So this update is for my dad : ) He complained that I only update about once a week, so here is my boring mid-week update.
Monday was bible study day! A group of about 8 girls went to a park near campus and had a nice bible study for about an hour. Hope had a great bible study - "All We Like Sheep". After bible study, Bridget and I walked to Pequeno Mundo, where I bought a pillow! Yay! Oh wait, I think I updated my blog Monday. So you've already read this.... skip to Monday night.
I had planned on going to El Observatorio, which has a great salsa band on Monday nights and tons of people just go and dance (and they are amazing) but then I found out about this tropical ecology assignment. The due date was Thursday, October 16. Hmmm..... I did it Monday night anyway, and it took SUCH a long time! It was hard to find legit sources about seed dispersal patterns in 5 tropical plants. My paragraphs are not very long, and the whole assignment is barely over a page. I also worked on a presentation for my Spanish class on la salsa.
Tuesday I had class from 1-3. It was during this class that I found out we have a makeup class on Thursday (because at Veritas, every class needs to be made up, even if the professor cancelled class). So we have a makeup Thursday, 3-5 (Thursday just happens to be the day before the Spanish final and now I will be at school from 8-8, with 10 hours of class). It's funny because I used to be at the school ALL the time when I was in high school, but now 10 hours seems like sooo long. During my break between classes, I walked with Ben and Kelsey to the Auto Mercado, which is like a grocery store with a lot of extra things in it. I bought some really delicious clementines. I have already eaten like 4 of them : ) I had my class at 6, so Bridget and I ate dinner then I walked to Veritas, only to find out that this class has been cancelled. I was a) happy because I could go do homework b) upset because now we have to make class up and c) a little annoyed that I had to walk there for nothing. I met some girls in my class walking home, and we talked about the whole boots issue, which, if I haven't told you before, is the fact that my prof wants us to wear boots on our fieldtrip but no one has them or wants to buy them. So I think we might all just wear our tennis shoes (no boots at Pequeno Mundo, I checked...). So I came home and did some more work on my presentation and had a fairly nice, relaxing night.
Wednesday, today, was a good day. Wednesdays are always good, relaxing days. I gave my presentation in class, and I think it went well. I have 3 new life goals: Learn to dance the salsa (actually dance it), the bachata, and the tango (get ready for dance classes, Josh!). After class five of us went to a Chinese restaurant, Mey Bein. It is awesome! Its really cheap, and you get tons of food, including soup and a roll before and a scoop of ice cream afterward. We just hung out for awhile until Kels had to go to classes. We are big fans of riddles, so we did a couple of those and just goofed around. After lunch Hope and I decided that we were NOT going to go back to our houses and just do homework, so we went to Pequeno Mundo. Yep, third time in three days lol. This time I actually bought some clothes, though! They had some really cute tops for $5-7, so I got a couple of those. Then we walked back to mi casa (house) and were studious for awhile (she studied, I addressed a million postcards). After she left, I did some homework and ate a clementine deliciouso. Bridget and I ate dinner, then I went back to the alternating between homework and reading/relaxing. I am getting a little stressed out about my honors thesis lit review, which I need to submit in about 2 weeks (especially because I haven't heard back from my advisor about much of anything since I left the states). I am also excited for when my parents come in 2 weeks. AND I just found out today that Josh is coming! He bought his tickets today, so we will officially be celebrating our 4 year anniversary in Costa Rica : )
That's pretty much my weekdays right now... homework and school, trips to Pequeno Mundo and grabbing random fun time with friends. I am excited for next month when I don't have Spanish in the morning (because I can only take 3 months and am here for 4). I feel like I will have so much more time and will be able to volunteer at a couple of orphanages in San Jose.
Thats about it -
Pura Vida!
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Monday, January 24, 2011
Perfect Weekend!
This weekend was all about the P's! Perfect, pretty, pleasing, picturesque, precious, photographic, etc. etc.
Friday: After our four hours of Spanish class, a group of us decided to hang out at Parque de la Paz (park of peace). Most other people were going to Palmares, which is a giant festival, but 8 of us decided that 10 hours at a festival is just too long. We met and went out to lunch - we got some delicious Mexican food. We didn't eat until like 3, because we had to wait to meet up with everyone until we all found each other (having no cell phones really stinks).
