A few hours ago I got of my flight arrived in San Jose Costa Rica. This is not my first time outside of the United States, but it is my first time in Central America. In the few short hours I’ve been here I have already spotted a few birds I was hoping to see, experienced some of the incredibly inclined and twisted roads, realized just how much of my two semesters of Spanish I’ve already forgotten, and started doing research on Costa Rica’s coffee industry.

Up in the hills, I have an amazing view overlooking San Jose and off in the distance the Irazú volcano. I’m going to spend the next three weeks learning about the local coffee  industry and what is involved in sustainable coffee farming. I’ll even get to visit some of the farms in person! I’ll also be working on making a website to display some of highlights of the 12 different kinds of coffee I will be studying. I am heading to bed early tonight, but I’m excited to explore more of Costa Rica tomorrow and see how many more birds I can check off my list!