After almost two weeks, we find ourselves nearing the oft-ignored back cover – we’re soon to return from the moth-ball scented wardrobe, climb up from the rabbit hole, step back through the partition between platforms 9 and 10. Soon, we will stand disoriented amidst the hustle and bustle of King’s Cross, not quite prepared for…

Today, we took a trip to two plantations: one that grows bananas and plantains and one that cultivates pineapples. At the first one, we learned all about the history of banana farming in Costa Rica, from feeding railway workers to keeping the export train running year-round. We then walked out to the field for some…

Palm trees can actually provide us with food. I had never known this until today. Inside the plant is what’s called the “Heart of Palm,” a soft, white, mild-flavored vegetable. My friend, Kaden, commented that it tasted almost like cauliflower. In the case of farming, the plant is only allowed to grow 3-4 meters tall…

Today, we took a hike through the Cloud Forest – except without clouds. Because of the mountain’s geographical position between hot dry and wet zones, clouds condense and sweep across its peak. This serves as the foundation for a thriving forest ecosystem that collects water from passing clouds. Unfortunately, likely as a result of climate…

This morning, we left Heredia for the mountains. We’ll spend the next two days in Monteverde, hiking through the Cloud Forest and watching golden orange sunsets from the mountaintop. As we got further and further away from the central valley, the scenery transformed. Precariously perched on winding cliffsides, the bus climbed higher and higher through…

The business of marketing has an incredible ability to generate demand for a product where there previously hadn’t been any. This has been Café Britt’s specialty since its conception in 1985. Prior to the company’s lobbying in the early 1980s, it had been illegal to both produce and roast coffee in the same country. In…

What stuck out most to me on today’s tour of Doka Estate is that the coffee industry in Costa Rica is under threat from an impending loss of land. Our program guide, Sylvia, mentioned on the first day that the city used to be covered in cafetales (coffee plantations) but that construction companies have been…

Costa Rica is a beautiful country. Each time I turn toward the mountains, I’m struck as if it were my first glance. Both imposing and majestic, they serve as a resplendent backdrop to the already colorful and vibrant valley. Trees and shrubbery abound in and around homes, markets, and even on streets. The father of…

My name is Taavi Herzog. I’m a Freshman at Pitt, earning majors in Business Analytics and Finance and minors in Economics and Applied Statistics. I’m exploring working in private equity or consulting after undergrad, which entails a lot of due diligence and preparation early on. Through a variety of academic and extracurricular programs, I’ve had…