I would say that, all things considered, my expectations were fairly accurate regarding how everything would physically be in Heredia. Going into the trip, I had a sense of certain things like the market, the Catholic architecture, and the general attitudes of the locals. It’s possible that things might be more geographically compact than I had in mind, but that is a very subtle difference. Getting around certain areas of Heredia has been pretty straightforward, as there seems to be a strong favoritism for pedestrians. As such, making our way to the plaza was pretty easy, especially since it was a heavy foot traffic area. I also was able to effectively communicate with multiple vendors, which is great because it confirms that my 12 years of Spanish education were not fraudulent. Finally, I was correct in holding high expectations for the food, as the lunch was absolutely gargantuan, both in terms of portions and flavor.

While the general area was as I expected (which means that it was very interesting and nifty), most of my surprise came from visiting the Oxígeno Mall. What was interesting about this place was that it was clearly not meant for tourists; it was a practical mall solely meant to serve the locals. This was evident by the lack of “tacky” souvenir shops and workers who assumed that I knew Spanish (though, to be fair, they were right), meaning that it was a surprisingly authentic experience. Here, I got to take a look at how the Costa Rican consumerist economy played out at the end of the supply chain. What was really mesmerizing was the relationships that the locals seemed to have with the United States. So many of the products and stores were from American brands that I recognized, but in particular, many items’ packaging was completely unchanged from what one would see in the states. The LEGO sets, for example, had English as the first language listed, and even featured American icons, not to mention the set of the White House. Though I lack enough evidence to make a strong judgment, I am currently under the impression that locals are very interested in the U.S. and want to be associated with it. If this weren’t the case, I feel like I wouldn’t see so many people wearing intrinsically American merchandise (i.e. Disney, NY Yankees, American colleges, etc.), nor would I see so many caucasian models being used to advertise fashion. I’ll be curious to follow this pattern and see if it rings true elsewhere.

¡El tiempo va a decir!