Upon arriving in Heredia some aspects of the area met my expectations while others differed slightly.  I expected the residential living to be separated more into neighborhoods of houses like it is done in the United States, however, the living arrangements seem to be separated into rows of stacked apartments. Outside the front door of each of these apartments there a porch area that is gated off and the gate has a lock of its own. While this might not be true for the whole of the country it is what I have observed near my host residence and while walking around.

As for the city itself it has pretty much matched my expectations.  I expected it to be a relatively small area with a lot of historic architecture. Had I not been informed about the small shops and sodas during the predeparture meetings I would not have expected them, however, this was not an issue.

I expected the weather to be hot and humid, as it is during the day.  I did not expect it to get so cool during the night and, although I did anticipate to rain during the afternoons, I underestimated how much and how hard it would rain.  From certain areas in the city mountains and forests can be seen and I look forward to exploring what these have to offer later in the trip.