Today was our last full day in the beautiful country of Costa Rica! The last three weeks have flown by very fast and I can't believe our time here is already coming to an end. Daisha and I woke up bright and early to prepare for the long day ahead. We had a small breakfast before hopping in the car with our papatico, Antonio, our mamatica, Yesenia, and their son, Daniel, to go to Parque Nacional Volcán Irazú in Cartago province. The drive from Heredia to Cartago was about two and a half hours, but it was an enjoyable time listening to the local Costa Rican radio stations as well as seeing the scenery during the drive. When driving up to the national park, I could see several dairy farms and farms that were producing potatoes and other crops with the help of the rich and fertile soil from the volcano.
After seeing Poás volcano yesterday, I could immediately notice a difference from the Irazú volcano. This area was much colder and the ground was very barren and full of ash. Irazú is actually the tallest volcano in Costa Rica and, like Poás, is active; however, the last confirmed eruption at this volcano was in March of 1977. Unfortunately, we were unable to fully see the volcano due to the cloudy weather, but it was still really cool to walk around the park and through the clouds. We also had the opportunity to take some photos with our host family and walk into the forest surrounding the volcano before leaving to go back to Heredia.
Once Daisha and I made it back to Heredia, we were almost immediately picked up by our bus driver, Cho, to go to our farewell dinner and show at Sr y Sra Ese in Alajuela. Our night started off with a show put on by a music group where we were able to see some typical Costa Rican dances and the national dresses that are worn during special occasions such as parades, festivals, and holidays. This wasn't just a normal show, though. The members of the music group invited all of us to join them to dance and actually taught us simple versions of the dance moves that they were using. This part of the experience was totally unexpected, but it was so fun to get up there, learn some Costa Rican dance moves, and dance with my friends for a little while before starting dinner.
For dinner, we had chicken, beef, potatoes, salad, beans, and plantains. The food was very delicious and I became full very fast, but next up was our ice cream dessert. After everyone finished their dinner, we had to opportunity to tour the facility where souvenirs are being handmade for Sr y Sra Ese. Since our dinner was after 5 pm, we were unable to see the workers in action, but we were still able to see the space where they carve, dye, polish, and create items out of stones and wood using tools and machinery. It was cool to see how small the objects that they were working with are and the different types of wood coloring that they could work with.
Following our tour, we had the opportunity to browse and purchase items from the souvenir shop before meeting up with everyone to have our last group discussion. We reflected on our biggest takeaways from this study-abroad experience as well as the ways that we have evolved as a person throughout our time in Costa Rica. It was really emotional to hear and see how impactful this experience has been for myself and others, but I think that this was the perfect way to finish off our time in Costa Rica. Pura Vida!
Precious Baker
May 27th, 2023
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