Appreciation for Costa Rican culture

Many people came together and put in much time and effort working to improve water quality for the good of the community. Their hard work had paid off and resulted in safe drinking water for the whole area.

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Published: Tuesday, 29 Nov 2022 Author: Sam Schulte

Sam crouching down in  Costa Rican rainforestMy experience abroad deeply affected me. I gained a lot of appreciation for the ways that other people live their lives. The main difference I observed between Costa Rica and the United States was the collectivist, rather than individualist, culture. In Costa Rica, people are much more willing to help out in their communities. In the United States, people often only look out for themselves.

While abroad, I visited the community of Palmichal, where a great deal of work was being done to improve and maintain the quality of the local watershed. Many people came together and put in much time and effort working to improve water quality for the good of the community. Their hard work had paid off and resulted in safe drinking water for the whole area. I was very impressed by their ability to create change. By coming together, these people were able to accomplish far more than the sum of their own individual efforts could ever amount to. This attitude is very different from what I have seen at home, and I think we could benefit by adopting similar beliefs.

In the United States, it can be very difficult to get a group of people to work together for the good of the group. People often only focus on what is best for themselves, failing to look at theSam standing near a stream in Costa Rica lives of others around them. I was frankly a little surprised to see the willingness of the people of Palmichal to dedicate themselves to the betterment of their community; it is very different from what I have seen at home. My learning abroad has motivated and inspired me to want to make positive change in my own life back home and to encourage others to work together toward a common goal.

I want to be able to make a difference, and my experience abroad has taught me that doing so may only be possible by working closely with others. I could never have learned in a classroom what I learned through my experience abroad. I was able to work closely with community members and leaders and watch as they actively made a difference in the lives of others. This was one of the most valuable experiences of my life and one I will never forget.

Name: Sam Schulte
Status: Freshman
Major: Chemical Engineering
Hometown: Brighton, Michigan
Program: First-Year Seminar Abroad in Costa Rica