Day 3! History and Culture of Cartago Town!

Hey Hey!

We are officially on Day 3, and we are in full swing!

After a relaxing welcome and orientation day at Turrialba, our students woke up at 6:30 a.m. with a typical Costa Rican breakfast (eggs, pancakes, sausage, and gallo pinto) created by our in-house Chef Maria! Following our breakfast, we boarded the bus to make our way to the historic city of Cartago with a quick rest stop to grab any snacks and exchange currency.

Our theme of the day was History and Culture where students were given our Quote of the Day ” A people without knowledge of their past history, origin, and culture is like a tree without roots” by Marcus Garvey to reflect on throughout our tour of Cartago. We began by visiting the Ruins of Cartago, learning about how the location and ecosystem of Costa Rica have impacted the way in which Costa Ricans have evolved in their infrastructure. This was then followed by a trip to the local market in which students were split into two groups (Team Mamones Chinos and Team Jocotes) and tasked to interview the merchants at the local market about the meaning of their team’s name along with bartering to get the lowest price on a banana bunch for the entire group! Students put their Spanish skills to the test by purchasing various fruits including pineapples, mangoes, lychees, grapes, and watermelons to share with each other! The city tour ended at the Basilica of Our Lady of the Angels where they learned about the importance of Catholicism in Costa Rican culture.

Following our tour, students had lunch at a nearby buffet restaurant where they were able to try a variety of Costa Rican cuisine including rice, beans, plantains, various meats, and fresh juices. Stomachs were very happy as students mentioned it was 10/10 and a highlight of the day for many! We made one final stop in Cartago to complete all of our souvenir shopping and then it was time to head back to the Base House!

For the last part of the day, we were able to participate in a cultural experience hosted by our Program Coordinators at our base house! We were taught how to make Tostones and Pico de Gallo the Costa Rican Way! We were shown and then were able to cut and prepare them ourselves. The Program Coordinators had full faith in us, but they still made sure we did not overcook or burn them. They came out amazing and were a great appetizer before dinner. For Dinner, we had a switch up from the rice and beans and had Costa Rican spaghetti which was some of the best we ever had.

To close out the day, we had our nightly meeting to discuss how everyone was feeling and to prepare for Day 4! Our Leaders of the Day were chosen, and we can’t wait for you to see them!

Thank you all for reading and please keep the comments going! Our students are loving hearing your comments We leave you with a bombard of photos! (P.S. take a peek to view tomorrow’s Leaders of the Day!)

Pura Vida,

Robert & Leslie, Global Glimpse Leaders