Today was another great day in Costa Rica and also the last. It was raining all day as we drove up the mountain to Poas, and as soon as we walked up to the volcano the sky cleared. It was gorgeous! After we finished taking pictures we drove to another place to take a coffee tour. It was really interesting to see how the process of preparing coffee takes place.
It was also funny to hear what others thought of Costa Rica. As I went to wash my hands in the bathroom a mother walked in with her daughter. The mom reminded her daughter not to throw away any tissue paper in the toilet, and as she finished her statement the little girl said,”Mommy! Why do they keep doing this to us?!”. I couldn’t help but laugh out loud. She was adorable. Something we take for granted; good plumbing.

Volcano Irazu was beautiful. We were so lucky to have such a clear view. Surprisingly, throughout this whole trip, we have had all the right weather at all the right times. The mountains looked crisp and clear. We were literally above the clouds so we could see the clouds rolling in over the mountains. It almost looked like mist. I hope we have more luck when we visit Volcano Poas tomorrow.

I finally learned what “Perro Bravo” means. It means angry dog. On the bus ride back from Monteverde I saw the sign on multiple houses.
I was so excited to see Erick yesterday morning! He is a joy to be around and I love when he practices spanish with me. He is the best waiter in town, but I just found out he isn’t going to be here Saturday, our last day, so I am a little disappointed. After we ate breakfast we went to Hologic where they make healthcare products. It was very good to see women at the company. They gave a wonderful presentation. They passed around some of the products that are used for biopsies and other procedures. I have to say actually seeing them and learning what each instrument does was an eye opener because some of the products looked a bit scary.

Today was awesome! We arrived in Monteverde yesterday and I thought it wouldn’t be as fun because it is in the middle of nowhere, but turns out it’s very fun! We went to see the rainforest and then the hummingbird garden all in one day. We saw so many beautiful plants and scenery. I was fortunate enough to get a video of a toucan raiding through nests for an easy meal. We were also very lucky to see a quetzal, which is a rare bird that most people don’t get to see. Our guide hadn’t seen him in four days and he goes into the forest almost everyday for tours. We saw fungus, moss, beetles, flowers, and even a waterfall. After the rainforest adventure we visited another site with reptiles, insects, and a butterfly farm.
I was very pleased with the photos I was able to take as well. I experimented with color contrast on my Sony, and my Iphone took some memorable pictures too.

Today was a great day. We visited Edwin and his company, Performance Excellence Solutions (PSX). I love listening to Edwin. He is so insightful and a joy to be around. I am always interested in what he has to say. He really opened my eyes to thinking of things that I wouldn’t think of on a day to day basis. He came to Lowell during the spring semester and it was nice to see a familiar face who also recognized me. I am really excited to see John again as well. I also met him in Lowell for the first time during the semester and he is an awesome story teller. He is very personable and when he first explained what he does in his workplace I took great interest and hoped that we would visit his company and now we are! We will be seeing Vitec tomorrow morning.
The group has talked about going to Monteverde and how cold it may be. We are leaving in two days. I didn’t bring pants so I’m hoping I will survive the cold with my leggings and light jacket. Maybe I will be able to pick up a pair of pants before or on the way. I have heard wonderful things from Lisa about Monteverde. She is the one who said it is cold. Of course all of the girls wear jeans and boots around here. The rain is just phenomenal. Cindy and I ventured off from the group for dinner and took an exciting taxi to a little Italian restaurant down the street and walked back in the rain. It was nice to get out and see the place on our own. Bye for now and I will talk to you later!