Stijn in Costa Rica

Participant

Stijn

Programme

Internship

Country

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

Duration

12 weeks

Short bio

I’m Stijn, I’m 21 years old and I study at the sports academy in Amersfoort. I’m really interested in different cultures, sport, flora and fauna

How satisfied were you with the support from Holland?

The support from my school was good. I was helped with every step. The Power of Sports was also very helpful beforehand and was able to answer all my questions.

My story

“Costa Rica was an unforgettable experience for me and it gave me a completely new view of the world. Even now, I have never been so motivated to go looking for new cultures and experiences like this one.”

Stijn · internship in Costa Rica

I went to Costa Rica for three months. I went on my own and that was quite scary at first. Looking back, I had such a great time with the people there that next time I would sooner go on my own again than with friends. I learnt so much about myself, about working together with others and about making do with what you have.

For our internship we ended up in lots of different places. A big part of our work was in Esparzol, a neighbourhood where conditions were tough, but the people there were amazing and welcomed me with open arms. We helped wherever it was needed and mainly focused on activities for children. We also worked at a secondary school, where we taught lessons, and we danced with elderly people at various community centres.

Spanish was also part of the experience. When I arrived I hardly spoke any Spanish, although I had taken a course beforehand and had started on Domingo. At first I was searching for words and couldn’t make myself understood. After a while it got better and better. I started picking up words and sentences naturally and dared to just give things a go more and more. The fact that it sometimes went completely wrong often made it all the funnier. I found out that you need surprisingly little Spanish for a football session. You can get a long way with hand gestures and a bit of creativity.

I saw a lot of Costa Rica. At weekends we almost always went to different places with the whole group. From coastal towns to crocodile tours and swimming with sharks. I found the nature especially special. The flora and fauna are amazing. I’ve taught sports sessions with macaws flying over your head and howler monkeys calling in the distance.

Looking back, I’m mostly just glad I did it. I made new friends, but above all I gained lots of experiences.

Costa Rica was an unforgettable experience for me and it gave me a completely new view of the world. Even now, I have never been so motivated to go looking for new cultures and experiences like this one.

What advice would you like to give future interns and volunteers?

If you want to wear your DKVS shirt without stains when you’re back in Holland, don’t take it with you. What I would take is something to hand out to the people there. Think liquorice, (Dutch) sweets, stroopwafels, souvenirs, etc. For the people there it’s a little piece of a world they will probably never see