Submitted by Isiah Hiatt on the 2019 winter session program in Costa Rica sponsored by the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures…
This winter I am studying abroad in Costa Rica. One thing that wasn’t that shocking to me is that we have rice and beans for every meal. Breakfast rice and beans, lunch rice and beans, and for dinner rice and beans. The Ticos love their rice and beans. Since Costa Rica is a Latin American country, eating rice and beans is the norm. One thing that was shocking to me is that Costa Rica is classified as a third world country, but we live in beautiful houses. I understand that we are living with middle class to upper middle class families, but most of the houses around us are like that.
Another really shocking thing is the amount of staring. At first I didn’t realize it, but then three days ago my roommate brought up that we have been getting stared at a lot. The next day we went to the mall and I finally saw first hand what he meant. This one guy was just staring at my one roommate. They see a lot of tourists, so it was strange that the one guy was just staring at him. It’s not only strange for that guy, but also everyone else who stares. I think the reason why I didn’t realize the staring is because I have a light brown complexion so I kind of look like a Tico. Due to that, I don’t think the eyes were ever on me specifically so I never realized it. On the other hand, my roommate is darker and looks different from the normal skin complexion. At UD, I have never seen anyone stare at the international students so it is a little strange and uncomfortable to know that my friends and potentially I am being stared at while we walk around.
On another note, transportation here is really cheap. The most expensive bus I have been on so far was roughly $1.30 USD. Overall, my first week in Costa Rica has been interesting and I have learned quite a bit already. I am excited to see what the rest of the program holds.