with that because I think there is a lot of value in staying in Santiago and getting to know your city and forming friends with the local people. And I really don’t feel like this is the absolute end of my study abroad experience. I am going to look at this as the beginning, and someday I plan to return to Chile to visit these places.

I am also determined to maintain my relative fluency in Spanish by continuing to practice speaking with people. Actually, while I was studying Spanish in Chile, I met a girl who is coming to study abroad at my university this coming semester. Small world, huh? I don’t know if it just because I just went there so now I am more aware of all things Chilean, but I feel like I am getting reminders of Chile everywhere I go. For example, the other day I went to the grocery store and they were selling wine from the Concha y Toro vineyard which I visited. And then when I went to my friend’s apartment warming party, someone was making a special Chilean drink that they saw on TV. It’s called a terremoto (which means ‘earthquake’), and it combines beer, wine, pisco, and pineapple ice cream. I know these are small things, but they all remind me of my time in Chile.

This experience has opened the door for me to travel, not just in South America but all around the world, and try new things and meet new people. I feel like I have finally stepped outside of my box, and that is something invaluable that I can take away from my time in Santiago.

So the time has come and I am headed back to the US, it is kinda strange how things work out because in a way, I feel much like I did the day I came to study in Costa Rica, excited but yet uncertain. I’ve lived just about 5 months here and its become a second home to me, I am going to miss this country, beautiful Costa Rica. I am going to miss my brother Matias, my parents, my friends, the university, beaches, jungles, city and…the ticos. I am going to miss the little things, the sayings like “Pura Vida,” “Por dicha,” “Mae”…etc, my bus stop, in Vargas Araya, the gallo pinto, casados and all the other delectibles the country has to offer. I am gonna miss the stunning landscapes, from the country in Monteverde, the beaches of Puerto Viejo, Manuel Antonio and Tamarindo, to the big city, the urban jungle, San Jose. As I wandered around campus my last day, it hit me that everything I did and everywhere I went, might be the last time I do and see it all.

The whole week I had been trying to prepare myself for the trip home and finish up all the study abroad Costa Rica program activities and projects I was involved in. I had the final Championship Tournament for the Soccer class I gave, Futbol 5, at Dante Alighieri elementry school. It was amazing, we managed to organize it all so everyone paid under a dollar and we rented out a synthetic field around the block so these children would have the opportunity that many had never had and that most dreamed of, playing the championship tournament on the indoor synthetic field. In just an hour, we organized a total of 7 games for 6 different teams that I made up of the 30 some children involved. After the 6 games had finished, there were ties, wins, loses, goals, fouls, anger, frustration, joy, cheering…it was a beautiful thing. At the end of it all, we had all the 3rd graders play all the 4th graders and it was amazing, the championship team had a win and a tie, they got a trophy to put up in the office at the school and everyone got trophies for participation.


My last Thai Boxing session is definitely something to talk about, there were only three of us and the trainer- two young men training to compete and little ol me! We started off with high knees for about 10 min to get warmed up, we stretched and then went straight into shadowboxing. After about 8 min of shadowboxing with and without weights, I could already feel that my arms were getting heavy. Then we did 3 circuits of 2 min, 30 sec rest at one station and then moved to the next-the three stations were the boxing ball bag, the ring with Danny (the trainer) and the tire. After a tiring 7 and a half minutes with the boxing ball, I was ready to go into the ring and try out my combinations: punches, hooks, kicks, knees, elbows and push-kicks. What I was not ready for was the tire, 7 and a half minutes without breaking on that tire was dreadful! After some more high-energy stations and intermittent water-breaks, I saw we had about 20 minutes left which is a lifetime for Thai Boxing, that’s when he called me into the ring. We paired up, the two young men training to fight and me and the trainer- we were training clenches. What ended up happening in a matter of 15 minutes was after about 100 different attempts to clench his head in a hold, I got dropped onto the mat in at least 20 different ways. I got pulled and dropped, pushed and dropped, lifted and dropped, twisted and turned and dropped, you name it! There is no better way to say your goodbyes to your Boxing gym, my neck, back, arms and legs might be beaten to the bone, but my spirit soars sky high!


