{"id":7609,"date":"2025-01-29T14:54:14","date_gmt":"2025-01-29T19:54:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/?p=7609"},"modified":"2025-01-29T14:54:15","modified_gmt":"2025-01-29T19:54:15","slug":"a-lesson-in-stickiness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/2025\/01\/29\/a-lesson-in-stickiness\/","title":{"rendered":"A Lesson in Stickiness"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

My semester in Costa Rica was surprisingly quiet and challenging from day to day, and it taught me a wealth of life lessons that I\u2019ll be unpacking for years to come. The kind and vibrant people of Costa Rica sent me home with a mind that understands the world more deeply, with a heart full of gratitude for the people and things of home, and with a renewed understanding of what it means to be a true friend and good neighbor. Getting to study and experience daily life in a place that was so unlike the United States, and in which I was a foreigner, was one of the most enriching experiences of my young life. The constant immersion of new language and culture made every waking moment into a lesson. Everywhere I went, whether it was the grocery store or a national park, I was learning something new. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Academically speaking, the USAC Spanish language track was invaluable in my gaining knowledge of the Spanish language and fulfilling the requirements of my Spanish minor. Also, living with a host family, attending community events, volunteering with a local kindergarten, and participating in the orchestra at UNA were all major contributors to my exposure and practice of the Spanish language. The accelerated courses and immersion combined enabled me to combine four semesters of Spanish study into one. Because of this, I will be able to graduate in 8 semesters despite the fact that I decided to pursue a minor in Spanish during my Junior year at UTC. It really is true that immersion is incredible for language acquisition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Due to the rich natural landscape and the handy public bus system of Costa Rica, I was able to see so many breathtaking and unique sights across the country. I walked on the sandy shores in Guanacaste, hiked and ziplined through the rainforest of Monte Verde, climbed to the foot of the Arenal Volcano in La Fortuna, and took a swim in the nearby hot springs. I stopped on the road in Tamarindo to watch monkeys cross the street, I paused in the Monte Verde Cloud Forest to see a sloth climb a tree, and I peered out of a window to see scarlet macaws sitting on a tree branch. Even greater than these natural wonders I got to take in were the people I encountered in Costa Rica.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although I gained so much from my classes abroad and my travels across Costa Rica, the most notable attribute of my time away was the church I visited each Sunday. The people of Los Lagos Church in Heredia, Costa Rica taught unforgettable lessons in what it means to live in the joy of the Lord and to love his people. One of the women in the congregation told me that she sees the people of Costa Rica (and especially of the church there) as being \u201cpegajoso\u201d or \u201csticky.\u201d She meant this to say that they stick closely to one another in life and are quick to \u201cstick to\u201d or welcome new people. I would venture to say that the most valuable lesson I learned from my time in Costa Rica was what it means and looks like to be sticky. Now that I am home, it is my hope to cultivate the kind of community in my own life that I saw and experienced abroad. How rich those four months were!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trieste Mildner\u00a0(BA Music) spent Fall 2024 studying abroad in Heredia, Costa Rica through\u00a0 USAC.<\/a> Trieste had the following to say about studying abroad,\u00a0\u201cDo not allow the oppurtunity of studying abroad to be lost on you! It is amazing how much there is to learn from living day today in another culture and way of life.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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My semester in Costa Rica was surprisingly quiet and challenging from day to day, and it taught me a wealth of life lessons that I\u2019ll be unpacking for years to come. The kind and vibrant people of Costa Rica sent me home with a mind that understands the world more deeply, with a heart full… <\/p>\n

Continue Reading <\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1215,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6740,48248],"tags":[73812,73822,73811,73813],"class_list":{"0":"post-7609","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-center-for-global-education","7":"category-study-abroad","8":"tag-global-education","9":"tag-global-mocs","10":"tag-mocs-abroad","11":"tag-wanderlust","12":"entry","13":"has-post-thumbnail"},"yoast_head":"\nA Lesson in Stickiness - Center for Global Education Archive: Jul 2007 - Oct 2025<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A Lesson in Stickiness - Center for Global Education Archive: Jul 2007 - Oct 2025\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"My semester in Costa Rica was surprisingly quiet and challenging from day to day, and it taught me a wealth of life lessons that I\u2019ll be unpacking for years to come. 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