Hello! My name is Valeria Manzano Ballesteros, and I am a first gen Latina/Hispanic student at the University of Oregon. This is my last year at UO, and I am ready and excited to see what the future holds for me! I'm looking forward to highlighting my experience abroad through my identities as a first-time traveler, female, and my ethnic identity.
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I am currently in Costa Rica in the Education and Psychology program through GEO, and I love it so far! One of the main reasons I chose this programs was its coursework. In this program there are three modules, each consisting of a different class. Currently, we are in module one, which is a Spanish class. In three weeks, I will be in my psychology class, and the following three weeks I will be in my internship. I was drawn to the program because of the opportunity to intern at a social service organization. This was awesome, as I felt I needed more field experience before graduating college.
My arrival into Costa Rica was during the nighttime, so when I looked out the airplane window to see my new home for the next ten weeks, I saw pitch darkness. Without a sneak peek into what I was walking into, I felt nervous and unprepared. When my turn came to exit the airplane, a million thoughts were running through my head. Where do I go? What do I say? Does my Mexican Spanish sound weird? Soon all these thoughts were obliterated by the humidity that hit me in the jet tunnel. I was aware of how humid Costa Rica could get but being from Oregon, I never truly understood what 90% humidity feels like. The heat was also a present force; it felt like a warm hug. It felt comforting. I landed in the San Jose airport, which is surprisingly not even in San Jose, but another providence of Costa Rica named Alajuela (Costa Rica has 7 providences: Alajuela, Guanacaste, San Jose, Heredia, Puntarenas, Limon, and Cartago). After a long wait at immigration and bag collection, I made it out to the main entrance. I was told to look for someone holding an 'Arcos Program' sign, who would take me to my homestay. As I walked down the passage, my eyes started to dart to every sign I saw, and I grew more and more weary with each sign I passed. I finally spotted the sign and was greeted by one of the directors named Angie. She welcomed me with a warm hug and a kiss on the cheek, which is a traditional greeting for Costa Ricans. From the second she spoke, I felt safe and comfortable. It was a very reassuring feeling. The drive to my host family's house was dark and a bit windy. I could see features of houses here and there but the darkness outside kept from a clear picture.
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When we got to the house, I was nervous for what was to come. These feelings soon washed away once I was greeted with a big smile and a hug from my host family. Angie called her my mama tica, tica being a nickname for Costa Ricans, and I soon began calling her mama tica as well. At first, it didn't roll off my tongue, and at some points it felt like I was replacing my own mom, but as the days went by I realized this was going to become a second home.
The following day, I was able to fully see what Heredia truly looked like. As I peeked outside I saw the beautiful mountain range in the back alongside all the green and vibrant fauna. Heredia reminded me a bit of Mexico, Michoacan to be more specific. The house structures, the roads, and the number of dogs as well. At the start, it was a bit hard to completely disconnect from my previous comparisons and thoughts about Mexico when walking down the streets, but as the days went by I learned to fully engage and appreciate the beauty of Costa Rica as its own.
I'm excited to see what Costa Rica has in store for me and even more excited to bring you all along with me!
Speak soon,
Valeria Manzano Ballesteros, Diverse Duck Ambassador
Education and Psychology in Costa Rica