What will I miss the most? Rather, who? Matias, my host brother, one of the nicest, cutest, sweetest and most intelligent kids I’ve met. The day before I left, he woke up in a bad mood and angry at the world. I just thought it was just one of those days but after talking to my host mom, she told me that he had told his dad that he was angry with me because he had seen me packing my luggage and did not want me to leave. That was the cutest thing I had ever heard, he was going to miss me just as much as I would miss him. The fact that my little brother would be missing me so much upset me, I love my little tico brother. I was going to miss hearing him sing his own rendition of Vincente Fernandez’s songs, I was going to miss playing “Pulperia” with him, I was going to miss him running around the house when I chased him, I was even going to miss him slamming down the door at 7 am on Saturdays to see if I was awake yet!

I know I will be back, I just have to come back…Goodbyes are the worst! So I guess this is goodbye…goodbye Costa Rica, or rather, I’ll see you later!

Right in the midst of all the craziness of tons of Costa Rica study abroad program projects, assignments, and exams, my mom and grandma come to visit- a nice break from it all. What my mom’s main objective was, aside from seeing me, was to go zip-lining. She had heard I had an amazing time when I went in Monteverde, she had seen pictures and made up her mind. So I get up early June 2nd to take a bus to San Jose, then another to the airport in Alajuela. Some of the thoughts passing through my head were…Wow, I’m really going to see them…They are actually coming to visit me while I’m studying in Costa Rica! So after an hour or so of waiting till their flight was due in, I caught myself standing up in front of the glass window with my face pushed up against the glass, hoping to catch a glimpse of them before they caught a glimpse of me! As soon as I saw my mom and grandma walk into the area with the glass window, my heart jumped up, I couldn’t believe it, they were actually HERE!
We decided we would stay in San Jose Tuesday to Thursday, then Friday we would head to Manuel Antonio for the weekend- the land with beautiful beaches, a flourishing national park and zip-lining, the perfect combination. Tuesday after the flight and the drive back to this cute little pension we stayed in, my mom and grandma were pretty much beat. Tuesday, my mom and I wandered around San Jose a bit and ate inside the Mercado Central at the end of the pedestrian boulevard. Wednesday was a very big day, we had planned to walk around San Jose, see a short tour of the University of Costa Rica, see the Evolution Boxing Gym, meet up with my Tico family to have some snacks and coffee and finally, go to the US vs Costa Rica World Cup Qualifier at 8 p.m… So we ended up doing it all and when we went to visit my host family, my host brother was so excited he couldn’t stop running around, he may have been just as excited to see them as I was! That day, he was even cuter than usual, if that’s even possible! We had coffee, empanadas, and tamal asado- all traditional dishes prepared by my host mom’s sister. It was delicious, my grandma, mom and I couldn’t stop eating!

Afterwards, we stopped by the pension to relax and get grandma comfortable because my mom and I were headed to the game! Waves of red and blue everywhere, not for the US of course but I was there, wandering around in my red and white USA jersey. The stadium was absolutely crazy, after walking up and down rows and isles; we finally managed to find seats in the middle of it all, in the sea of red and blue. Although I obviously wasn’t playing, I could feel the energy brought on by the Costa Rican crowd, and I was intimidated! It was so loud I could hardly hear myself think and the stands shook so much that my mom and I couldn’t help but make jokes to deflect our hidden preoccupations about the stands holding up. I found myself saying things like “They have got to have had games that were more rowdy, like when Mexico would play here or something…” As soon as the National Anthem started playing for the US and I thought I would be the only one singing it, I noticed there was a good solid fan base of about 50 people on the other side of the stadium wearing all white for the US, much good that was doing me! The whistle blew and from that moment on, I think I tried to block from my memory to protect myself, one goal after another and it was 3-0 in a flash. Despite the fact that the US put in a PK in extra time, I felt disappointed and embarrassed for the team, lucky for me, I brought a shirt underneath my jersey…Only kidding, its just one loss! So we headed back to find lil ol’ grandma waiting up for us, having watched the game with the owner of the pension!
Thursday we took the official tour of the National Theatre which was absolutely amazing, the amount of detail and time they put into its construction is astonishing. We ate some “casados,” or traditional Costa Rican plates and then relaxed in the pension because the next day we were off to the beach!

