¡Pura Vida! —an expression Ticos (Costa Ricans) use and that we have learned can mean many things for an individual such as a hello, goodbye but overall a phrase that shows happiness, optimism and living life to the fullest! And that is exactly what we are doing together on this trip!

Today marked our third day in Costa Rica and I am amazed by how many Glimpsers are early birds! I had the honor of being LDD (Líder del día) today and had to wake up at 6:30am but before waking up others for the day, I was able to have my cafecito while taking in the beautiful view which looks out to the Turrialba volcano.

We had an early start to the day before heading out to Cartago town. We all had breakfast at 7:30am before heading out at 8am. During the 2 hour drive to our destination, Glimpsers jammed out to some music and enjoyed the scenic view. We arrived at Cartago and met up with our tour guide Jorge at the first site, La Basilica de Los Angeles, a beautiful church dedicated to the Virgen de los Pardos, officially known as Virgen de los Ángeles. We then made our way to a church “ruin” that is now a beautiful garden for the community, walked through a market and ended up at the Museo Municipal of Cartago where Jorge was able to tell us the story of Costa Rica through beautiful murals.

After the long walk through the city and knowledge collected, we ate a delicious lunch at a local restaurant and headed to a souvenir shop, where all of our Glimpsers were able to purchase some things to take back home. Heading home was nap time for many as we drove back to the accommodations while it rained. Arriving back some decided to join Tony, Sonia and Pana on a walk to a local store for some snacks while also checking out the local town, its park and the horse stables along the way. Dinner time came and went and we closed out the day with wonderful group reflections and a whole group discussion around our question and quote of the day.

The insight of the Glimpsers was outstanding! I admire their courage and commitment to be here, learning and opening up to each other. I admire their compassion for what surrounds them, their experiences so far and the respect and rapport they have created amongst each other. We cannot wait to continue sharing the next 11 days together in Costa Rica.