My first impressions on Costa Rica are overall good, especially after today. Yesterday the impressions were mixed, but I think that was overall because I wasn’t expecting the rain to be so heavy, which I am now even more prepared for, and I was very tired which made it difficult to be as fully in the moment. Today however left me with zero complaints, the gallo pinto was very good for breakfast and I had a lot of fun all day. Even though the weather became colder once we returned from the mall playing basketball and swimming were also great ways to end off the day. Therefore, this had made my impressions very pleasant and has increased my excitement for the rest of the trip even more. I can’t wait to see the rainforests and be in Aredia and Monteverde. Also I was not sure what to completely expect either when it came to the food, but everything has been super good as well. So far I have not had any bad experience with any meal or food I have tried. I think what I was most surprised about was how much I enjoyed the marmon and passionfruit since the textures were off putting at first. But I ended up having lots of marmon and will probably end up buying a passionfruit for my self at least once in the coming weeks here.

With today being the first full day I have spent in Costa Rica I feel that I am able to properly reflect on how it compared to my initial expectations. My expectations were for Costa Rica to be completely beautiful with lots of rainforests and being high in the mountains. Since our first days are spent in Heredia, a city, that is not the case, but I am very excited to go tomorrow up a volcano to see a coffee plantation. Even though we are staying in Heredia, I still am able to see the mountains and volcanoes in the distant which is very cool and definitely lives up to my expectations. Another expectation I had coming to Costa Rica was having easy access to fresh fruit all over the country. This has definitely been the case, especially at the central market today when we were able to walk around and explore. I have already tried three new fruits today alone and they were all very delicious. Finally, the last expectation that this trip has met is my idea of how the rainy season is. I expected the rain and was still surprised yesterday by how suddenly it became complete downpour. I ended up buying an umbrella today in addition to the jacket I brought with me so I would feel even more prepared for the sudden rain in the coming days.