Friday morning we got up, got ready, had breakfast and were out in a flash. The tickets to and from the beach were only about $14 total for each of us, to experience a tropical, white sand, clear water beach! After what seemed like a short 3 hours, we were there, so we hopped off the bus and found this neat little trail that lead us to our cute hotel. We had a little room with a little t.v. and a little kitchen and a little balcony, it was just perfect for my grandma, my mom and I, three little ladies! We relaxed and walked around the beach area that was sprinkled with splashes of red, green, orange, blue, yellow and white towels, hats, wraps, hand-made boxes, shirts, souvenirs etc. We found a BBQ place by the beach and got some “casados” with chicken and ribs and spilt them between the three of us. We stayed in and watched soccer and basketball as a nice ending touch to the day.

Saturday morning we woke up really early and got an early start to the Manuel Antonio National Park. As we walked through the jungle trails, it was amazing the wildlife we ran into. We saw a deer trotting alongside us, a toucan amongst the lush trees, bats hidden under shrubs, monkeys, monkeys, monkeys all over. We saw groups of howling monkeys, white-faced monkeys and titi monkeys all over the trails. I kept saying, “I hope I see a sloth, I want to see a sloth, I’m looking for a sloth…” as I scanned the trees while walking. It was nearly impossible to do all the multitasking I wanted to do. I wanted to look up and around as I walked forward and kept an eye on my mom and grandma, but since the road was a little bumpy, I found myself looking up, pausing, checking on my family and then continuing on. Some parts of the trail were more treacherous than others but when we arrived at Playa Manuel Antonio, it was more than worth the walk. It was this amazing little paradise with bright blue waters flushing through this opening in the mountains and jungle. We were literally where the ocean meets the deep jungle and it was absolutely amazing. It was like a scene straight out of Lost; only we weren’t trapped there on an island, although we may have wished we were! As we sat under this beach tree that was neatly shaped almost horizontal to the water like a bench, we noticed that a few people had collected under the tree next to us and were pointing up into the branches at something. It was a sloth- the most beautiful, ugly sloth I had ever seen, actually the only sloth I had ever seen. I saw the sloth I was looking for, it was kind of funny because I just kept pointing out the fact that in the hour and a half we were there, it didn’t move at all! The more and more time I spent here, the more I realized the country’s motto, “Pura Vida,” even the animals lived by the motto!

Sunday morning we woke up and my mom was charged up, nothing could stop her now. The canopy tour was today and we decided to go with “Selvatica” which included transportation to and from the site in nearby Quepos, 2 to 2 and a half hours of zip-lining, lunch and snacks and a finale ending with a dip in the crisp waters at the waterfall near the site! My grandma came along for the ride to hang out in the beautiful forest cabin where lunch would be served. My mom and I suited up and we were off! She was so excited and kept telling me, “I wish I had done this EVERYDAY!” She was smiling from ear to ear, like a kid in a candy shop, the whole time as we zipped from line to line and tree-top to tree-top. Nothing gave me more inner-peace and happiness than to see my mom doing this wildly extreme canopy and loving every minute of it. Each and every day that went by I found myself realizing how quickly time was going by.

Next thing I know it was Monday morning and we were on the bus home. After the trip home and a last day in San Jose with my mom and grandma, it was time for them to go. I could tell that the two of them wanted so badly just to stay here the rest of the semester with me, at least until then! My mom wanted to go backpacking around the country and my grandma wanted to go on a canopy tour. If there is one thing that tells me, not only did they have a great time out here with me, but also that we have to make our way back out here as a trio, as three generations of Johnson-Dixon women, on a Costa Rican adventure!