After lunch, we all went to Parque de la Paz. It's this big part in the middle of San Jose with a giant hill where you can overlook the city. We had borrowed a kite from our friend, and pulled it out. There was a rod missing, so Ben rigged it up with a stick. Hope and Ben started flying the kite, but then it flew away because they thought the other had their hands on it. They ran down to rescue the kite and were trying to pull it out of the tree when a little kid came up and told them it would come down better if they cut the string, because the top would be heavier and it would just slip out. So the kid cut the string. The kite didn't fall. Then Ben had to help the little kids get something untangled from a tall tree. I thought he was going to die falling out. While this was going on, the other 6 of us (Kelsey, Bethany, Mel, Brennan, Joey, and I) were just having a great time observing and taking pics.
After we decided the kite was hopeless, we rented these sleds to slide down a giant hill. There were rutted tracks where people had slid down before, and TONS of people of all ages were doing it. It looked like so much fun, so we paid 2 dollars to rent 2 sleds for a half hour. It was so much fun! Bethany and I went down double, so we flew down the hill (check facebook for pictures). Mel and Kelsey were the moms and just took pictures, but the other 6 of us all went down a couple times.
Brennan decided that he really wanted to go ride this sketchy carnival ride. And when I say sketchy, I mean it was supported by wooden blocks, creaked almost constantly, and the man in charge had to tighten some nuts and bolts after every ride. I was in line to buy a ticket when I realized that on top of the fact that it was a little freaky and I don't ride rides that are taken apart consistently, I absolutely hate rides of this kind (like the Der Flinger at Adventureland, which I go on every year cuz its one of Mag's favorites). So then Kelsey and I just watched and took pictures (and hoped that no one died). It was a successful few minutes, as the ride stayed intact and no one died. As a celebration, we all got churros : )
After churros we walked around a gorgeous lake and decided to come back later on this semester to ride horses around the little lake. We played on a playground (teeter-totter, monkey bars, rings, swings) with some little kids. Then we all walked home and ate dinner with our families. I didn't eat because I was still full, and I didn't want to put any more pressure on Ana. She had been cooking since 2 that day to get everything ready for her trip to Venezuela to see her husband. I met her neighbor, who gave me her contact info so that if anything happened I would have someone really close to call. After dinner, the 8 of us met up again and went to see the movie Tron. It was in English with Spanish subtitles and was playing at a mall about a half hour walk from my house. It was a pretty good time, and the movie was really cheap (like all services here in CR). It was a little scary to walk through the city at midnight, but we all accompanied each other to our houses so that the boys ended up walking the few blocks home alone so that the girls wouldn't have to.
Saturday: Ana got up and made us pancakes, and we said goodbye as she left while we were gone for the day. It was pretty sad, especially because she won't see Bridget again before she leaves for Nicaragua. We got on the bus and traveled to a coffee farm, where we learned a little bit about coffee and had the opportunity to buy some bags of good Costa Rican coffee. I was a little groggy at this point, because the tour guide's voice (which was going CONSTANTLY from San Jose to the coffee farm) had lulled me to sleep. I didn't get a coffee because I am not really a fan, but I sipped my friends' and found out that I actually like Irish cream coffee.
After spending some time at Poas, we all got back in the bus and headed to La Paz waterfall garden. We didn't get there until after 1, so we ate right away in this gorgeous cafe. The pineapple was some of the best I had eaten in my life. After lunch, we walked around a mini zoo. There was a butterfly area, a bird aviary where a toucan sat on my shoulder, a frog area, a hummingbird garden where hummingbirds would fly right past my ear, a big cat area, a monkey area where I help a monkey's hand (which was a little creepy, actually), and a reptile area where I learned about the most poisonous snake in Costa Rica. It's the Fer de Lanz, which has a thermal sensor that can sense when someone is coming up to 10 feet away. However, unlike most snakes, it won't retreat - it always attacks. It's venom can kill someone in 3 hours if it's untreated. Hunting is illegal in Costa Rica, but by law people must kill a Fer de Lanz on sight because they have up to 92 babies at a time. Scary!! Hope asked a guy in the frog area a couple of questions, and he took us to this back room and showed about 5 of us a giant boa constrictor. He just reached into the cage and snagged it, and it was NOT happy. It was really cool to touch, though. He also pulled out a giant bullfrog, so that was exciting. 
Then we traveled down to the actual waterfall area. We walked around and took pictures. It was SO beautiful! Waterfalls are probably my favorite part of nature, so it was just gorgeous. If you stared at one waterfall then looked to the right at all the rocks, it would be all wavery, like a mirage. Basically, it was a great afternoon! After the waterfalls, we just got on the bus and headed back to San Jose, where Bridget and I just ate and pretty much fell into bed.
