Preparing for UPeace- Part II

Part of the inspiration for this blog has been reading the blogs of other students preparing to live abroad. They are helpful. Some of the best advice, however, has come from my lovely Mama.

• Take a gift for your Costa Rican Family that is typically American. I took the record Woodstock to Switzerland to my host family. Never heard it played, however. ???

• Imagine you are on a trans-Atlantic cruise. If you go out drinking or partying with people the first night- you are stuck with them for 2 weeks. Now imagine being "stuck" with students for a year. Watch. Observe people. Do not bond too quickly. You may be sorry later.

• It is fun to adapt to everything new until just after Christmas. After 6 months the novelty of a new culture often wears off. Be prepared for being homesick then. Maybe it won't happen to you - but being homesick it makes you re-appreciate the things you left behind.

• Speak in Spanish even when people reply in English. They will, because they want to practice their English. But remember you want to practice your Spanish. So what if you sound like an idiot! Speak with kids- they will only laugh at you and have fun too. You will often feel like a child in kindergarten in a new culture/language. Enjoy freedom of childhood.

• Do NOT take too many clothes or too much stuff. To assimilate, you will want to shed things American. Keep it simple when you pack. Also, as I learned in Jamaica, possessions are there to be robbed. Take cheap stuff- expect it to be stolen. It is the payback for being a privileged American. It is only stuff of no importance. What matters are people, not "stuff".

Here's the link to my new world:

Programme in Environmental Security and Peace