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!
Beyond Study Abroad 2011

- Spanish Classes

While in Costa Rica, I was able to earn spanish credits that transferred back to University Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Beyond Study Abroad does a great job doing all that they can to make sure your credits will get approved and transfer back. All I had to do was have the department head from my home university approve and sign off on the course I was going to take while abroad.

I chose to go to Veritas University while in Costa Rica. It had small class sizes and I was able to meet new friends who were also studying abroad. My professor really tried to make class fun for us, we cooked and ate typical costa rican food and even went on a field trip. The classes at the university did a great job teaching us the Spanish that we needed to use everyday with our host families, and at camp. It was a great feeling to be able to leave class and be able to use what you learned in the real world.

- Adventure Excursions

Every weekend we had to opportunity to travel all throughout Costa Rica. We traveled to beautiful beaches, volcanoes, and rain forests. We got to go zip-lining, swim in hot springs, and go snorkeling in one of the best spots in central america . It was truly a once in a lifetime experience.

- Service Learning

My favorite part of Beyond Study Abroad is their commitment to service-learning. We went to two different communities in Costa Rica and were able to coach at sports camps. This is where I was able to experience Costa Rican culture and learn more spanish.

Teaching a group of children different sports can be very difficult and stressful. Between trying to figure out how to teach a sport in a new language, and the young children talking so fast you cant understand one word they are saying, you realize that you are making a difference in these kids lives that makes all the hard work worth it. The kids are so thankful and enthusiastic about everything that you do. It was always so hard leaving at the end of the day because the kids never wanted you to leave and it was so fun playing sports with them.

- Athletic Training

Being part of the soccer team at UWEC, we pride ourselves on being the most fit team in our conference. With the Beyond program, we trained 4 days a week. The workouts were intense, focusing both on strength training and agility. I was able to get into great shape there and it really paid off when I got back to UWEC for our soccer season. The Beyond program was even able to give me the chance to train with the Costa Rican national soccer teams goalie coach. It was a great way to maintain off-season workouts.