Sunday: We were at the school at 6:15 a.m. to catch the van to the Pacuare River for rafting! We drove 2 hours to get to the river then ate breakfast. We got all ready to go then jumped in the van for another 45 minute drive. During this leg of the drive, we passed a huge herd of bulls. I guess the tiny town we were passing through is known all throughout Costa Rica for having the best bulls. When we reached the river, we divided into groups of 6 and got our guides. Joey, Brennan, Hope, Kelsey, Mel and I had a guide named Monkey. He was really cool, and before we started we reviewed all the commands. There was one command, high side, that they said we never had to use, really, and they told us what to do if we got stuck under the raft, which only happens 2-3 times a year.
Rafting was just SO MUCH FUN! I had a blast the entire time! Joey bought a picture CD with action shots (check facebook) and we all look like we're posing or getting paid to look like we are having fun, because in every picture we look ecstatic. There were 2 times that we got stuck on rocks and had to use the high side command, when everyone jumps to the side of the rock so that the raft doesn't flip. One of those times when we got away from the rock we took a line through the rapids that our guide had never taken before. He didn't like that much, though.
The river was just so beautiful, and rafting was a lot of fun. I would definitely recommend it for anyone who is coming to Costa Rica. Breakfast and a picnic lunch were included, and we arrived back in San Jose at about 4:30. Everyone went to their house to shower. When I was showering, I found this random line of sunburn on my calf (because we couldn't put sunscreen everywhere otherwise we would slide out of the raft). Then Bridget and I went out and got a pizza. We devoured the whole thing, we were so hungry from rafting. After dinner, Kelsey, Hope, Ben, and Joey came over. Kelsey made some of her awesome desert and Joey taught us to play Yuker. I passed out that night, once again.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Just another day in San Jose
So it´s been a fairly normal week so far. On Tuesday, a couple friends and I walked around San Jose during our break between classes. We went to a mall and a grocery store (the first REAL grocery store we have found - all the others are just tiny little shops). We wanted to get a mcflurry, but the ice cream machine was down (yeah, nothing changes). I also went to Pequeno Mundo for the first time. It's this GIANT store that sells things for super cheap, kind of like Sams club or Costco, with boxes everywhere and pretty random stuff (but they had a lot of stuff). I bought some plastic baggies for my sandwiches : )
Wednesday after Spanish class we all went to a park and had a picnic, then just soaked up the sun for awhile until some people had to go to class. I finished a bunch of post cards, so the first wave will be going out to family soon!
Thursday (today) we got a break from our 4 hour spanish lecture classes and visited the Museum of Costa Rican art. It was pretty cute, and we had a little picnic afterwards in the garden. After classes, we visited the same mall as on Tuesday. I had a really low blood sugar, but it was reassuring because another diabetic was there, a girl who is going to be a nurse, and someone who has been dating a diabetic for 6 years. I was well taken care of. I somehow managed to misplace my watch (which I LOVED) and, after turning my room upside down for the past 3 days and having my host mom look for there, too, I finally broke down and got a new one. Its just too hard to do anything here without a watch because there are literally no clocks. Anywhere. Tonight it was just ecology class and dance class, then preparing a presentation over the art museum for tomorrow and off to bed!!
Pura Vida!
Wednesday after Spanish class we all went to a park and had a picnic, then just soaked up the sun for awhile until some people had to go to class. I finished a bunch of post cards, so the first wave will be going out to family soon!
Thursday (today) we got a break from our 4 hour spanish lecture classes and visited the Museum of Costa Rican art. It was pretty cute, and we had a little picnic afterwards in the garden. After classes, we visited the same mall as on Tuesday. I had a really low blood sugar, but it was reassuring because another diabetic was there, a girl who is going to be a nurse, and someone who has been dating a diabetic for 6 years. I was well taken care of. I somehow managed to misplace my watch (which I LOVED) and, after turning my room upside down for the past 3 days and having my host mom look for there, too, I finally broke down and got a new one. Its just too hard to do anything here without a watch because there are literally no clocks. Anywhere. Tonight it was just ecology class and dance class, then preparing a presentation over the art museum for tomorrow and off to bed!!
Pura Vida!
Monday, January 17, 2011
Fun in the Sun!
So this is going to be a giant update, because it's been almost a week. I'll give you the cliff notes version of my week.
