Submitted by Natale DePase on the 2017 winter session program in Costa Rica sponsored by the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures…
This weekend we went into the city of San José, the capital of Costa Rica. I learned a lot about the history of Costa Rica and grew to appreciate the country. Here are two really cool facts about Costa Rica that blew my mind:
- Costa Rica has no army. It was abolished in 1949. I was shocked by this because it seems as though the rest of the world is obsessed about an army and who has the biggest and greatest one, but Costa Rica doesn’t care about that. They value peace and family. I really admire this about them.
- The President of Costa Rica lives in his own home. The current President lives in a condominium. When the group drove past his place, there was only one police car parked out front.
This is so different from the United States. We make such a big deal out of our Presidents and give them a luxurious home and top notch quality living. I find it humbling that The Costa Rican President lives with his people. It makes him equal with everyone else. Also, it is sad that we need a whole team to protect our President. We need the Secret Service for a reason. Our president always has a target on his back, but in Costa Rica they are not hated like in other countries because they are so peaceful. And so the president is safe.
I found these two facts most interesting and they are what stuck out to me this past week. Here is a picture of the group at the Museum of Costa Rican Art.