Submitted by Asia Coleman on the 2017 winter session program in Costa Rica sponsored by the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures…
On the first weekend of excursions, we went to San Jose and I enjoyed all the of time spent in the city. San Jose is at a lower elevation than Heredia so the drive to the city was interesting because you could tell that you were going downhill. It was not a steady decline the entire way either, so at times we were literally going straight downhill. Once we reached the city, you knew that you had arrived to San Jose. The population of people increased and there was a more diverse population as well. In San Jose, we had a walking tour and then went to the Gold Museum. When we had free time, I went to the central market and this was my favorite location.
This market is blocks long and consists of stores, entertainment and even people set up selling their own items that ranged from DVDs to home-made items. At a certain time of the day, the people selling will start to pack their items because selling items is illegal on this street. The reasoning behind this is because there are issues with vendors selling counterfeit items and stolen objects to consumers. The police will drive down the middle to make sure people move out of the way and clean up their items. I was able to purchase some items before the end of the day and I learned that you could bargain with them if you knew how to bargain. Most of the time, I did not bargain with the vendors because the items I purchased were handmade and I value handmade objects. I felt sad for some of these people because it was clear that they spend all day hoping to receive money from shoppers in an effort to provide for themselves. I have a very soft spot for people that are poor and do not have much for themselves. I could also tell that many of them were not from Costa Rica!
The central market is important to Costa Rica and Ticos because it is a place to purchase groceries in bulk and at a cheaper price. I can imagine that not everyone can shop at the most popular market called MasXMenos because the prices are higher than they would be at a local market, so having the market is more efficient. Also, the central market is a place to socialize and be entertained which I believe brings people in Costa Rica closer.
Since San Jose is not known as a dangerous night location, having the lively and inviting day life keeps people attracted to San Jose. Featured are some of the items that caught my eye and were created by the vendors in the walkway. Many of the items are creative. For example, there was a lighter that looked like a pipe and functioned as a pipe as well as a lighter and some vendors were selling items that were musical whistles with multiple faces on them. Also, depending on how you hold it, the pitch of the whistle changes. I loved the market and will have to go back again!
