After being home for a few days and fully recovering from my time abroad, I’m given the opportunity to reflect on last month. My time in Costa Rica felt like a dream. I woke up in my own bed that first morning back and it felt so strange. I didn’t hear any Great Kiskadees chirping or Howler monkeys calling outside my window. The transition back was a bit tricky for me. I woke up rather early each morning, my body still accustomed to 5 AM bird hikes. The food in Costa Rica had clean proteins and fresh fruits with each meal so it was difficult to come home and eat rich or fatty foods. It felt like I was at home but my body hadn’t left Costa Rica.
The lectures and fieldwork were difficult but it’s actually pretty incredible how much I learned in such a short amount of time. I saw close to 200 different species of birds with other students who had more experience birding seeing close to 300 species. I learned to identify a majority of the birds based on their environments, flight patterns, calls, colors, size, etc. I also learned about their habits and food sources. As soon as I returned, I bought a book of North American birds with the hopes of continuing to further my education of avian wildlife back home. Who knows? Maybe one day I’ll return to Costa Rica to seek out more species of exotic birds.
Living in a different country made me appreciate the contrasting lifestyles and views between Costa Rican culture and United State’s culture. There are some similarities but there are numerous differences. My favorite part of Costa Rican culture is how dedicated the entire population is to becoming a completely “green” country with sustainability being the number one priority. Over half of the country’s energy comes from hydroelectric power and most of the other sources are clean such as wind turbines or geothermic energy from volcanoes. They recycle everything and refuse to waste any resources. They take care of their natural environments and take pride in their hard work. I would love to see some of the same dedication put into practice back in the States. We could start small and work to make UGA’s Athens campus more sustainable. My experiences with the culture definitely changed my outlook on what it means to go “green”.
Keeping in touch with my family and friends back home was more difficult than I thought it was going to be. The limited WiFi access definitely was a majority of the problem but the time difference also played a part. However, I think the shear amount of activities I was experiencing was so overwhelming to me that I couldn’t think of what to tell my friends and family even if I could call. It was all happening so fast and I was learning so much. Thankfully, I tried to keep a detailed personal journal of everything that I experienced. I ended up giving that journal to my parents and they loved it so much. It did a majority of the talking while I could only think to say “Costa Rica was amazing and beautiful” as a response to most questions. It was so strange, coming back and trying to put into words for my friends what it’s like to study abroad. I knew I was learning school work, but I was learning more about myself and my perspective on the world. A classroom can be so much more and so much bigger than a building on Athens’ campus.
Most of the students and I on the trip would joke and laugh together about how much we dreaded getting up at 5 AM for yet another bird hike. But, I can’t remember a time before my trip to Costa Rica where I would get up at 5 AM and feel excited for what I was going to see and learn that day. I feel like that was the case for most of the students on the trip. We expanded our knowledge and relationships with each other during every hike or struggle. I want to go hiking now that I’m back home. I want to be able to sit on North Campus and identify a bird species, just like I learned to do in Costa Rica. My study abroad experience did not change my professional goals; I still want to be a Poultry Veterinarian. However, it certainly changed my personal goals in life. It made me want to expand my horizons and be open to new activities and people. I would love to further my birding experience and keep track of all the species I find and identify on my own. I intend to keep in contact with my professor from this trip and hopefully, he’ll be able to help me with this personal goal when I seek advice from him.
All of the students on this trip were incredibly accepting and I want to thank each one of them for the memories they gave me. I want to thank my superiors for giving me the best platform for improving my academic knowledge and my personal character. Lastly, I want to thank the beautiful country of Costa Rica for showing me the world in a different light as well as teaching me more about myself.
As promised in my first post, here’s my suggested packing list:
- High-topped, water-proof hiking boots
- Long lightweight pants (3-4 pairs)
- Athletic shorts (3-4 pairs)
- T-shirts (I bought a pack of white Hanes t-shirts)
- Long-sleeve, light weight shirts (saved me from bugs and the sun; PFG’s are great)
- Hiking socks (8-10 pairs)
- Sturdy sandals with straps (ex. Chacos, Tevas, etc.)
- Several disposable ponchos (it pours rain every day in Costa Rica; even the best rain jackets get waterlogged. I reused a poncho at one location and then threw it out when we moved to a different reserve/lodge)
- Rain jacket
- Water-proof, light weight backpack for hikes (I used mine as a carry-on on the airplane)
- Water bottle!
- High-powered flashlight (important for night hikes)
- Binoculars (you’ll have these on you at all times so try to find a lightweight set)
- Light-weight neck-pouch to hold money and passport safely underneath clothing (I bought mine at Walmart for 5$) or a fanny pack
- Ton of underwear (15 pairs at least)
- Bathing suit (1 set)
- Pajamas
- Large-brimmed hat or baseball cap (I used a Colombia fishing hat and it was a life-saver)
- Mosquito face net (I know that sounds unnecessary but I promise you will wish you had it several times)
- A lot of mosquito repellent (I used Picaridin and it was AMAZING; my skin is sensitive to DEET so this was a great alternative)
- Plenty of sunscreen for face and body
- Toiletries (bring the minimum)
- Phone charger
Suggestions:
- Trash bags and grocery bags (SO IMPORTANT; good for dirty/wet clothes and for storing muddy hiking boots when not using them)
- An empty duffel bag for souvenirs
- Several sandwich bags (keeps passport, money, and phone dry)
- Granola bars or trail mix (you will have early hikes with no breakfast until a few hours later)
- Electrolytes such as MiO Liquid Water Enhancer
- The Birds of Costa Rica book that the professor suggests bringing (really wished I had bought it; it’s super expensive to buy in Costa Rica)
- A currency exchange app (I downloaded mine for free on my iPhone and it helped me a great deal)
- A Spanish dictionary (I downloaded the app on my iPhone so I could use it without having WiFi)
- Laptop (the final includes a paper that was much easier to type than hand write in my opinion)
