Abroad Chronicles: “What did you study?”
“What did you study?” is the question that I always internally giggle with before answering about my abroad experience. In my normal response, I tell people that I studied Spanish and Sustainability and naturally, they want to know more. It’s the moments when I have to explain to people, my people, that I voluntarily worked in a field in a foreign country LOLL. The responses to that have varied from speechless to mind-boggled with more questions.
To be honest, there we’re many times on my trip that I was just as curious as to what I was thinking signing up to do field work with my black butt! However, I got exactly what I was thinking. My mind was expanded on the true hard work in the industry of agriculture and environmental sustainability. I left Costa Rica with ample gratitude for services and workers in that industry both at home and abroad.
As for studying Spanish, that’s where the dream for studying abroad came into play for me. Throughout my early childhood years, I wa always proficient in my Spanish courses. My long time Spanish teacher, Senora Aubain, introduced me to the possibility of studying abroad in middle school and it has been a dream since. Senora Aubain, mentioned in a previous Flier Story, is a Panamanian woman from St. Thomas who exposed me to the beauties of Latin American culture and mentorship.
So here I am, a young Black American woman from Atlanta, a black city in the south, who attends an HBCU studying in Costa Rica. To know the statistics of my demographics, it’s understated to say I was living a dream. This dream required HARD WORK and DETERMINATION during the entire stay. The demand of the program was tougher than anything I had done for such a long time. Let me paint the picture of what a week day schedule entailed:
6:00 A.M.: Wake up to get dressed for the day and eat breakfast
7:00 A.M.: Head to Community worksite through public transportation or Uber
8-11:30 A.M.: Do work at garden: Composting, prepare beds for plants, plant seeds, etc.
12:00 P.M.: Lunch
1-5:00 P.M.: Spanish Class
6:00 P.M.: Get home for dinner, shower, & hang out with friends
10:00 P.M.: Bedtime
Dawn to dusk we worked honey. Overtime, I began to like the sustainability work, up until traumatic experiences occurred. Not only was I learning a new industry, I was connecting with the earth. I got to learn about the processes my grandparents and ancestors grew up doing, and I can now take that experience to my family’s community farm. I LOVEDDD the Spanish class. My teachers were so kind, patient, and funny. I got placed in the intermediate class and my Spanish proficiency has improved tremendously. I hope to keep it up, but it has been a little discouraging no longer having the consistent immersion.
Sometimes I still can’t believe that I survived that LOLL that’s wild! I had to go into my personal toolbox everyday to remind myself of my reasons to keep showing up giving my best. My support system at home, the scholarships I was blessed with, living my ancestors wildest dreams, my grades, my dreams were all leveraged in me fighting through 12 hour work days. It also dawned on me that SOOO many people work these hours by no choice, so who am I to think my young able bodied self can’t thug it out.
CHILEEE, thug it out I did. As if the physical demands were not enough, I have to admit that I had to put on armor every day to defend myself against some of the racism and misogyny I was met with. This is my story and I won’t tone it down or act like everything was peaches and cream. I dealt with some inappropriate behavior and unfortunate interactions while abroad. In fact, I’m still dealing with some of it now 2 months later, but that’s tea for another day.
Through this all, I still found the time to run a successful social media campaign for my 4 year business anniversary that reached over 15,000. I managed to balance my work and play time by enjoying everlasting memories in Costa Rica. I consistently spoke with my loved ones at home and made time for self-care. Anything is possible through balance. Now that I’ve broke down the 3 big questions that I’ve been met with since my experience, I want to answer the questions I’ve been exploring myself. That starts with “What has studying abroad taught you about humankind?”.
