It was a tearful goodbye to my 2 month life as a student last week. My immersion experience in Costa Rica in a word was incredible! I had the good fortune to be at a great school that was true to it's name, Personalized Spanish. Because I had taken three semesters of Spanish before setting out on my immersion adventure I had private lessons my whole time in Costa Rica as there were no other students at my level. When I started to feel the pressure of not being able to speak as well as I hoped with less than two weeks to go before my return, the director changed my program and she worked with me the rest of my time in Costa Rica. I said I needed more practice with conversation and did I get that! Actually it was great. She enjoyed it too as loved to learn about US holidays like Thanksgiving, my thoughts on the upcoming election, women's roles in different parts of the world, music, the immigration issue in the US and what touched me most was the interest she took in the stories about my former patients who of course were the inspiration for me to learn Spanish. She tested me my last three days and told me that I tested in the advanced level of Spanish. I have to keep telling myself that when I say the wrong thing! I usually hear my mistake as it comes out of my mouth but the funny look people give me is a clue for the ones I don't catch. My professors threw a very nice farewell party for me making it even harder to say, "Hasta pronto". My Tica family couldn't have been nicer! I miss my evening chats with "Mom" and the after school snacks she insisted I eat. My last trip in Costa Rica was to Volcán Irazu. My classmate and I lucked out and went on a near perfect day. The Volcano is so high (11,259 feet in elevation) you are above the clouds so if it is a cloudy day you can't really see much of anything. On really clear days you can see both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans from the summit. The volcano is near Cartago, Costa Rica and only 15 miles from San José. It has been dormant for over 40 years with the last eruption in 1963. President Kennedy made a state visit to Costa Rica that year. Sorry the pictures don't capture the true beauty on the summit. A definite must (on a clear day) if you visit San José! I had absolutely no problems while I was in Costa Rica and always felt safe. No one was ever inappropriate towards me. Some drivers would beep and yell "Macha" (blonde) from their vehicles but that's harmless. Everyone was very nice and the only unusual thing that happened was several people wanted to touch my hair. I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to do the immersion program and Costa Rica is a great place to learn not only the language but about the culture. It is an incredibly beautiful and diverse country. I miss the relaxed attitude of the people and hope to return soon! ¡Pura Vida! Mary