Culture  Specific

Objective: To empower exchange students with the necessary tools, and information to engage in successful intercultural encounters in Costa Rican soil.

Duration: 2 hours session + Reading time + e-mail exchanges

Degree of dependence: Giving a percentage to the parts involved, the proposed training could be divided as follows: Trainees 40%, Trainer 40%, and Materials 30%. The training would depend mostly on the interaction between the students and the trainer. It requires both of their effort not just in the “orientation session” but also for e-mail exchanges. Students would also have to read the material, and to participate in the session asking questions and making comments.

Setting: OAICE’s website, e-mail accounts, students’ reading space, and once a semester a university classroom or auditorium depending on the amount of people.

There is no required personal disclosure due to the proposed methods. It is mostly about a set of tools students can use during their exchange experience to increase their intercultural competence.

Pace: Students would set the pace. They are mostly in charge, so everything would depend on how fast and conscious they read, how many questions they might have for the trainer, and how involved they want to be in the face-to-face session.

The proposed methods are mostly didactic. It is proposed the use of a session in which key topics can be explained to the students, and in which they can be more involved with the topic and the trainer.

It would be supported by material published on-line, which students can access before their arrival in Costa Rica. Both are aimed to be complemented with students’ participation and questions via e-mail, and during the session. It could be combined with more experiential methods depending on the amount of participants.

Content:

• Time orientation, mentioning general differences there are in time orientation. It should be cleared out the Costa Rican approach, making emphasis on the so-called “Costa Rican time”

or “hora tica”. The use of critical incidents on this topic will be valuable for students to gain awareness on how time is treated in this culture.

• Proxemics. The management of space varies from culture to culture. Explaining the Costa Rican idea of personal space, and proxemics would help students to be aware of the issue. Role-play could be a useful method to clarify the topic.

• Directness versus indirectness is other relevant topic. This issue will make students to be aware of the use of indirectness in Costa Rica. Using critical incidents, cross-cultural analysis and role-play on this topic can help students to understand what they are facing, and to see the importance of appointment confirmation in this culture.

• Formality versus informality. The proper way of addressing professors varies from country to country, and from teacher to teacher. It is important for the student to be aware teachers expect them to behave in a certain way when in class and when addressing them. It is also important to mention that addressing older people requires more formality than addressing your peers, in the Costa Rican context.

• Nature related information. Students would like to have an idea of the average temperature, the amount of rain, and daylight hours. Other topics worth mentioning are the hurricane season, and where to find information about the proper behaviour during earthquakes.

• Address system and housing. Explaining the particularities of the address system, like the use of points of reference that no longer exist will empower students to face this part of their life in Costa Rica. A list of zones near the university in which is recommended to live will be useful for the students as well.

• Adaptation and re-adaptation process. The main aspects about the process of adaptation in a different culture, and the re-adaptation to the home culture will help students to understand what they are/will go through during their exchange experience.

• Migratory procedures. An explanation of the main procedures that need to be done, and the contact information of the General Direction of Migration will facilitate the process for the students going to Costa Rica.

• Living expenses. Giving an exact budget is difficult, but presenting some examples of prices would help the students to create their own budget: 1 coffee cup, 1 lunch at a university cafeteria, 1 average month of rent in an apartment would help to give an idea.

• General information about Costa Rica. How to deal with insecurity, a list of official holidays, and other important information like emergency numbers. Festivals, touristic places, volunteering, and leisure activities are some other generalities students could need.

• General information about UCR. The registration system, availability of classes, fees, rights and responsibilities, student dinners, and contact information of the student union. Other contact information of the university such as website, and telephone should be given to the students as well.

The training style suggested is mostly didactic, with one face-to-face session, one digital brochure, and direct communication via e-mail.