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I had a great time in Costa Rica! All of the students, the directors, and the teachers were very friendly and supportive! I made great new friends and this is an experience that I will always remember ...
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I had a great time in Costa Rica! All of the students, the directors, and the teachers were very friendly and supportive! I made great new friends and this is an experience that I will always remember. At first, I was really nervous about being in a different country all alone with a different family, but I settled in right away. My host mom made incredible meals for me that I now am encouraged to make for myself in the United States! She also was very friendly and always had a smile on her face! It was incredible...so many people here were always so happy and friendly! Before I came I knew a lot of spanish already, but I was always too afraid to use it outside the classroom at school. After coming here, I'm not nervous at all and have gotten much better at talking to, and listening to people talk quickly in spanish. I'm excited to go back to school and see how much this helps my spanish improve in the classroom! One thing to know though is that the town is a pretty far walk from the houses and ATESA, but you can always take a cab to get there quicker, butthe walk has also been pretty good exercise! I hope that you push yourself to experience this incredible country, because it certainly has been life changing for me! "
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My time spent in Oaxaca was amazing and I meet many people, such as friends, instructors, teachers, and my host family. They all contributed to my experience here in Oaxaca! The program improved my Sp ...
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My time spent in Oaxaca was amazing and I meet many people, such as friends, instructors, teachers, and my host family. They all contributed to my experience here in Oaxaca! The program improved my Spanish and idea of Mexican culture. This experience made me want to continue my Spanish learning because it showed me my opportunities that I have if I could speak [Spanish]. This program also made me want to go visit other parts of Mexico, along with revisiting Oaxaca. "
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Student interview with Laura Correa, Atenas, Costa Rica Summer 2014
During the summer, many of our teens set off on new adventures. Many teens start thinking more intensely about college and ventur ...
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Student interview with Laura Correa, Atenas, Costa Rica Summer 2014
During the summer, many of our teens set off on new adventures. Many teens start thinking more intensely about college and venture off on college trips. Some of our teens become involved with the SSYP BRIDGE Scholar program, and they travel on meaningful mission trips to other parts of the US - sometimes to other countries! Between these life-changing journeys to new places with SSYP friends, and fun days of B-SAFE programming as Counselors-In-Training, our teens stay extremely busy. In just a few short months, our teens demonstrate amazing personal growth and professional development.
This year, one of our teens, Laura Correa-Franco, set off on her own independent adventure. Supported by her fantastic mentor Susannah Benner, Laura was able to find a scholarship opportunity to participate in a study abroad program in Costa Rica. This past Monday, Laura and I sat down for coffee to discuss her amazing trip - and how her journey to Costa Rica taught her a few important life lessons and changed her for the better.
I'm so proud of Laura of her amazing accomplishment of studying abroad. Also, I am incredibly thankful to the support and guidance that was provided by Susannah Benner in terms of connecting her to this program, advocating for her scholarship opportunity, and encouraging Laura to think globally about her education.
What an awesome mentor pair!
Emily: So - let's start from the beginning. Tell me about your experience getting on a plane for the first time to go abroad for an intensive language course!
Laura: Oh wow, it was really scary and exciting at first. But when I arrived, my host family took me in so kindly. I got these really good vibes from everyone. Other participants in the program were so cool - people came from all across the country to attend this program. Other Americans that I met there came from everywhere, from California to Louisiana - but they were all so intelligent and had such cool personalities. I was challenged to learn a lot within my first few hours off the plane, but everyone was really kind to me and made sure I was happy and safe.
And the food - the food was delicious! We were eating amazing fruits all day - guava, pineapples, and knepa - and then at night rich, delicious, amazing foods, always served with the perfect side dish of rice and beans.
Emily:
I can tell that you had so much fun! What were your language courses like? Did you like your teachers?
Laura:
When I got there, I knew I really wanted to focus on perfecting my Spanish. I knew going in, I was getting close to fluent in terms of speaking. But, I was missing a lot of vocabulary, and I didn't have a really firm grasp on formal grammar. But, I really impressed my teachers on the first day, and they were very kind and paired me with a teacher, Marysella, who was really committed to making me work hard.
And my tutor - she wouldn't let anything slide. I got a lot of individualized attention that forced me - in a good way! - to learn formal grammar and avoid mistakes. She wasn't easy on me! But now, I know I'm approaching fluency in not just speaking, but writing as well. My speech patterns are much more formal and polished.
I grew to love my teachers - they taught me so much! Marysella was so amazing, that every moment I could, I would talk to her, just to learn more about her and practice my skills. I daydream about going back!
Emily:
Wow, what an incredible opportunity - and I know that you got to do a lot of sightseeing and cultural activities while you were there as well.
