My name is Luca Welle, and I spent a semester in Costa Rica studying sustainable development with the International Center for Development Studies. The program mainly consisted of taking classes four days a week in the capital city of San José at the Universidad Latina de Costa Rica. One of our classes was focused on community engagement, and was coupled with service at a community organization. Two mornings per week, I and two other students worked at Parque Ecologico Itarar planting, clearing brush, crafting mosaics, and more. On some afternoons and weekends, ICDS would plan activities from learning about cacao production to staying overnight at a voluntourism/organic coffee farm in the mountains. On many weekends, other students and I would plan trips to places like the cloud forests of Monteverde to zipline or one of the numerous beaches to snorkel and see bioluminescent algae. We also went to the museums downtown to learn more about Costa Rica’s culture and past. Despite these and other amazing experiences that I had while abroad, I did not enjoy living in a city as large as San José. There was far more concrete and steel than greenspace, and without a car getting out of the city could be logistically challenging and expensive. I oftentimes missed the familiarity I had with my home in Montana, where I am extremely grateful for the access to the outdoors that we have. When all is said and done, my Beyond the Classroom experience was worthwhile; I learned a lot about sustainability, community, the world we are apart of, and most importantly–myself.