Past Connections

Recently, CCC has been collaborating with students from Amigos de las Américas, an international language and culture immersion program. We had the opportunity to introduce high-school-age Amigos students from the USA to college students from the University of Costa Rica (UCR). The UCR students are studying to be certified as English teachers, so connecting them to the Spanish learners from the USA allowed all of the students to develop language skills in a positive learning environment. 

We began the connection by matching students to digital penpals from the opposite program. The UCR students wrote letters in English introducing themselves to their peers from the Amigos program, who responded in Spanish. A week after this initial connection, students had the chance to meet in person for a tour of the UCR campus. For the American high school students, this was a valuable insight into what an international university looks like and how they function.

Students then split up into groups to participate in various activities focusing on creativity. One project involved writing poems together about culture, a unique opportunity for them to develop effective communication and cultural awareness. They communicated in both Spanish and English to practice their language skills. One of the students from UCR, who is training to be an English teacher, expressed that it was their first opportunity to converse with a native English speaker.

At the end of the connection, students shared a potluck on the UCR campus to celebrate their last day of classes. Students brought Costa Rican snacks, homemade banana bread, and local fruits, and our CCC leader provided snacks from Pennsylvania. This allowed students to try a variety of foods and have fun discussions comparing the similarities and differences. As they said goodbye, many participants exchanged social media accounts and expressed that they wanted to stay in contact with their new international friends. Connections like this are powerful ways for students to develop their identity as citizens of the world.

About the organizations:

Amigos de las Américas provides volunteer and cultural immersion opportunities in the U.S. and Latin America for young people ages 13 to 22. Its mission is to inspire leaders through authentic service and immersion experiences.

University of Costa Rica (UCR) is a public university centered around a humanist teaching approach that encourages social work and research activities. It is the oldest and largest institution of higher learning in Costa Rica and the most important research university in the country.

Cross Cultural Connect is the glue that brings them all together!

Flying to another country can be scary if you are a 16 years old high school student. I have lived in Costa Rica, a small country located in Central America my whole life. I had always traveled with my family, never by myself, until now.  

Arriving at the airport was tough, I knew that I was going to miss my family so much. After saying goodbye to my family, I got together with the group of people that I was flying with. I was nervous, I didn’t know what I was expected to do.

We waited in the airport for a few hours, I tried to be very observative, I hadn’t had a single interaction with any of the participants. I sat at one of the airport’s tables and waited for the flight attendants to announce our flight. The moment finally arrived, the flight attendants announced our flight. I was exhausted. We left Costa Rica at 1:00 am and I didn’t have time to rest. We had to take another flight in Houston at 5:00 a. m. to get to Chicago. 

We took a tour of the city. After two flights we arrived in Chicago. It was cold, but not that freezing. Our guide decided to give us a tour of the city. I tried my best to enjoy it, but being far away from my family kept me feeling weird.

Culturally, my house is diverse. My mom is from Spain and my dad was born in Costa Rica, but my grandmother was Chinese and my grandfather Nicaraguan. At home, we have a different lifestyle and obviously different traditions.

I enjoy meeting new people and experiencing a new culture, that’s the main reason why I decided to participate in a cultural exchange to Wisconsin, USA.

Wisconsin is a state located in the US Midwest with two Great Lakes, the Michigan and the Superior. Milwaukee is its largest city, well known for the Milwaukee Public Museum and the Harley-Davidson Museum, which exhibits classic motorcycles. Wisconsin is also known for its popular beer companies located in Milwaukee, offering brewery tours. 

A few hours later after our tour of Chicago, we took a bus ride to Wisconsin where our families were waiting for us. During the bus trip, I got to meet other Costa Rican high school students. They were nice, but I really wanted to go back to be at home with my family. I was scared. I didn’t want to stay away from my family for two weeks. 

At the time that we were closer to our destination I got even more nervous. I didn’t want this moment to come, but the moment came. Other high schoolers were assigned to a certain family in Wisconsin. I won’t lie, I didn’t know what was waiting for me. 

I opened the high school main door to get to the cafeteria where my host family was waiting for me. I couldn’t even walk, I didn’t know if I was nauseous because of the trip or because of my feelings. I had to walk, even if I didn’t want to. The high school principal introduced me to my new American family. They were gentle, but a mix of feelings were running through my mind. 

My host family was very gentle and generous. I got to know them a little bit more after a few days staying with them.They used to drive me to school and on weekends they planned different activities so I didn’t get bored. Some activities were related to their traditions and others to their likes. 

My host sisters were really good students. They used to drive me to school every single morning. I noticed a few differences between their high school and my high school. While I was walking in the hallways, I noticed how big the school building was. This American high school was bigger than the school buildings that I was used to see back in Costa Rica. I tried to search for an open natural area to study but I found none. In my high school we have some study areas surrounded by nature where you can relax while you work on school projects. 

My high school is smaller but it certainly has more green areas which makes it unique and allows students to have more dynamic lessons during the school week. There are benches surrounded by trees which are great for giving students the feeling of fresh air while they are completing school work.

Being in an American classroom feels almost the same, but it feels awkward at the same time. Being a foreign student is in fact something that calls other students’ attention. I was the center of attention of teachers and professors which used to make me feel nervous because they always kept an eye on me. These professors don’t move from class to class like my Costa Rican professors do, they have their own class and the students are the ones who have to move to receive their assigned lessons.

The American students’ schedule is quite similar compared to the Costa Rican one. In the US I had to wake up at 5:30 am to be at school by 7:30 am to leave at 2:30 pm. In Costa Rica, we have to get to school by 7:00 am to 3:00 p. m. 