Laura:
And really, it was perfect, because it gave me the chance to take a lot of pictures for my blog. You see, my trip was sponsored by a scholarship, in which I was asked to document my trip with photos on a blog. I loved being a photographer - I caught a lot of great moments, which you can see on my Costa Rica Blog. Susannah, my mentor, was the one who connected me with this program, and she was so supportive in terms of connecting me with this chance of a lifetime. She helped me find this scholarship opportunity, which made the trip financially feasible for me.
I have to admit, I was a little nervous about working with a mentor when we first started talking about it in the fall, but you encouraged me to try it. I'm so glad I did. I focused on building a positive relationship and finding new and exciting opportunities - I still want to grow our relationship even more as we work towards my applications for college.
I'm so thankful to Susannah for making all of this happen - and you, too, for supporting me and my growth along the way!
Emily:
Thanks, Laura! But you and Susannah were the one to put in all of the work building your relationship and making this happen. I can really see that this trip made a big impact on you as a person. What were some of your biggest take-aways from this trip?
Laura:
Wow, I learned a lot of big life lessons on this trip. I discovered my own independence - that I can survive on my own in a new place, that I can motivate myself to learn on my own, and that traveling independently is possible and fun.
I was really excited about my trip, but was somewhat fearful of having to live and study by myself in a foreign country. I made friends so easily - in part because I was matched so perfectly with amazing roommates and classmates - but also because I was brave enough to try something new on my own.
Now that I think back on my trip, I can't wait to travel again. It was so fun! And now I know that I can think about new college and career opportunities and not be limited to think locally. I look forward to working with my mentor Susannah to think about new school choices that are further away from home that will also support me studying abroad.
- Posted by Emily Daina Šaras, College and Career Program Coordinator and Massachusetts Promise Fellow
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Because I have a back injury, I wasn´t able to go on the white water rafting, so that was a bit disappointing. But I really appreciated how Orlando took me and a friend to do other things around town ...
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Because I have a back injury, I wasn´t able to go on the white water rafting, so that was a bit disappointing. But I really appreciated how Orlando took me and a friend to do other things around town so we wouldn´t be bored. :) "
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This was the best trip I have ever been on. Everything was amazing. The mood here is very relaxed, while maintaining a learning environment. I have ben to Costa Rica three times, but experiencing Cost ...
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This was the best trip I have ever been on. Everything was amazing. The mood here is very relaxed, while maintaining a learning environment. I have ben to Costa Rica three times, but experiencing Costa Rica through Sol Abroad made me appreciate the country so much more. Thank you for everything! "
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My Spanish improved SO much! I learned more in 1 month than I have in 5 years of Spanish classes put together. The Sol Abroad directors were the best directors I could have hoped for! I now have a sec ...
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My Spanish improved SO much! I learned more in 1 month than I have in 5 years of Spanish classes put together. The Sol Abroad directors were the best directors I could have hoped for! I now have a second family in Oaxaca. This trip was one of the greatest experiences of my life. I can’t wait to go back next summer! "
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I feel less ignorant about the world. I have come to accept the food, animals, and culture I was to live with in the past three weeks here. I have appreciated more of the excess I have been given in t ...
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I feel less ignorant about the world. I have come to accept the food, animals, and culture I was to live with in the past three weeks here. I have appreciated more of the excess I have been given in the U.S. I truly realize that money does not buy you happiness. The quality time emerging into a country makes you happy. "
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Biggest challenge: My body and mind was constantly exhausted because I had to work twice as hard to understand everything around me. The benefits: Studying abroad opened my eyes to the world and th ...
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Biggest challenge: My body and mind was constantly exhausted because I had to work twice as hard to understand everything around me. The benefits: Studying abroad opened my eyes to the world and the difficulties of learning a second language. I have significantly more respect for bilingual individuals. "
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I was shown so much love by my family. I love them so much and I have a special place in my heart just for them. They changed the way I view family and it was so for the better. The other night I call ...
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I was shown so much love by my family. I love them so much and I have a special place in my heart just for them. They changed the way I view family and it was so for the better. The other night I called my dad and told him all the things I have wanted to say for so long, they gave me the courage to open up to him. They helped me in ways I can never describe. I will come back and visit them for years to come. "
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This is an experience of a lifetime! Being submerged in the culture has made me realize how beautiful the language is and there is no doubt that it has become a huge part of life. Your language skills ...
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This is an experience of a lifetime! Being submerged in the culture has made me realize how beautiful the language is and there is no doubt that it has become a huge part of life. Your language skills will improve like no other, and you will feel at home speaking with locals after two weeks in the beautiful city of Granada. The culture is marvelous and beautiful; the melding of traditional Spanish practices and those brought over by Arab influence makes for an interesting and engaging time. I loved it, and if I had another free summer, I would come back in a heartbeat for eight weeks. "
