Alumni Spotlight: Larissa Johnson

Larissa is an Environmental Educator who shares her love of energy in everything she does, from teaching Zumba to educating people about the importance of using less electricity everyday. She has her MPA in Environmental Science and Policy from Columbia and believes in the interconnectedness of all things, so travel is super important to her because it helps her see and experience things from other perspectives.

I will be celebrating a milestone birthday at the end of the year (40) and one of my goals is to be able to communicate with others in Spanish. I chose the Instituto Estelar Bilingüe in Costa Rica because it was highly rated online, but really because the staff was so amazingly responsive to all my questions, comments, and concerns prior to choosing them!

I am the type of person that needs to be immersed in an experience to really comprehend the material I am being taught. This program was perfect for that because not only did I take class for 4 hours every day, but I also lived with a host family who only spoke Spanish.

This program was everything I was looking for and more - I wish I had spent more time there and would definitely return!

As I mentioned previously, I chose Instituto Estelar Bilingüe because they were so responsive to all of my requests. I love all things movement-based, and one of the things I wanted to do was take fitness/dance classes while I was in the country. The program not only helped me find locations but they provided all attendees with an Excel spreadsheet full of activities to help occupy your time. There is no way someone could attend Instituto Estelar Bilingüe and say "I'm bored."

The staff at the school cover all bases and I am not exaggerating. If you are like me and want to take movement classes, their Excel sheet has more than 5 local gyms/studios listed. They have activities for every interest level from museums to breweries to pools to movie theaters....you name it they have it there for you.

They can even help you if you want to do an overnight excursion somewhere; they will connect you to everything you need. You can have an idea to do something on your own but they will help you get there.

I am a super independent person, but having them there to assist me was a huge perk. They even scheduled weekend excursions so I wouldn't have to worry about transportation to/from National Parks. It was fabulous!

I did take a bus to the beach on my own, but they had the directions all ready for me, so that was the only thing I did alone, but they still were there to provide assistance, which was super helpful.

If you plan on going to Instituto Estelar Bilingüe, my only piece of advice is to decide what you want to do/see prior to visiting. There is so much to do and see and so little time once you get there, so you have to prioritize what is more important to you.

I would also recommend bringing a TON of bug spray!!! When you visit the National Parks, you will get bitten by bugs, so bring a lot!!! I wish I had brought at least 2 more carry on sizes (or one super big one) with me!

The best part of the Instituto Estelar Bilingüe program is that there is no "average" day. Every day is different and every day is as busy or as calm as you would like it to be.

For me, my schedule looked like this:

• Monday/Thursday: I took class from 8:00 am - 12:00 pm, had lunch, and then came back to the school for a movie or intercambio exchange. In the evening, I took an Aerobics class, and then had dinner with my host family.
• Tuesday: I took class from 8:00 - 12:00 pm, had lunch, and then volunteered at their after school program with kids - best time ever!
• Wednesday: I took class from 8:00 - 12:00 pm, had lunch and then the school schedules a 1/2 day trip to a local park or attraction, so that was amazing.
• Friday: I took class from 8:00 - 12:00 pm, had lunch, and then the afternoon I took the bus to the beach and spent the afternoon with my toes in the sand.
• Saturday and Sunday: I visited National Parks!!!

The only fear I had was not being able to communicate effectively (and with confidence) in a new language. Since my program was focused on immersion, I felt even more pressure to be able to speak quickly because the host family I was staying with did not speak English at all!

For me, time was the thing that made it easier. The longer I was there, the easier it became. The more time I spent with the family, the easier it became.

I really wish I had spent the entire month there because it would have been a lot easier to come back to the States and feel comfortable and confident in my knowledge. As is, I am still a little hesitant, but this experience definitely makes it a lot easier!!!

I spent 15 days in Costa Rica, and the first week I was all by myself in a country where I was struggling to communicate with everyone! But the second week, another woman joined the school and she and I became best buddies and we did everything together from swinging on swings to hiking the craziest trails ever (with inappropriate footwear).

One day, we visited a brewery and I wanted to purchase a tank top because I liked the beer and I loved the shirt. My friend, Jo Jo, also liked the shirt, but didn't drink the beer so I said "you can't buy the shirt unless you drink the beer." Well, this became an expression we used throughout the trip and it symbolized more than just a tank top and beer....it really was a call to be in the moment, be present, participate, and do it! Because if you don't do it..."you can't wear the shirt!"

It is an expression I use all the time now and I really like shirts, so...