As seniors settle into their final few months of high school, Alexa Thomason (12) is taking a different path to graduation: one that involves 90-degree weather, plentiful beaches, and weekend ziplining adventures. Thomason graduated from Westview at the end of the first term and since early February, she has been living with a host family in Costa Rica through a program called Education First (EF) Languages.
“A few months into [senior year], my mom had brought up the idea of going somewhere [during the second term of my senior year],” Thomason said. “I looked into it for a while and I found this place in Costa Rica. Then I started the process of graduating early. I talked to my counselor and I had enough credits that I could do it.”
Thomason chose EF Language’s Costa Rica program because of its focus on learning and improving Spanish language skills. Spanish is a way for Thomason to connect with her culture and family, and she had always wanted to strengthen it.
“My mom is from Mexico, and Spanish is one of my first languages, but going to schools that spoke pure English, I lost my Spanish along the way,” Thomason said. “I took Spanish classes in high school, but I really wanted to get to the point where I didn’t have to second guess myself in speaking Spanish. I wanted to have fluid conversations with people. My mom’s side [of the family] speaks Spanish and we go to Mexico a lot, and I wanted to be able to not depend on her to get through Mexico.”
In Costa Rica, Thomason spends a few hours each day taking a variety of Spanish classes.
“I have two classes that cover grammar,” Thomason said. “I have what they call ‘spin class.’ That can be music or reading and writing or just having pure conversations, which is probably one of my favorite classes. They also do history and they take you out on exploration days.”
On Mondays and Fridays, her classes start at 8:10 a.m.
“I have to take the bus to school at 7:30, so I get up around 6:20,” Thomason said. “I have breakfast and walk to the bus. It takes me 10-15 minutes to get to the bus stop. I wait for the bus to pick me up and it’s about a five-minute drive to the campus. Classes go from 8:10 to 12:45. Then, I would have the rest of my afternoon free.”
On Tuesdays and Thursdays, classes start at 11:15 a.m. and end around 4:35 p.m. In her free time, she explores the town of Tamarindo, where she is staying.
“It’s a pretty small town, but it’s got two or three beaches and a lot of beaches close to it,” Thomason said. “You’ve got a lot to do. There’s a pool on campus, so you can sit down and tan and go swimming. Or you can go into town, which is a three-minute walk. You can go to the many restaurants they have here, you can go to the beach, or you can go grocery shopping if you want.”
While EF Languages gave her the option of staying at one of their residences, Thomason opted to stay with a host family to be even more immersed in the culture of Costa Rica.
“I decided I wanted to stay with a host family to see how people here live their everyday lives,” she said. “At first, it was really nerve-racking. I didn’t know what to expect and didn’t know exactly the place I was going to. Now, looking back at it, it’s been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I get to try the food that my host mom makes me, I get to see what they do on the weekends, see the neighbors, I get to be closer to this amazing area that I’m in, and I get to practice my Spanish a lot more.”
Throughout her time in Costa Rica, Thomason has built relationships with people from around the world who are also participating in the EF Languages program.
“In this little neighborhood that I’m in, there’s a lot of people [from the EF Languages program] and we walk to the bus in the morning together if we have the same schedule,” she said. “I’ve made a lot of friends from Denmark, my roommate is Norwegian, and I’ve met friends from California and Chicago.”
After taking Spanish classes each day and speaking with her host family, Thomason said that she has seen significant improvement in her Spanish speaking abilities.
“I talk to my mom [on the phone] once a week and it’s become a habit to talk to her in Spanish,” Thomason said. “She’s like ‘Wow, I can really see your progress.’”
Thomason will be returning to San Diego in late April, and she is planning on studying Business Marketing at Sonoma State University in the fall. She said that many of the things she has learned through her semester abroad, she will carry with her to her future endeavors.
“I think it’s something that everyone should do — to just explore the world — because in San Diego, you can’t really get that much cultural appreciation,” Thomason said. “Coming here has opened my eyes a lot. I feel so grateful that my parents have given me this opportunity to see the world because it’s always been a dream of mine to go places. I love to visit people, and every time I visit places, I like to get that cultural experience. People should try that at least some time in their life.”
