Costa Rican exchange program makes the world a smaller place

Photo by Yesenia Munoz
Juniors Brisa Romero (far left) and Yesenia Munoz (far right) visit Chicago. The Costa Rican exchange students arrived on Jan. 10 and left Thursday.

By Mayeli Vivaldo, Editor in Chief

After 20 years, the Costa Rican exchange program is one of the few in DuPage County that continues to host students in a traditional manner.

“We are one of the only schools that still does an actual exchange with host families and not just cultural tours. It really gives students a true emerging experience and it makes the world a little bit of a smaller place,” Spanish teacher Brittany Blanchard said.  “When you can get to know somebody from a different country, it kind of broadens your horizons.”

The Costa Rican exchange students arrived on Jan. 10. They received a tour of the school and met their student hosts.  

“Everyone is so friendly, but it is extremely cold here. I only brought two sweaters,” exchange student Darian Hernandez said upon arriving.  

The program organized several events for the Costa Rican students including ice skating, shopping, and a visit to Chicago.

“I really loved Chicago, although it was very cold, I had a fun time. I also loved going shopping because I really like buying clothes. They were very pretty. We bought a lot of things at the outlet,” exchange student Gloriana Cordero said.

Many of the exchange students and hosts valued and enjoyed the cultural opportunity the program offered.

“I decided to host and be hosted because I wanted to see and understand the differences there were between me and an American,” Hernandez said during a presentation in AP Spanish Language.

After all the fun and interesting trips, what many hosts and exchange students remember and appreciate the most about the program are the bonds and friendships that develop throughout the trip.

“We have students who participated in the exchange in the past who are still, not only keeping in touch with their host brothers and sisters

but continuing to visit them and making plans to travel together,” Blanchard said. “It really fosters lifelong friendships. They are taken in as strangers, but they leave as a member of a new family.”

The host students and Costa Rican students exchanged heartbreaking farewells on Thursday.

“I’m going to miss her so much, but we’re still going to keep in touch. She’s (junior Yesenia Munoz) hopefully going to come back to Costa Rica in 2018,” Cordero said with tears.