Something that I found interesting was that students in the United States call their professors by their last name while in Costa Rica we constantly refer to them using the word ‘profe’, which is a shorter version of professor in Spanish and sometimes we add their first name after it.

The lunch break was different from the one I was used to. In my school, you can buy lunch, you can bring your own food, and you can also go home and take it there. In America, most students buy their own lunch at school. 

In my high school you have a decent variety of nutritious food options which may go from different salads, rice, beans, plantain to  fish, chicken, meat, mashed potatoes, pasta, etc. This is something that caught  my attention because in Mukwonago their high school lunch wasn’t that “nutritious”. The food options were very limited, you could choose between burgers, chicken nuggets, and pizza. 

The dress code of both countries are very far away from being similar. While I was sitting down in the cafeteria I started looking around me. American students have a relaxed personal choice of clothes for going to school. They can use shorts, dresses, jeans, … In my high school we have a strict dress code, we have to wear our uniforms and take care of them. 

Another aspect that I found interesting was the huge difference between school subjects. In Costa Rica we don’t have eligible subjects, we have to take the ones that are assigned for us. In America, while I was looking at the students’ schedules I noticed that students can make their own schedule with the subjects they are interested in. In the US they have clubs and teams in which you can participate like basketball, dancing, swimming, football, …

In summary, American culture has its differences and similarities with the Costa Rican, but being open minded and respecting each other’s ideas can make it manageable. This exchange allowed me to experience new feelings. I remember being terrified by the fact of being far away from my family for two weeks, feeling nervous about meeting new people, and being excited about visiting new places. I would never regret participating in an activity like this because it allowed me to meet new people and their culture. I find getting closer to other new cultures fascinating, it promotes the development of cultural awareness and global citizenship. Global citizenship encourages individuals to respect others, to think critically, and to minimize harmful thoughts and actions that could affect others in a negative way. That’s the main reason why I like to motivate others to be part of these experiences. This activity left a mark in my life, it taught me how we can be different from others and have different ways of living and respect each other, building social bonds. To the student who is reading this, just be yourself, don’t overthink everything and try to be open minded when you are about to meet new people and a new culture.

Recently, CCC had the unique opportunity to facilitate an in-person workshop with one of our global connections! Last month, we connected nine 11th-grade students from the school of Jorge Debravo in Turrialba, Costa Rica, to nine American college freshmen studying abroad with Verto Education. Verto Education gives students the opportunity to take general education courses in a foreign country during their freshman year of college. These students were enrolled in a college course titled Social Problems, which examines a variety of perspectives about issues facing society today.

Before they met, CCC program moderator Kayla Angstadt began the connection by engaging students in discussions around effective communication and multicultural awareness. In their separate classes, students shared interests and doubts about meeting and collaborating with students from the other country. They made observations on how an individual’s values and viewpoints are affected by their culture, surroundings, and experiences. At the end of the discussion, the Jorge Debravo students wrote individual letters in Google Docs and shared them with the Verto students. Letters included information about the student, their school, their values, and questions about their connecting partners.  

After connecting online, students had the opportunity to meet for a three-hour workshop to practice their communication skills. The day started with a warm-up introductory activity, where students learned each other’s names while practicing the principal concepts of effective communication; empathy, open-mindedness, honesty, and active listening. Without introducing themselves beforehand, students were asked to call out each other’s names and toss a whitewater rescue rope bag back and forth between the groups. They were thrilled to discover who their digital penpals were in person!

Verto students were then given a tour of Jorge Debravo and got to practice answering questions in person. Verto students worked on their Spanish speaking skills, while the Costa Rican students practiced their English. 

One ambitious Verto student named Marie decided to spend her volunteer hours at Jorge Debravo, working on a service-learning project about the importance of composting. Using her research, she first engaged the 2nd-grade classroom in her project and then introduced it to the 11th-grade classroom and other Verto students. She presented her project and educated the students about composting and sustainable agriculture. Her work extended to the cafeteria workers as well, effectively changing the culture of the school to be more environmentally conscious.

The 11th-graders and Verto students worked together for the next hour in two groups. One group created posters about what could go in the compost mix and the other group worked together to put the finishing touches on the compost bin. 

In the last activity, students had an hour-long session speaking in small groups about global issues. They then participated in a seminar-style discussion led by the Verto college professor, María Fernanda Batista Lobo. MA., professor of international relations and humanities. Students broke into smaller mixed groups and discussed different global issues throughout the world. They came back to the classroom with one focused issue that they see in their community.

Issues such as equal education, pollution of rivers, poverty, and greenhouse gases were brought up.  They then discussed possible real-life solutions to each issue. We concluded the discussion with the example of compost, and they decided that it served as a real local solution to the issue of greenhouse gases.  This experience gave the high school students from Jorge Debravo the opportunity to engage in college-level course material for the first time.

To conclude the activity, Jorge Debravo School invited the Verto students and staff to eat lunch in their cafeteria. Students enjoyed a typical dish of chicken with rice, plantains, and refried beans. Students sat in a mix of groups and laughed over how nervous they were at the beginning of the day. They exchanged social media (after completing permission forms provided by CCC) and many of them have remained in contact with their new friends over the past few weeks. Overall, many students reported that this experience was something that was very enjoyable and has become one of their favorite memories of the year.

We continued the connection at the end of April when the Verto students hosted the 11th-graders on their campus. Read more here!

About the organizations:

Centro Educativo Jorge DeBravo is a local private school in Turrialba, Costa Rica that values multicultural education and global citizenship. Cross Cultural Connect has been hosting connections through their school around the world for the past 7 years.

Verto Education is a study abroad program available for first year university level students in the United States. Students have the opportunity to take their general education courses abroad in countries like Spain, Italy, England and Costa Rica.

Cross Cultural Connect is the glue that brings them all together!