When coming up with ideas for a new topic, I realized that I haven’t done a life experience, and this blog is about life experiences and coffee. I thought to myself, “Let’s do a life experience this week.” As a world traveler, I have experienced beautiful cultures and people wherever I have gone. There are so many things to do, sights to see and people to meet anywhere one goes, but one of my favorite places that I have been to was Costa Rica.

Fortunately, it was a twice-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I got to experience. Not only did I drink some of the greatest coffee in the world, but I also learned that experiencing other cultures opens up your heart and mind to things that some people don’t ever get to experience.

Both times I went to Costa Rica, I wasn’t aware of how lucky I was to be able to experience a sliver of Central American culture that only a few people get to see. I got to experience the tourist aspect along with experiencing the local aspect of the country.

On the weekends, we would go to big tourist places such as Arenal Volcano, Manuel Antonio National Parkand Isla Tortuga. While during the week, we would spend four hours in school and the rest of the of the time looking for local hideouts such as Mercado Central.

The lesson I learned from going to Costa Rica was to live, love and incorporate.

Live the local lifestyle. Go out and have fun with the locals because sometimes the best dance instructors are the random people dancing to the music in the streets.

Love the people and the food. The locals know some of the best places to eat, even if they are in some of the sketchiest places you will ever go to.

Learn how to incorporate what you did or saw into your everyday life. Going to Costa Rica showed me that patience really is a virtue. The people there have a saying that they use for almost anything, “Pura Vida” or “pure life.” I saw how relaxed and content the locals were, and I wanted to incorporate that into my own life.

If you have the opportunity to travel, take it because there are so many lessons that can be learned from the locals there. So, if you have experienced another country, I’d love to hear about where you went in the comments below. Until next time…Keep it kinda classy!