We have officially completed day one of our itinerary here in Costa Rica, and I am so incredibly amazed at everything we have learned about so far! I started the day by eating breakfast with my host family. Our Mama Tica served us gallo pinto, scrambled eggs, sausage, and a side of papaya and passion fruit (which I have never tasted before) and some fresh orange juice! It was delicious. We then met our peers at a central park about 8 blocks away from the neighborhood. From there, our tour guide Jorge led us through “el mercado” (a big local supermarket) and told us everything we needed to know about Costa Rican culture, the importance of “vivencia” which means living the authentic experience of a country, street vendors, and the many fruits and vegetables consumed traditionally by Costa Ricans. 

After our walkthrough of Heredia, we took the bus to La Candelaria restaurant to have lunch together, where I had a delicious platter of salmon and shrimp in caribbean sauce! I knew Costa Rican food was going to be delicious, but the amount of options available exceeded my expectations and my plate in particular was some of the best seafood I have ever had.

After that, we explored the grand Oxígeno Mall and were able to see the best views from the rooftop of the mall! It was an amazing, eventful day. 

I absolutely love Costa Rica so much already. It is exactly what I pictured it to be, and it is so beautiful to see how genuinely happy and caring everyone is. The locals were all so kind and supportive of us trying to speak Spanish throughout Heredia and we happily interchanged the phrase “Pura Vida” with them as we turned every corner! That was perhaps my favorite part of today. Although I expected the streets to be chaotic, I was surprised to find out that pedestrians, in fact, do not have the right of way when crossing the roads. I am so used to crossing busy streets carelessly in the United States, but here I actually had to be careful and completely spatially aware of my surroundings because there were cars and motorcycles coming from every direction. Nevertheless, walking through Heredia was a lovely experience and I love everything about it, from the architecture to the people! Everything I’ve seen is truly so special and I am in love with the country already!