This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at FSU chapter.
Lover of airports, the smell of Christmas trees and watching Chopped on The Food Network, Jennifer Portillo is a small town girl with an immense amount of dreams. She was fortunate enough to land a 9-week internship through Global Scholars. Global Scholars is a program on campus that helps students secure internships with non-profit organizations in developing countries.
Name: Jennifer Portillo
Hometown: Yulee, Florida (Born in Los Angeles, California)
Year: Sophomore
Age: 19
Major: International Affairs
Relationship Status: Single and ready to mingle
Her Campus (HC): So, how was it? Being in a new environment away from your comfort zone?
Jennifer Portillo (JP): I never really thought about it much until I got there. Like not even on the plane did I think about it. When I landed I had to take a bus that lasted about five hours. I’m not even lying. I didn’t know who my roommate would be until I actually stepped foot in the house. There was no air conditioning; it was really weird. Once I got settled and asked my roommate how her day was she busted into tears and kept saying she didn’t know if she can do this, be away from home for so long. That night we cried ourselves to sleep, and became the best of friends. That was the only sad day I had.
HC: What kind of work were you doing there?
JP: I taught English to kids from ages 4 to 11 in an after-school program. I also taught intermediate level English to adults and private one-on-one sessions. It was pretty easy for me because I am fluent in Spanish.
HC: What did you do besides work? How was the night life? Any adventures?
JP: It’s kind of weird because it got dark at 5:30 or 6 pm. It wasn’t really safe to be outside after that time. We lived in a very rural town in Costa Rica. It was cool though because as time went by we became pretty close with our neighbors who were a young couple. My roommate and I went over for dinner a lot. But if we wanted to actually go somewhere and do something fun we had to go to the next town over. Funny story actually; well we lived in Brasilito and we were trying to get to Potrero. We went to the bus station that we normally would take to go there. Once we are already on the bus, the driver tells us that this bus didn’t go to Potrero on the weekends. He ended up driving us to a random town and we got out, went into this coffee shop and basically just asked the owners for a ride. And they did. Also, hitch hiking is actually a thing there like everyone either hitchhikes or uses the buses. We went on a weekend trip to Nicaragua and that’s how we got there.
Courtesy: Jennifer Portillo
HC: After going through this experience, how has it affected you?
JP: Honestly, the Jennifer there isn’t the Jennifer here. I don’t know. Pura Vida means pure life and that is not only a greeting and saying that people live by but it describes their lifestyle. Everyone is very chill and laid back. No one is busy or uptight. Because it is a very relaxed environment it helps you see things in a more meaningful way and you pay attention more to the community and your surroundings. Of course, working with the kids was the most amazing part. On the first day of school, Jimena, a fifth grader, wrote me a note that says I <3 Jennifer. Also another fifth grader, named Yadsira, ran up to me and grabbed my hand and asked me to walk with her home. After that we walked to and from school together every day. Anywhere I went if a little kid saw me, they ran up to me screaming “Miestra! Miestra!” Literally it melted my heart every time. Because of this experience I plan on moving to Costa Rica after college and working with a non-profit for two years.
Courtesy: Jennifer Portillo