Prior Expectations of Costa Rica
Costa Rica is even more beautiful than I imagined. I knew it would be stunning because of the photos I’ve seen, but being here in person is so much better and a greater feeling. When we arrived at the airport, everyone was really friendly and welcoming. This was expected because Costa Ricans are known to be friendly and they love seeing foreigners in their country and helping them. This was nice to see because I would be lying if I didn’t say I was nervous coming here.
The Homestay
I was especially nervous about the homestay experience because most of the host Moms only speak Spanish, but it has honestly been pretty decent so far. It’s been a great learning experience to learn some Spanish from my host Mom and to communicate to her in parts of Spanish so she can understand me. She really appreciates when I put effort into speaking Spanish and has been patient with me and my roommates. I honestly feel like I’ve learned more useful spanish here than when I took it in high school.
In all, I like the homestay. The house I’m in is gorgeous and I enjoy looking at the sunsets and the colors in the sky at night.
Heredia: The “City of Flowers”
Today, we explored Heredia and learned about some interesting history and architecture facts from our speaker, Sylvia. For one, Heredia is known as the “City of Flowers” because of Alfredo González Flores (a former president of Costa Rica) and his last name. People also say that Heredia is called the “City of Flowers” because it contains the most beautiful women. This is because people back in the day compared the beauty of Alfredo’s daughters to flowers.
The Architecture
The architecture of Heredia is also really interesting, more than I expected. Some of the houses here are still colonial. Some fun facts that we learned is that some parts of the roofs were made on someone’s knees and sometimes they would use eggs to build the walls because they acted like glue.
Activities
There were some interesting activities going on today. There was dancing with beautiful girls wearing flower dresses, marching bands, a church mass, and lively music.
Food
The food that we had at the restaurant today was delicious. I expected gallo pinto because that’s a very common dish here, but it was different. I had a platter of chicken, sweet fried plantain, salad, potatoes and probably some other things with a nice, refreshing mango drink. I definitely expected Costa Rica to have great food, but the food today was super good.
Another thing that surprised me were the markets that we visited today. I thought the markets in Costa Rica would be outdoors and there would be people selling food under tents, but it was indoors. Unlike America, none of the food is just laid out in packages. You have to tell the vendor or person what you want and how you want it. The market has a ton of different sections. There might be fruit in one area and cat food in the next area. But, this is great because there are lots of options in one building and buying food is cheaper since it’s not already in packages.
Ending the Day with Soccer and Some Little Friends
Again, Costa Ricans are super friendly. While our group was playing soccer, some kids were interested and played with us. It’s really nice like that here. I just love the whole atmosphere of Costa Rica. It has definitely exceeded my expectations and I’m excited to experience more!
Pura Vida!