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When I travel I try to take as many pictures as possible so that I have something to remember the area by and to share my experience with others but there is something I discovered Costa Rica that you can't really capture with a camera. Costa Ricans, also called "Tico's," live their life according to the phrase "pura vida," meaning "pure life" or "nothing but life." This phrase was used in almost every conversation and had meanings varying from a comfortable greeting, a friendly goodbye, a toast, and was even sometimes used to say "life happens" when something didn't go as expected. This was exemplified by the locals of La Fortuna both vocally and actively every day of my one week trip in the volcanic city. The first time I noticed this was before I even arrived in La Fortuna and was still taking the 3 hour drive from San Jose Airport. We were making our way up the hills, through the dense fog and had noticed a vehicle stuck on the side of the rode that needed to be towed since the wheel was hanging off the edge of the cliff. Without hesitation, our driver proceeded to stop his car and grab the ropes from the trunk to help pull this driver to safety. In most countries you would expect people to just drive by or call the authorities, but here in Costa Rica when "life happens," you make sure to help others because it ends up being a much easier and quicker solution to the problem. My friends and I in the van were pleasantly surprised to see how caring the locals of Costa Rica are to each other and they are just as caring to the visitors as well. Even when I arrived at our hotel and realized I did not have change for my US cash, without even asking, the manager offered to drive to the bank and get change for me. The true kindness of these people really warmed my heart and reminded me that not everyone is selfish and self-motivated. The Tico's I met held such a high respect for others and more importantly held the highest respect for the environment around them. In an age of so much pollution, carelessness, and irresponsibility for natural resources, Costa Rica showed the right way things should be done in terms of caring for the environment. Costa Rican's have truly taken advantage of solar power and hydro resources to help reduce their impact on the environment and to remain sustainable and eco-friendly. I wish I could show you how important all the animals, plants, rivers, volcanoes, springs, and hills were to the Costa Rican's and how much they respect them as well as each other but the way of life of Tico's cannot be captured in a single photo, it must be experienced in person.