The Country Without An Army

   Classes are going well! Today was my second day and I am starting to get the hang of things. Above is a picture of my view from class! Pretty nice isn't it? It's really cool to watch the rain clouds move in and see the massive volcanoes disappear into the clouds in just a few minutes. After class I went to get some lunch at a cafeteria on campus. A sweet guy who knew English helped me out. Thanks man! However, the lunch was horrible. So bad that I just threw it away and bought some cookies, a coffee, and a water. Note to self? Don't go back or get something very different from there. After this horrid lunch, I met with other students and went to "El Museo Nacional." Check it out!

The museum was pretty interesting and I learned a lot about the natives of Costa Rica. One of the most interesting things that I learned was that Costa Rica abolished it's army in the 1940's- 1950's. There is NO army! This is sort of strange considering that the United States has the strongest army in the world. So, I am going from a country with a strong military presence to a country with none. However, it works for Costa Rica. The "Museo Nacional" is in what used to be the country's military fortress. The president at the time decided that the money that was going towards the army should go towards education instead. Therefore, he marched to the tower of the fortress with a sledge hammer and tore it down himself. Talk about ruling with an iron fist... literally.
  After I went through the museum, I stopped by the small market that was in the plaza near the museum. It was really cool to see all the stuff that was for sale. However, this was a small market compared to the one I am planing to go to tomorrow. The market that I will visit after class with some fellow students is called "El Mercado Central de San Jose." I'll be bringing gifts home! Make sure to read the blog tomorrow! I'll have pictures of the market! Until tomorrow...