Wednesday: Kelsey, Hope, and I had to give a presentation in our Spanish class. We ended up being the class group to go, and Hope made a comment about how she was glad that the group was so small. Then a class of about 22 Tico students walked in, got chairs, and sat through our presentation. We were SOOO nervous!! Afterward, none of them clapped or even smiled at us, which made us feel even more embarrassed. In class, we had a long discussion about why the Tico students kind of ignore us and were kind of rude. We came to the conclusion that they are probably just intimidated by us/are just shy people in general (because Veritas is primarily an art and architecture school, and they are not known for being overly outgoing). The school had the Crash Party for all the students here, Tico and International alike, in the evenign. We ate, listened to music, talked, and watched some awesome dancers. It was kind of fun, but not many people were dancing. I walked home with Kelsey, Bridget, and Brennan. We literally had to walk 20 minutes to drop Kels off because she lives so far away, but we always walk in groups at night.
Thursday: During the break between my classes, 7 of us went with Kelsey to get her nose pierced. We all walked to San Pedro mall. Hope and I were a little upset because we couldn't go in with her, but she did fine. She came out and her nose wasn't red at all. She talked to the piercing guy about how to clean it then walked over to us. She looked at us and said, "I feel a little dizzy." Then she started to sway and her legs buckled. Luckily Hope and Ben caught her and moved her over to a bench. She couldn't hear us when we told her to sit down, but we finally got her to. The piercing guy ran into the store and brought out some sugar for her to eat and some alcohol to sniff to wake her up. Everyone was really worried, but 5 minutes later she was fine. She didn't really remember anything, though. Just to be safe we got her some ice cream (and maybe some for ourselves).
Friday: Had a midterm exam in my Spanish class. I think it went well... after class it was trip time! We loaded the bus for Puerto Viejo, on the Caribbean Coast, at about 1. We had been told it would rain all weekend, so we packed a little for that. We stopped at a rest stop to grab a snack and use the rest room about halfway through. Then we got stuck in traffic behind an accident. We literally did not move even a mile for 3-4 hours. We were on the bus for around 9 hours that day.... Then when the bus did start moving, some girls had fallen asleep across their seats (because everyone had stood up to stretch and talk with other people when we were stopped) so I didn't have a seat. I had to smoosh in with 2 other girls, and one guy stood the entire second half of the ride. When we got to Puerto Viejo, it was dark and rainy. We were a little scared, not going to lie. It just looked shady in the dark. It was about 9:30, so we grabbed some cena (dinner) and went back to the hotel and talked before going to bed.
Monday: Whew, almost caught up. Today Spanish class dragged on and on. We "learned" aka reviewed, the future tense for 3 1/2 hours. That's just a little too much for our brains to handle. But then, get excited, we had our first girls bible study! It was a lot of fun to talk/hear about people's life stories and our spiritual journeys. We talked about what we wanted out of a bible study and we all wrote down prayer requests, and one girl prays for another the rest of that week. We are going to meet every Monday for lunch and girls bible study. A random guy came up to us and complimented us on what we were doing. He is here from Texas and teaching some classes, but he is also doing research on what the best way would be to start a church down here for indigenous people. It was kind of interesting that we were all there at the same time, and I hope we can help him. I'm just really excited because it will be some good Christian fellowship and will help us all learn from each other and grow together.
That's all for now! This should be a fun week (I won't wait this long to update again) and this weekend brings a trip to Poas volcano on Saturday and white water rafting on Sunday!
Pura Vida!
Wednesday: Kelsey, Hope, and I had to give a presentation in our Spanish class. We ended up being the class group to go, and Hope made a comment about how she was glad that the group was so small. Then a class of about 22 Tico students walked in, got chairs, and sat through our presentation. We were SOOO nervous!! Afterward, none of them clapped or even smiled at us, which made us feel even more embarrassed. In class, we had a long discussion about why the Tico students kind of ignore us and were kind of rude. We came to the conclusion that they are probably just intimidated by us/are just shy people in general (because Veritas is primarily an art and architecture school, and they are not known for being overly outgoing). The school had the Crash Party for all the students here, Tico and International alike, in the evenign. We ate, listened to music, talked, and watched some awesome dancers. It was kind of fun, but not many people were dancing. I walked home with Kelsey, Bridget, and Brennan. We literally had to walk 20 minutes to drop Kels off because she lives so far away, but we always walk in groups at night.
