Giel during his internship in Tamarindo, Costa Rica
Giel interned in Costa Rica: "My internship is at a hotel, and here we work like a big family. Everyone is always ready to help you with anything." Read more!
Page content
Type Internship
Sales/Marketing
What did you think of the city?
Things are measured differently here than in the Netherlands, the infrastructure is significantly poorer, buildings are kept in use for longer, and so on. Nonetheless, Tamarindo is a vacation town where you can have a great evening every night. Lots of food and drinks are sold on the street. I’m close to the center and the beach, so everything is within walking distance. Unfortunately, living where others vacation also has its downsides. Prices are high here, and there is no place to go if you're on a tight budget. Supermarkets are also quite expensive. So, it’s not recommended to come here on a tight budget (unless, of course, you’re getting an internship allowance).
What did you think of the internship?
So far, it's been amazing! My internship is at a hotel, and we work here like one big family. Everyone is always ready to help you with anything, which makes settling in at the beginning much easier. Many employees travel long distances to work here and live in the hotel. It’s all affordable for employees. There are three meals a day available for $4, and there’s an employee discount. What I really like here is that you can learn Spanish at your own pace. Most people speak English and, of course, Spanish, so you can communicate with them in both languages and learn from them. They don't throw you into the deep end right away. However, I am the first intern who is staying here for more than 3 months, and I do notice that they struggle to keep me busy throughout the day. I’m not allowed to work with the important final data yet because the risk of errors is still too high. However, I do analyses, and my Excel and Photoshop skills have improved dramatically (they were nonexistent before).
Here, you can find little lizards in the shower.
What is the most special thing you've experienced?
The things that are different from the Netherlands. Here, you can find little lizards in the shower, the plumbing is much less reliable, so things like toilet paper absolutely cannot be flushed. The drinking water is clean, but you shouldn’t try to drink it in the villages. The roads are worse, and there are no trains. The lifestyle is more frugal, and things are reused. And many other little things that make it just different from the Netherlands in a way that's fun.
Do you have any tips for students?
Don’t come with too tight of a budget. Unless you arrange something else, it’s just expensive. Bring a transformer because the plugs are different. And stay focused on your internship; that should always be priority number 1. There are many distractions here, but if you remain professional, you’ll get a lot out of it.
What score would you give your experience?
8