Dense, green jungle, the howl of monkeys, humid heat sticking to your skin, narrow, winding mountain roads, delicious, fresh food, and infectious positivity. That’s what you get in Costa Rica — Pura Vida.
“It’s allowed me to actually try to understand other cultures and then learn about myself while I’m doing it,” Miranda Alvarez, a first-year interested in biology, said.
Mercer’s Costa Rica Study Abroad trip has a diverse set of experience that will enhance not just academics, but life beyond Mercer. Students visited Finca La Flor learning about permaculture — a type of regenerative agriculture — explored a costal jungle filled with animals and warm-water beaches in Manuel Antonio, swam under La Fortuna waterfall, and got to know the local Maleku people.
“I wanted to travel because every country is so different from the United States; we kind of live in our own little bubble, and it’s so interesting to see the way other people live their lives,” Alvarez said.
But that’s not all Costa Rica has to offer. Students enjoyed a cooking class with locals who taught family recipes and learned about wildlife conservation and rehabilitation at Proyecto Asis Wildlife Rescue Center. On the final day, students received a traditional Maleku blessing and discussed indigenous ecology and entrepreneurship.
“I feel like this trip has done a lot to open my eyes about the culture,” Emily Lorenzo, a first year studying psychology, said. “I noticed that while being here, everything that I’ve learned has been put into action.”
Standing on the beach in Manuel Antonio watching the brilliant pink sunset, students didn’t care that their shoes were wet or that their socks would never not be sandy again. The rhythm of salt waves, children at play, and new friends calling each other’s names was a slice of heaven on Earth after spending a sweltering day learning in the jungle.
“I think the thing that I’m enjoying the most about this trip is the fact that I’ve gotten to learn how independent I am, how easy it is to actually be alone,” Lorenzo said.
