One moment from my homestay so far that I didn’t expect was how early they wake up and go to sleep. My Costa Rican “Mom” wakes up around 4-5 am, which is very surprising to me. I had to go to the bathroom one time early in the morning, and Maria was wide awake, drinking her coffee and preparing our breakfast. At night, Maria makes us dinner around 7 pm, cleans up, and then goes to bed. This surprised me a lot because back home, my mom and dad go to bed around 10-11 and wake up at 8-9 when they don’t have work. I believe the reason why Maria wakes up pretty early is that the sun goes down very early in the evening, while sunrise is very early in the morning.
What I saw in the Mercado Central or the walking tour confirmed my first impression of how Ticos lived. During all the events today, all of the Ticos were very nice and friendly and were willing to help, especially during our scavenger hunt. My first impression of Ticos was very friendly and warm because my host mom was so nice to us from the gate, and I have always had positive interactions with locals when I leave the Country.