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Mars Hill Student Studies in Costa Rica
by Danielle Kamffer
Danielle Kamffer at Rio Celete Falls
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Danielle Kamffer, a Mars Hill College senior and political science major, spent her fall semester in Costa Rica and had a front row seat on a major political debate.
"This October was the national referendum on whether the country wanted the president to sign the trade agreement with the U.S.," said Kamffer.
"I have come to realize that a lot of people here, especially the younger people, don't like the U.S., so there was a lot of activity against the treaty. It was just interesting to see how it all played out."
The vote took place on October 7. "The 'yes' side had a very slight majority - something ridiculous like 52-51 to 49-48 - it was crazy close," said Kamffer.
Kamffer is currently studying at the National University of Costa Rica in Heredia, Costa Rica for a semester. She is there through the International Student Exchange Program (ISEP), of which Mars Hill College is a member.
Kamffer was originally born in South Africa and moved to the United States when she was 14. "I would say that was a study abroad experience that just lasted a long, long time. The education system in South Africa was completely different from what I found in the U.S., so I had a lot of adjusting to do," she said.
Her majors are Spanish and political science. She is taking courses in International Studies as well as a course in the History of Women in Costa Rica. These courses are all in Spanish, which helps a lot with her language-learning, Kamffer said.
"The classes themselves are pretty interesting, although they are for three hours one day a week...I have a lot of doodles in my notebook," she said. Although she sits through longer classes, she must meet with each class just 16 times throughout the entire semester.
When asked about the academic aspect of the trip, Kamffer says, "I wanted to take courses in political science so I could finish my major while I was abroad. But then I also decided I really wanted to come to Costa Rica, so I just decided to take courses in the International Relations department, since I enjoy the topic and it is slightly related to political science".
The university she is attending has more than 12,000 students and is one of four public universities in Costa Rica. "The professors aren't as available as those at Mars Hill," said Kamffer. "Their office hours are only [about] one hour a week, which makes it difficult, and they don't just give out their email addresses freely. You have to ask."
Kamffer lives with a host family in a neighboring town. "My family is amazing. I have two host brothers, both around my age, that I get along with really well and do practically everything with," she said.
...at Poas Volcano
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Homesickness can be a factor when studying abroad, but Kamffer had it a little easier. "I spend a lot of time with my host mom so we get along really well, and I think my relationship with her has helped me not miss my mom as much as I would have otherwise," she said.
To help with adjusting to an entirely new country, Kamffer prepared by doing some research. "I tried to read up about the country. I called my host family and talked to them to get a feel for how things were going to be. I was extremely nervous before leaving, but you've just got to throw yourself out there or else you could quite possibly miss the best experience of your life, which is how I would describe my five months here in Costa Rica," she said.
Kamffer gets to travel about two weekends out of every month, so she'll see just about all of Costa Rica in her five months of study.
She also tried going to Panama. "I assumed I wouldn't need a visa because I have a green card to the United States…They wouldn't let me enter, so we were stranded at the border for eight hours waiting on another bus to come by and take us back to San Jose." Kamffer enjoyed herself in the border town that night, but she was also sad she couldn't make it all the way to Panama.
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