Thursday: During the break between my classes, 7 of us went with Kelsey to get her nose pierced. We all walked to San Pedro mall. Hope and I were a little upset because we couldn't go in with her, but she did fine. She came out and her nose wasn't red at all. She talked to the piercing guy about how to clean it then walked over to us. She looked at us and said, "I feel a little dizzy." Then she started to sway and her legs buckled. Luckily Hope and Ben caught her and moved her over to a bench. She couldn't hear us when we told her to sit down, but we finally got her to. The piercing guy ran into the store and brought out some sugar for her to eat and some alcohol to sniff to wake her up. Everyone was really worried, but 5 minutes later she was fine. She didn't really remember anything, though. Just to be safe we got her some ice cream (and maybe some for ourselves).
Friday: Had a midterm exam in my Spanish class. I think it went well... after class it was trip time! We loaded the bus for Puerto Viejo, on the Caribbean Coast, at about 1. We had been told it would rain all weekend, so we packed a little for that. We stopped at a rest stop to grab a snack and use the rest room about halfway through. Then we got stuck in traffic behind an accident. We literally did not move even a mile for 3-4 hours. We were on the bus for around 9 hours that day.... Then when the bus did start moving, some girls had fallen asleep across their seats (because everyone had stood up to stretch and talk with other people when we were stopped) so I didn't have a seat. I had to smoosh in with 2 other girls, and one guy stood the entire second half of the ride. When we got to Puerto Viejo, it was dark and rainy. We were a little scared, not going to lie. It just looked shady in the dark. It was about 9:30, so we grabbed some cena (dinner) and went back to the hotel and talked before going to bed.
Saturday: We woke up and it was POURING. I heard it when I was sleeping, and I thought someone was taking a shower. So we had to go out in the rain and find this restaurant where we were eating breakfast. Then we went back to the hotel and got ready to go to a cacoa farm, where and indigenous woman and her daughter make organic chocolate, cocoa butter, spices, and other things. She took us through the process of making chocolate, and also told us about the indigenous way of life. Random fact: When the Bre-Bre women were pregnant, they couldn't be touched because the baby was pure. When it came time for them to give birth, they would go into the jungle (yep, where there were giant snakes and jaguars) to a banana hut that they had made and give birth. All alone. In the middle of the jungle. With jaguars. And snakes. And stay there for weeks until the shaman would come to perform a cleansing ritual. WOW! After we hung out there for awhile, we drove back to Puerto Viejo (stopping to take pics of a sloth in a tree). We grabbed some lunch and walked around on the beach, where there was black sand. It was way cool. We also picked coconuts and smashed them against a tree, then drank the coconut water. Some random creepy guy came up to us and wanted pictures of him with the three blondies. At first I thought he was offering to take a picture of all of us girls, then he pulled out his camera and looked confusidely at us. It was weird.... After the beach, we showered and got dinner, then found a great crepe place for dessert. It was SO delicious! We walked on the beach, talked, and just hung out that night.
Sunday: It's sunny today! We spent time at another beach near Puerto Viejo. It was fun, but there wasn't much room to swim because the rip tides were so strong that most of the beach was sectioned off. Some of the boys tried to surf, but it was so much harder than at Tamarindo. We were there all morning, then returned to the hotel, rinsed off, grabbed some EXCELLENT Jamaican food and some delicioso organic helado (ice cream). Then we rode the bus home. I talked with Ana a little after I got home, and skyped people for awhile.
Monday: Whew, almost caught up. Today Spanish class dragged on and on. We "learned" aka reviewed, the future tense for 3 1/2 hours. That's just a little too much for our brains to handle. But then, get excited, we had our first girls bible study! It was a lot of fun to talk/hear about people's life stories and our spiritual journeys. We talked about what we wanted out of a bible study and we all wrote down prayer requests, and one girl prays for another the rest of that week. We are going to meet every Monday for lunch and girls bible study. A random guy came up to us and complimented us on what we were doing. He is here from Texas and teaching some classes, but he is also doing research on what the best way would be to start a church down here for indigenous people. It was kind of interesting that we were all there at the same time, and I hope we can help him. I'm just really excited because it will be some good Christian fellowship and will help us all learn from each other and grow together.
That's all for now! This should be a fun week (I won't wait this long to update again) and this weekend brings a trip to Poas volcano on Saturday and white water rafting on Sunday!
Pura Vida!
