Low Key Day; Not Very Exciting

     So today was a pretty low key day.  We were "allowed" to sleep in since we didn't have to meet until 9:30.  Of course, I still woke up at the crack of dawn.  I had pretty much the same thing for breakfast as yesterday with the addition of waffles.  I had wanted to try the passion fruit but forgot. 
     We had 4 guest speakers today, 2 before lunch and 2 after.  Vanessa Gibson was the first speaker.  She talked to us about Costa Rica as a travel destination.  She works for CINDE, an investment promotion agency of Costa Rica.  CINDE was founded in 1982, and they attract hitech related investments.  Tourism generated $2 billion in foreign exchange representing 25% of the country's total exports.  There are 9 regions in CR, with each region having something different to offer.       Roberto Morales was the second speaker.  He talked about world tourism.  People are starting to travel more and take ecotrips rather than the traditional sun/sea/sand vacations.  Travel and tourism was responsible for 12% employment.  CR travel is very dependent on the United States.  We make up the majority of their tourists.  In 1984, CR tourism really started to take off.  They received a Nobel Prize in ecotourism which allowed them to receive about $30-40 million in free advertising.
     We took a break for lunch where we had a nice little dinner.  First we were served tomato soup.  Then we had salad, heart of palm, potatoes, and chicken or fish.  Dessert was a really sweet dessert that tasted like condensed milk.  It was so sweet that I only ate the white part off the top.  Then it was back to lecture time. 
     Carlos Beer was the third speaker.  He talked to us about trade promotion management.  He works for an export agency of CR, PROCOMER, which is a public institution in charge of all CR exports.  It provides tools to position CR goods in the international markets through international trade fairs, export and buyer missions, business agendas, etc.  Fun fact, about 50,000 people come per year from the US for medical procedures.  PROCOMER helps companies in the internationalization process through information, training, diagnosis, advising, procedures, and programs and services.  The sectors consist of agriculture, food, industrial, and service sector.  They have 12 offices around the world.   Most of the offices consist of two people.  There are 5 regional offices in CR. 
     The last speaker talked to us about research coordination with academic programs among Central America.  Central America has 7 countries, 41 million people, with 46% poverty in 2010.  It has gone through 5 transitional processes: war to peace, authoritarian to democracy, ISI to open economics, rural to urban, and pyramidal to rhomboidal (whatever that is).  The main challenged that Central Americans face are demographic transition pressures future development, migration that drains societies in the long term, region highly vulnerable to climate, high and persistent social exclusions and weak instruments for social inclusion, weak infrastructural capabilities of states, hybrid political regimen and democratic backwards, and worst prediction for the isthmus did not materialize.
     So that pretty much sums up my long, long, long day of guest speakers.  I think the most exciting part of today happened while I was procrastinating and not writing this blog.  I was scrolling through my newsfeed on Facebook in the lobby of the hotel when this random man walks by and stops.  He starts talking in Spanish, so of course, I look at him in a super confused way. I say, "English".  He asked if I speak Spanish and say no.  He then proceeds to ask if we can be FB friends. -_-  He attempts to search for himself but his name doesn't pop up so he proceeds to look up his company and sends a friend request from my FB.  So now, I'm going to have a random man from Spain as a FB friend. 
    And this is why I never leave my hotel room.