The following article was written by Jordan Sparrow, a KU alum who studied abroad in Costa Rica for 3 consecutive semesters during his undergraduate career. In January 2010, I embarked on the most transformative experience of my life: studying abroad…
Extended Spring Break Deadlines!
Were you planning on studying abroad over spring break but missed the deadline? Well, have no fear! The Office of Study Abroad has decided to save your spring break by extending the deadlines for the following three programs: Humanities and…
Top Places to Visit in Costa Rica
When you are thinking of countries with accessible travel abroad, Central America may not be the first place to come to mind. However after living in Costa Rica for nearly 7 months, I found out how affordable and accessible different towns,…
Food in… Costa Rica
Oh, what I would do to have some of the best dishes from Costa Rica right now. The food in this tropical country of Central America is usually very natural and fresh. Street vendors can be found selling fruit on…
A Costa Rican Perspective: The Greatest Benefit of Study Abroad
When people ask me about the most rewarding part of my study abroad experience, many things come to mind. Language acquisition is definitely at the top of the list; being able to travel and live in another country for nearly 7 months is…
Three Best Friends
When I was preparing to go to Costa Rica, I was anxious to live with a host family. I began to doubt that I could effectively use Spanish to communicate with the people I would spend 6.5 months with. All I knew about my family members were…
Photography Guide to Studying Abroad
I will always see my study abroad experience in Costa Rica as one of the best times of my life. However, as it becomes more and more distant in the rear view mirror of life, the more specific details of…
The Voice Within
Raising your hand takes a lot of courage. It is easy to take this liberty for granted when you are in a familiar classroom environment. I have always been an active participant in my classes, but in Costa Rica I…
People Running Away
The best thing about traveling around Central America were the people. They were cool vagabonds, vacationing middle-agers, and full on weirdos. I met them everywhere—riding in the ferry, hiking to a waterfall, searching for the proper bus station, or simply…
Miracles and Riots: Being in Costa Rica for the World Cup
I watched the first World Cup game at my friend’s family’s house. We paid two mil colones (about $4) to the host to help cover the cost of food, we sipped on beer we brought ourselves, we took chili guaro…