The first few days of being in Costa Rica have been interesting. After arriving in Heredia, we were bused to the homestays we would be living at for the next two weeks, which was very nerve-racking since we had no idea where we were and who we would be staying with. Once at our homestays, I quickly realized that these next two weeks would not be a pleasant and peaceful study abroad like I thought since the streets our homes are on in ?peligroso? (dangerous) neighborhood, as the locals have told us.
After a very stressful first night, I accepted that there was no way of getting back home, so I would have to make the best out of the situation and ignore the screaming and police sounds that go on throughout the night here. The program coordinators and my homestay worked together to kindly get me a loud fan to cover up some of the noises from our neighborhood and I have been been able to sleep through most of the nights now.
So far, the constant sunny weather and sweet locals have greeted us with kindness during our time spent out during the daytime. We were able to participate in a fruit tasting and a Latin dancing class in the local area of Heredia for the first two days while we were here. Then for the following three days, we were bused to La Fortuna, where we got to swim under one of Costa Rica?s famous waterfalls and zipline across the treetops of the rainforest. The beautiful trees, animals, and humble tour guides have all been fantastic at talking our class through what a business looks like in Costa Rica.
I am looking forward to many more days of sunny weather and learning more about the Costa Rican markets and how they compare to the United States.