Lauren Binnert is a Peace Corps Volunteer serving in the TEFL sector in Costa Rica (2017-2019). This blog is a platform to share her day-to-day experiences, travels, and discoveries as she navigates life in Costa Rica.

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Lauren is originally from Hammondsport, New York located on Keuka Lake in the Finger Lakes Region. She graduated from Binghamton University (go Bearcats) in May 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in Spanish and Psychology and minors in Education and Global Studies. During her time at university she worked in a number of different capacities, ranging from working in ESL classrooms with international students from China, to critiquing resumes and improving the professional profiles of students in Binghamton’s Center for Career and Professional Development, to studying abroad and collaborating with local nonprofit organizations in Cuzco, Perú in 2014.

In 2016, Lauren spent most of the year studying and travelling in Quepos, Costa Rica to earn a certificate to Teach English as a Foreign Language and to Teach International English Exam Preparation through an organization called Máximo Nivel. Following this experience, she studied Spanish at the Universidad Nacional de Córdoba in Córdoba, Argentina. It was through these experiences that she gained a love for learning about other cultures through first-hand exchange, teaching, and language learning that ultimately inspired her to apply for the Peace Corps.

When she’s not working in the classroom, Lauren enjoys all things involving plants and gardening, hiking, and volleyball. Follow her adventures here as she stumbles through the land of gallo pinto and coffee in pursuit of world peace and friendship.