Based on all our research from before the trip I had learned that Costa Rica was known for its fruits, coffee, chocolate, and beautiful land. I had originally thought that Costa Rica was mostly just for tourism and vacations but I have since learned about some of its businesses and the homeyness of Costa Rican culture. I originally thought the program was going to be more packed and we would spend lots of time in the classroom, but I have enjoyed all the time we’ve had to spend with our host family and explore the city to really learn about how people live here. I hope to gain an understanding of tourism businesses as where I’m from isn’t focused on tourism and the differences in how businesses function on a day to day. I also hope to learn about how issues that the United Stated may be facing are affecting business around the world and what other challenges Costa Rican businesses are facing. I want to learn as much about the culture as possible as I have never been to Central or South America. I also want to grow connections with my peers on the trip that I will be able to continue throughout my career. After being in Costa Rica for almost a week I have noticed some differences and similarities while being in my home stay. Similarly to most of Texas most people are very friendly and welcoming, but as an American we do stand out and have drawn some extra attention being in places like the local market. Also, most Costa Ricans in the non touristy parts that we have visited only speak Spanish so I’ve been forced to pay attention to hand signals and use googles translate when I can. This has also led to the feeling of over paying for some items in the market where prices weren’t pre-marked. There is also a large focus for businesses to think about the environment as some use mostly solar energy or don’t use items like plastic when it’s not necessary. There was a period of time where they had only 20 percent of their land devoted to forests but do to sustainability measures that has increased up to 40 percent. Additionally there is some safety issues that wouldn’t be allowed without consequences in the United States. For example the power lines appear to be in large knots in places and there is holes and uneven places in the road and sidewalks. My last difference has to do with directions and locations. In the United States most people use addresses to find locations and just plug them into a gps. In Costs Rica they use landmarks so addresses look more like 200 meters south of the main church and 400 meters west. I’m excited to learn more about the culture and business differences during the rest of my trip as I’ve had an amazing time so far.
