Costa Rica – History, Nature, Religion

Submitted by Naimisha Movva on the 2014 winter session study abroad program in Costa Rica sponsored by the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures…

This week was an adventurous period here in Costa Rica. I started off by seeing the national museum and the national theater in the capital city of San Jose!

National Museum
National Museum

After that, I got the chance to do some shopping  at the Mercado Central which is where Costa Ricans can get everything they need in one place. I saw craters on the Irazu Volcano  which is the tallest and one of the active volcanoes in Costa Rica which was really beautiful.

Irazu Volcano
Irazu Volcano

I experienced a bit of religion when I visited the Basilica in Cartago which is devoted to the Virgen de Los Angeles (patron saint of Costa Rica). People from all over come to pay homage and to get the water at the Basilica as they believe it has the power to heal and grant wishes.

Basilica  in Cartago
Basilica in Cartago

To top it all off, we went on a excursion to see INBio Park which provides a safe home for a variety of species and works to conserve the biodiversity here. I cannot wait to see what this coming week has in store.