Pre-Departure Notes:

Well, I fly out of Minneapolis tonight, but in the meantime I'd like to post a little background info about the country where I will be living for the next two months:

I will be living with a host family in San Jose, the capital city (pop. 1.4 million).

The entire country of Costa Rica has a population of  4.6 million and is about the size of West Virginia.  There are rain forests, mountains, volcanoes and lots of coast line. 

The have a democratic republic government and enjoy a relatively stable economy.  Nevertheless, about 16% of the population lives below the poverty line. I plan to be volunteering and serving among the poor while I am there.

Random fun fact: Costa Rica hasn't had a military since it was dissolved in 1949. 

And finally, the official language of Costa Rica is Spanish which is what I will be studying while I am there! 

I will post pics and updates throughout the summer.  Thanks for reading!