In July I was very excited to be one of 12 delegates chosen to participate in a cross-cultural exchange to Costa Rica, Central America, with the goal of sharing perspectives on disability with our Costa Rican friends. 

Our journey would give us great opportunities to experience Costa Rican culture, food and the struggles that people with disabilities face day to day in Costa Rica.

One of the most memorable and incredible experiences of my stay in Costa Rica was time spent with my homestay family.  It is there that I had an opportunity to see how one member of a Costa Rican family with a disability approaches life in Costa Rica and the many ways that the family works together to help that person.  When I first met my host mother, Domaris Solano – wife, mother of two and school counselor – I knew immediately that she was a strong woman and a unique and beautiful person.  Many nights we stayed up laughing and talking about our experiences growing up with a disability and comparing life in the US and Costa Rica. My host mother was intrigued by my Hopi heritage and confessed that she had never met a native person who was proud of her culture.  I learned that in Costa Rica there is a stereotype that native peoples are poor, uneducated and alcoholic – a stereotype not uncommon in the U.S.  My host mother told me that she was very proud to have me in her home and that I had changed her perception of America and native peoples in particular.  My host mother’s energy touched everything and everyone around her.  I will never forget the mornings that she wheeled down the hallway, singing and checking on each of her children – of which I was now one.  Each day I was greeted with “Andrea, buenos dias” and a big smile.  A woman I knew absolutely nothing about before arriving in Costa Rica had not only become an inspiration to me but a friend, teacher and second mother.

There is no other experience that can compare to all that I learned and shared in Costa Rica.  I hope that other individuals with disabilities will seize the opportunity to travel because it is opportunities such as this one that help you discover yourself and become a role model for others.  This is true not only for people with disabilities but for all people.