• Studying coffee

    One of the best parts of this program is the lab. We had two labs, coffee cupping and brewing. As a person who never learned anything about coffee. These two labs really taught me a lot. The coffee cupping taught us how to distinguish the fragrance, break and aroma of each kind of coffee, and…

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  • Pre-trip Jitters

    17 November 2016 6:30 p.m.: Athens, GA I am currently sitting in my apartment with my roommates. Leaving is finally sinking in! I finished packing in two hours, and I feel as though I haven’t had the time to really give much though to my upcoming adventure. I couldn’t be more ready to depart, but…

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  • 19 November 2016 7:36 a.m.: Hotel 1915 Breakfast was amazing! It started out with fresh fruit and blackberry juice. I, of course, ordered un cafe con leche and tried the tortilla española (see pic) which turned out to be this omelet with spinach, potatoes and tons of onions. Honestly, it was a huge meal. I’m…

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  • It has been a week since we came back from Costa Rica. After a whole week of exams and presentations, I eventually have time to look all the pictures and think about this wonderful experience. This Coffee tech program gave me the best Thanksgiving experience ever. We visited more than 5 coffee farms, talked to…

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  • Pura Vida.

    “Pura Vida.” You could probably hear this term every single day in Costa Rica. The direct translation could be “pure life”, “hello”, “all good” or “this is life”, but these two words have a far more profound meaning to the Costa Rica culture. It means that no matter what your current situation is, life for someone…

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  • I have been back home for a few days now and already back into the normal routine. There are a few things that I miss about Costa Rica like the breathtaking views and the simple way of life, but I am happy to be back to hot water, my own bed, and American food. It…

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  • Dónde está Costa Rica

    I am really excited to have the privilege to go on this trip. To be honest, when I signed up this program I knew nothing about Costa Rica, except it is a country in Central America. From the syllabus, I know I will stay at UGA Costa Rica Ecolodge and spend time visiting coffee farms…

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  • Five Things

    If you learn anything, know what a cajuela is. Appreciate wi-fi and warm showers. You better love rice and beans. Bring rain gear. Make memories that will last a lifetime. This is my advice to you, future travelers. Costa Rica was a country that gave me everything. I was able to experience the city, the…

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  • At this point, we are now over half way done with our study abroad in Costa Rica. I wasn’t sure what to expect when coming here, but it ended up being much different than I imagined. The area we are staying in for the majority of the trip is San Luis de Monteverde where UGA…

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  • I felt pretty unprepared the week before I left for Costa Rica. I was extremely stressed out from school obligations and deadlines, and barely had time to get things gathered before the trip (I packed everything the morning I left!). I had done a study abroad before in my undergrad, so I was mentally prepared…

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