Costa Rica is a beautiful and unique place. It was my first time going there and I loved it! It was very different from the United States in ways that I didn't mind or even like. We saw a lot of things and went to a lot of places while we were down there. I'm already ready to come back again and do new and exciting things. However, we did a lot while we were over there. Our first stop was San Jose. We arrived late in the evening, so after checking in at Don Carlos and finding our rooms, a group of us went to find some food. We ended up eating at a pretty fancy restaurant about a block away from the hotel. It was quite expensive and it was late at night, so we got a takeaway pizza, but it wouldn't have tasted like the other things we would have eaten. The next day we went to the Jardin de Meriposas, or butterfly garden. They have many different types of beautiful butterflies. We had a guide who told us about many different types as well as the different plants and their purposes for all the different butterfly species. He also showed us an effective way to catch butterflies without harming them. We also walked around and looked at some of the historical monuments and buildings around the city. We stopped for lunch and went to the market. There we had our first of many traditional Costa Rican meals. I got the arroz con pollo, or chicken and rice. They eat a lot of chicken with rice and beans. Throughout the rest of the market it was extremely crowded with vendors all around. We returned to the hotel that afternoon. Mark and I went to check out the nearby park and came back for the salsa lesson. It was fun, but definitely a workout. We made more than just salsa. We also did some very fast paced traditional Costa Rican dances. We relaxed and packed our bags… middle of paper… they would do their best to communicate effectively in some way, typically using gestures and hand movements. Schooling and healthcare are done very differently, like socialism. It's much more affordable than in the US, as college only costs around $200 per semester. These are important things for Costa Ricans as well as for football. I knew that it is very important in other countries like these, but this became really evident when walking past the Heredia football stadium on match day and watching parts of the match. Costa Ricans are very excited and give their all with what they wear. Some people even made flags and sold them on the side of the road. The group of people I went with also made the trip a lot of fun. I think we've all become really close and made great new friends. I can't wait to visit the wonderful country of Costa Rica again.