No. Unfortunately these are not the lyrics to Dr. Dre’s song. Instead I’m talking about the difference between Chilean youth and American youth, as I feel that it is important to understand the differences between the two… or rather the lack thereof.
From the minute that I met my host sister, I knew that we would be friends. Even though she was only 16 years old, she is very mature, and we have a lot in common, especially in terms of our personality. We are both responsible and studious, but at the same time, we like to have fun. Furthermore, the composition of our families is the same. Just like her, I live at home with my mother, and I have a sister who is married and lives in another city. However, from what I have seen, this is an exception in Chile.
In general, I feel that the youth of Chile is somewhat different from that of the United States. In the first place, Chileans are much more dependent on their families. In turn, this affects all other aspects of life. A big difference is that in Chile, students do not live on the university campus like they do in the United States. Moreover, it is normal for sons and daughters to live at home until they are 30 years old. This almost never happens in the United States. Due to this ingrained dependence on the family, most young Chileans don’t work to pay for their own expenses. This also means that they don’t have much extra money to spend. As a result, it is quite rare for couples to go on formal dates. Instead, in Chile many couples spend time together in public places, such as parks or museums. Unlike the United States, it is normal to see multiple couples kissing on the Metro as if no one else was watching. This surprised me because before coming to study in Chile, I had thought that this country was more conservative and Catholic. But in reality, it is not. The Chilean people are very liberal and not especially religious either. To be honest, the Santiago nightlife is sometimes too much for me. I like to go to bed by 3am, you know? At the same time, these are generalizations, and not everyone can be grouped into one category.
Ultimately, my experience studying in Chile has taught me the importance of being open-minded to different people. Furthermore, all youth have things in common despite the existence of cultural differences. We all have a love-hate relationship with our families. We all experience the same heartaches, and we all laugh at the same jokes. And even thought there is sometimes a language barrier between us, one can never go wrong with a smile because in the end we are all the same.

According to the Cambridge Dictionary the word unique is defined as “being the only existing one of its type or, more generally, unusual or special in some way” (Cambridge, 2009). This is a word that best describes Wales and the language and culture that lives within it. Everyday the world is becoming more globalized leaving certain customs and languages behind, which is why it is increasingly important to hold onto any unique qualities that a county and culture might have.

The one thing that you will notice right away if you decide to study in Wales is that on every street sign, words written in Welsh first and then English second even though only a small percentage of Welsh actually speak the native language still. But the Welsh Assembly Government has a strong stand on their beliefs, and can’t see the road signs being any other way.

The Welsh Assembly believes that the Welsh language is an important part of Wales’ national identity. In order to revive and revitalize the Welsh language, the Welsh Assembly has been creating numerous action plans for the government and people of Wales, which the public unfortunately isn’t too keen about.

The state of the world is becoming more globalized each day. Technology has now created the possibility and even the likelihood of a global culture, which I found to be very alarmingly so while in the U.K. With the amount of American culture that I saw each day, I sometimes forgot I actually was in a different country. Obviously the Internet, and Cable TV are sweeping away cultural boundaries. I have found that global entertainment companies shape the thoughts and perceptions of ordinary people across the world.

In the present day, it is very easy for a minority culture to disappear which is why extra effort in sustaining individuality is more important than ever. This said, I completely support the Welsh Assembly Government in their efforts of reviving the Welsh Language. I really do hope that the language is maintained for the sake of the identity and culture that exists in Wales.

I really can’t believe how fast the time went by. This semester seriously was gone in the blink of an eye. Right now it’s bitter sweet for me knowing that my journey is coming to an end.

I fly home tomorrow and I am really anxious and excited to see my family again! Not being able to see my family for six months was the hardest part of this whole experience. One thing that I missed while studying in Wales was the sense of security, knowing that I always had my family to turn to if I needed support. Sure I had the phone and internet to talk to them, but it’s not nearly as good as sitting right next to them in the same room. Being away made me realize just how much my family means to me so my appreciation for them has definitely increased. Hence my excitement for being back home!

