I have loved my first week in Costa Rica and I am so sad my trip is half over. I am living with a host family in Heredia and my host mom has been so welcoming and accommodating. She goes out of her way to make sure we are safe and never hungry. This first week we have toured several plantations, done some hiking, and learned a lot about sustainability, conservation, and business and marketing. Being in a different country has made me so much more open to new things. I want to experience, do, and learn everything possible. Everywhere is beautiful and being around it just makes me happy.

The city here is very different from Pittsburgh. People are out and in earlier. My host mom goes to bed around 9 pm and wakes up around 4:30 am, around when the sun rises. The pace of life feels slower and more relaxed. People say “good morning” on the streets and stop to listen to street performances. There is a greater significance put on the environment. Every tour mentions sustainability and how they are working to keep the country’s beauty.

This week we also travelled to Monteverde and experienced the rainforest. People seem more connected to nature, and more optimistic about potential change. I am used to the outlook that there is not much that can realistically be done to reverse the negative effects humanity has had on the planet, but that is not the perspective here. People are actively working to make changes, and have been seeing improvements in environmental health the return of species to the forest. I hope to adopt the same outlook and make positive impact with my work.

I can’t wait for next week and to experience more!