Senior guard Brionna Dickerson is in Costa Rica, studying abroad as part of her international business degree. The program includes 20-25 students who take classes in the morning and have their afternoons free for exploring. Brionna will check in with GamecocksOnline periodically during her trip.

July 15, 2008
Well this past week has been great. I´ve been to so many beautiful places and met so many interesting people.

The family that I’m staying with is a very young and lively group. When we first got here, my roommate Angela and I didn’t go out much beyond class. So our host parents would take us out places just to get us out of the house. Our host mom is a wonderful cook and can make anything from cakes to sushi. I’m so afraid of coming back 100 pounds heavier because I can’t get enough of her cooking.

Boston University is the technical college that we attend for cultural and grammar classes. It´s so different from taking a Spanish class in the States because our teachers hardly ever use any English. Sometimes I feel so overwhelmed because my mind is constantly translating, but that is definitely the best way to become fluent in any language. The host family I live with does speak English but they try not to use it very much around us.

People who know me best know that I hate big dogs. I’m just terrified of them. Well, I was overjoyed to realize that our family owns a bear-size pit bull named GiGi. I’m still attempting to warm up to her, but she’s almost bigger than me, so that´s not really an easy task.

We´ve been to a couple of beaches that are so beautiful. The water is so clear that you can even see the fish swimming around your legs. I even went running on the beach in the mornings, not only to see the scenery but also to attempt to keep in shape. I have so many great pictures that I’ll post once i figure out how to upload them onto their computers. Until then PURA VIDA.