It’s been a week since we left Costa Rica and all I want to do is go back. Not because it’s almost finals week and I would like to be anywhere else than in my apartment studying, but because Costa Rica is a pretty amazing country. The people are very friendly. I have never had so many strangers stop and wave to me from the side of the road just to say hi. The country has such a diverse landscape. You can go to one part of the country and see beautiful beaches and go to another part and be standing in a cloud forest with strange and beautiful flora. And I never imagined Costa Rica to be so sustainable. The people of Costa Rica are so thoughtful about how their actions could affect the environment.
I’m embarrassed to say that I’ve kind of become a coffee snob since I’ve been home. I learned so much about the different kinds of coffee and I know what the good stuff taste like that I’m having difficulty going to Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks. Is this coffee 100% Arabica? If it’s Robusta then I’m surely not drinking it. Is your coffee organic? Is it fair trade? Where do you get your coffee from? I’m sure my friends and family are going to get tired of getting coffee with me over the holidays because I most likely am going to critique every cup of coffee I buy… Sorry mom.
I’ve been doing things a little differently since being back home. For starters, I am able to drink straight black coffee. I used to be a sugar and cream kind of gal and one of my missions going into this trip was to convert to drinking black coffee. Mission accomplished. I also have a new favorite way of drinking coffee. The chorreador is the way to go. It’s the traditional way of making coffee in Costa Rica and is a little more time consuming that using a coffee pot, but I prefer the flavor produced from it than that from the coffee pot. I’ve also been trying to be a little more sustainable. I recycled before going on this trip, but the sustainable efforts I saw in Costa Rica has made me a little more conscious about conserving more water and watching how much I waste.
I learned so much from this program and have so much more of an appreciation for coffee. This trip was definitely a trip of a lifetime and I am so glad I was a part of it. Pure Vida!
