We kicked off our Costa Rican journey today with a walking tour of some of the main attractions in Heredia, including lunch at an amazing restaurant. When my roommates and I left the house this morning to walk to ULatina, the first aspect of Heredia that caught my eye was the mountains off in the distance. They surround us completely and are even more beautiful than the pictures online made them out to be. For me, they also provide a sense of comfort as well. At home in the US, I also live in a valley where I am surrounded by mountains everywhere I look so to see a similar landscape is makes the city feel a little more like home. Although, the mountains surrounding Heredia are definitely much more impressive than the Appalachian Mountains at home.

When it came time to take a tour of the city, I quickly noticed the laid back nature of Ticos that everyone talks about. While the city was quieter today because it is Sunday, people were just visibly more relaxed than I have ever seen in America. One place we visited during the tour was the central park in Heredia, where plenty of people were just sitting on stone benches in the sun while chatting with those with them. They were truly soaking in and appreciating their day of rest, whereas us Americans tend to use the time to get other work done outside of our regular jobs.

Our final stop on our tour of Heredia was lunch. It was my first true Costa Rican meal, and it went beyond my expectations. I loved all the fresh flavors of the food, and the fruit juices were exceptionally good. As we talked about prior to our trip here, the food was simple overall with grilled chicken, vegetables, and a salad. However, the preparation of the food made the meal. Everything was incredibly fresh, light, and full of flavor. This was not what I expected with my prior knowledge of the simple Tico diet, but it was definitely a pleasant surprise.

Overall, today has made me even more excited for what lies ahead in the next two weeks!