Costa Rica is a very beautiful and unique place. It was my first time going there and I loved it! It was very different from the United States in a way that didn't bother me or even appeal to me. We saw a lot and went to a lot of places during our time there. I'm already ready to go back and do new and exciting things. However, we did a lot while we were there. Our first stop was San Jose. We arrived late at night, so after checking into the Don Carlos and finding our rooms, a group of us went to get some food. We ended up eating at a pretty fancy restaurant about a block from the hotel. It was quite expensive and it was late at night, so we got pizza to go, but it wouldn't be anything like the other things we would eat. The next day we went to the Jardin de Meriposas, or butterfly garden. They have many kinds of beautiful butterflies. A guide told us about many different types as well as the different plants and their purposes for all the different species of butterflies. He even showed us an effective way to catch butterflies without harming them. We also walked around and looked at some of the city's historic monuments and buildings. For lunch we stopped and went to the market. There we had our first of many traditional Costa Rican meals. I had arroz con pollo, or chicken and rice. They eat a lot of chicken with rice and beans. In the rest of the market, there were lots of sellers everywhere. We returned to the hotel this afternoon. Mark and I went to visit the nearby park and came back for a salsa class. It was fun, but it was definitely work. We did more than salsa. We also did traditional Costa Rican dances with a very fast rhythm. We relaxed and packed... middle of paper ...... we would do our best to communicate effectively in one way or another, usually using gestures and hand movements. School and health care happen very differently, like in socialism. It's much more affordable than in the United States, with college only costing around $200 per semester. These are important things for Costa Ricans and for football. I knew it was a big deal in other countries like this, but it really came through when walking past the Heredia soccer stadium on match days and watching parts of the match. Costa Ricans are very excited and do whatever they wear. Some 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 all became very close and made some great new friends. I can't wait to return to visit the wonderful country of Costa Rica.