Coming to Costa Rica has been an exciting experience for me since it is the first time that I have traveled abroad from the United States. This country has definitely given me high ups and low downs, but I am discovering more about myself day-by-day. Overall it has been a great experience so far. I had the luxury of having a couple months to travel the country and see many different areas of Costa Rica, its people, job opportunities, its culture, and dating a local. I am looking forward to seeing what the future holds next for me here.
Since arriving to Costa Rica, I have lived in different parts of the country. When I first came here, I lived in San Pedro, Heredia, where I was living with a host family and a few other teachers. I was there for a month or so before a few friends and I decided to move to Playa Samara in Guanacaste. There I experienced beach living and a completely different side of Costa Rica. It was like night and day from the city of Heredia. After living in Samara for month, I moved to Liberia where I have been living for a few months now. I have made a lot of friends here and gotten to see many cool things of this city.
Working in another country is a very rewarding experience. Through it, I have found out whether I can adapt to change. Right now I am teaching English at Instituto Estelar Bilingüe and managing a hostel for a local couple in Liberia. Though I just started both jobs, it has been a rewarding experience for me because I’m really pushing myself to do new things and develop my potential. This week Liberia is having its parties (fiestas cívicas), and they happen to be right next to where the hostel is. So I am excited to see how it all plays out here with the incoming travelers.
This blog was contributed by Spencer, an English teacher at Instituto Estelar Bilingüe in Liberia, Costa Rica.