Now that I’m back home, my mornings are much different than I had become accustomed to them being during the twelve days in Costa Rica. No more gallo pinto, no lush tropical garden, and none of the familiar faces I’d see every day.
At least I have Costa Rican liquid gold in my coffee mug today. I wish I would have bought more because I can’t get enough.
Day nine of our Costa Rican experience. What can I say that hasn’t been said? Yesterday, we visited Hologic, a company that specializes in manufacturing medical devices. It was very interesting to see how the devices worked. The employees were so warm and friendly. It was very easy to ask them questions about Costa Rican life.
Afterwards, I walked 6 or 7 miles around San Jose, just taking in the atmosphere and breathing in the life of the city. There is a very busy marketplace in the center of San Jose, where the streets are closed to traffic and pedestrians can take advantage of the various shops, restaurants and markets lining the street. It was a great way to people watch and to see more of the area. We also walked to a huge park where we met a woman from Delaware who was here alone. She showed us her pictures of Monteverde and of the various museums she visited so far. She seemed almost relieved to have someone to talk to that spoke English and was also glad to have Juan be able to translate Spanish for her.
After taking a cab back to the hotel and discussing a case study, we enjoyed a meal at a restaurant called Ave 2. It was a nice way to end a great day.
Tripod parts waiting to be assembled at Vitec
The UML group with John Hill of Vitec
Ice cream at Dos Pinos
Cloudy mountain village
Rowdy tested out a tripod at Vitec
Today we met and heard words of wisdom from UMass Lowell alum Edwin Garro, president of Performance Excellence Solutions
Freshly baked bread
A busy crosswalk in San Jose
Near the entrance of the Pre-Columbian Gold Museum in San Jose
After a long day of travel in planes & a bus, we have finally made it to our hotel. Although we are tired, we are all very excited to be here. The city of San Jose is beautiful. There are mountains everywhere and so many types of flowering plants. Everything is green and lush. I was surprised at the cooler temperature. I expected to be physically assaulted by the heat, but it was nothing close to that.
After settling down in our rooms, we were treated to a wonderful 3-course welcome dinner at the end of the evening. Today we are touring Performance Excellence Solutions, a consulting company founded by UMass Lowell alumni Edwin Garro. I am looking forward to hearing his story.
It’s almost midnight and I just finished packing. In about 3.5 hrs I will be leaving Lowell for Logan International Airport. Might as well stay up instead of sleeping. There will be plenty of time to sleep on the plane.
Since I am concentrating my studies in management, I hope to learn more about international management and cross-cultural team management. I am also interested in learning more about Costa Rican culture and seeing as much of Costa Rica’s natural beauty as possible.
Although I am very excited about this opportunity to study abroad, I will miss my one year old son Dexter. This will be the longest that I’ve been away from him. It was a difficult goodnight hug tonight because I knew that it would be the last time I hug him for the next 12 days. I will think of him often during this trip.
I’ll spend the next three hours going over the packing list, making sure I have everything. Rarely does my mind allow me to sleep before a big trip. Tonight is no exception.
Bug spray? Toothpaste? Sunscreen? Raincoat? Passport? All packed. Costa Rica, I am ready for you.
