Costa Rica: Maezy Beams

April 4, 2023

A group of students and a Boruca indigenous tribe stand on sand in front of many green trees in the background — The whole group of students on this program posing with members of the Boruca Indigenous tribe after viewing a display of one of their rituals. We visited their territory and were taught about the medicinal plants that are important in their culture and many aspects of their lifestyle/beliefs.

Program: UW Tropical Horticulture in Costa Rica, Winter Intersession

Maezy’s Major: Horticulture, Spanish

What is your most memorable experience from your program?

My most memorable experience from this program would be the day we went to the Boruca indigenous territory and spent the day learning about medicinal herbs that are used in the Boruca culture. It was incredibly interesting to learn from them and understand more about how one can use natural medicines for a variety of different ailments. It was also humbling that they opened their home up to us in addition to allowing us to see one of their sacred rituals be performed. It is an experience I will remember for a very long time.

This program was far outside my comfort zone but I’m so glad that I pushed myself. I made good friends, learned more about the world around me, and most importantly, I learned the most about myself. I feel as though this program taught me to be more patient and have a greater appreciation for a slower and more intentional lifestyle.

What challenges or barriers did you face as you prepared to go abroad and/or during your time abroad? How did you work through them?

I think I went into this program with an open mind which helped me appreciate the new cultural elements that I was introduced to. I think one thing I struggled with on the trip was making sure I was prioritizing taking care of myself over seeing and doing as much as possible. This program is absolutely wonderful but I wouldn’t say that it’s leisurely and it can be easy to be overwhelmed/overstimulated. Taking a moment to myself every once and a while and knowing when to slow down just a bit allowed me to get the most out of the program without pushing myself too hard.

How were your program academics similar or different from taking classes at UW-Madison?

This program was much more hands-on than taking classes at UW-Madison. The technical information that is learned in horticulture classes is incredibly useful but unless there are field trips associated with the given class, this information may never make it out of the classroom and be put into practice. Being able to form connections between what I saw during the program and what I’ve learned in a more formal setting was really special and helped solidify that information.