I spent 17 days in Costa Rica, as part of the Intro to Pre Med and Public Health Global Works camp. It was an amazing experience to not only meet new people, broaden my knowledge on public health in rural communities, and adventure into Costa Rica’s lush rainforests, but also to stay with a family in a small city in a primarily agricultural driven area.
After a week of staying with our group in various lodges, we made the trek of multiple hours to a small community in Veracruz. There, we were met by our host families through hours of traditional music, dances, and food. Fortunately, everyone in our group was placed with a partner, so we weren’t ever really alone.
After the welcome event, we all walked to our different homes and settled in for the night. Well, not exactly. That was the plan after hours on the bus, but my family wanted to know and show us everything. We were awake into the early hours of the morning explaining our families and friends, hobbies, unpacking, and tasting every food imaginable. My family only spoke Spanish, so it was definitely a challenge at times to get across the right words. My partner did not know too much Spanish, so I was basically on my own. It all worked out though and I formed close connections to everyone in my host family. I truly never fully understood how everyone was related because new people would just show up everyday. It was an adventure for sure.
We drove to hot springs for the day. It was so pretty and so much fun. We walked around the many natural hot springs, pools, and waterslides.
We also started a few service projects while staying with our host families. We began clearing a playground for the local school, made an entire new garden, and did basic clean up work around the community.
Another memorable moment from this part of the trip was volunteering at the local school. We joined in with the younger kids in their classes and played a variety of games. They all loved to take pictures and learn about the US.
Our last few days with our host families were bittersweet, but also quite funny. We were all excited to move onto the next aspects of the trip which consisted of working in medical clinics and learning more about public health, but we all would miss our loving families too. We created such amazing bonds that we didn’t want to leave, but also knew we had to. Funny enough, our goodbye was cut short because a poisonous herd of bees came and our leaders got worried.
So, there it is, my time staying with a host family in Veracruz, Costa Rica!
