Today, we took the train from Heredia to the city of San José. We began the day by exploring the Museo Nacional de Costa Rica, where there was a butterfly garden and an array of historical artifacts. Then, we went to La Casa Amarilla, a national monument that was originally built for the Legislative Assembly….

Today, we traveled to Sarapiquí to visit banana and pineapple plantations. Sarapiquí is on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica, so the elevation and climate is different than at the coffee plantations we have visited. The supply chains for pineapples and bananas are much more simple than those of coffee, as there is no roasting…

Today we switched gears from coffee to chocolate by visiting Sibö Chocolate. There, Julio Fernandez Amón, one of the owners of the company, told use the story about how he and his partner, George Soriano, quit their day jobs to create a chocolate business. We learned that, like with Costa Rican coffee, they chose to…

Today, we spent our morning and afternoon at Life Monteverde. We started off the day by helping with a service project at a local elementary school. For this project, we worked with the students to paint a mural on their outside wall. Talking to the kids was slightly difficult since my Spanish is not great,…

We began this beautiful morning by hiking Monteverde’s cloud forest reserve. After getting a preview of the forest from our night walk yesterday, I was really excited to see the trees in the daylight. During the hike, our guide showed us different wildlife and told us more facts about them. Out of everything we saw,…

Today we journeyed to Monteverde, a town around four hours north of Heredia. During our drive, I enjoyed looking at the scenery of mountains and other small towns. There were many chances to look at new plants and wildlife as well, including mango trees and cattle. Jorge, our guide, spotted a group of howler monkeys…

Day two of coffee tours took us to Cafe Britt, another coffee company in Costa Rica. Like Doka, this tour explained the process of how coffee is made. However, these are where the similarities with Doka end. Cafe Britt buys most of their green coffee beans from producers around Costa Rica, and they spend most…

Today, we toured Hacienda Doka and learned about the coffee making process, which surprisingly has many steps. After the ripe coffee cherries are picked, they are placed in water. The cherries are then separated by those that sink, for “premium coffee,” and those that float, for “affordable coffee.” From there, the cherries are peeled, sorted…

My first full day in Heredia is complete, and I have already learned so much! From speaking with my host family to visiting the market to walking through the mall, Costa Rica has given me nothing but a good impression. After arriving last night, my abuela and her cat, Ming, gave Lexi and I a…

Hi everyone! My name is Mia, and I am a freshman electrical engineering student. I am so excited to go to Costa Rica because I love traveling to new countries. This will be my first time outside of the United States without my family, and I can’t wait to experience a new place with other…