Today marks the end of day 3 in Costa Rica. After 2 nights in San Jose, we headed Northwest to the coast in Guanacaste. This trek began early in the morning. Leaving just past 6 AM, the crew set out on our next adventure. Along the way we stopped for breakfast in a port town. After eating breakfast, we got back on the road to continue our drive to the beach. We hit a lot of traffic on our way, which allowed for us to knock out some work and for others to sleep. We powered through the traffic and finally arrived at the beautiful coast at Playa Hermosa. After checking in to the Hotel Mangaby, the group walked down to the beach to find a lunch spot. I enjoyed local ceviche while others ate snapper, burgers, and salads. The view of the beach made the lunch 10x better. Once we finished, we walked the beach and explored the small town of Playa Hermosa. The skies began to darken, and rain started falling so we all headed back to the hotel to unpack, relax, and finish our days work. With a couple hours of work and relaxation behind us, we got ready for a fancy dinner at Hotel Bosque Del Mar. Here, I ate some of the Mahi Mahi in my life, only second to the time I caught it fresh, then cooked it right after. It was fun meeting the rest of our professor’s family members over dinner. With our bellies full and satisfied we drove back to the hotel to play cards and enjoy the rest of our evening. It felt so nice to be on the coast away from city life.

Tonight, marks the end of day 2 in Costa Rica. So far this trip we have been staying in the city of San Jose. Today was an exciting day filled with learning. We had the opportunity to tour and visit three different Costa Rica based companies. Our day started off with a typical Costa Rican breakfast, Gallo Pinto! After breakfast we made our way to an office building near the city. When we arrived at the office building, we stumbled upon a police investigation. Apparently, an elderly man accidentally drove his car into a building below the company we were visiting. The company we saw had no damage, but it was crazy witnessing the after math of the crash. The first company we visited was called Procomer. They are an export advising company that helps local companies better manage their exports to reduce costs. Two professionals from the company presented their business model to us in a very informative and engaging way. After this meeting we visited another company, Aerospace Cluster, in the same office building. This company is focused on merging needs and opportunities to create value for companies. Once we finished learning about this company, we walked to a nearby mall to grab lunch. We ended up going to a tap house and had a tasty lunch. For our third company visit, we went to a manufacturing facility just outside of the city. This company, Vadendum Production Solutions, makes and assembles film tripods and rotating camera holders that are all used to film major movies and sporting events. It was a very impressive operation and I feel grateful to have been given the opportunity to tour the facility.

Today marks the end of our first day in Costa Rica and so far, it has been an exciting time. Our first day was filled with travels, greetings, and good food. Once we arrived in San Jose, we went to get our rental car, and from there the adventure began! After picking up the rental car we traversed through the city of San Jose. With an experienced Tico (Costa Rican) on board, it made it easier for me to explore this new city and helped me get my bearings straight much quicker than I expected. It took a few wrong turns before we found our hotel but nevertheless, we had a seamless drive through the city. With check-in complete we dropped our bags off in our rooms and then headed out for a walk around the vicinity. Luckily, the rain held off which made way for a nice walk. The group walked up an appetite, so we stopped into a restaurant to grab a quick bite to eat. After a tasty snack we headed back to the hotel to reconvene. We then got ready and socialized with the rest of the group before heading out for dinner. Tonight’s dinner was at El Boyero, a local Costa Rican restaurant a short drive from the hotel. Here we got a chance to meet some locals and here their stories. We also got to enjoy some delicious foods and hear some good music! In short, the first day was great. Everyone we met was very friendly and helpful, even the customs agent at the airport! I’m excited to see what the rest of the trip has in store for me.