A summary of your accommodation information is below, with links to each hotel’s website.

Cartago (May 18-30)

Home stays arranged by UBELONG

Volunteers live with a local family in central Cartago. The families are very friendly and used to welcoming international visitors and making them feel at home. The homes are some of the most affluent in the city and feature all modern Western amenities, including internet. Volunteers generally share a bedroom and bathroom with other volunteers. The houses are close to conveniences like grocery stores, shops and public transportation. A laundry service is available, it charges a small fee based on weight.

Costa Rican cuisine is flavorful, yet quite mild and focused on highlighting the high quality of simple natural ingredients. Abundant with fresh vegetables and fruits, and usually accompanied by the traditional black beans and rice, you can expect to eat nutritious and tasty meals prepared by your family. Volunteers receive breakfast and dinner every day.

Breakfast: A typical breakfast includes coffee, juice, eggs, toast, and fresh fruits. On some occasions, you can also eat the traditional national breakfast, gallo pinto, a tasty mix of rice and beans with onions and peppers.

Dinner: Dinner is lighter than lunch and usually includes sandwiches, salad or a local specialty. Dinner is an important time when volunteers come together with their host family.

For lunch, the most important meal of the day in Costa Rica, volunteers usually eat out at local restaurants near their projects. Generally, one can eat very well for under US$6. You can eat a sandwich, salad or the typical casado, a very generous dish with rice, beans, meat, salad and fried plantains.

San Jose (May 30-31)

Hotel Le Bergerac
35, San José 1107-1002, Costa Rica
+506 2234 7850

Here are some general rules, tips, and expectations to help you become accustomed to your new home!

Cleanliness:

Keep your room and the common areas clean; this is especially important when you are sharing a bedroom, apartment, residence, or dormitory.

Noise:
In order to avoid disturbing the neighbors or housemates, please use headphones when listening to music, or keep the volume low, and please keep your voices down.

Utilities and use:

• Heating and air conditioning should be used sparingly. NEVER leave heating or air conditioning units while you are not home. If you must have them on when you are sleeping, keep them low.
• Always turn off the lights when you leave the apartment and when you are not in the room.

Safety:

• You should lock the apartment door at all times. Also, when leaving the apartment, make sure the windows are closed and locked.
• If the keys to the apartment are stolen, lost or misplaced, all locks to the apartment will have to be replaced at the student’s expense, including key copies for all apartment members.
• If the keys are left inside the apartment/bedroom and the locksmith has to open the door for the you, you will have to pay for this service.
• It is strictly forbidden to throw any object or substance from windows, balconies, terraces or roofs. This includes keys, cigarette butts or anything else big or small.

Guests and Alcohol Policies:

• Disrespectful behavior related to alcohol consumption will end up in dismissal from the housing and you will have to find your own housing at your own expense.
• Smoking is not allowed anywhere inside the apartment.
• The consumption of drugs, as well as keeping or dealing with them, is absolutely prohibited

Financial Liability:

• You will have to pay for any damage done to the apartment (doors, walls, floors, furniture, kitchen supplies, washing machine, etc.).

Helpful tips for living with other people:

• Respect your hosts and the other people that live in the building.
• Remember that you are not on a college campus and not in your own home. Respect the property and get out of the “college campus” mentality.
• Talk to your roommates if they do something that bothers you. Talking it through is the easiest way to solve a small problem before it gets bigger.
• Talk to the staff if a problem arises and you cannot work it out with your roommates.