Anna Hedrick

Yesterday, I could hardly believe my study abroad program was coming to a close. Today, I am sitting at the gate in Juan Santamaría International Airport, preparing for my flight home to Washington state. I feel ready to return, but it’s a bittersweet feeling to leave behind the people and places that have become your home for the past ten weeks.

I’ve dearly missed my friends and family in the US; during my program, I often thought about them and envisioned telling them about all my adventures. I can hardly wait to see them again, and give them a big hug! Something else I’ve missed about the U.S. is pedestrian safety and traffic norms. Throughout my program, I got used to crossing the street literally whenever possible, and putting my faith in the driver’s hands whenever I got into an Uber or bus. It wasn’t always a comfortable feeling, but I learned to accept it. I’m looking forward to driving my car again when I return home.

In addition, I will miss my mamá tica (host mom), housemate Clarissa, my amazing friends (both from the U.S. and Costa Rica), as well as the families and professors at SiNEM, the music center where I did my service-learning.

Also, I’ll fondly remember aspects of daily life in San José. Every morning, I woke up to the sound of birds chirping, distant car honks, and sunshine streaming through my curtains. I’ll miss being in my relaxing home stay and chatting in Spanish with my mamá tica before breakfast. I’ll remember walking through the busy streets of San José, taking the bus every afternoon to service-learning, going on exciting excursions every weekend, and squeezing in tough morning workouts at Gym ProSalud. But most of all, I’ll miss Costa Rican culture: the inviting atmosphere, the affection and care toward others (hugs!), the delicious food (gallo pinto!) and the positivity and happiness expressed in Costa Rican frases, expressions, and attitudes. I am so thankful for all of it ❤️

When I return to the US, it is possible I’ll experience reverse culture shock. For example, I probably won’t greet strangers with “buenos días” and a smile when I walk down the street. It’s likely that I’ll experience physiological changes in response to differences in diet, exercise, and climate. Washington is much colder and drier. It might be difficult to adjust to a faster paced lifestyle as well, and adapt to differences in the *perception* of time (Costa Ricans are a little more relaxed and forgiving when it comes to schedules and the concept of time.)

My plan is to share my stories and photographs with friends and family, as well as my blog, of course. I’m thinking of creating a mini documentary with my photos and media, or designing a slideshow presentation. Luckily, I have two weeks of break before starting spring quarter, so I plan to rest and gradually readjust to my life in Bellingham, WA.

I think that staying in contact with my friends from Costa Rica will be essential in keeping study abroad a key factor in my life. Luckily, I can communicate via WhatsApp or iMessages with mamá tica, my music professors, the Costa Rican students and families, the ISA staff and my best friends. Also, maintaining and improving my Spanish is crucial. I will continue speaking Spanish with my friends in Bellingham, in Costa Rica, and from all over the U.S. I’ll incorporate Costa Rican phrases into my daily speech, and try to cook one Costa Rican dish a week. My study abroad program may have ended, but my Spanish journey is still blooming. I feel very bilingual now, and I look forward to growing my language skills and cultural competency long after I leave Costa Rica.

Studying abroad in Costa Rica has been a beautiful experience and I’m thankful that I had the privilege of visiting this country and meeting such wonderful people. The social connections that I’ve made are the most valuable to me, and I feel like I’m part of a special, diverse community. Muchas gracias to WWU EdAbroad, International Studies Abroad, the ISA on-site staff – Adriana and Xinia, my host university – Universidad Veritas, my host organization – El Sistema Nacional de Educación Musical, including my supervisors Esteban and Guiselle, as well as my mamá tica – Guiselle, and the community of friends I made along the way. ¡Que les vaya muy bien!

Hasta la próxima y pura vida 🌺🫶🏼😄 ~ Anna

After four months, I’m back home.

It feels so comforting to be back in my old room, to be with my family, and to have a few weeks of unproductive mindless downtime before going back to school. I expected to feel very sad after leaving Prague, and I do miss my friends from UNYP, but I am mostly happy to be home. The glow of all my happy memories from the last few months has kept me feeling grateful, not sad.

This last blog post is what it says in the title—an epilogue, and a reflection on the whole semester abroad.

From WWU’s travel writing program writing prompts:

If I had the chance to go back in time, I would probably do almost everything the same way. I might have tried a little harder to look for an affordable program at Charles University, but my experience at the University of New York in Prague was fine. One thing I could have definitely done better was getting to know people who weren’t studying abroad. Almost all of my friends were only staying in Prague for a semester, and I neglected the chance to talk to full-time students in class. It’s hard to definitively list more things I wish I had done differently, because I know that I did the best I could with the time that I had. Sure, I could have been stricter in my plans and fit more Prague sightseeing into my weeks, but that may have taken away from my ability to be present and spontaneous. I could have spent more time with my friends, but that may have burned up my social battery.

