Hi Everyone! My name is Erin Reilly and I’m originally from Long Island, New York but made the move to Costa Rica about 10 months ago in November 2022. I started thinking about moving abroad when I was maybe 22 or 23 but I was still in college so I decided to finish out college beforehand.
I did my undergrad degree at Southern Connecticut State University and I graduated with two bachelor’s degrees, one in Elementary Education and the other in Interdisciplinary Studies, in 2020. Immediately after graduating those, I went back to school to get my Master’s in Special Education and graduated with that degree from St. Joseph’s College in 2022. Throughout my time in college, I travelled a lot. Any time I could get off, any place I could go, I went.
I have had a huge travel bug ever since I went on my first big trip abroad to Thailand in 2019. I went on a volunteer trip with an amazing organization called Give Volunteers for 2 weeks near and around Chiang Mai to teach English in remote villages at the local schools. To say this trip completely changed my outlook on life and helped me find my absolute love for travel, is an understatement. I knew once I finished that trip, I would never be able to stop traveling. Since that trip, I’ve been to 18 countries and volunteered to teach English in 3 of them (Thailand, Guatemala, and Jamaica) before deciding to move and work in Costa Rica.
I started the process of moving abroad in February 2022. I wasn’t sure exactly where I wanted to go so after narrowing down many different countries and opportunities, it came down to Spain and Costa Rica. I actually had 2 separate phone calls booked to start the process for both Spain and Costa Rica on the Friday… After consulting each, I was left with only the weekend to make the decision as applications for the program in Spain were closing that following Monday. After talking with a program in Spain and Xplore, I decided to go with Xplore in Costa Rica… Xplore seemed to have more support prior to leaving and once you are in the country, as well as, a lifetime job placement guarantee once you leave. I also really liked the idea that I could give them some pointers for where I wanted to be and they would try to get me a school and placement as close to what I wanted.
I knew I wouldn’t be alone and I would have a better chance of making friends if I went through a program like Xplore and that was exactly what happened. I moved here not knowing anyone but I ended up meeting amazing friends as soon as I got to San Ramon during the TESOL course. I actually was very fortunate to end up with a job in the same area as one of my friends from the course and now we are roommates. I quite literally couldn’t live without her now that we’ve spent the last year living together. A few of my other friends also were placed at jobs nearby and we’ve been able to spend a lot of time together as well.
I currently live in a small beach town called Playas del Coco and I work in a small school that’s just a quick 15-minute bus ride away. My school has about 50 students and services preschool and primary school. Currently, I am the English teacher for primary school students and I teach grades 1-4. Working with younger kids is not always easy, especially when they speak another language, but definitely worth it. I’ve learned so much about myself, my strengths and weaknesses, my capabilities, and my breaking points but I wouldn’t trade this experience for the world. I know when my time comes to an end here at this job, I will walk away a better person and teacher because of the experiences I’ve had here.
One of the most important things I think I have learned from my job and living here is, you really don’t need to speak the same language as someone else to build friendships and relationships with people and students. There are definitely ups and downs to any job but I’m happy that this was where I ended up in Costa Rica. I’ve grown so much in this past year and I’ve learned so many different things about myself. The past few months of living here have really taught me that I am so capable of doing things alone and embracing the moments where life is outside of your comfort zone. I’ve also definitely learned that my stress level is way higher than I would’ve thought. The hardest part I’ve found about living here is how expensive everything is, so another thing I’ve really gotten good at this year is budgeting my money and/or being able to make my money last.
Before coming here, I tried my best to have no expectations, to just go with the flow, and whatever happens, happens but Costa Rica has gone above and beyond what I ever thought this experience would be like. If there’s one thing I could tell everyone in the world, it would be to take the leap even if you are scared or worried, it might turn out better than you ever would’ve thought.
“Moving abroad is a wild ride but one of the best experiences I could have ever dreamed of.”
– Erin Reilly
Cute pics! So happy it’s all working out 😀