Over the past two weeks we have seen how industry, culture, and the environment shape Costa Rica’s tropical agriculture trade. We had the opportunity to visit various plantations that produce some of Costa Rica’s most respected foods, like coffee, chocolate, bananas, pineapples, and strawberries. These visits have served as the most educational experiences when it…
Tag: Natasha Montesdeoca
From the Classroom, to San Jose, to the World! 🌇🌍
On our 11th day in Costa Rica, we took a train to San Jose to explore the city and dive into its history! We were able to visit the National Theater, the National Museum, and the Central Market. Something I found really interesting about today was finding out that there is a little bit of…
Plantains & Piña Coladas! 🍌🍍
Today we visited plantations in Sarapiquí that grow and export tropical fruits such as bananas and pineapples! We started by visiting a banana producing plantation, in which they showed us how bananas are grown and what methods the company upholds in order to maintain sustainability. We then had lunch, and with that, we had the…
Cacao Craze – Exploring Chocolate History
Today we had the privilege of visiting Sibö Chocolate, and joining historian Julio Fernandez Amón as he discussed the history of chocolate, as well as shared with us the sustainable practices that Sibö engages in, in order to protect Costa Rica and the environment as much as possible. We were able to see a cacao…
Day 6: Painting With Purpose🌷
Today, we had the opportunity to visit the Cañitas school in Monteverde, and get to know their children as we participated in a beautiful painting activity together. We painted the front fence of the school altogether after being placed into small groups and each given our tasks! I was lucky enough to meet four sweet…
Day 5: Cloudy (Forest) With a Chance of Wildlife!
While conservation can mean different things for different people, it is quite straight-forward and taken very seriously here in Costa Rica. With the most biodiverse parks and rainforests, Costa Rica has learned to value conservation and protect their wildlife. Today, we hiked the Cloud Forest in Monteverde to kick off day 5 of our trip!…
Lucky Monkeys!! 🙉
To kick off day 4 of our trip, we took on a long bus ride to Monteverde!! On our way there, we were able to see two very different ecosystems of Costa Rica: the Pacific coast and beach near Puntarenas and the cloud forest of Monteverde on the continental divide. Seeing these ecosystems first-hand was…
Comedia y Café Britt!
Today marked day 3 of our trip, in which we visited the famous Café Britt! Our tour guides were very comedic and so welcoming! They took us on a tour of the plantation, while thoroughly explaining the process in which coffee cherries become coffee beans and the intense care that pushes them to reach their…
Can’t have mocha without beans from Doka!
Today was the second day of our trip, and the start of our breathtaking expedition learning about the splendid world of coffee!! After a delicious breakfast, (Mama Tica makes the best food EVER) we met our peers and headed over to a new province, Alajuela, for a coffee tour in the famous Hacienda Doka! The…
Here-Día Uno!
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…
¡Ven conmigo a Costa Rica!
Hola! My name is Natasha Montesdeoca and I am a first-year student in the College of Business Administration and the David C. Frederick Honors College, pursuing a degree in Marketing, as well as a Digital Media Certificate. I live five hours east of Pittsburgh, in Easton, PA and I love traveling and exploring new places!…