Today we took the 3 hour drive up a mountain to Monteverde which differs from Heredia in many ways. Firstly, Monteverde is not a big city like Heredia this is largely due to the fact that it is not easy to create cities this high in the mountains due to the very steep landscape as well as the fact that getting materials up this high is also very difficult so a city would be very impractical. Monteverde houses and shops are very small and are built very practical and basic. This applies to the stores as well and here animals are much more present. Whether they are dogs, goats, cows, or horses they are all very present on the drive up the mountain on the sides of the road. Furthermore, since there are cloud forests and lots of nature here in Monteverde there are many different kinds of wildlife in these forests. Tonight we took a night walk and saw snakes, toucans, and monkeys just to name a few of the animals. As well there are many animals that are endemic to the region that Monteverde is in.

Along with the ways that Monteverde differs from Heredia, we have also learned about the history of Monteverde through a lecture with Don Ricardo Guindon, a son of one of the original Quackers that founded the region. In the 1950s some of the Quakers of Alabama moved to Costa Rica due it being a pacifist country without a military. The Quakers found this to be intriguing due to its parallel thinking to how the quakers believe in peace. Once in Costa Rica the Quakers were between different regions of settlement and ended up compromises by picking the area that is now Monteverde. Once here the Quakers began creating farms and a cheese factory which was essential to the progress of Monteverde.

The migration of the group of Quakers to Costa Rica has had large impacts on Costa Rica as a whole, but especially in Monteverde. The Quakers were some of the earliest people who created whole civilizations this high into the mountains. Starting with military tents and eventually full houses, the Quakers were able to create an entire tight knit community. Which leads into the next big impact that the Quakers had which was creating an open and very caring community of Monteverde which is still present today. With many events created for the locals of Monteverde and having pot lucks the Quakers have created an environment that makes people feel at home in Monteverde. This has even led to a holiday on April 19th that commemorates the establishment of Monteverde. Therefore, the presence of the Quakers in Monteverde has had positive impacts on the economy of Costa Rica as well as creating a strong sense of community for all.