Final Blog

As I write this last blog, it feels like an eternity since I've been back home. It felt the same way when we were still in Costa Rica. Maybe the drastic contrasts in environments screwed with my head a little. And drastic it is. I have been almost too comfortable since being back home. I have far more choices from which to spend my time. 

Being in a foreign country was an eye-opening experience. People live much simpler lives, yet Costa Rica is still the happiest country in the world. Many things I saw and heard go against our American ideals. Lots of Americans would have been very uncomfortable in this environment. I'm glad that our group was very adaptable to these changes. And that's what businesses must do in these foreign environments: adapt. The ones that don't are bound to fail.

While Costa Rica is not as developed as the United States, they have been able to avoid hurting the environment in their developmental process. Unfortunately, the rest of the Americas have not taken note quite yet. This coupled with their educated workforce has allowed them to stay competitive with the rest of the world. With better infrastructure, Costa Rica will be an even more attractive place to live and visit.

Hopefully other nations will catch on to Costa Rica's methods. If and when this happens, this world will be a better place to live. It was great to visit a model of what the world could be. It's certainly not perfect, but compared to the rest of Latin America, it's one of the best places to be.

I gained a lot from being outside of my comfort zone. I am a bit of an introvert and this trip definitely wore on me a bit. But I got to see and do some really cool things that many people don't get to do. I definitely look forward to more world travel in my future, and I'm happy to say I started in Costa Rica.

Pura vida!