Blog Post 1 – The Journey Begins

About Me

Hello! I’ve never written a blog before, but I’m super excited to have a way to share my experiences with all of you. To start, I’ll give you some background about myself. My name is Vanessa, and I was born and raised in Arkansas. I recently graduated from Rice University with a Bachelor of Science in Bioengineering, where I developed a strong passion for the development of medical devices. I am now beginning my first semester in Rice’s Master of Bioengineering in Global Medical Innovation (GMI). As a part of the program, students must complete an industry internship, and we were given the option to participate in an immersive internship abroad in Costa Rica, which I am very excited to be a part of. Through this blog, I will be able to share my day-to-day life abroad with instructors, supervisors, and friends/family back home!

Leaving Home Sweet Home

The journey began last Thursday, May 26, when my parents dropped me off at the airport. While I was nervous, I felt so excited for the opportunity that I have been given, and the learning experiences that I will go through. As I boarded my flight to Houston, it really set in that I will be out of the country for just over two months, and I began to do my best to take in each moment. The flight was quick, and I was happy to see the famous Houston skyline from above where I would meet the GMI cohort. As soon as we landed, I got off the plane, and rushed over to baggage claim to get my things and join another student to Uber over to Rice for orientation.

Meeting Our GMI Cohort

We arrived at the Rice Bioscience Research Collaborative (BRC) and joined the others for lunch where we were able to meet and talk in person, since we had only ever interacted over Zoom. We then jumped right into the main orientation activities, where we learned the correct pronunciation of everyone’s names, completed a mini design challenge (making a more accurate and precise alternative to current goniometers), went over our syllabus, and split off to get ready for dinner at Istanbul Grill, a restaurant that I had surprisingly never gone to in my four years in Houston.

The next morning started early, when we met at the BRC and walked over to the main campus to talk with the Office of International Students and Scholars. There, we were greeted with orejas (pastry) and Costa Rican coffee, and we talked about the food, traditions, and culture of Costa Rica. We also shared our self-made presentations about a cultural aspect of Costa Rica. I presented with another student over the dissolution of the military and how the funds were dedicated to education, contributing to the variety of languages found in the country. After that, we had a quick lunch, weighed our suitcases one last time, and packed (literally!) the bus to the airport.

 

Flying to Costa Rica

The flight, despite a bit of turbulence, was really great – at least a lot better than I had been told it would be. When we were about 30 minutes out, I looked out the window, and first just saw the sky full of stars, something that from a young age has made me feel so peaceful and calm. Minutes later, I saw lights lighting up the city, and it looked so alive. Just as quickly though, I began to see the raindrops hitting my window, reminding me that we are arriving right in the country’s rainy season.

After landing, we went through customs, got our luggage, and exchanged just a bit of US money to colones for use at the markets. We loaded all of our luggage onto a shuttle bus, and I was shocked at how well the driver was able to pack our things in there. I feel like throughout the entire time, people were in shock of how much stuff we had (including the Uber driver, the lady at the baggage check, and this bus driver!). With that, our time in Costa Rica began.

Acclimating to San José

We went to Saúl Bistro, where I had my first meal in Costa Rica, after which we returned to the hotel, and I organized my things in our cute, homey room and prepared myself to rest for our early morning the next day.

We started the day with breakfast, where I ordered a typical dish: gallo pinto (rice and beans), fried eggs, plantains, toast, and orange juice. I grew up eating this meal, so I really enjoyed it and felt a bit closer to home.

We then continued by walking the streets of San José, visiting the local craft market and the Saturday Farmer’s Market. The craft market was a large building with booths and booths of items specific to Costa Rica. There were magnets, t-shirts, wooden items, coffee makers and mugs, and handmade shoes, just to name a few. At the farmer’s market, I got to see many fruits and vegetables that are either different than back home, or we just don’t have. They had fresh coconuts that they would open for you to drink and eat, giant avocados (which are my favorite), stands with empanadas, pupusas, tamales, juices, smoothies, really any kind of food you could want. The walk was only a mile, but it felt a lot longer as we walked past businesses, homes, and government buildings along the way. It was a great way to see the local people and their weekend routines.

Saturday Farmer’s Market and the produce being sold

The day continued with a visit to Cafeoteca down the street, a trip to Walmart, and a group meeting to make plans for the remainder of the weekend. The day ended with dinner at Agüizotes which is one of the restaurants around the corner from our hotel, in an area with many restaurants and a pretty active night life.

Although I was tired, I was excited to wake up bright and early in the morning to board a bus that would take us the two hours to Jacó. Along the way, on the small roads we were taking, I was able to see the beautiful nature of the country, the mountains, the valleys, and the water.

     

Our bus and the landscape on the way to Jacó Beach

We had breakfast at a little restaurant on the beach, and then we set up camp on the sand. It was great to get in the water and enjoy time in the (very hot) sun for a few hours. On the way back I assume we were all super tired given that we fell asleep on the bus! Overall, it was a great trip, aside from my sunburned back. The day ended with dinner at Jardín de Lolita with the undergraduate students also completing a program here in Costa Rica.

 

Our time at the beach and the drive back

Going Forward

And that about gets you up to speed! I know that’s a lot of information, but I want to share all the details of this experience while also having a way to remember it myself. This week we will start the Medical Device Innovation Bootcamp, so I will be able to share a lot more of the engineering/technical work that I will be doing during my time here in my next post. Talk to y’all next week 😀