Coming to Costa Rica, I was both very nervous and excited about traveling abroad on my own for the first time. The moment I landed in San Jose, I was already panicking because I didn’t have service in a different country (I sorted it out eventually though). I met up with Leticia at the airport and taxi drivers immediately came up to us asking if we needed a ride. We mentioned Selina and they seemed to already know where it was since the driver didn’t use any directions the entire ride there as he sped down the highway. When we arrived at Selina, I was impressed by the open communal areas like the kitchen, rooftop, and the natural lighting in many spaces. The room was smaller than I expected – two bunk beds right next to each other with little space in between. I also wasn’t used to no air conditioning, but it got cooler by the end of the night and I was exhausted anyway.
The next day was Memorial Day, so we all had the day off. As a group, we went to a nearby zoo and afterward walked to the central market to explore. While walking around in the market, I realized how my little experience in Spanish would definitely be a disadvantage. I asked Walsh to help translate products, signs, and items on menus. He helped me order an empanada, which was very good and also cheap. Later that afternoon, we met up with Daniela, a student from Rice who lives in San Jose. She showed us around a supermarket (where I bought some chocolate-covered macadamia nuts and cassava chips), and she got a shuttle to take us to a restaurant and then a shopping center after.
All of us at the zoo!
The Medical Innovation Bootcamp started the next day. I was put in a group with Brendan, Jeff, Max, and Josélyn. Max and Josélyn are both Costa Rican students at other universities, both studying Industrial Engineering. Our team name was called “Parkinsimulators,” because are project’s goal was to make a device to simulate the tremors experienced by individuals with Parkinson’s during mealtime. Throughout the entire week, I really enjoyed getting to know the two of them. Max had a very carefree and laid-back personality, always introducing himself to others during breaks and starting conversations. Josélyn was very kind and I ate lunch with her almost everyday. By the end of the week, I felt like I’ve known her for far longer than just a few days. When we weren’t working on our final presentation, we often asked the two of them for travel suggestions or places to go. Max even took us out to Pops after class one day. We now follow them both on social media and we may even make plans to go out with them next week.
A photo of our group during the bootcamp.
Our proposed solution for our project was a joystick-like design. Within the “handle” area of the device, there’s a motor that attaches to a spinning weight at the bottom. The spinning weight is what would cause the hand to shake, simulating the tremors that may be experienced by Parkinson’s patients. Additionally, there are finger indentations on the handle for the middle, ring, and pinky finger to rest on. That way, the index finger and thumb can grip the utensil the user may use.
A screenshot of our prototype from our slides.
After the last day of our boot camp, we decided to go to Jaco beach Saturday morning. After a two-hour bus ride at 7 AM, we settled in on a nice spot at the beach around 10. Alice, Leticia, and I decided to pay for a group surfing lesson. This was only my second time surfing (the first time being when I was like 10 years old), so I was pretty nervous. Our instructor, Kevin, was really helpful. Initially, he did most of the work for us, so it was easier to stand up. But then he had us start paddling on our own which made it more tiring and difficult. After almost two hours of swallowing salt water and pulling around my board, I was exhausted and VERY thirsty. Overall, I thought the surfing level was great for a beginner like me. 10/10 experience. But I also forgot to reapply sunscreen so my skin is now suffering 🙁
Us at Jaco!
I’m very glad that I got to meet new students, and I’m excited to continue our projects in ENGI 200 next week and also expand my knowledge on engineering design through ENGI 350.
-Sarah 🙂