culture shockI also learned about the powerful heartache of leaving behind dear ones. When you study abroad you miss your home but when you return home you miss the family that you established while in your host country. There are people who I grew to love while abroad who I will never see again. And there is not really anybody to talk about this with because I don’t want to be that girl who starts every conversation with “And one time in Costa Rica…” Jokes aren’t as funny and stories aren’t as meaningful to those who don’t share your experience. So instead my memories live inside me and in the words and images of this blog. Though my Costa Rica experience will probably not color the rest of my life it emerges as smiles in my daydreams and lessons learned expressed through my choices.
To quote my study abroad advisor Brian Souders, “When you get back from studying abroad people want to hear 3 words: It was great!” My profs in CR even recommended coming up with a 30 second speal to share. It’s hard to do! I often find myself tongue tied trying to explain it all.
As far as reverse culture shock goes I had three big surprises. I forgot how clean the US is! The city streets in Washington D.C., New York, and Baltimore have hardly any trash compared to Costa Rica and Nicaragua. In addition the asphalt is so smooth and well maintained. At first DC didn’t look real because the wide flat streets were perfect; I can imagine how excited someone flying into Reagan or Dulles for the first time from another country must feel. As an American I tend to be very critical but we are so lucky for our civil liberties and access to resources.
Another shock, which I was expecting was the materialism and wastefulness of our culture. I visited my friends as they were moving out at the end of the year and we found computers, lazy boy chairs, desks, wrapped cigars, new stuffed animals with labels, and other perfectly good items in the dumpster. College students should be smart enough to realize their connection to the earth and that it is better to reuse or give something away than send it to sit in a landfill. Needless to say I kept many nice items from dumpster diving. After move out, I stayed with my boyfriend and his family at the beach and I was shocked at the amount of packaging and how much food was wasted.
My third big surprise was the diversity of the United States. Besides the Caribbean, I had not really seen any black people in CR. It’s so cool that in any random 7-11 on the East Coast you are likely to find people who are Catholic, Jewish, Pacific Islanders, Irish, African American, Indian…this list goes on. I love UMBC because of its student body’s diversity in background, thought, and color.
Something that has kept me from pining away for Costa Rica is keeping busy. Like I promised I spent time in Gettysburg with my brother and Grandma. I traveled to New York to get ideas for my Costa Rica photography exhibit in September. Most weekends I still headed out to the beach; Sandy Point State Park, Flag Ponds, Ocean City, Cape Henelopen and more. I have also gone salsa and swing dancing. Life is not as exotic now but it still deserves to be lived with full zest. I got an REU grant to study the effectiveness of stream restoration on reducing Nitrogen inputs into the Cheasapeake Bay thus reducing Dead Zones. And I have been hard at work organizing for the next year as president of UMBC’s Students for Environmental Awareness. Being abroad and seeing the rainforests and their inhabitants has increased my commitment to doing my part to help protect our planet.
I emphatically recommend studying abroad to anyone who has the chance because it helps broaden your perspective so that you understand a little bit more of the home you share with Earth’s ~6.5 billion other citizens. Plus you’ll have good stories for when you grow old.
