Baowei in Costa Rica

Participant

Baowei

Programme

Internship

Country

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

Duration

20 weeks

Short bio

My name is Baowei, I’m 21 years old and I study Sport Management and Entrepreneurship at university. It’s a really cool course that offers lots of opportunities to develop yourself, and you often get the chance to travel abroad for your studies! I live in Amsterdam and work at PBN, an outdoor company. I also go to the gym now and then and I enjoy doing things with friends and family.

How satisfied were you with the support before departure?

The support before departure was really good and I’m very happy with it. Ruben Baarda was very kind, committed and helpful. Even when I wasn’t yet sure whether I wanted to do an internship with The Power of Sports, he was happy to help me, and Ruben also helped me a lot with choosing the country. During my stay in Costa Rica I was also in touch with Ruben now and then, and he was curious how I was finding the internship. At the end of the internship we had an evaluation meeting scheduled, where I could share my findings with him, and he was open to feedback. You could always ask for help and Ruben was always there for you!

My story

“All in all, a really great experience you’ll never forget! You get a really good picture of the culture in Costa Rica.”

Baowei · internship in Costa Rica

In the third year of my studies I had to do a 20-week internship, and after a lot of weighing things up I finally decided to go to Esparza in Costa Rica together with a fellow student, Britt.

It really was a trip I’ll never forget, with both good and not-so-good moments. It was really cool to get to know the culture and the local people. I also met lovely people and made friends for life. Unfortunately, though, Britt wasn’t feeling herself and went home early. During that period it was really quiet and there were only a few other volunteers. I noticed that the group dynamic is really important for a good atmosphere and that it can make or break your experience.

During the week I ran senior sport two days a week, a project I set up myself. It was lovely to see the elderly people change for the better. Their motor skills, fine motor skills and balance had improved, and their social contact with the neighbours had got a lot better. I also helped out with construction, again at the elderly people’s place. There we built steps for the elderly, for example, so they could leave the house more easily, or we worked on building a new house. On Mondays I always had office day, when I could work on my report, and on the other day I could always choose where I wanted to go. So now and then I went to day care, helped with the sports lessons or taught English. I really liked being given the space to do different things. Not only did it make the work varied, I also got a much better idea of what the culture in Costa Rica was like and how to deal with different groups.

The weekends were the best. Unfortunately there’s nothing to do in Esparza itself, so during the week you basically chill at the house, and at the weekend you head out, sometimes with a few volunteers and sometimes with a big group. Costa Rica has stunning nature and offers both beautiful beaches and rainforest, where you can go on lovely walks. On top of that I got to spot loads of beautiful animals, which was really cool;)

All in all, a really great experience you’ll never forget! You get a really good picture of the culture in Costa Rica.

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

Try to be open to Costa Rican culture straight away and forget about Dutch culture for a while. Everything in Costa Rica goes a bit slower and everything is less well organised, but the local people are really, really friendly.