Submitted by Racquel Joseph on the 2016 winter session program in Costa Rica sponsored by the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures…
This past weekend was full of exciting, new experiences. First, we visited San José, which included a visit to the Museum of Costa Rican Art, a walking tour of the city, a trip to the National Theater, the Gold Museum, some free time to explore the city and a childhood cancer charity soccer game. Things to see in all of these locations were just as plentiful as our plans for the day. The Museum of Costa Rican Art was very interesting to see because there was a room that completely consisted of gold plaster containing designs that described historical events of Costa Rica. During our walking tour, we passed by beautiful parks and important government buildings of Costa Rica and embassies from various nations. The National Theater contained beautiful statues, designs and paintings. The Gold Museum was very fascinating also because of how intricate the designs are on each work of art and how tedious the process of creating each work was/is. During our free time, we passed by many street vendors and even got to hold a rooster on our shoulders and heads. At the soccer game, we got to watch our current hometown, Heredia, play against Alajuela and also got to see a different side of Costa Rican culture.
San José, the capital of Costa Rica, was full of lovely parks and buildings. I knew that the National Theater was such an important and great landmark, but I was also not expecting it to be as gorgeous as it was, given that it was funded entirely by the “Ticos,” many of whom did not come from wealth (Ticos are the names for the residents of Costa Rica. Taxes were levied on rice and coffee to fund the building of the National Theater). The entire building, however, was full of marble and beautiful details. This excursion showed me the differences between provinces in Costa Rica. While San José and Heredia are very similar, they are also very different. San José, obviously being the capital, has more things to do, prettier parks and better landmarks. This excursion also impacted me in that it simply taught me to be more aware of my surroundings (someone tried to reach into my pocket). It also showed me how talented Costa Ricans were when it came to art (artifacts in the Gold Museum). This location is important, obviously in Costa Rica, because it is the capital and it is the site of many important buildings like the National Theater, in which many “Ticos” take pride.
On Sunday, we visited the Jade Museum in San José and Zooave in Alajuela. In the Jade museum, we visited several exhibits showing all of the different artifacts and jewelry that were made in Costa Rica. Zooave is a “zoo” full of rescued animals that are being nursed back to proper health before released back into the wild. There, we were given the chance to see many rescued animals, ranging from toucans to sloths.
When visiting the Jade Museum, I was surprised at how there were so many pieces of art made in Costa Rica from a stone that does not even exist there (there are no sites in Costa Rica that contain jade. All the jade must have been carried over from another area). Usually, most works like these are made from very abundant materials from that given country. This excursion specifically impacted me by putting in perspective all the animals that need rescuing and rehabilitation. I did not expect there to be that many animals to view at Zooave, but there were so many there that probably would not be surviving if not for this help. This location is important because it reveals another province and also shows the natural side of Costa Rica that we do not see as much in Heredia.