The past two weeks in Costa Rica have been amazing. Every day has been jam-packed with activities which took us all over Costa Rica. Besides all of the fun adventures, I learned way more about coffee than I ever thought I would. I appreciated the hands on learning experience where we never had to sit…

Costa Rica consists of 8 coffee regions, and we finally visited the famous Tarrazu region. On other coffee tours, we learned that this region is known for it’s premium coffee that has a high acidity. Cafe Britt and Cafe Rey both had a special Tarrazu coffee which only contained beans from this region, and Cafe…

“La bebida de los Ticos” reads every Cafe Rey sign and logo. Their advertisements refer solely to their brand, but as we have seen throughout this trip, coffee is the drink of the Ticos. In America, we grab a coffee to wake up or to cram all night for a test, but in Costa Rica,…

Our last day in the beautiful community of Monteverde turned out to be an incredible experience. This morning I was not so excited to visit a farm because in all honesty, I don’t like farm animals. I’m not the girl who pets every dog, or the one who gives up eating meat to save the…

When I hear the word Quaker, I think of my favorite cereal or the Quaker meeting house which is across from my neighborhood. For me, the term Quaker is very American, and I find it fascinating that Quakers have a place in Costa Rica. Not only do they live in Monteverde and throughout the country,…

As we arrived in Monteverde, all I could see were clouds. After falling asleep on the bus, I woke up to trees and white fog so heavy that I couldn’t see the sky. The most notable difference between Monteverde and Heredia, besides the fog, is the trees. In Heredia, our walk to the University Latina…

From the rural mountains where coffee plantations reside, we moved to the bustling city of San José to visit the university of Veritas. While we were there, we visited their Fab Lab and were able to play with scanners, create 3D figures on the computer, and see laser cutters and 3D printers. While we were…

Today marked the beginning of my days being over-caffeinated from free coffee samples. My happy and energized state was a result of visiting the Doka Estate and Café Britt. Both produce delicious coffee, and our guides and lectures gave us a lot of information about the workings of the industry. Café Britt is an interesting company…

After an interesting and engaging lecture with Joaquín Lizano, I have a greater understanding of the Costa Rican mindset, but I am curious to know even more. Sr. Lizano packed a lot in to his lecture today, and there are multiple topics I wish we could’ve discussed in more depth. I have a few questions…

Pura Vida, a slogan very fitting of Costa Rica, is a lifestyle I experienced during my first day in Costa Rica. All throughout the pre-departure meetings, I heard how the food was fresh, the people were pleasant, and the lifestyle was more relaxed. Overall, I would say Costa Rica has met my expectations and continued…

Costa Rica was ranked the #2 country in the world for their efforts in sustainability, and I see that as no small accomplishment. I was immediately impressed by this ranking, and I already think highly of the country and it’s people. I also realized that I don’t have a clear understanding of what sustainability means as the term…