One of my favorite celebrations is the Lunar New Year, because it’s a beloved family tradition and a part of my cultural heritage. This year, I had the opportunity to experience the Lunar New Year in Costa Rica, and I witnessed a blend of both Chinese and Costa Rican cultures.

On Friday, Feb. 9th, I went to a Lunar New Year party hosted by my friend Natasha, who is also studying abroad. I brought a large bottle of festive red tea (red is a lucky color), and my other friends prepared fried tofu and vegetable dumplings. Natasha invited some people from her dance class, and we showed them how to make dumplings. 🥟

The evening was an interesting mix of speaking in Spanglish with ticos, and sharing the food and traditions of the Lunar New Year.

Saturday Feb. 10th was the official start of the Lunar New Year, so Natasha and I went to two Lunar New Year celebrations: one in the Chinatown of San José, and the other in the city of Cartago. The festivals were organized by the Municipality of San José, the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China, and the Chinese Association in Costa Rica, with the aim of celebrating cultural diversity and promoting cultural exchange & collaboration.

Chinatown came alive with festive red and gold decorations, lanterns, and open market booths with souvenirs, activities, delicious Chinese food, and more. At the beginning of the event, there was an opening ceremony, conducted in both Spanish and Mandarin Chinese, on a grand stage. Since it is the Year of the Wood Dragon, we saw a lively dragon dance, beautiful traditional Chinese dances and music, and martial artists. The place was packed with people of all ages and walks of life. I heard both the Costa Rican National Anthem and the Chinese National Anthem, and representatives from both nations exchanged hearty greetings and well wishes for the new year. It was unliked anything I’ve ever experienced!

For lunch, my friend and I found a Chinatown restaurant called LICHA Li’tea, and we enjoyed ramen, tofu, and spring rolls!

After the Chinatown festival, I was feeling pretty drained and sunburnt, so I probably should have called it a day. But we still had one more stop in Cartago to see the festivities there. The celebrations in Cartago were pretty similar, with lines of booths, food and drinks, big crowds, and live performances. I was feeling very out of it, unfortunately, so I mostly sat and observed. Natasha and I went to a boba tea café called Ni Hao, and we practiced our Chinese. She is fluent in Chinese, so she’s a great conversation partner! I know tip-of-the-iceberg Mandarin, so it was good review for me.

Afterward, we marveled at the stunning interior and exterior of the Basílica de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles at dusk. It was my second visit to this historic church, which was inaugurated in 1924. Over 3 million people make a pilgrimage (Aug. 2) to the Basilica every year, and attend the church for daily prayer and religious service. La Virgen de los Ángeles is a similar to the Virgen of Guadalupe in Mexican culture, and appears in the form of a small stone above several faucets of holy water. Many people visit the Virgen to pray, provide offerings, and bless themselves with the holy water.

If you ever travel to Costa Rica, and stop in the former capital of Cartago, I definitely recommend visiting the Basilica de los Ángeles.

Overall, this weekend trip was incredibly fun, exciting and exhausting. I appreciate that I had the opportunity to enjoy the festivities of Lunar New Year in another country; it was an unforgettable experience and I would definitely do it again! (With more water, lots of sunscreen, and a midday nap next time!!)

Discomfort is a natural feeling when confronted with uncertainty or adversity. If you’ve ever heard the quote, “One must get comfortable being uncomfortable,” you might relate with the feelings of initial doubt, frustration, confusion, etc. when thrust into a new situation. Since I’ve arrived in Costa Rica, I’ve noticed that there are linguistic gaps in my Spanish proficiency that have caused many misunderstandings. Usually, these misunderstanding occur in social interactions between myself and ticos (Costa Ricans). It can be quite awkward and uncomfortable.

Today in the checkout line of the grocery store, the cashier asked me something in rapid Spanish. The words slurred together like watercolors blurring into each other; it was a little too fast to pick up on every word, but I definitely heard “electrónico”, and based on context, I thought he was asking about form of payment. A this-or-that question: simple, right? I quickly nodded and mumbled “sí”, pulling out my wallet. But then, he asked me for a “número de identificación” and by this point, I was a little bewildered. What could that be? My phone number? My social security number? A rewards member ID? I stood there for a few seconds, blinked, and finally said “Yo no entiendo” (I don’t understand.) It was embarrassing, and I didn’t want to hold up the grocery line with my ineptitude. The cashier smiled and described what was required from me, and I still didn’t fully grasp it. Finally, I just said, “no gracias” and paid in cash. The cashier was luckily very friendly, but I still felt a little foolish. It seemed that there were cultural, social and linguistic nuances that I wasn’t aware of.

In these circumstances, I’m reminded of how much farther I have to go in my journey to Spanish fluency. When listening to native Spanish speakers, I can often pick out words that I recognize. But their speed and manner of talking (see “watercolor” metaphor above) is much different than within a classroom, where the professor speaks slowly and each word pronounced clearly. But in the real world, there’s no dial to adjust the speed at which someone else speaks, and if you miss something, is it better to smile and nod, or ask them to repeat the sentence, only to hear it being spoken at the same velocity as before? Sometimes I struggle with self-confidence when it comes to interacting with native Spanish speakers. I want to comprehend everyone and be able to respond adequately, but every day is different. I probably have at least three awkward misunderstandings per day, and responding in those situations brings discomfort and anxiety. However, I know that this is natural; it’s part of the process of language acquisition – to make mistakes, learn, and (hopefully) improve.

