San Jose in Pittsburgh have a lot in common in my opinion, especially the rain! On our bus ride on the way to San Jose, I was surprised to see a lot of trash along the train route and within the city because of Costa Rica’s strong initiatives toward a sustainable environment. However, for most cities around the world, it is very difficult to avoid littering and trash clutters, so it makes sense that even San Jose would have some of these issues. Nevertheless, the trash buildup around San Jose reminded me a lot of the city feel in Pittsburgh because both cities have imperfections despite their other beautiful parts. In San Jose there was also a city center that had similarities to market square in Pittsburgh. There were restaurant chains all around and it seemed to be the most crowded part of the city, just like market square in Pittsburgh. In addition, San Jose had many parks and areas of greenery and natural beauty, similar to sections in downtown Pittsburgh that focus on natural greenery and and pretty places for people to sit and enjoy peace and quiet. San Jose definitely has more areas of natural beauty and dedicated space for historical monuments, but these areas did remind me of Pittsburgh a little.

Despite these similarities, there are many differences from Pittsburgh and San Jose. First off, I was surprised to see that there were not really any skyscrapers in San Jose as there are in Pittsburgh and other American cities. Instead, the city of San Jose contained many historical and sacred buildings that were not business related. I really enjoyed this style of the city because it showed how the culture of Costa Rica is even reflected in their main city, which cannot be said for America because American cities provide more spaces for Corporate Businesses and high end entertainment or restaurants. Overall, I thought that San Jose was structured very beautifully and it reaffirmed my perspective of Costa Rica’s pride in their natural beauty and praise of culture and history.

Lastly, we have discussed how Costa Rica’s method of giving directions does not involve giving exact street numbers, but instead naming commonly known areas or landmarks to assisting with directions. Although this may be sometimes confusing to tourists, it is very commonly used by Ticos. I think this approach shows the tight knit community of Ticos and how everyone here is aware of their surroundings, which is very interesting and unique from an outsider’s point of view. I don’t believe that this sets Costa Rica back in the slightest because it is a part of the culture and changing this method would only change the natural way of life of the Costa Ricans. Something that I have learned while being here so far is that the best way to enjoy the time here is to become immersed in the culture and learn the Tico way of life. Tourists are attracted to this beautiful country because it is very different from America and other European countries, so Costa Rica becoming more commercialized would only reduce tourism and make it less unique and mystical. I love Costa Rica for the way that it is, and I don’t believe that the laid back form of communication harms the country at all! Pura Vida!!