Even though I get to see my family very soon, I am still sad knowing that I have to say goodbye to this place where I made so many great memories. Being placed in a completely unfamiliar place like Wales has pushed me to grow as a person and really find myself. It truly was an experience of a lifetime. I’m sad to say goodbye to the people I’ve met and became friends with, knowing that I most likely will never see them again. (Hopefully I will.)

I remember the months before I left home and the excitement I had. I couldn’t wait to leave and start this amazing journey. But now it’s come to an end and I can barely believe I’m typing this right now. It feels like just last week I was getting on the plane in Minnesota just daydreaming about the adventure that waits for me in the U.K. For anyone reading this that’s planning on studying abroad, make the most of every minute while you’re gone. It really does fly by.

This truly was the best experience of my life and I thank the IFSA Butler study abroad Wales for making this dream of mine come true.

The view from the top of Cerro San Cristobal is nothing short of breathtaking, with the Andes Mountains standing majestically behind the Santiago skyline. I have now had the pleasure of living in this Latin American metropolis for the past few months, and this city landmark has become my preferential location when I need time for personal reflection. Before coming to Chile, I knew that this country was a major exporter of fruit and vine, and I vaguely recognized the name Pinochet. But to be honest, that was the extent of my knowledge. Four months later, my concept of Chile has been completely transformed, as I learn new information about this South American treasure each and every day. Although my knowledge of this country prior to this experience was admittedly scant, my main reasons for coming to study abroad in Chile were to improve my Spanish-speaking ability and show my capability to live abroad and be independent. But in the process of accomplishing these goals, I have undergone a significant transformation, in the personal, professional, and academic sense.

For the first time in my life, I have stepped outside of my comfort zone to try something new, and I couldn’t be happier about that decision. I left behind all of my friends, family, and classmates to go to a relatively unpopular study abroad location, without having any idea what to expect. But in all honesty, I didn’t experience any type of culture shock upon my arrival. Ever since I landed in Santiago, I have been meeting new people all the time, and I feel that I have become more confident and social because of this experience. In the IFSA-Butler study Chile study abroad program, there are 16 other students from all over the United States, and the group is quite eclectic, in terms of personality, background, style, and interests. But everybody, including myself, has been extremely friendly and outgoing from the beginning, making this experience even more enjoyable. During this time, I have also been living with a host mother, who is an art teacher, and her daughter, who is in high school. The idea of living with a host family made me a little nervous, because I wasn’t sure if I would be able to adapt to their living situation. However, I realized that I was more adjustable than I thought. Moreover, I have developed a wonderful relationship with my host mom and host sister, and they are both very considerate and helpful, making me realize that I had nothing to worry about. In addition to this, I have also had the pleasure of meeting many Chileans, and I have concluded that the cultural divide between the United States or Chile, or any two cultures for that matter, is not that big. My Chilean friends and I like the same music and laugh at the same jokes, showing that we are really not that different from one another. But I have also had great experiences through my volunteer program.

Through the English Opens Doors Program, which is run by the Chilean Ministry of Education, I have had the privilege of teaching English to high school students. This was an interesting opportunity for me because I was the first volunteer that had ever come to this school, meaning that these students had never interacted with a native English speaker before. Needless to say, they were extremely interested to talk to me because I could teach them the colloquialisms of the language as well as the grammar. Furthermore, since I was around the same age as them, I was able to become friends with these students. Unfortunately, the teachers at this school are currently on strike because the municipality has not properly distributed the funds to the local schools, leaving the teachers without the necessary resources to perform their jobs. But I am looking forward to the resolution of this strike so that I can return back to the school. In addition to this professional volunteer experience, I have been taking academic courses in the history of contemporary Chile, the poetry of Pablo Neruda and Gabriela Mistral, Spanish language, and intercultural health. The process of picking classes and adjusting to the styles of the professors, who teach in Spanish, was slightly difficult at first because I had to learn the workings of the Chilean university educational system. But this has also been a learning experience for me. Essentially, I had to be independent and deal with any problems that I had in my classes on my own because there was no advisor or tutor to help me along the way.

