In this interview, you’ll hear from Brendan Fusco, a Peace Corps Youth Development volunteer in Costa Rica. Brendan shares what daily life looks like, the work being done, and how service has shaped their personal and professional growth. You’ll learn about housing, cultural differences, project work, language learning, and what it’s like to live and work in a new country. This interview offers a real look into Peace Corps service and what future volunteers can expect.
Table of Contents
- Volunteer Experience and Motivation
- Living Arrangements and Cultural Integration
- Surprises and Challenges
- Advice and Support
- Practical Tips and Language Learning
- Social Identity
- Impact of Media and Final Thoughts
Volunteer Experience and Motivation
1. What do you do as a Peace Corps Youth Development volunteer in Costa Rica?
As a Youth Development (YD) volunteer in Costa Rica, I work in 2 separate public schools: an elementary school and a technical high school. This is pretty standard – most YD volunteers in my cohort work at 2 institutions. Typically, I alternate days working between the elementary school and the high school. Youth Development volunteers are tasked with helping develop “life skills” amongst youth, which include certain soft skills like teamwork, communication, leadership, and conflict resolution, just to name a handful.
One way I promote life skills is through recreation. In fact, most of my students, particularly at the elementary school, recognize me more as a PE teacher than anything else. I also co-lead a handful of youth clubs, I facilitate specific life skills workshops, I collaborate with high school students on community service projects, and, on occasion, I assist with English classes.
2. Why did you decide to join the Peace Corps and serve in Costa Rica?
I’ve long been interested in international relations and diplomacy. Both my undergraduate and graduate education centered around these themes. In grad school, I received what’s known as a Wolcott Fellowship, which is a merit-based scholarship for students who are pursuing careers in public service.
As part of the fellowship, I was required to serve a minimum of two years in public service upon graduating with my Master’s degree. I really craved field experience in international relations, so I was drawn to the Peace Corps as a means of working and serving abroad while also fulfilling the requirements for my fellowship.
Serving in Costa Rica, however, wasn’t my original plan. One of my primary academic interests has been sports diplomacy. Upon initially applying to the Peace Corps, I noticed a Sports Development position in Belize, which piqued my interest. However, the departure date for the Belize program changed and was slated to fall prior to my graduation.
Fortunately, the placement officer for Belize was also the placement officer for Costa Rica. He astutely observed my undergraduate Spanish major on my application and offered to move my application to Costa Rica in the Youth Development sector instead, which departed a couple of months later. I’ve absolutely loved my time in Costa Rica, and I’ve been thrilled to continue developing my Spanish. Ending up serving in Costa Rica is the best possible thing that could’ve happened.
Living Arrangements and Cultural Integration
3. What is your housing like in Costa Rica?
My Peace Corps experience in Costa Rica is pretty unique in that I serve in an urban site right outside of Costa Rica’s capital, San Jose. Two years into my service, I still live with a host family, although volunteers in Costa Rica have the option of pursuing independent living 4 months after arriving in the host community. It’s roughly 50/50 in my cohort whether volunteers still live with a host family or live in a place by themselves. Volunteers in other countries around the world would probably consider my living conditions “Posh Corps”. I have electricity, running water (most of the time), a laundry machine, and even a TV in my room to watch sports.
4. What moments or interactions stand out during your service?
I’ve enjoyed being the only “gringo” in my community, and I’m passionate about the day-to-day work I do at site, but I think the most memorable experiences happened when I was collaborating with others in my cohort.
In February 2026, I took my youth recreation workshops to a rural community in the mountains of Turrialba, where my friend Alec serves. It was so fun to co-facilitate activities with another volunteer from another sector, and it was meaningful to see what worked in my community flourish in another Peace Corps site as well.
Additionally, during our Pre-Service Training (PST), my cohort played a series of soccer matches against the training site’s municipal team in a professional stadium. These “friendly” matches were extremely competitive. Although we lost 2 out of the 3 games in the series, that experience really stands out as one where integration and cross-cultural integration shone between volunteers and the host community.
