Costa Rica: Lauren Stielow

January 30, 2024

Program: UW Tropical Horticulture in Costa Rica, Winter Intersession

Lauren’s Major: Environmental Sciences

Lauren leans against a railing overlooking a forest of trees, bushes, and other tropical plants, all leading up to a volcano whose peak is covered in clouds. — This photo is a picture of me posing in front of the volcano that we got to eat lunch by and that I had a perfect view from my hotel window in La Fortuna, Alajuela, Costa Rica. It last erupted in 2018!

What is your most memorable experience from your program?

While on my study abroad program, we had the privilege of visiting a palm tree plantation where they collect the fruit to be used for the production of palm oil. The work that needs to be done to obtain the fruit is pretty hard on the body and the wages that the workers were making was devastating. They made around ~$640/month to work 6.5 hour days. Granted, the prices of necessities in Costa Rica are cheaper, but I just kept thinking how difficult it would be to live off of that monthly income for a family here in the US. Out of all the places we visited, this tour has stuck with me the most and truly has struck a chord deep inside me. It made me more grateful for my life back in the US and also, while on the tour, I felt guilty because we just watched the workers bust their backs to make such little money. It was uncomfortable, eye-opening and just an experience I will never forget.

I realized how incredible this opportunity is and how lucky I am to be experiencing it with such great people.

What is the moment you are most proud of?

I am someone who experiences a lot of social anxiety and so going on a trip to a country I had never been to with practically 15 strangers heightened my anxiety quite a bit. I am most proud of not letting my anxiety consume me during this once in a lifetime experience. I was able to fully let loose and be myself on this trip, which I did not expect. I was able to form bonds with so many people and make friendships that I know will last a lifetime. During the trip, each student was assigned a different tour to take notes on and formulate a discussion question to lead a group discussion that evening. I have never been one to do well with a bunch of eyes on me from a lot of people, so the fact that I was able to push past this and complete the task was also something I was proud of.

Lauren smiles as she milks a light brown cow in a stable. — When we visited Dota, Costa Rica, we stayed in a lodge that was in the highlands where the temperatures were much cooler, like in the 50s and 60s, compared to the high 80s that we had been previously experiencing. The family that lives at the lodge and hosts many people are originally from Michigan and they make their own cheese too! One morning, when we were getting a tour of the farm, they let each of the students take a shot at milking one of their cows. It was my first time milking a cow and I loved it!

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?

Before going abroad, I honestly had feelings of not wanting to go anymore. I wanted to soak up my winter break with my friends and family back home and the fact that school work was involved made me think of the trip as more of a chore. I also have a twin sister that I am incredibly close to and I was worried about being apart from her because we really do rely on each other in social settings. To push past these fears, I took the trip day by day, not trying to think too much about what we were going to do the next day. I tried to be present and remind myself how privileged I am to be on a trip like this one. Slowly I realized how incredible this opportunity is and how lucky I am to be experiencing it with such great people. Also, on the trip, I did get incredibly sick and had to miss a tour that ended up being a lot of the students favorite. This was a hard pill to swallow, but I had to keep reminding myself that my health was more important and that the sooner I recovered, the more I would be able to participate in.