Today was an amazing day of diving deeper into the Costa Rican culture! We had the opportunity to hear from guest lecturer Dr. Laura Ramirez about culture and diversity, and in the afternoon we had a salsa dance lesson which far exceeded my expectations.

In the morning, Dr. Laura Ramirez began by talking about Costa Rican traditional foods, music, games and art. She also emphasized how Costa Rica is a very diverse country and how each region enjoys different foods and music styles. For instance, the Limon region is known to eat Patis, which are almost like stuffed shells that have beef, corn, potatoes and plantains inside, while other regions don’t often make this food. I also enjoyed learning about some traditional games of Costa Rica. Many of them were very similar to American games such as yoyo, hula hula (hula hoop), palitos chinos (pick up sticks), brinca brinca (jump rope), and rayuela (hopscotch). I found it really interesting to learn about these and their similarities to our cultural fun games! Lastly with Dr. Laura Ramirez, we learned about the tradition of the oxcart and then we were able to paint our own oxcarts on a canvas. Long ago oxcarts were used as transportation for coffee beans, sugar canes and other goods. Nowadays, Costa Rica is famous for its beautifully painted and colorful oxcarts that are an important part of the country’s artistic culture. We were even able to paint our own in groups, which was truly a rewarding and soothing experience to be able to sit down and paint! I’m so grateful that we got to learn from Dr. Laura Ramirez today because I learned that even though Costa Rica from the outside seems to be a very united and peaceful country, there are many diverse regions that celebrate different traditions.

In the afternoon after some lunch, we were lucky enough to take a salsa dance lesson with Monica, a local dance instructor. Initially I was worried about the salsa lesson and I didn’t imagine myself getting too into the dance styles. However, Monica did a great job of making everyone feel comfortable and carefree, as all of us were laughing and having a great time. Additionally, I loved learning the different dancing styles and gaining insight into the music enjoyed by the Costa Ricans. Reflecting on the day, I had so much fun learning about the culture and I am so excited to visit our first coffee plantation tomorrow!