Friday, January 14, 2011
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Random Update
So there isnt really anything special going on right now, my class was just cancelled for some reason so I am using the time to update everyone : )
Update 1: My face is peeling all over. I went to the store and bought aloe lotion yesterday, but it was just too burnt. I feel like I have to get burnt before I can get tan lol. I also bought sunscreen and bugspray, so I have learned my lesson and will 1) reapply sunscreen every hour (or less) and 2) wear bugspray, even on the beach
Update 2: I miss everyone at home! It seems like I have been here a lot longer than a week just because I am getting familiar with everything here and am in a routine. It also helps that this weekend was some serious bonding time, so I met a lot of great people who are now friends : ) Some of us girls are going to start meeting once a week to have a little bible study, probably over lunch on Mondays. I'm looking forward to spending time during the weekends really getting to know and hang out with people like we can't really do during the week because of crazy class schedules. And while it seems like forever since I got here, I know its only the beginning and I will miss people a lot more as time goes on. Skype helps a lot (add me if you haven't - racheltish) because I get to actually see the people I'm talking to, and its nice to be able to talk to my whole family at once. It kind of seems different here, though. Like I am in another world and separate from my life at home. It's very strange, and I'm not sure if thats just me talking or if its fairly common.
Update 3: I am adored here. Yesterday 2 girls in my spanish class and I went to a museum downtown for a class project. Twice while we were walking around, random men came up to us and told us we were beautiful, they loved us, thanked us for our beauty, etc. and that's not that strange down here - everyone loves blonde american girls for some reason. People are always honking their horns at us as they drive by and making catcalls on the streets, which is actually a really common occurrence here. Women from Latin America get depressed in the U.S. because it doesn't happen and they feel like no one notices them. Anyway, we were stared at a lot as we explored downtown and the craft market a little yesterday, and apparently a couple of our guy friends got hit on by prostitutes, so everyone just loves Americans, I guess (or they looked easy to rip off). Downtown was fun, and we felt so proud of ourselves for finding everything and taking the right bus back and such. We're getting more and more streetsmart!
Update 4: This weekend we were talking a lot about things from home but also about our experience here. It's nice to have other exchange students to talk about this stuff with, and my group of friends definitely likes to talk! So we ask each other lots of questions, and two of the questions I thought I'd share with you.
Q1: What has been the hardest thing to get used to here?
A: I think almost everyone said that it's the bathroom system here. In a lot of houses, people can't put used toilet paper in the toilet because they say it will clog the pipe systems because the pipes aren't very big (but that doesn't make sense, because then certain other things would be too big. I don't know, that's just what they tell us). Luckily, my host mom doesn't have that rule, so it's not too bad. The other thing about the bathrooms is the showers. In the U.S., everyone has water heaters, but here it's not like that. For one, the only hot water is in the shower. There's not hot water to the sinks in the bathrooms or the kitchen, or probably the washer (I don't know, I don't do laundry). The showers are warmed through an electric system on the shower heads. These little things on top of the shower create an electric current that heats the water (and yes, sometimes there are sparks but I have been assured that it's safe). The stronger the stream of water is, though, the less the current can heat up the water so the colder it is. Therefore, you either get pressure or heat, not both. I am also lucky because the hot water in our shower has fairly good pressure (meaning its more than the trickle most people have). Some people have still been unable to figure out how to take a hot shower, though! Although we all have problems with the bathroom, it's a pretty small issue compared to things that could be going wrong, so that's good.
Q2: What has most impressed you about Costa Rica so far?
A: This is my answer, but since it's my blog I figure you all are interested. I think the people here are most impressive. Everyone is really friendly and helpful. I feel like in the United States, people can be really egocentric. If someone is speaking English but they are having a hard time and speak with a heavy accent, I think a lot of people get annoyed that the person doesn't know English very well and is wasting our time. Here, though, it's totally different. Everyone is really supportive of people who are learning Spanish, and people are always complimenting us students even though we know we're no where close to fluent. The security guard at my apartment complex always says how we're so good at Spanish, even if I make a couple of blatant mistakes. They are just really supportive and caring about everyone, whether that be their very close knit families or strangers to their country. It's really refreshing to see and I am very happy that I get to interact with at least some Ticos (what Costa Ricans call themselves) every day!
