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Student reports
We invite you do read the following reports:
Reports:
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Anne Guillebeau from Switzerland
Hello, I lived 5 months in Costa Rica. The first 3 months I stayed with a host family and the last 2 months I lived at María Elena Gamboa Gamboa's house. My room was very clean and tidy, and I was allowed to use everything, kitchen, washing mashine, TV, garden, even her guitar! María was very helpful and nice, she even arranged an internship at a travel agency exactly like I wanted. I can highly recommend her! Muchas gracias Maria y Pura Vida.
23.07.2007, 01:27
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Keiko from Hamburg, Germany
I visited Costa Rica in July 2005 for only a month and lived there with a host family.
For me it was important to live with a local family in order to get to know the Costa Rican mentality and to improve my Spanish without excuses. The host family received very warmly and to be honest, it was awful to have to go back home after a month.
I made an internship at a national TV channel in San José, which was very exciting since I had worked at a TV station in Germany prior to that and it was interesting to compare things.
In Costa Rica everything is much more relaxed, not so stressful and the people I met were totally open and interested. Of course punctuality is not as important as at home, but I found this relaxed state of mind very refreshing.
I think it is important to take some time to travel, because there are many beautiful places apart from the lively capital of San José. It's great because Costa Rica is easily manageable and you can travel in a few hours from the Caribbean coast (for example Puerto Viejo - a small "Bob Marley village at the beach") to the Pacific Coast (for example to Jaco - more of a Party-Surfer town; or the Manuel Antonio National Park, which is very worthwhile seeing; or Montezuma, a wonderful little beach town and further on to Tamarindo, a beautiful holiday resort for surfing, relaxing, etc.).
I have to say that I have traveled quite far (Columbia, Mexico, Japan, etc.) and Costa Rica is definitely one of my favorite places!!!
Muchos saludos
10.08.2005, 11:36
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Dominic from Switzerland
Hello everybody!
If you look for an internship, an apartment or something similar you need to get in contact with María Elena Gamboa.
She offers a very reasonable and reliable service. I can highly recommend her. I was very satisfied since everything went smoothly and I received the post that I had been looking for.
Forget about the generally known Online Internship Agencies where you have to pay up to 7000 Euros for half a year. At Maria's you pay a one time organizational fee and you will receive an internship of the same value.
Think about it!
Greetings, Dominic
31.05.2005, 01:33
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Veronika W. from Munich, Germany
Costa Rica is just a dream - and Maria and her family contributed a great deal to make my stay in Costa Rica unforgettable. It is a great opportunity to live in a true Tico family and to get to know the country and its people.
Thank you for a wonderful time!!!
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Baharak B. from Switzerland
In 2003 I made an internship in a hospital in Costa Rica for my med studies. I accidently stumbled upon Maria's program in the internet and got in contact with her. She was very helpful in finding my way around in Costa Rica, in organizing my lodging close to the hospital in Ciudad Quesada, and in bringing me closer to Costa Rica's customs and traditions whenever I had some time to spare. She gave me lot's of useful travel advice, accompanied me to rafting and canopy tours, and I was also able to get to know her friendly family where I felt like at home. Thus Costa Rica became an unforgettable experience. I can only recommend it!
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Michaela from Stuttgart
The arrangements for my stay were very easy and everything also happened on very short notice. It wasn't easy to find an internship for only a month, but Maria was very helpful and at the end I got a post. I did an internship at a travel agency in San Jose which was great. I met a lot of nice and open people and was received very well by the company. Although I knew very little Spanish at the beginning, everybody was very forthcoming. I received many interesting tasks and there was always somebody who took care of me whenever I had nothing to do.
I also received a room at a host family which was great for me. I was very fortunate to experience this time within this amazing family, to see how they live and of course to improve my language. In the morning I had breakfast with the mother and Paola and in the evenings there was always somebody I could talk to and tell what had happened during the day, at least as far as my Spanish knowledge allowed me to do. I improved my Spanish considerable during this time and had always wondered before this journey how it would be - over there - so far away from home, but after a very short time I grew so fond of the country and the Gamboa family that I felt very much at home, as if they were my family.
I slept very little during those 5 weeks because I wanted to experience so many things and because of that I wasn't tired at all. I had so many wonderful impressions... with the people from work, with the family, during night excursions with lot's of Salsa music or while travelling through the country with Vroni and Nico who were also staying with the same family and who nowadays belongs to my best friends.
To me, Costa Rica is an awesome country with lot's of great people. Life is quite different, less stressful and less hustle and bustle. It allows you to see things from a different perspective which was an unbelievable experience for me!
I will never forget my time in Costa Rica and I am very grateful for it. I will always remember my experiences and am forever grateful for them!
Michaela I.
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Eva from Munich
I am very happy that I met Maria. She made it possible to go abroad even though my host family canceled shortly before me leaving Germany, and I wasn't counting with going to Costa Rica anymore! It was an amazing experience to travel to Costa Rica, an experience I wouldn't have wanted to miss. I'm extremely grateful that Maria organized my host family, school and leisure program perfectly!
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Ute K. from Hannover, Germany
I looked for three months for an internship with housing in Costa Rica for my 20 year old daughter Anne and finally found help in the person of Maria Elena Gamboa Gamboa.
My daughter was totally enthusiastic right from the beginning and thus she spent and incredible time from June to September in Costa Rica. Maria found an internship at an internationally working travel agency.
Before that Anne took a 4 week long language course which I can highly recommend. She stayed in an apartment at Maria's family, who took unbelievably good care of my daughter, especially at the beginning when she was still unsure and they accompanied her everywhere.
She travelled to different places in the country every weekend and saw an incredible amount of things.
Maria was always at our disposal when we had questions. Me, being a mother hen, was very at ease when I found out that my child was in good hands.
Many thanks Maria!
PS: I wished I would have been there.
25.10.2006, 12:47
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