My project was good for the most part, but it became repetitive. I also felt that my project and the receiving organization did not communicate very well. There was a period of time where I did not have a supervisor at all. My experience would have been excellent if there had been more communication between me and my project, and my project and my receiving organization.

My Host family accepted me into their home as one of their own. We truly became a family during the year I spent with them. I was expected to be at all family events and they even took me on vacations with them. This gave me a chance to really get to know the Costa Rican culture at home. They helped me tremendously with learning Spanish also. In my project I bonded with the senior citizens. I worked mostly with the women and we learned to appreciate each other. Sometimes work was repetitive and would seem pointless, until I would take vacation days, and upon my return, the residents at the Nursing home would welcome me with smiles and hugs. It took me a while to learn Spanish, but once I got the basic building blocks down I could get around well enough. Overall, this year of volunteer work was the best experience of my life. I changed in so many great ways and grew into my personality.