Jaara Ndaw, '23, Global Studies

After a full-term study abroad in Costa Rica, and two Intensive Courses Abroad in Ecuador and Puerto Rico, Study Abroad Ambassador Jaara Ndaw has plenty of experience transitioning to life abroad.

"I was, fortunately, able to spend a few days in Puerto Rico before arriving in Costa Rica; my intention behind this was to lessen the shock of transitioning from my home in Philadelphia to a Spanish-speaking country and it definitely worked," writes Jaara. As a recipient of one of the Dragons Abroad Diversity Scholarships, she contributed to the Education Abroad student blog, chronicling her experiences during the Winter of 2022. "I felt more prepared to make casual conversation with new people, especially my host family, and it made the first few days less overwhelming and nerve-wracking than I think they otherwise would have been.

"I study Spanish at Drexel and am lucky to have many native speakers in my life, but my host family [in Costa Rica] also [spoke] a good amount of English so we [could] switch languages where necessary. I [did] my best to always speak in Spanish, but there [were] some matters that are too important to risk misunderstandings, such as COVID testing and protocols, home responsibilities, navigating Sabanilla, etc...You don’t realize how much of a language you speak until you’re truly immersed- I came to realize my Spanish is actually much better than I thought, but I still need a lot of work! My host family [was] very kind and always gently correct[ed] me and [made] sure I underst[ood] our conversations. It’s also been interesting to learn some colloquial Costa Rican speech patterns. For example, it’s more common to say ¡Que rico! instead of ¡Que delicioso! here. The majority of my friends are from Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and Peru, so it’s always fascinating learning more about their similarities and differences especially among the language."

Beyond immersing herself in the Spanish language, studying abroad in Costa Rica offered opportunities to explore sustainability and cultural exchange through interactions with locals. On one day, Jaara recounts, "We visited a local school called Cecilia Orlich Figueres School where we introduced ourselves to one of the elementary classes and created a mural together. The children were very curious about where we came from and our lives in the States, so a few of us were crowded around by groups with many questions. One girl who was a bit shyer came up to me alongside her teacher, and the teacher told me the girl wanted to tell me something. Once I asked, the girl told me that she liked my hair and thought I was very pretty. I woke up very early that morning and rushed to get ready, so it warmed my heart to hear that. The girl...gave me a drawing to remember her and the other kids at the school. I must admit I almost cried."

After returning home to Philadelphia, Jaara participated in two other Intensive Courses Abroad. Jaara writes that the first – titled Drexel in Ecuador: Culture and Community-Centered Development in Fall of 2022 - was "extremely valuable to me in a professional and academic aspect because I had the opportunity to significantly improve my Spanish and practice translating, learning more about what community development entails and different ways to be involved outside of a medical concentration, and getting an intimate look at Ecuador compared to a touristic centered experience," writes Jaara. "In a more personal aspect, being a part of the first study abroad cohort completely comprised of students of color is a huge honor, and I’ve never bonded with a group abroad the way I have with my Ecuador cohort."

Jaara joined the Study Abroad ambassador team in the Fall of 2022. The Study Abroad Student Ambassadors play a vital role in the study abroad team as they are a bridge between the office and the Drexel campus community.  These positions are an opportunity for study abroad returnees to share their experiences with prospective students.

"While I already had this goal in mind before departure, now that we are back from the experience and I am fortunate enough to be a Study Abroad Ambassador for majority of my senior year, I feel even more emboldened and passionate about diversifying our study abroad programs here at Drexel and to help sustain programs such as this that allow students of color to have such a unique abroad experience."

Interested in learning more about Intensive Courses Abroad, the Ambassador program and other scholarship opportunities? Click on the links to find out.

All photos by Jaara Ndaw.