UCI Costa Rica Program

Exploring global sustainability through cultural immersion

https://sites.uci.edu/costaricaprogram/2018/05/02/blog-stay-tuned/

On Saturday, the Costa Rica Program set out for their retreat at the Irvine Ranch Outdoor Education Center. Despite heavy rainfall, our team proved to be as resilient as ever- a trait that will ...

https://sites.uci.edu/costaricaprogram/2017/02/15/laying-the-foundation/

Growing up in a suburban community in Southern California, I had always believed that destroying nature was a consequence of our standard of living. It was our third day in Costa Rica, by then we...

https://sites.uci.edu/costaricaprogram/2016/06/06/rancho-mastatal/

One of the most rewarding experiences on this trip was staying with my home stay family. They were one of the most humble, caring and patient human beings I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting....

https://sites.uci.edu/costaricaprogram/2016/05/27/homestay-family/

Do you ever really know something without experiencing it first? That is the question that continued to appear in my mind as I went through challenging, yet thought-provoking experiences. After f...

https://sites.uci.edu/costaricaprogram/2016/05/25/what-have-i-cotton-myself-into/

  “And they don’t speak any English”, our tour guides said to us as we were being assigned to homestay families. I was frightened to say the least. This was going to be the first time duri...

https://sites.uci.edu/costaricaprogram/2016/05/19/beyond-the-language-barrier/

I’ve always loved dogs, but I saw a deeper love that Ticos expressed not only for dogs, but for all of wildlife and the passion for animal protection and conservation. Among all the biodiversit...

https://sites.uci.edu/costaricaprogram/2016/05/12/a-ticos-best-friend-the-dogs-of-mastatal/

When Costa Rica began conserving and replanting forests in the 1960s-1970s, the government encouraged people to plant teak trees. The trees grow fast and straight, and the wood is of good quality...

https://sites.uci.edu/costaricaprogram/2016/05/06/reforestation-or-ecological-disaster/

The back of my throat was on fire as I tried to catch my breath and hold back my tears. My trembling hands held the quickly, scribbled note reading “it’s going to be ok”. The plane had left...

https://sites.uci.edu/costaricaprogram/2016/05/02/shifting-perspectives-a-story-about-two-girls-and-their-detour-to-costa-rica/

The whole time I was out on the field, I felt like family, with the girls supporting me and throwing game-play tips at me at every corner. I could feel the beads of sweat dripping down my face wh...

https://sites.uci.edu/costaricaprogram/2016/04/24/futbol-the-heart-of-a-costa-rican-community/