No más caipirinhas

Hola, amigos! Unfortunately,  I'm writing this blog from the US. I woke up wanting rice, beans, and fresh fruit for breakfast, but settled for a nutrigrain bar. My trip to Costa Rica was one that I'll remember for a life time. I learned so much about the people and their way of doing business. First off, Costa Rican's run on "tico" time. This means that they are laid back and aren't always prompt. This country has a work to live mindset versus a life to work one in the States. Costa Rica is a beautiful place. I love that it is so diverse, due to its location. One side of the country has the Caribbean Sea, while the other borders the Pacific Ocean. This allows you to experience many different environments, without traveling out of the country. Our tour guides Fernando and Gabi were amazing. Fernando went above and beyond to ensure we learned about the culture and pushed us to try Costa Rican food and drinks. Gabi was able to get us into places most people don't get to experience, such as the Costa Rican Congress. While there, we were able to meet a Congressman and tour the building. The lecturers were very interesting. I really enjoyed learning about the differences in business between the US and CR. My favorite part of the trip was all of the outdoor activities. Whitewater rafting/tubing, zip-lining, horseback riding, visiting a hot spring, and deep sea fishing were all amazing experiences. I would definitely recommend this program to anyone that is considering it. You learn a lot about the culture, while having fun... oh and lets not forget that school credit! ;) Dr. Lanier, aka "Master P" is a great professor to go with. She made the trip interesting and was very involved. I fell in love with the Costa Rican Culture and will definitely be visiting the country in the future. Until then, Buenos Noches, America.

Lecture, lectures, and more lectures...

The first lecturer was an entrepreneur. He explain to us that there are ample opportunities available, you just need to find them. In early Costa Rican history, there weren't as many job opportunities and most people worked for their families. Things changed, in 1982. The socialist party made changes to the economy. Costa Rica had the mentality of utilizing what they had in the country, instead of importing their goods. The Central American Free trade agreement, signed in 1968, was the first document of its kind signed in the world. As I mentioned before, things changed for Costa Rica in the 80's. It was a very bad time for Costa Rica; the economy crashed and caused the interest rates to rise to extreme amounts. Luckily Intel saw potential in Costa Rica and built in the city. This caused other large companies to gain interest in the country. The new business helped the Costa Rican  economy recover. P&G built a facility here as well. All of the operations of the firms world wide are done here. Our speaker wanted to teach his sons about business. Therefore,  he helped them build a small online business called Ticoshopping.com. Their business model is extremely simple. You can request or buy Costa Rican products, they find them, and ship them to you. This business is extremely profitable, because there are no accounts receivables or inventory.  

The second speaker talked about Costa Rica and explained why Costa Ricans are the happiest people in the world. Despite being a small country, .03% of the country, CR has 6% of the planets diversity. The country is one of the biggest suppliers of fruits and vegetables in South America.Their exports have nearly tripled in real terms. Real growth was 6.6% average per year, during the 90's. Today, their exports are smaller than their imports. So the question is, what is the key to happiness in a country whose income is relatively low.  This study looked at how individuals regard their lives, in general. She used Sligman's definition of happiness. It consist of three things, the set range of positive emotions that we inherit, or derive from our temper, the set of circumstances you face in life and those factors under your voluntary control 

picture of slide for results 

Basically, CRicans feel good about themselves. They are built upon tight knit family, most don't leave home for college. These people feel very safe and believe they are provided with the things they need from the state. 

Our third  lecturer always wanted to be a humanitarian. She joined the Peace Corps and eventually ended up in the  poverty ridden community of La Carpia. Most poverty communities do not have a steady source of water. People can't afford to wash their clothes or take a shower. They have to choose between shampoo and food for the day. It a cycle that never ends. She believes it's societies fault, not the persons. 

Poverty communities don't have a steady source of water Within these communities, most families do not have a father figure, therefore the kids are the only sense of joy the mothers get. These women have given up and have no hope. So to fix the problem, what do you do? 

Step 1: Start with the children

Step 2: Bond with the mother. 

Step 3: Find a core group of women and invest in their future- self esteem workshops, therapy, education, etc 

There have been improvements. In modern day,  you are now seeing more young couples.

