Aero: Brianna Jackson – Costa Rica 2016 – Life at Home

Creative Commons Image via The LEAF Project

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Living with a host family in Costa Rica was one of my biggest concerns. I was worried about living with complete strangers, who didn’t speak English, in a foreign country that I had never been to. I didn’t want to make the wrong impression, doing something that would offend them, and so on. I wasn’t too concerned about living with other students because I’m a college student, it’s what we do. I had expectations on what it would be like, vague assumptions if you will, but it was still pretty different, and a culture shock when I finally arrived at my host family home.

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Brianna Jackson

The first thing that I noticed was the house itself. Not just my host family house, but all of them. Every single one had iron bars. I could understand the businesses having them, but I thought it was interesting that home security for the people of Costa Rica is in the form of bars on their homes, as opposed to the high tech security systems we have in the United States. Family life on the other hand is simple and very relaxed. No one in the house ever seemed to be in a hurry, and things were done at their own pace. It was nice how tranquil everyone was, especially compared to America where everyone is always on the move. My host family was very tight-knit, and it was clear that family time is important to them. They would sit outside with each other and just talk, and have their friends over. As is the way of most Costa Ricans. 

My fellow students and I were given two rooms to share, and our host family was very considerate of our living conditions. The family had beautiful religious decorations placed in their living room, and had a two story home which was very comforting and welcoming. It was definitely different than what you would see in America. For example, they had an open roof in the kitchen area where birds could come and land inside the home. The family had their own pet bird, and laid seeds out for the visiting birds. Another difference in Costa Rican home life compared to American home life is that they didn’t have a dryer for drying clothes, which I later came to understand that most people in Costa Rica didn’t, they hung their clothes out to dry in the warm weather.

Their routines were relaxed as well, though I couldn’t believe that they would get up around 6 every morning, even if there was nothing concrete planned for the day. Breakfast was made for the household members who were up at that time, and then again for us. Meals and mealtimes varied time wise, as did the food, but they always made sure that we were well fed, and that we enjoyed the food.

Life with our host family was fun, and I found that my reservations were completely unfounded. They were warm and welcoming, and were eager to hear about our daily activities and see the pictures we took. Sure, communication was a little difficult because of language, but I believe they still liked to hear us talk about our experiences, and to see the excitement on our faces. Pablo, the son of the matriarch of our host family was a welcomed bright spot. He’s so energetic and took us to see the lights of Alajuela, to visit his friend, and gave us a good time in his “party van.” My host family was so welcoming and happy to have us, and even though I was nervous about staying with them in the beginning, they did their best to make everyone feel welcome, and in the end, I wouldn’t change it for the world. I’ll miss them, and I’ grateful for them accepting us into their home and making our experience in Costa Rica even more pleasurable.

Brianna Jackson
LEAF Contributor
ML@FLCC: Costa Rica 2016

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