Costa Rica’s microclimates make the weather quite unpredictable at times. At my site in Zona Norte, it usually rains for at least part of the day, with the other part being sunny and humid. I always make sure to have an umbrella or rain jacket with me to stay prepared for an aguacero (longer, intense rainfall) or baldazo (short, intense rainfall).
While I was working outside my host family’s house, I saw a grasshopper the size of my hand. The Spanish word is chapulin, which generally means grasshopper. Living in an especially biodiverse region of Costa Rica means I get to see several new animal and bug species almost every day.
In a place where I am surrounded by nature, the coolest thing this week was watching my host brother chop down a coconut in our backyard so I could try agua de pipa (coconut water). We have access to many different locally grown fruits.
