Aero: Sarah Warner – Costa Rica 2016 – My Expectations

Aero: Sarah Warner – Costa Rica 2016 – My Expectations
Creative Commons Image via The LEAF Project

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When I signed up for this trip, it was honestly quite a spontaneous decision. I saw a flyer, and that day called my parents who to my surprise gave me the okay. Growing up I dreamed of traveling not only in college but also throughout my life (I was always one to dream big). This being said, I chose Costa Rica specifically to get outside my comfort zone, get the group experience of staying with a host family, and to grow not only culturally, but also just as a person. This being said, that is exactly what I expect to do. Although I have many expectations for myself, what I expect from the trip is to learn a lot and have tons of fun. I am eager for an amazing trip with amazing people.

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Sarah Warner

To prepare for this trip, we have learned a lot about the Costa Rican culture.  I understand now that the Ticos/Ticas are extremely friendly and may not provide as much personal space as Americans are used to.  Although this will take getting used to, I am fully prepared to embrace it being that I am a relatively friendly person myself.  Another cultural difference in Costa Rica is that they do not rely on technology as much as people in the United States. Although I am a person to use technology daily, I expect this will be a refreshing change.  Another aspect of the trip that will be different for us is the landscaping and sightseeing.  This is one of the major portions that I cannot wait to see.  I love to travel and have not yet seen the beautiful lands of Costa Rica.  Although there are some things that will be different and even uncomfortable, I believe that all in all the cultural barrier will be a life changing experience.

Even though excitement is my main emotion as the trip rapidly approaches, I am also a bit nervous specifically about the language barrier. I have taken college level Spanish but not since high school, and I am nervous is will put a block between my host family and I. Even though I am always eager to learn new things, language is a difficult thing, especially being crammed in a small space with new faces.  Nevertheless, I will work my hardest to overcome this fear and embrace the beautiful language.

Finally, what I hope to take away from this trip is growth (as a stated previously). I want to grow as a person, I want to grow culturally, and I hope we grow as a group. I want to come back from this trip with a new perspective and a ton of new friends.

Sarah Warner
LEAF Contributor
ML@FLCC – Costa Rica 2016