Jet in Costa Rica

Participant

Jet

Programme

Internship

Country

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

Duration

23 weeks

Short bio

My name is Jet. I’m 17. I’m studying Social Work at level 4 and I mainly work by doing loads and loads of babysitting.

How satisfied were you with the support before departure?

I signed up with The Power of Sports and had a meeting to discuss where I’d like to go. These were clear conversations and everything was well organised. I could ask questions to someone who was already there and was put in touch with the person who arranged everything there.

For school I had to do various assignments, and Ruben was completely open to giving us extra help with them, since they were of course written in Dutch and not in English… my school assignments had to be discussed with a colleague there (who didn’t speak Dutch). Ruben had no problem helping with that.

My story

“I had an amazing experience in Costa Rica and made loads of memories that no one can ever take away from me.”

Jet · internship in Costa Rica

Together with two other Dutch girls (Jade and Nina), I went to Costa Rica for 23 weeks, where I taught English and swimming, helped a school paint its outside wall and helped a family in the mountains with their farm. The reason I really wanted to go to Costa Rica was: because I think it’s really important to get to know new people and cultures, so you see other ways of living and maybe even adapt your own way of life. And of course skipping the winter in Holland;)

When I arrived in Costa Rica, it took me a while to get used to it. I couldn’t quite believe I’d really be there for 23 weeks. After a few weeks I felt completely at home and went on amazing trips with the group I was volunteering with at the time. We even went to Panama (for a stamp), because I was in Costa Rica for more than 3 months, and then you need a visa, which I didn’t have.

Jade and I were still in Costa Rica for Christmas and New Year. It’s great fun to see how they celebrate, because it’s just a bit different from Holland. I celebrated Christmas with my mum and a friend of hers too, as they came over to visit us. We celebrated New Year’s Eve on the beach with friends we’d made.

Spanish wasn’t my strong point. It took quite a while before I started making an effort to learn Spanish. On the farm, speaking English wasn’t possible, because you were working with a local family who only speak Spanish. That was great fun. They appreciate what you do, and I even went to a river with the family to go swimming with them (with the parents and their 4 children). We also ate fresh honey from a bees’ nest, which I found quite special because we destroyed their nest and the bees didn’t sting (said the father), and that was true:)

I had an amazing experience in Costa Rica and made loads of memories that no one can ever take away from me.

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

It really is better if you already know some Spanish beforehand. It makes everything so much easier! And check the holidays in Costa Rica. My plan was to teach for longer, but they broke up for the summer holidays, so that ended quickly for me.