There wasn't as many children, so they had to close down a kindergarten. These people don't want to borrow money, so the start off small and build their businesses. Hopefully, this allows them to get out of poverty in one or two generations. La Carpia's citizens are becoming more educated and are now being included in the vote. 

The fourth speaker  was the Dean of University of Costa Rica. By profession, he was a chemist. He told us pura vida was a saying that originated in Mexico, but CRicans took over. His favorite  writers were  Poe, Hemingway, Shakespeare, etc. They  gave him joy, by allowing him to  learn about the culture. He also talked about when an ethic group becomes a nationality. 

The last speaker showed us an image of a couple. Within that picture, there were dolphins. He told us that children see the dolphins, but as adults, we're programmed to see the couple. Therefore, you should always look for the "dolphins" or underlying meaning in things. He also taught us about the origins of different groups, especially the afrodescendants. Each group has a different style of living, ranging from their homes, jobs, and family life. By knowing each person's heritage, you can learn a lot about their past as well as their future. 

We will be spending the next few days in Tamarindo. Today we relaxed on the beach. Tomorrow, I am going deep sea fishing. I'm really excited. That's all for tonight. Beunos nochas, Costa Rica! 

Where in Costa Rica is Liz-z?

Hola, amigos! Today we started off the day at the central market. We were able to see where the locals shop and the kinds of products they purchase. After our visit to the market, we headed to the McDonalds to sit down for a minute. While there, a few of us took a bathroom break. Unfortunately, my group forgot to do a head count and I got  left behind. Thankfully, Fernando came to the rescue and even bought me a delicious strawberry pastry. Thanks, Fernando!! After enjoying my scrumptious treat, we had the opportunity to visit the Costa Rican congress. 

We first learned the basics about the congress. We then had the chance to interactively converse with  congressman Mendoza. He was very well spoken and is a potential candidate for president of CR.

After congress, we had lunch and bought a few souvenirs. Next up was the wood tour. He showed us the process wood  goes through, when making a product. We then drove to a bubble gum making factory.

We saw the process from start to finish.

We finished off the day with dinner on a mountain. We had a buffet style Costa Rican meal and got to watch a traditional dance.

As always, buenos nochas, CR!  

Hurry up and wait

After breakfast, our group headed towards the mountains to attempt to view the Irazu volcano. The ride up to the crater was very steep and full of lush vegetation and animals.

While traveling, we saw dogs, sheep, cattle, and horses. 

When we finally arrived, we started our windy trek up the path towards the crater. The rain was very unforgiving and felt like a frozen mist. Unfortunately, we missed our window to see the volcano, because the clouds were too thick. Maybe I'll have an opportunity to see it, on another visit. After the volcano, we headed to a local market in town. On our way to the market, we had the opportunity to take pictures on the railroad that will open tomorrow. This track will allow individuals to commute from Cartago to San Jose. We were some of the first people to walk on the tracks and were even able to take "SeNiOr PiCs"!

When we arrived at the market, the meat and fish section smelled horrible and contained weird things, like chicken feet...yuck! However, we did get to learn more about foreign fruits and try a guava. Fernando, our tour guide ever used a seed as an earring. ;)

We then walked to a place where a church was started, but never finished. It was filled with numerous plants and trees.

After exploring the area, we headed to lunch. Unfortunately, our original route was blocked by a landslide. Our driver thought it'd be a good idea to go a back way, across a bridge. Ironically, that didn't happen either. The bridge was too low, to accommodate our bus. We ended up going another route and finally made it to our destination. Third times the charm, right? Lunch took place at a beautiful coffee plantation. My meal consisted of a salad, steak, rice, and grilled veggies. Every meal we have always has a fresh squeezed juice. This time it was star fruit juice. Dessert was coconut flan and of course fresh coffee made in front of us.

I was really excited to try it, since we were at a coffee plantation. I have to admit, I wasn't a big fan. The coffee had a very bitter taste to it. After lunch, we headed to the Basilica De Los Angels . The church there was absolutely stunning.