As the program comes to a close, I feel satisfied because I have proven to myself that I can survive in another country on my own. As for my other goal, I still wouldn’t say that I am completely fluent in Spanish, but there is no doubt that my language skills have improved drastically. My pronunciation improved because I was forced to speak Spanish everyday, especially considering the low percentage of Chileans who speak English. Most importantly, I now have the confidence to speak Spanish, and I am able to communicate successfully with any Spanish speaker.

My only regret about this experience is that I didn’t travel as much as I could have because of my academic course load. To be honest, I have spent quite a bit of time studying, which is not what I expected before coming. But in general I tend to be more serious about my academics, and at times, this can be a fault. It makes me sad to think that in a few weeks, my study abroad experience will be over. But at the same time, I hope that I can share my experience with others upon my return to the United States. There is so much to learn about the world in which we live, but we will never know until we step outside of our own backyard, and this step is crucial for our development as human beings.

After spending the weekend on the beach with my mom and grandma, I can’t help but think back to the last time I was at the beach, when we went to go save the Leatherback turtles in La Reserva Pacuare. We stayed just off of the main strip of beach and the national park, Tortuguero, where we spent a weekend “roughing it” as volunteers at the site. Some of the students from the study abroad in Costa Rica program decided to volunteer to patrol the beaches Friday, Saturday and Sunday during the high season for Leatherback turtles laying eggs.


We left early Friday morning because we had a long 4 and a half hour trip ahead of us, we took our microbus from San Pedro to the Caribbean Coast, then a small 14 passenger motorboat for about 20 minutes till we arrived to the small patch of private land, mark 57 at the “Reserva Pacuare.” From the boat launch, we hiked about a half-mile till we got to the wooden cabins we would be staying in. There were three rooms filled with bunk-beds and thin mattresses, no electricity and no running water. We got our water pumped from a well, lit candles at night and to be quite honest, slept very little!



I say Leatherback “turtles” but whether or not they were really turtles is another question! These monsters looked pre-historic, they were huge, anywhere from 5 to 6 feet some of them. I have never seen creatures so big in my life- not only did we patrol the beach for egg thieves, we erased false exits, placed a bag in the nest to collect the eggs as the turtles deposited them, moved the eggs, dug 2 to 3 foot nests to re-deposit the eggs, nicely placed the eggs in their new home with warm sand on top of them, measured the length and width of their shell, and finally erased the awful mess they left as they returned to the water. To fill you in, false exits occur when the turtle exits the water, but either because they feel the water touches too far up on the sand, or because they could not find an adequate place to nest, they return to the water without laying eggs.
There were three patrol shifts, 8 p.m.- 12 a.m., 10 p.m.- 2 a.m., and 12 a.m.- 4 a.m. in which we were supposed to walk up and down the beach patrolling for Leatherback and Green turtles. My group was set for the first shift on Friday night and we thought that we were so lucky to have the early shift, so that we could get back in time to get some good sleep. The problem was that our super kind, “over-eager” guide had her hands full and started picking up more jobs with her teeth and toes! So after a very long and trying 6 and a half hours, we were done- 3 turtles, 3 false exits, 2 nests, 4 marks, about 3 miles and two rainfalls later, done! I never thought I could be so tired after walking up and down the beach, my arms, legs and head hurt so as soon as my head hit the pillow, I was out cold.
The next day after breakfast, we all hopped into our motorboats to head to the other camp site, on the far end of the beach, 5 miles from our camp. We took a hike and saw handfuls of exotic birds, snakes, lizards and frogs. A couple of the program guys decided they wanted to hike from one side of camp to the other, which was about 5 miles. Although I was exhausted from the trip, I wanted to conquer the trail from one side of camp to another and see the wildlife, so I did! About an hour and a half later, we arrived at camp, just in time for lunch. Afterwards, we all headed to the beach to relax in the water, then with a couple of the locals working at the site and program students, we started a 3 v 3 beach soccer game. We must have played for about an hour and a half and before I knew it, we were down to 2 v 2 because we were wearing people out left and right. The final ended up in a tie and after going back and forth on penalties with the other team, they nailed a shot that we couldn’t return and we lost, pridefully though.



