The Week I Made Peace With the Bugs

Post written by Ambassador Abroad, Rosie, who participated in our College First Year Abroad for an Academic Semester!

The Bugs

I’ve always thought of myself as pretty outdoorsy. I’m the kind to play in mud, jump in puddles, and spend hours hiking. I even let spiders live in my room back home. So when friends told me I was crazy for spending a semester in the Costa Rican rainforest, I brushed it off. A few extra bugs and a little rain couldn’t be that bad.

That confidence vanished the moment I got off the bus in Monteverde. The night was alive with movement — cockroaches scurrying across the path, moths flying straight at my face. When we were warned to shake out our shoes and bedding for spiders and scorpions, the fear really hit. I didn’t want to unpack. I felt uneasy in my own room, convinced something was ready to crawl on me at any second.

The Beans

Then came dinner. I already knew most meals here included rice and beans, a challenge, since I’ve avoided beans my entire life. But getting used to them sounded easier in theory than in practice. That first night, I ate a bowl of rice and beans, and just with that, I was so proud of myself.

Over the next few days, though, something began to shift. I stopped flinching at every bug. I started opening the doors. And although I wasn’t exactly asking for an extra scoop of beans, I did finish my plate.

Now

A week in, I’m not exactly in love with bugs or beans, but I’ve made peace with both. I’ve realized that being comfortable somewhere doesn’t mean loving every part of it — it means learning to live with it.

Monteverde is already teaching me that growth starts in the uncomfortable moments — the ones that make you want to run because it’s in those moments that you learn just how adaptable you really are.

I can’t wait to see how I'll change next!