Surprises and Challenges
5. What has surprised you most about living or working in Costa Rica?
I think most Americans have a certain image of Costa Rica: beaches, jungles, sloths, etc. However, my experience living in an urban site has really changed my perception of the country. My day-to-day reality looks quite different from the Costa Rica that I imagined beforehand; however, I think that’s a beautiful thing. Costa Rica is much more authentic away from the touristy spots on the coast, and personally, I’ve been grateful to experience more of the “real” Costa Rica.
There are also some idiosyncrasies that have surprised me. The pace of life here is much slower. It’s not uncommon for a student or counterpart to show up late to an event because they had an obligation with a family or friend, or were maybe drinking cafecito. Attending to relationships is valued much more than punctuality.
Additionally, something that I see in my community that’s really surprised me is the demographic diversity. Due to its strong economy and robust democracy, Costa Rica attracts a lot of immigration. For example, in my community, counterparts estimate that around 40-50 percent of students are of Nicaraguan descent. We also have people living in my community of Chinese descent and who hail from countries like Venezuela and Colombia.
6. What challenges have you faced in your Youth Development work, and how did you respond?
I’m a first-time volunteer at my site, meaning that no other Peace Corps volunteer has served my community prior. This comes with a lot of explaining: what the Peace Corps is, what I’m there to do, and what I’m NOT there to do. As a US volunteer working in the school system, there’s a natural assumption that I’m in Costa Rica to teach English, but that’s not the case.
Within Peace Corps Costa Rica, we have an entire program dedicated to English Education (as well as Community Economic Development), which is separate from the Youth Development program. Although I occasionally pop into an English class to chat with students, my work is much more centered around promoting life skills.
Additionally, a frequent challenge I face is navigating the academic calendar. Costa Rica lacks a substitute teacher system. Accordingly, groups of classes I’m supposed to work with on a given day simply do not show up because their teacher is sick or has another work commitment. Oftentimes, I’ve already arrived at the school before I realize that the group isn’t even there. However, I try to embrace the unpredictability of it all with a “Pura Vida” attitude and realize that it’s just part of the workflow here.
7. What secondary projects have you worked on during your service?
Because my community is so urban and so large, it’s a bit overwhelming to work on community-based projects, and thus I’ve mostly gravitated towards school-based work. However, one secondary project I’ve worked on is a community-run club.
I work with students at the high school, who must complete community service hours, to lead community members through some basic exercise routines each Saturday morning. As someone who ran NCAA Division III Cross Country and track, it’s been really fun to lean into running as an integration tool during my service in Costa Rica. I even regularly serve as a pacer for a running club in San Jose, Costa Rica’s capital, and it’s actually where I met my girlfriend.
Advice and Support
8. What advice would you give to future Youth Development volunteers in Costa Rica?
Peace Corps service within Costa Rica varies dramatically. Like I’ve mentioned, I serve in a large, urban community right outside of the capital city. Meanwhile, I have members of my same cohort who serve in communities of 100-200 people, far away from the nearest city. But we’ve all had incredibly productive and meaningful services, just in different ways. For that, I’d recommend coming here with an open mind and embracing the card you’re dealt.
Furthermore, I’d recommend leaning into your passions while also not reinventing the wheel. I studied international relations, and at my elementary school, I co-led an international club called “Amigos sin Fronteras” where students learned about other countries and cultures.
On the other hand, one of my main responsibilities is simply teaching PE classes. PE isn’t the most creative, abstract, or cutting-edge project, but it filled a significant need that my community expressed, and will likely be what my students remember my Peace Corps service by.
9. How did Peace Corps training prepare you for service?
I was unbelievably impressed by how thorough the Peace Corps’ training was. I remember telling our Director of Programming and Training (DPT) at one point that our Pre-Service Training (PST) might’ve been harder than college. As Youth Development volunteers, we must pass a practicum (teaching in front of a class) and a written test, as well as reach an Intermediate-High language level prior to Swearing-in as a Peace Corps volunteer.
