At the beginning of the semester I was so excited about Costa Rica, I spoke to anyone I knew who went because I had a ton of questions! I wanted to know if needed to take rain boots (the answer is no, to those who want to know), what was the weather like (varied, take a rain jacket), and random bits of advice (pack light, you’ll want to take back a bunch of coffee with you, and don’t buy all your coffee from one plantation). As time went on, I had honestly forgotten about the trip with the stress of school and life. All the events were on Thursday nights when I had class, so I could not attend any of them. At a MANRRS meeting, though, I found out that a fellow member was going, and it made me so happy! It also reminded me that the trip is coming up this month!

I am really excited about this program. I have heard really good things about the campus, and I am interested in learning about the challenges and practices of coffee production in Costa Rica. I am interested in agriculture international development and I really look forward to getting to know the farmers. Also, I had the pleasure of listening to a class by Dr. Pegg and I look forward to having him as a professor!