In the future, I would like to travel abroad again. I may not study abroad again, since I graduate after next year, but I think another semi-long-term trip abroad is possible for me (ex: peacecorps). On the other hand, I’ve realized that I really like my home, and I found it hard to be away from my roots. Because of this, studying abroad has shown me that I don’t want to live abroad for a long time period. One semester was the perfect length for me. I know that my experience living abroad for several months will help me in any future trips abroad, and for that I’m grateful.

Main takeaways:

I’ve recorded my biggest takeaways in this blog throughout the semester, so to get their full scope, I’d recommend looking at what I’ve written over the last few months. Here are some of my most notable takeaways that I’ve written about, and where to find them:

It was useless to try to fit my experience into a mold of “tourist” or “local,” because studying abroad occupies a unique space between both. (see “I speak English like it’s my second language”)
School was not my most important responsibility. (see “Settling in“)
I required balance between the unending social opportunities and resting alone time–I needed to be okay with not doing everything possible. (see “Settling in…“, “Mid Program: A day in the life“)
Europe is not always better than America. (see “I’m not sure how to like my peers“)
Traveling with positive expectations allows for more positive experiences. (see “A weekend in Budapest“)
The semester, especially the middle of it, flew by quietly, but it was still full of valuable experiences. (see “The blur of the middle“)
One’s host school is a very important part of the program, in addition to the host location. (see “Settling in” and “I’m not sure how to like my peers“)
You can’t change everyone’s minds even if you disagree with them. (see “I’m not sure how to like my peers“)
Learning the basic greetings and everyday phrases of your host country’s language is extremely valuable–but the things I learned beyond that were rarely used. (see “Logistical tips for studying abroad“)
There’s only so much comfort you can get from an impermanent living space. (see “Preparing for re-entry“)
The little things are the things I will miss most. (see “Preparing for re-entry“)

Vignettes

One prompt for this post-program post was “What has this experience meant to me?” I think meaning is shown well through memory, so to sort of answer that question, I’ll record some of my favorite memories from this fall.

^ A group of strangers, soon to be friends, stand with me on the walls of Prague castle. We look out over the orange and green expanse of Prague’s skyline, feeling like we have all the time in the world to explore it.

^ My roommates and I walk together in the arched gothic halls of the St. Agnes Convent, in our fanciest outfits, before listening to a string quintet as part of Prague’s Dvořákova festival. Some of us have wine glasses in our hands, and our hushed voices mingle with the clicks of our heels in the echoing rooms.

^ The spired cathedral crowns the hill above us as we follow an overgrown cobblestone path down to the creek. A cat follows us. We’re not in a rush; we have all day to meander through the town of Kutná Hora. For once, the sunlight’s warmth is welcome as we shiver against the first breezes of autumn.

^ I sit with my friend at the edge of a pond, which we found in the midst of a sprawling wooded park. While admiring the light on the water, we gasp as a golden koi drifts out from under the lily pads and glides around us. Once it leaves, we sit for a while longer, talking softly and enjoying the reeds and swaying trees.

^ It’s hard to hear ourselves think over the waves of chatter and laughter flowing across the table at our friendsgiving potluck. But that doesn’t stop us from continuing happy conversations with the people next to us—leaning close to share jokes and loudly compliment every homemade dish. I enjoy Sea’s pasta, and no one can get enough of Todd’s lasagna.

^ After weeks of rehearsal, the school choir that “adopted” me performs our winter concert. My friends (and their friends) take up two full rows of seats, and I feel proud to be sharing our festive music with them. The Czech Museum of Music is built so that every note and chord reverberates through the space, echoing after we finish singing.

^ Captivated, bordering on reverential, I listen to Hozier’s “Cherry Wine.” The whole audience sings along, and our voices are so indistinct that they merge into one. An unspoken connection tethers us all for a moment until the song ends.

^ Reflections of streetlights glisten on the waters of the Vltava as I walk along the bank with my friends. Prague is frosted, and quiet, as if the snow muffles the busy city. A faint fog seems to bring everything closer. We wander around, half believing ourselves to be in Narnia.

Photo Recap

I’ll end this post with some of my favorite pictures from this semester. I’ll make them from most to least recent, just like my Photos page, because that way we can end this blog with the beginning. I always like a good circular ending—don’t you?