While there, we learned that the location of the church was picked, after a stone doll repeatedly moved to a different spot  on it's own. They believed that was a sign from Mary and built the church there. After touring the church, I was able to fill up a souvenir bottle with holy water. Once we arrived back at the hotel, I was able to snap a pic of the sun setting on the city.

Dinner tonight was at one of our favorite Italian restaurants, Basilico. Let's be honest, who doesn't like brick oven pizza and wine? Well I think that's it, for the evening. Buenos nochas, Costa Rica!   

Uno margarita and two Imperials ago

Today I started off the day like every other day. We had a delicious breakfast with fresh fruit and other traditional Costa Rican foods. After breakfast we listened to multiple lectures about the country. The first speaker talked about CINDE. She told us why Costa Rica was attractive. One of the specifics she mentioned was quality of life. Costa Ricans live on average 20 years longer than other people and are considered the happiest people on earth. the second speaker talked about tourism worldwide. He explained that it affected every country directly and indirectly. For example, costa ricans would look at the American economy and would base their research off those figures. The third speaker worked for a government agency called procomer. He talked about the 7 regions this company had offices in. He showed us two videos. One was about all the things Costa Ricans have accomplished. Fun fact: All MLB's are made in Costa Rica. The fourth speaker talked about Central America countries. He explained that they get along, because of economical and social differences. 

Rafting, chocolate, and monkeys, oh my!

Today we started off the day with local fruit at breakfast. The fruit here is extremely fresh. I'm definitely going to miss that, when I get back to the states. After breakfast we headed to Posa Azal for white water rafting. Since we started off on level four, one of the hardest level of rafting, I was in for a surprise.

Once we reached deep water, we had the opportunity to jump off a ten foot cliff. Unfortunately, the impact caused me to lose my shoe. Luckily the trek back to the vans wasn't as long as the journey there. After rafting for approximately 13 miles, we enjoyed a traditional Costa Rican lunch consisting of fruits, meat, beans and rice. After lunch, we headed to Tirimbina where we walked in the rainforest towards a chocolate refinery. While hiking through the forest, we saw lots of plants,  monkeys, poison dart frogs, and bullet ants.

While at the refinery, we learned the process cocoa goes through to be manufactured into a  chocolate bar. We were able to try raw cocoa beans, hot cocoa, and milk and dark chocolate pieces.

After walking back to the lodge, we listened to a lecture on sustainable ecotourism. The lecture talked about the different levels businesses can achieve, while being eco-friendly. They were rated on a leaf system of 1-4. Four leaves was the best and meant your business  meets or exceeds the highest standards. He also talked about making the environment a better place for those that come after us. After the lecture, we boarded the bus for the two hour drive home. We had dinner at a pizzeria. The service wasn't the greatest, but the pizza was very greasy, yet delicious.

I ended the day blogging in the lobby with a watermelon daiquiri made with fresh watermelon. My 

Costa Rican adventure so far has been a blast. I'm excited  to see what the rest of the trip entails. 

Buenos  noches, Costa Rica.  

One hour of sleep and a new time zone

I woke up to the sound of thunder around 4 am. After getting an hour of sleep and worrying about my flight being delayed, I arrived at the Lafayette airport. Our group met up and boarded our connecting flight to Atlanta. While in the airport, we shopped and got some breakfast. After flying for a little over 5 hours, we finally arrived in San Jose, Costa Rica. After going through customs and exchanging some USDs for Colones, we were greeted by our guides, Fernando and Gabbi. We then began our journey to the hotel.

Costa Rica is in the process of transitioning from its dry season to wet, so we experience a little afternoon showers on our way to the Tryp Sabana. After everyone dropped their luggage off in their rooms, we walked a few blocks to the restaurant to grab dinner. The burgers at Soda Topia had refried beans on them and were very good. I washed that down with fresh strawberry juice. 

After dinner we stopped at a convenience store, before going back to the hotel. I wanted something unique to the CR culture, so I bought some plantain chips to snack on. When we got back to our hotel Gabbi and Fernando gave us a brief orientation and told us about our day tomorrow. We're going white water rafting, followed by a visit to a chocolate factory. I'm very excited for tomorrows activities, but since I'm running on an hour of sleep, I'm going to call it a night. Buenas noches, Costa Rica!