![]() We’d chat about anything and everything,” Saunders said. “Between classes, I would walk home and have lunch with Ofelia. ![]() Part of the familyĪs Saunders settled into Costa Rica, she started taking part in the Ariases’ daily life. The following day, she gave me another driving tour of the neighborhood to familiarize myself, and I realized I had passed her relative’s pharmacy and another relative’s storefront,” Saunders said. When I got home soaking wet, Monica was so concerned. I forgot to consider it was rainy season, and it started pouring. After her first orientation with API, she decided to walk home. Through the Ariases, Saunders was in close proximity to community. One time I had stopped by for lunch and forgot my money, but the owners prepared a sandwich on the house for me,” Saunders said. “The chicken shop was so good, and their serving sizes were huge. At the local chicken shop, in the farmlands, at the markets and butchers - everyone knew Monica, and it didn’t take long before the locals got to know Saunders, too. The Arias family commonly hosted international students with whom they are still in touch.Īs the first order of business, the family took Saunders for a tour of the city and introduced her to the neighborhood. student, she was no stranger to homestays. Although Saunders was Monica’s first U.S. Monica also was well known in Heredia because of her manufacturing business. The street on which they lived was named after Monica’s grandfather, who donated money to pave the roads in town. The Arias family - Monica and Emma, as well as grandmother Ofelia and dogs Cachito and Escot - were respected in Heredia. “Looking back, I was really scared, but the Arias family was so open and made me feel at home.” Part of the neighborhood We went through a gated community to their modern one-story house,” Saunders said. “I remember when my driver first took me to the neighborhood on a rainy Friday afternoon. Saunders stayed with the Arias family in a city called Heredia, just outside of the capital, San José. Often, the host families help students improve their language skills. Students can join their host families for meals and take part in their normal daily routines. Saunders’ program offered only homestays, which allow students to live with a local family. “They are able to provide cultural immersion activities and access to local universities while providing sufficient support for students to navigate these environments successfully,” she said. According to Theresa Johansson, director of the Global Education Office, partners such as API often have deep and broad connections in the host country and local staff to guide students in exploring their new surroundings. Through API Abroad, one of Virginia Tech’s third-party study abroad partners, she found a summer program called Advanced Spanish for Medical Professionals in Costa Rica. She did not expect to find a second home and a second family. In fall 2022, Saunders, then a senior, had been seeking a study abroad opportunity through which she could get an immersive language experience while also earning credits toward both her microbiology and Spanish majors. Within a week of being stateside, she was already texting her host mom, Monica Arias, to plan a return to Costa Rica. After spending three months with the Arias family during a study abroad trip to Costa Rica, Saunders had returned to her home in Maryland. The dramatic text encapsulated so much of Emma’s personality and reflected Saunders’ own emotions. Rachel Saunders smiled at the text from her 8-year-old host sister, Emma Arias.
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