Hola! Mi nombre es Jasmine Matson. Dónde está el baño? Estoy lleno, mucho gracias! These are just some common phases I picked up during our survival spanish class taught by Mr. Teeter. As you can see, I am nowhere close to being able to carry on a complete conversation with a local yet. Hopefully, with the help of google translate, Duolingo, and my homestay family, I will gradually become a better spanish speaker.
Prior to this trip, I did not have a lot of prior knowledge on Costa Rica, except for the fact that it was the residency for a lot of different species of birds and that it rained a lot. I did not have many expectations coming into this, but my views of what Costa Rica is like, was primarily based on pictures I’ve seen online and the stories that I heard from others that had been to Costa Rica. It seemed to me that Heredia, Costa Rica was a place that had a low crime rate and beautiful scenery. Also, I’ve always thought of Ticos as easygoing and friendly people.
Today, we went on a walking tour around Heredia, and it was beautiful. Especially through the tour, the details of my surroundings confirmed my assumptions that I had prior to the trip about Costa Rica and its locals. On the walk, the color scheme of the neighborhoods seemed so warm and inviting. The houses were uniquely shaped on the outside, but on the inside, had a very similar layout to that of the houses in the U.S. I noticed, as we were walking through Heredia, the barbed wires on a lot of the fences surrounding the homes of the locals. Also, it was surprising for me to see the Universidad Latina de Costa Rica , along with a substantial amount of the neighborhoods in Heredia, gated off. It was apparent from this that the Ticos cared tremendously about the security of their students and their homes. I am excited to learn more about the Costa Rican culture as my stay here progresses. Adios!