Update 1: My face is peeling all over. I went to the store and bought aloe lotion yesterday, but it was just too burnt. I feel like I have to get burnt before I can get tan lol. I also bought sunscreen and bugspray, so I have learned my lesson and will 1) reapply sunscreen every hour (or less) and 2) wear bugspray, even on the beach
Update 2: I miss everyone at home! It seems like I have been here a lot longer than a week just because I am getting familiar with everything here and am in a routine. It also helps that this weekend was some serious bonding time, so I met a lot of great people who are now friends : ) Some of us girls are going to start meeting once a week to have a little bible study, probably over lunch on Mondays. I'm looking forward to spending time during the weekends really getting to know and hang out with people like we can't really do during the week because of crazy class schedules. And while it seems like forever since I got here, I know its only the beginning and I will miss people a lot more as time goes on. Skype helps a lot (add me if you haven't - racheltish) because I get to actually see the people I'm talking to, and its nice to be able to talk to my whole family at once. It kind of seems different here, though. Like I am in another world and separate from my life at home. It's very strange, and I'm not sure if thats just me talking or if its fairly common.
Update 3: I am adored here. Yesterday 2 girls in my spanish class and I went to a museum downtown for a class project. Twice while we were walking around, random men came up to us and told us we were beautiful, they loved us, thanked us for our beauty, etc. and that's not that strange down here - everyone loves blonde american girls for some reason. People are always honking their horns at us as they drive by and making catcalls on the streets, which is actually a really common occurrence here. Women from Latin America get depressed in the U.S. because it doesn't happen and they feel like no one notices them. Anyway, we were stared at a lot as we explored downtown and the craft market a little yesterday, and apparently a couple of our guy friends got hit on by prostitutes, so everyone just loves Americans, I guess (or they looked easy to rip off). Downtown was fun, and we felt so proud of ourselves for finding everything and taking the right bus back and such. We're getting more and more streetsmart!
Update 4: This weekend we were talking a lot about things from home but also about our experience here. It's nice to have other exchange students to talk about this stuff with, and my group of friends definitely likes to talk! So we ask each other lots of questions, and two of the questions I thought I'd share with you.
Q1: What has been the hardest thing to get used to here?
A: I think almost everyone said that it's the bathroom system here. In a lot of houses, people can't put used toilet paper in the toilet because they say it will clog the pipe systems because the pipes aren't very big (but that doesn't make sense, because then certain other things would be too big. I don't know, that's just what they tell us). Luckily, my host mom doesn't have that rule, so it's not too bad. The other thing about the bathrooms is the showers. In the U.S., everyone has water heaters, but here it's not like that. For one, the only hot water is in the shower. There's not hot water to the sinks in the bathrooms or the kitchen, or probably the washer (I don't know, I don't do laundry). The showers are warmed through an electric system on the shower heads. These little things on top of the shower create an electric current that heats the water (and yes, sometimes there are sparks but I have been assured that it's safe). The stronger the stream of water is, though, the less the current can heat up the water so the colder it is. Therefore, you either get pressure or heat, not both. I am also lucky because the hot water in our shower has fairly good pressure (meaning its more than the trickle most people have). Some people have still been unable to figure out how to take a hot shower, though! Although we all have problems with the bathroom, it's a pretty small issue compared to things that could be going wrong, so that's good.
Q2: What has most impressed you about Costa Rica so far?
A: This is my answer, but since it's my blog I figure you all are interested. I think the people here are most impressive. Everyone is really friendly and helpful. I feel like in the United States, people can be really egocentric. If someone is speaking English but they are having a hard time and speak with a heavy accent, I think a lot of people get annoyed that the person doesn't know English very well and is wasting our time. Here, though, it's totally different. Everyone is really supportive of people who are learning Spanish, and people are always complimenting us students even though we know we're no where close to fluent. The security guard at my apartment complex always says how we're so good at Spanish, even if I make a couple of blatant mistakes. They are just really supportive and caring about everyone, whether that be their very close knit families or strangers to their country. It's really refreshing to see and I am very happy that I get to interact with at least some Ticos (what Costa Ricans call themselves) every day!
Sunday, January 9, 2011
El Fin de Semana!!
So we just got back from Tamarindo Beach. It was so great!! We left at like 1 (after classes) on Friday and drove until about 730. We walked around on the beach, got Venezuelan food and a fruit smoothie, and went dancing! I was a little disappointed because the club played American music. I was really looking forward to practicing some of my salsa and meringue moves. I only paid 4 dollars to get into the bar, though, and got 2 free drinks with it, so that was pretty cool. The club was a little too crowded and the guys were a little too grabby for me, but it was still a lot of fun.
