Today was a day full of new cultural experiences here in Heredia. We began the day with a culture presentation with Dr. Laura Ramirez. She talked to us about Costa Rica’s rich history, music, food, nature, and the tradition of the oxcart. It was really interesting to learn about the boyeo and carreta because we don’t really have anything similar to this in the United States. We learned that the oxcart is a tradition that is passed down from generation to generation and involves both learning how to paint the cart and how to train the ox to pull the cart. Oxcarts were traditionally used to transport coffee beans down from Costa Rica’s central valley to the pacific coast. They are now a UNESCO world heritage symbol, and according to Dr. Ramirez, they symbolize Costa Rica’s generous and colorful nature, as well as values such as hard work and family. At the end of our lesson, we were even able to paint our own unique oxcart wheels together. I am learning that Ticos have a lot of pride in their country that is drawn from their unique heritage and core values.
After our culture lesson, we headed to lunch at a local restaurant where we ate some delicious casado, which is a typical Costa Rican dish consisting of meat, rice, beans, and plátanos. This was a great experience because it allowed me to immerse myself in the culture by ordering my food in Spanish and figure out the customs in Costa Rica.
After lunch we had a dance lesson where we learned typical Latin American dance steps such as salsa and merengue. This was definitely outside of my comfort zone, but it showed me an important aspect of Costa Rican culture. The Ticos live la pura vida, and it really showed in the dancing I saw during our lesson. Overall, today helped me gain a better understanding of why Costa Rica’s culture is the way it is today. During my two short days here I’ve noticed that Costa Rica is rapidly developing, and I’m excited to learn more about how the history and traditions of the country coexist with the rapid modernization that is happening.