The other day, I was talking with a tico, a new friend, and I made many mistakes in our conversation. I listened to him explain what he did that day and totally got it wrong. He noticed that I was a little lost, so he explained the whole thing in English (he’s bilingual). Finally, I admitted to him that when I hear fluent Spanish, I almost always misinterpret things. He told me that that wasn’t true, and apart from not knowing a few words here and there, I am doing better than I think. “Trust your Spanish”, he told me. This is easier said than done, but I did appreciate the reminder. Trusting your instinct and your abilities, even if you’re wrong, can be difficult. Uncertainty in the mind leads to uncertainty in behavior. When I’m uncertain about what’s being communicated to me, I don’t feel as confident and capable in my Spanish skills. Progress isn’t linear, but (self-)patience is a virtue that keeps you moving forward.

I might misunderstand and be misunderstood sometimes, but with time, patience and persistence, I can become *Miss Understood.

*Sorry for the pun earlier, it had to happen, haha.

¡Hola! Today I am going to share what a “day in the life” entails in San José, Costa Rica, based on my experiences thus far. I am a month into my study abroad program and I’ve settled into a good routine, with some variations from week to week. ¡Empezamos!

I usually wake up with the sun streaming through my bedroom curtains around 6:30am. I might lounge around and slowly get ready, or, sometimes I go for a walk at Parque La Paz (Peace Park) which is 15 minutes away from my home stay.

7:50am – When I return from my walk, my mamá tica has a beautiful breakfast prepared. Here is a traditional plate of gallo pinto (rice, beans, cilantro), scrambled eggs, and yucca (cassava). Coffee is always fresh and absolutely delicious! There is also a side of fresh fruit, usually plátanos (bananas), fresas (strawberries) and papaya. ¡Buen provecho!

After breakfast I head to school around 8:30am with my housemate Clarissa. On my way to school, I always hear the chitter-chatter of birds, the rush of nearby traffic and casual conversations in Spanish from the neighbors that I pass on the sidewalks. I smell the wafting aroma of freshly baked bread as I pass the panadería, contrasted with stench of animal feces on the sidewalk (so great!). Even though I’ve been here for several weeks and I’ve adjusted to this new lifestyle, I try to remind myself of how incredible it is to be walking around in a new city and seeing new sights everyday.

I start my first (and only!) class at 9am, which is Advanced Spanish Grammar and Conversation. It’s a small class of only 8 people, but everyone is friendly and I like our dynamic. Everyday, we work on grammar exercises from our textbook, give oral presentations, group projects, and recently, a field trip to the former capital of Costa Rica: Cartago.

After class, sometimes I’ll go home to eat lunch or stay on campus to eat with friends. There are multiple favorite places when it comes to dining out. The university’s cafeteria is pretty convenient and not too expensive (about $6 per meal), and is always packed full of students trying to squeeze in lunch before dashing off to their next class. I’ve visited other little restaurants in barrio Zapote, including Pana’s Food (a fun combo of both Venezuelan dishes and sushi), and Le Rendez-vous (French pastries and lunch items). I love to explore new food places with friends. Since today was my last Spanish class, my professor and classmates went to Le Rendez-vous after our final presentation to enjoy some pastries.

In the afternoon, I usually return to my home stay to relax and catch up on assignments. Sometimes I sit outside on the patio and listen to the birds and distant traffic. It’s a pretty relaxed ambience!

In the evenings, San José becomes alive with bright lights, upbeat music and busy crowds. A few weeks ago, my friends and I attended some on-campus events, such as La Noche de Arte (art-making), Karaoke Latino, and El Festival de Colores (Festival of Colors). In addition, I’ve attended a few dance classes and learned the bachata and salsa. These events through the university provide the opportunity to meet new people, which I’ve enjoyed. There are few upcoming events through ISA (my program provider) which will allow for more community engagement. For example, I look forward to TINGO (Tico Bingo) and the language exchange with ticos. I’m excited for service-learning to start next week, as well!

One thing that has surprised me is how challenging it has been to socialize with local students. Even though everyone is attending the same school, the study abroad students do not have classes with local students. It can be hard sometimes to approach someone you don’t know and initiate a conversation, especially in Spanish. Luckily, I’ve had several encounters with local students so far. For example, Clarissa had befriended some local students in the lunch line, so my friends and I had lunch with three ticas and we became friends.

I’m becoming more comfortable with interacting with ticos and understanding conversational Spanish. Not everyday is perfect, my progress isn’t linear, and some days my brain is tired and defaults to speaking and thinking in English. It’s hard to comprehend fluent speech and form my own coherent sentences sometimes. My goal is to become fluent in Spanish and understand more about Costa Rican culture. Everyday is different, and I am trying to be patient with myself. I feel like I’m making progress with my Spanish, little by little.

To close out, one piece of advice I have for students studying abroad is rest when needed and focus on one day at a time. When studying abroad, there are many events and experiences that may cause you to feel overwhelmed; between taking classes, trying to speak/learn/understand a new language, going on excursions, dealing with culture shock, and more, it’s likely you’ll feel overstimulated and exhausted at the same time. Therefore, I think it’s important to focus on one thing at a time. I know this is easier said than done, but learning to be present in each situation and taking each day as it comes may reduce feelings of stress and allow to appreciate your study abroad experience more. Take the time to rest when necessary and be kind to yourself, because your well-being matters.

Anyway, thanks for reading! Feel free to comment or ask a question below. Please share any updates in your life, so we can connect.

Saludos, Anna