He makes his way into the classroom, a room high enough to snatch a view of a motel high up in the mountains and looking over the trees, with a huge smile on his face. 

“¿Qué pasa?” I asked mi profesor in Spanish. My classmate Lilly mirrored my confused expression. 

“¿Quieren ir afuera?” he asked excitedly. 

Afuera? Where outside would we go? That, too, in the middle of a lesson. During our time in Costa Rica, every day in the afternoon, all 17 of us students took Spanish classes at CPI, the language school, for 4 hours. However, the 4 hours rarely ever felt that long. We spent the time discussing anything that came to mind, whether it was global crises or simply talking on and on to nuestro profesor about the activities we had done the morning before class. Except, todo en español. 

“Vamos a ver el pueblo. ¡Hay una fábrica de queso!” he exclaimed. 

“¿De qué?” we questioned with very confused expressions. 

“¡Si, si!” he reassured us, and off we went. 

As we ventured out of the building, we took in the beautiful scenery of the language school, the beautiful water fountains, and the walkway that had been paved. We made our way out of the school and began walking. Nuestro profesor began to explain every sight we walked upon, and when I say sight, I mean every little detail that one might overlook, such as the construction that was holding up the road and having Lilly and I explain to the waiting cars in Spanish as to why there was traffic. We spotted tile art on the sidewalks, resembling the majestic birds of Costa Rica, and we burst into laughter when an armadillo ran across the road in front of us. 

Our first destination was an art gallery, filled with unusual and complex sculptures of animals and insects. It carried heartbreaking portraits representing the harsh realities of life and overcoming its challenges that originated from the artist’s background. Where Lilly and I thought it would be a simple walk around the gallery, we spent time holding conversations in Spanish with the artist and learning about his unique processes in developing his work. After spending time at the art gallery, we made our way to a local women’s artisan store. When I reached our destination, I was beyond rejoiced to have brought my wallet. I was mentally thanking mi profesor for the suggestion. As we were off exploring in the store, nuestro profesor brought our attention to a catalog type of book that was sitting at the front of the store where every piece that was in the store was documented with the name of the artist. I was amazed with the artwork that I was surrounded by and recognized the women who made the beautiful efforts to handcraft the bracelets, purses, paintings, clothing, and much more. 

“Si los hombres tienen suerte, pueden crearlos, pero es simplemente de las mujeres,” one of the women in the store said, leading us all to bolt out the loudest laughter. I took my time walking through the store because it wasn’t your typical Target or any kind of store that you regularly find. Every piece was created with dedication by the artist, so it was not like you scanned the aisle and simply picked it up to purchase it. I was extremely grateful to be able to take the time to appreciate the subtle beauties and intricacies about every single piece because no two were identical. 

Our last stop. La fábrica de queso. Lilly and I were not sure what to expect or see when we heard about a factory of cheese because that could have meant a variety of things. However, we walked up and we saw several happy people with ice cream; then, well, we became those happy people. Me, yes. Lilly, not so much, as her ice cream plopped off her cone just as she became so happy with it. While we all let out howls of laughter and then looks of sympathy to her, nuestro profesor walked back inside with her to negotiate for another one por gratis. This was one among many examples during our excursion that él was kind and caring with Lilly and me and, forever having the patience to deal with our chaos that week. 

On the last day in Monteverde, we were a little down to say goodbye to such a wonderful teacher, but more so, incredibly appreciative of the amount of care and support we received from him in just that one week. He listened to our ramblings in Spanish for hours together, and with the enjoyment and musings we had, he guided us in improving our proficiency and pushed us to reach new heights in acquiring a language.