Today, we went from living in the city of Heredia to being in Monteverde, which is up in the mountains. Although I love Heredia, the vibe here in Monteverde is so much better. More secluded, pretty views, and a pool I am sitting by right now. What a life.

I am going to be honest, on the drive up I was passed out. But as I woke up, I noticed there was not as much hustle here and not as many cars on the road as there were near the city. There seems to be more livestock and farms. It kind of reminds me of New York, where I am from. As you move farther away from the city, you get to the rural, desolate areas.

My view of Costa Rica has changed a bit after being here. Although I feel like the people here seem to be the same (they are all still hard workers and friendly), there is definitely less pollution from things like buses up here, and the air just feels cleaner.

I feel like being up here, away from the city life, is allowing me to see the true beauty of the country. These views are what I would expect from Costa Rica, not that road we have to walk on every day to get to class with the speeding, honking cars and giant billboards.

From the presentation today, I learned that the Quakers helped to protect Costa Rica’s forests, plants, and animals. These preserved forests are a sight for tourists, which provides a lot of Costa Rica’s income. Without the Quakers, these beautiful areas would have been overcame with settlers, destroying the beautiful views and also preventing the country from making millions off tourism.

Th Quakers also brought peace in taking away the army, and they brought community to Costa Ricans.

I wish we had more time here to enjoy the nature (and pool), but I know we will definitely make the most of the time we have.