Saturday night went 100 times smoother and although we managed to get the midnight shift, we ended right at dawn as the sun was making its way up the horizon. Never thought in my life I would see such a beautiful sunrise, but only after 5 hours of hard work patrolling the beaches and only to be returning to our cabins for a few hours of shut-eye. Sunday rolled around and we were off again, to take a hike, to a motorboat, then a 20 min ride, to take a microbus for 4 and a half hours, and finally to take a bus home! All the amazing things this country has to offer astonishes me everyday- beautiful wildlife, majestic beaches, endangered flora and fauna and yet San Jose still manages to give you all the perks and problems of the city life!

As mid-June approached, it almost felt as if it snuck up on me, a blur of last assignments and exams. The end of classes was nearing, and after finishing up the second cycle of exams, we began to hear word of final exams. As far as me, the two IFSA study in Costa Rica program classes finished in the last week of classes, two other classes from UCR also finished that week and my two law classes had exams scheduled for July 13th and July 17th.What a bummer huh? My exam was the last day of the last week of finals. No matter how much you enjoy your time abroad, finals are always a downer!

The professor of Systems of Investigation and Judicial Reasoning had mentioned that the final might be changed from the 17th to the 7th so I was planning on being back July 14thish, mid-summer for a few weeks with my friends, family and boyfriend back home, and then I’d be back on a plane to Cornell University in mid-August. Then what happened was one day in Introduction to Law, the professor mentioned that there was the option of exemption for some students who had gotten a nine or higher on the two exams and on the class assignments. Wait, you can do that? I never would have thought that would have been a possibility for me at the beginning of the semester being an IFSA-Butler study abroad Costa Rica student, but I realized that I had gotten a nine on the first exam, so who knows? That would mean that I could be done with three out of four classes on the 2nd of July and have a final the 17th, I could have exams the 13th and 17th or, or….I could be exempt from the exam on the 13th and the professor could move the other to the 7th and I would be home the 8th of July. There were so many ifs that I wouldn’t count on anything at that point.

Later that week, the professor of Systems announces that we should agree on a date to move the final, at that point some brave soul blurted “el 2 de Julio,” July 2nd. I couldn’t believe it, the thought had never occurred to me, but suddenly I found myself also shouting it out, “el 2 de Julio!” Before I know it, our final was agreed upon for the 2nd of July, now I had to be exempt in my Introduction class, it was just meant to be I thought. I waited what seemed like ages but really was about a week to see what my fate would be so that I could book my flight home before the prices went way up. It was just about three and a half weeks at the latest until I would be leaving.

Thursday came, finally! I sat there patiently with my breath held as she announced the names…”Eva Dixon, y debemos anotar su mayor esfuerza en la clase…,” basically that the class should acknowledge the extra effort I had to put into the class to be exempt. I got a round of applause and congratulations from the entire class and professor. I couldn’t help but blush, it was a real honor. Not only did I get above a 9 on my last exam, I supposed I decided I would just go all out and get a 10, 100%! Exempt! Eximida! Me? Was she sure? Wow! I really did do it! So only a few minutes later did I realize that I would be completely done July 2nd!

After talking to my professors and program friends, I managed to sneak a flight home planned for July 3rd, just in time to be home for Independence Day! Woo hoo! I would be home to celebrate one of my favorite holidays of the year- fireworks, food, sun, red, white and blue…I couldn’t wait. I called my mom, dad, boyfriend and told my best friend that in a short two weeks, I would be home… Then it hit me, I am home…here in Costa Rica. My home with a family, birthday parties, vacations, beautiful beaches…

Where in the world then, would I be going?