Before arriving in Costa Rica, I kind of assumed swearing-in was a given, but it absolutely is not – we had a handful of prospective volunteers in PST who never made it to host communities. I didn’t have a ton of teaching experience before landing in Costa Rica, but I felt much more prepared to teach because of the Peace Corps’ training.
Practical Tips and Language Learning
10. What would you tell future volunteers to pack—or leave behind?
Costa Rica is a hot and humid country, and we are required to dress in business casual for our work. I’d recommend packing breathable (think dry-fit/polyester) pants and shirts that can function as professional wear. Additionally, bring lots of rain gear – It rains for 6 months of the year here, and when it rains, it pours.
On the other hand, I’d leave cold-weather gear at home. Maybe have one hoodie on hand, but outside a couple of sites in the mountains, it hardly ever gets cold in Costa Rica. Additionally, Costa Rica is an extremely well-developed country. You can buy just about anything you’d ever need in the capital area.
11. How has language learning been for you in Costa Rica?
Spanish is the national language of Costa Rica. I majored in Spanish in undergrad, and even though I didn’t speak it for two years after graduating, I didn’t have too many issues picking it back up upon arriving in Costa Rica. Our language and culture facilitators (LCFs) are fantastic in Costa Rica, and I learned a ton, particularly about Costa Rican Spanish.
For Youth Development and Community Economic Development volunteers in Costa Rica, an “Intermediate High” level is required to swear-in; meanwhile, “Intermediate Mid” is the minimum benchmark for English Education volunteers.
Social Identity
12. How has your personal identity shaped your service experience?
As a straight, cisgender, white male, my experience has probably been a lot easier than that of other volunteers serving around the world. Identity hasn’t shaped my service in a huge way, but certainly as a US American, I try to lean into that identity as much as possible to promote cultural exchange.
13. Did your identity lead to specific challenges or situations?
I can’t recall a situation during my service in which my identity led to any specific challenges.
14. What advice do you have for volunteers who share your identity?
I’d recommend to volunteers who share my identity to be available to listen to and support other volunteers who come from more diverse backgrounds, and thus, may face more unique challenges during service.
Impact of Media and Final Thoughts
15. If you share content online, how has that shaped your service?
The Third Goal of Peace Corps service revolves around sharing the culture of the host country with those in the US. One way I’ve really tried to achieve this goal is by blogging. I maintain a blog in which I strive to post twice a week. Every Sunday, I upload a weekly update of my service, and in the middle of the week (typically Wednesday), I upload what I call a “Sidebar” blog. These sidebars are short snapshots of a specific aspect of Costa Rican culture or about something specific to Peace Corps service.
In total, I’ve written just under 200 blog posts during my time in Costa Rica. My hope is that through these blogs, my friends and family have learned a little bit about Costa Rica and the Peace Corps, and that these blogs will serve as an archive of my service, which I can show my future family someday.
Chepe Chronicles – My name is Brendan, and I’m serving as a Youth Development volunteer with the Peace Corps in Costa Rica! Follow along for developments during my service! Click HERE to read more!
16. What final advice would you share with future volunteers?
I feel like I got extremely lucky with my placement and with my service. I’m so happy to be in the country and community I’m in, but I’m well aware that placements around the world vary drastically. My recommendation to prospective volunteers would be to be intentional about where you apply. Consider the sector, region, country, and language, and make sure it is somewhere you think you will be happy to live and work for 2+ years. Given the right fit, the Peace Corps can be a magical journey. Good luck!!
Are you thinking about joining the Peace Corps? If you’re curious about service and ready for something new, apply today. Like Brendan, you can live abroad, work with communities, and grow in ways you didn’t expect. Apply to the Peace Corps and take the next step.
The content of this post does not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Government, the Peace Corps, or Costa Rica Government.
