Studying abroad in Costa Rica for 12 days has been an incredible experience. Not only did I get to participate in numerous exciting activities, but I also got to learn a considerable amount of information about a topic I’m passionate about. The Britt coffee tour was one of my favorite experiences. I drink at least one cup of coffee a day, so I was very excited to tour a company that produces my favorite kind of drink. The tour itself was interactive and it was very cool to hear about the background of the company. At the end of the tour, we sat in an auditorium were they gave us a lecture on the business aspects of the company. I found this very interesting because the speakers talked about how they not only have to focus on selling to people in Costa Rica, but they also have to focus on selling to people in Mexico, the United states, and actually all over the globe. They talked about how when trying to sell to people in Mexico, they change the way their coffee is to better fit the preferences of the type of coffee made in Mexico. But when trying to see their coffee to people in the USA, they make their coffee the same since people in the USA have an interest to buying Costa Rican coffee. I found it fascinating how Britt coffee accommodates each country specifically in order to make the most profit. I had never realized before how much thought has to go into marketing and advertising your products when selling internationally. Almost every company we talked to, talked about how they have to sell to the interests of people in other countries, mainly the USA. I got the idea that for the success of a company based in Costa Rica, it benefits them a lot to have international customers. Company’s in the USA still benefit from having international customers, but it is not nearly as important to their success as it seems to be for Costa Rican companies. To stay on the topic of coffee, the family that I was staying with in Costa Rica, always asked me if I wanted coffee when I got home from my activities for the day. Sometimes this would be around 5 or 6, and they would drink it with me. In the USA, most people only drink coffee in the morning since drinking it later in the day can make it difficult for a lot of people to sleep. But, I guess coffee to people in Costa Rica is a normal drink to have at any time in day. Luckily, I am an avid coffee drinker so drinking coffee later in the day didn’t affect my sleep schedule, as I’m sure is the same for many people in Costa Rica. This experience has made me realize the importance of being knowable in the cultural background of international audiences. Britt coffee has been able to be successful selling to people all over the world because they take the time to get to know what the people of each country want in a cup of coffee. It doesn’t seem complex but people like their coffee a certain way, and they will simply buy coffee somewhere else if Britt coffee doesn’t satisfy their needs. The information I’ve learned in this trip has also taught me the importance of not only knowing the cultures of other country’s but being respectful of other cultures. The family I was staying with didn’t know English very well. It was up to me to make sure I knew important Spanish phrases and knew how to be respectful in their house since I couldn’t explain myself or ask questions in the way I could with an English speaker. Knowing how to greet my family, knowing how to say thank and I’m sorry in Spanish, and knowing to not slam doors in the house made all the difference. Connections to international business’s can benefit any company, this trip to Costa Rica has taught me so much and I can’t wait to apply it to my career!