I did the Techno Rico course last January and I have nothing but great things to say about the program. I thought that the UPR students were absolutely fantastic, and the professor, Chloe Georas, was great at initiating conversations and teaching us about the correlations between art, law and technology. I could not imagine any other professor more fit to teach this course. Ms. Georas was a brilliant and passionate educator. She had great insight about all the various topics we engaged in, she offered assistance whenever needed, and her selection of readings were both diverse and enlightening. She made all of us feel at ease and created a comfortable environment were debates and discussions were easily sparked.

 I loved that our class had stimulating conversation on very controversial issues and that the course touched upon different areas of human rights and the law.

I equally enjoyed the exchange aspect of the program as it allowed both the Puerto Rican students and Canadian students to teach each cultural specialities. As well, the activities organized by each student body were a great way to socialize with our colleagues. I can honestly say that at the end of the exchange program, I made genuine friendships with many of the students I met throughout the course.

If I had any critic about the entire program it would have to be that I believe that University of Ottawa did not do enough to accommodate the UPR students and make them feel absolutely welcomed. UPR provided us with parking, surprised us with gift packages and the students put together a traditional food day for us. They were accommodating and absolutely great host. I feel like my school lacked in doing the same.

In terms of finding accommodation, I did find it challenging at first to find a place as many students had already bonded in the previous meetings and had already found residences. I was fortunate enough to meet two kind individuals from my year who were willing to add me to their group so that we can rent out a location together. I found that the two meetings organized by University of Ottawa before the actual program began were useful as they allowed us to coordinate both activities for the UPR students as well as discuss logistics about accommodation. The school did not provide too much support in terms of finding housing, they offer one location but the priced were not that affordable. They did however point out areas where it was safe to stay and gave us an idea of where the school was located. We ended up renting a beach house in Condado. The house was great, 2 minute from Ocean Park beach. The neighbourhood was safe although we ended up renting a car for the 2 week stay as the school was located fairly far from the area.

While the cost of the overall program with accommodation and car rental came to approximately $2000, the experiences I gained throughout those three weeks were priceless. The course was interesting, the work load was reasonable, and the student experience was great. Also, I was certainly savouring every minute of the warm sun in January. It was a very memorable experience and I have already recommended the course and program to upcoming 3rd year law students.