My Summer with Beyond Study Abroad
An Adventure in Costa Rica for Student-Athletes
Last summer, I spent 6-weeks in Costa Rica with Beyond Study Abroad. I want to spread the word about this opportunity so please share with people who might be interested!
- Spanish Classes
I was able to get the Beyond Program approved by the Trinity Registrars office so that I could get my credits transferred. I received 2 class credits in just 6-weeks that easily transferred to my transcript.
The Spanish class that I took at UCR consisted of 8 students, 4 from the Beyond program and 4 from other programs. We had class for 4 weeks, Monday through Friday. The workload was very manageable and we had 4 tests, one every Friday. In addition to class lectures, we went on a few field trips, learned how to salsa dance, and prepared and shared typical Costa Rican food.
- Adventure Excursions
Almost every weekend we went on a different excursion around different parts of Costa Rica. Some of the excursions included a trip to Arenal Volcano where we spent the afternoon zip lining and the night relaxing in the Baldi hot springs, Puerto Viejo where the highlights were snorkeling and spending the night in hammocks, and Manuel Antonio where we hiked with monkeys and surfed on the beautiful beach!
Another weekend was spent in Panama, which was definitely a weekend that will
never be forgotten!
- Service Learning
The service component of the Beyond Program is one of the most rewarding aspects of the program. Going into the underprivileged communities to hang out with the kids and play sports with them was also the best way to improve our Spanish. Seeing the kids waiting for you and cheering at the bus stop as you arrive with basketballs and soccer balls made the experience extremely worthwhile!
- Athletic Training
Since everyone in the Beyond Program is a collegiate athlete, everyone is used to training at a high intensity level, which creates a great workout environment. The workouts are 4 days a week and they include speed, agility and strength training.
The workouts helped me raise my own level of training intensity when I returned for my season in the fall.