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Amber Bassett: Student Report from 2013 Alternative Winter Break in Costa Rica

Amber Bassett with her Host Family
Amber Bassett, second from right, with her host family in Costa Rica

Amber Bassett Working in Costa Rica
Amber Bassett digs into the Costa Rican work project.

I had a great time in Costa Rica. Although staying with a Costa Rican family was initially awkward and uncomfortable, we quickly learned to communicate through hand motions and broken English and Spanish with lots of laughter at our shared confusion. After this experience, I’ve learned that some things are just universal.

I spent a crazy amount of time playing with the eight or so children that lived with us or nearby, with many rounds of rock paper scissors, hand games, tag, swinging, sharks and minnows, and hide and seek. I also spent time pointing at things and saying any Spanish words I knew to describe it, and drawing pictures and writing English words to be rewarded with the Spanish equivalent. It did not take long to feel like family, especially when living in a constant game of charades. I enjoyed every minute of interaction with my new Costa Rican family.

As far as the project goes, I amazed myself at how much manual labor I could do and my drive to get as much done and done well as possible. We worked through rain, mud, and heat and joked around as we went. Nothing brings people together quite like shared suffering, but I was honestly grateful for the exercise and the life skills. The town citizens were all so grateful for our contribution.

While our project did not require me to have any engineering skills (thank goodness because I am a biology major), the engineering majors I traveled with definitely were able to use things they’d learned in their classes to get the job done.

UT COE Students Pose for Picture
Front to back: Amber Bassett, Carl Cheng, Courtney Humphreys, Payton Smith, Jonathan Skinner, and Christopher Daffron on the bridge over Canon del Rio Sarapiqui.

Outside of our project and our time with the families we stayed with, we had a lot of time for tourist activities and also just to explore the town we stayed in at our own pace, which was very nice. We even tried out some dance moves at a town dance, where we quickly learned that we have no dancing skills compared to the locals.

Overall, I had an incredible experience. I never thought I would find myself in Costa Rica, but going on this trip with these people was quite possibly the best decision I have ever made. I thoroughly encourage anyone that can to partake in this trip. The short amount of time spent there ensures that enthusiasm is maintained and homesickness doesn’t have time to become an issue.

Costa Rica Haikus:

Functional Fitness,
Many meals of rice and beans,
Visits to Chilo’s.

Ow! What just bit me?
Seriously, rice and beans?
I love this country.

Costa Rican time,
Do we have to go back home?
Coffee and cacao.