Random Facts About (our trip in) Costa Rica

Lessons learned while spending a month in Costa Rica:

-No wonder they call the month of June the "rainy season:"

it is raining there every single day, especially in the late afternoon. And by raining, I don't mean a slight drizzle - it is always POURING down rain there. Thank goodness for umbrellas (Dana, my roommate, went through two during our trip) and waterproof, hooded jackets. I've never been so sick of rain in my life!

-Costa Rican McDonalds are awesome: 

Since McDonalds is an American corporation, when it appears in a third-world country such as Costa Rica, it is pretty upscale. When Dana and I went to McDonalds for lunch before class one day, we were so excited to have some American food.  The McDonalds was so much nicer than any one we had ever visited in the US.  While in line for the cash register, a women took our orders on a palm pilot and sent our orders to the back.  By the time we were at the register to pay, our food was ready! I was very impressed.  

Here, I learned how to say my favorite McDonalds fry dipping sauce in spanish: "salsa agridulce," or sweet-and-sour sauce.

Costa Rican McDonald's papas fritas and una hamburguesa... yum!

-For the most part, Costa Rican Margaritas taste like ocean water: 

We all tried margaritas at numerous bars and restaurants. Even if we requested no salt on the rim of our glass "no sal en el vaso, por favor," the margaritas have a TON of salt in the drink itself. I like salty things, and I could barely handle more than one sip of the Costa Rican margaritas.

salty margaritas... no, gracias!

-Costa Rican men go crazy over "Gringas": 

Cat-calling is the norm in Costa Rica, and it got very old during our month-long stay, especially during our long walks to and from school.  Because we look like American girls, Dana and I got a lot of rude attention on the streets.   One early morning walk to school, we were flashed by a man on the sidewalk.  Thankfully, this was our most eventful Tico interaction on the streets, but I still think I'm scarred for life.

-Internet Cafes are a nice alternative: 

Since most families do not have internet access, there are many internet cafes around town.  It is relatively cheap to use their computers, and there is a timer on each computer which monitors your activity.  These cafes also usually offer snacks.  Since we were trying to save our money for shopping and excursion activities, Dana and I would try to arrive at school a little early and use the computer lab of the Intercultura to e-mail our friends and families and update facebook.

-Bananas Fritas are the BEST: 

I find that the food I miss the most from Costa Rica has to be the fried bananas that were served with almost every meal, at restaurants AND in our homestay. "Me gusta mucho!"

fried bananas, or bananas fritas

-Pan e Vino is a MUST-VISIT restaurant: 

We ate there probably three times, and I would have been happy to return again. Pan e Vino (Bread and Wine) is a great italian restaurant which offers an array of great tasting wines, an array of specialty pizzas, pastas, and one of the BEST flaky calzones I have ever had. One visit to Pan e Vino was just for Calzones for our entire table! We had a great dessert to split between us all to finish.

Pan e Vino, one of my favorite restaurants in all of Costa Rica

-Costa Rican drivers are idiots: 

Upon returning from a lunch break of grabbing stamps at the post office, I was almost run over by a car. There are strange garages just placed between storefronts, and until one is directly in front of this garage, there is no telling that there is a car emerging. This is how I found myself half-sitting on a car hood without any idea of how I got there. Clearly, the driver had not been paying attention, and just pulled out without looking.

We learned that in Costa Rica, a citizen does not have to take a road or written test of any kind. This shows in the streets, too. It is extremely easy to have a close call in the streets of Heredia: drivers do NOT yield to pedestrians!