The World’s Worst Cup of Coffee- And What It Taught Me About Pride

There I was, dropped off at a tiny home for the first of what would become many nights in the big city of San Jose, Costa Rica. I sat down at the table with my Spanish-speaking host mother, trying to muster up all of the Spanish I learned in high school. Once we got past the easy small talk of the, “Me llamo Emily” (“My name is Emily”), and “Tengo diecinueve años” (I’m 19 years old”) sort, it became clear that it was going to be a long, challenging month of complete immersion in the Spanish culture.

My Costa Rican host mother, or “tica” mom, offered me a cup of coffee. I wasn’t much of a coffee drinker, but I knew that Costa Rican coffee is said to be the best in the world. I gladly accepted, eager to try the rich coffee. After she sat the coffee down in front of me, I looked at the assortment of condiments on the table. I poured in some milk, and remembered that I should add some sugar as well, because why not? There were two jars in front of me, each filled with what looked like sugar. I reluctantly chose a jar and scooped a spoonful of its contents into my mug.

As I took my first sip, I immediately knew that something was wrong. I remember thinking that either coffee is extremely different in the States, or my taste buds need serious medical attention. I ignored the bitter taste and continued making small talk with my tica mom, taking the tiniest sips while she carried on correcting with my verb conjugations. When our conversation came to an end, my tica mom noticed my almost-full cup of coffee. I’m pretty sure she asked whether or not I liked it. After months of meetings with my Study Abroad group, I remembered learning that Latin Americans do not enjoy wasting food or other resources. I felt so bad, so I tried to explain that it tasted different than what I was used to. I finally motioned to the jar I chose and my tica mom started laughing tremendously.

As I sat in utter confusion, I noticed that the jars were labeled. One of them had “Azucar” written on it, while the other, the jar I chose for my coffee, was labeled “Sal”. Immediately, I realized the mistake I had made. I seriously put salt into my first cup of Costa Rican coffee! No bueno!.

After that embarrassing, yet humorous, moment, I felt much closer to my tica mom and more comfortable making mistakes with my Spanish. After all, the whole reason I went to Costa Rica in the first place was to learn, be corrected, and experience another culture. That day, I learned a very important lesson about pride.

Learning is hard. When you really and truly learn something, you make mistakes in the process. That’s the part that is most helpful. When learning a new language or experiencing a new culture, don’t be afraid to make mistakes! Messing up and doing embarrassing things is actually beneficial in the learning process. While studying abroad, students are placed in situations in which they have never been before. The process of immersion into another culture is the ultimate action of humility and realizing that you don’t know everything, and that that is OK! In order to let yourself learn, you have to put aside your pride.

So don’t be embarrassed when you make mistakes while studying abroad. Embrace the fact that you don’t know everything! If you allow it, your study abroad experience will teach you so much. Academically, culturally, emotionally, and so much more.

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Do you have any funny or embarrassing study abroad or language-learning stories? Leave us a comment below!

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Emily Maulding is a sophomore English and Spanish double major at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in Belton, Texas. She went on her first mission trip to Guatemala in 2012 and has returned three more times since then. She is spending the summer of 2015 studying abroad in San José, Costa Rica. For her, this experience is developing quite a love for Central America! The Latin American culture has taught her important life lessons about humility, the importance of family, and of course, how wonderful traditional food can be! Her poetry has been published in The Baylorian, the yearly publication of the English department at her university. When she is not in class, Emily enjoys a hot cup of tea, reading, knitting, and listening to live music in her hometown of Austin, Texas.[/accordion_tab]