I spent almost all of Saturday on the beach. I swam, laid out, and walked around. A couple of other girls and I also explored some little shops and went surfing! Thanks to my lesson in Hawaii with Sparky, I stood up pretty easily : ) Some girls rented 2 boards for the day for $15, so when they went to get lunch they just let us borrow them. It was a lot of fun. We swam in the pool in the afternoon, then got ready for dinner. We (5 of us girls) watched the sunset on the beach then met up with some guys and went out to dinner in a big group. I got some delicious mahi mahi, but the service wasn't the greatest. It was a lot of fun to get to know so many new people, though. After dinner we got some ice cream and walked around on the beach. We made a bonfire out of dried leaves and some branches we found (plus a lot of paper to catch it). We went back to the pool and hung out and talked and played word games until we went to bed.
Sunday was a relaxing day of looking at shops. I bought a couple cute souvenirs and (of course) another smoothie. I literally had 4 of those things this weekend. We swam in the hotel pool a little then got on the bus for the 7 hour ride home! I was SOOOO burnt when I got home. Luckily, my Tica mama has an aloe plant and she rubbed some of the juice on my shoulders and face, so its not burning now. Now Skyping people, homework, and to bed!
I spent almost all of Saturday on the beach. I swam, laid out, and walked around. A couple of other girls and I also explored some little shops and went surfing! Thanks to my lesson in Hawaii with Sparky, I stood up pretty easily : ) Some girls rented 2 boards for the day for $15, so when they went to get lunch they just let us borrow them. It was a lot of fun. We swam in the pool in the afternoon, then got ready for dinner. We (5 of us girls) watched the sunset on the beach then met up with some guys and went out to dinner in a big group. I got some delicious mahi mahi, but the service wasn't the greatest. It was a lot of fun to get to know so many new people, though. After dinner we got some ice cream and walked around on the beach. We made a bonfire out of dried leaves and some branches we found (plus a lot of paper to catch it). We went back to the pool and hung out and talked and played word games until we went to bed.
Sunday was a relaxing day of looking at shops. I bought a couple cute souvenirs and (of course) another smoothie. I literally had 4 of those things this weekend. We swam in the hotel pool a little then got on the bus for the 7 hour ride home! I was SOOOO burnt when I got home. Luckily, my Tica mama has an aloe plant and she rubbed some of the juice on my shoulders and face, so its not burning now. Now Skyping people, homework, and to bed!
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Whoa!
So today was the first real day of classes. I was stressing out over being in Intermedio 2, but it turns out that everyone is about at my level so they actually did a really good job placing me. The four hours of Spanish went by pretty quickly, actually. Its a class of 8 people. Then my two electives were today (Intercultural Communication and Tropical Ecology). They went great, also! My comm teacher is SOO cool, and the class is like all participation (perfect for me!). This evening I went to my Ecology class. I wasnt sure if I was going to be able to take this class because there are field trips and I didnt want to be on a field trip when my parents were going to be here. Luckily, the first field trip is the weekend before they come and the second is the weekend after they leave. PERFECT!! Then I met this other girl named Rachel who is in both my elective classes, and we decided to take February off and volunteer. I was going to do that in March, but I it would be better in February when my family is here. So no Spanish class in February, only elective classes and volunteering. Everything is working out perfectly!!!
After my ecology class I went to a free dance class. We learned the meringue and the basics of the salsa. Bridget, Rachel, and I are planning on going out dancing tomorrow night to practice our new skills (surprisingly, the university encourages us to go out and experience Costa Rican nightlife, and our dance instructor gave us homework to go out to the clubs and practice. No problem there!!) My Tuesdays and Thursdays are pretty packed full, so I'll have a fairly open afternoon tomorrow (just conversation club from 1-3) and then a full day Thursday. But then I'm leaving Friday at 1 for the beach! What a great day...
After my ecology class I went to a free dance class. We learned the meringue and the basics of the salsa. Bridget, Rachel, and I are planning on going out dancing tomorrow night to practice our new skills (surprisingly, the university encourages us to go out and experience Costa Rican nightlife, and our dance instructor gave us homework to go out to the clubs and practice. No problem there!!) My Tuesdays and Thursdays are pretty packed full, so I'll have a fairly open afternoon tomorrow (just conversation club from 1-3) and then a full day Thursday. But then I'm leaving Friday at 1 for the beach! What a great day...
Monday, January 3, 2011
First Day of School!!
Today was orientation at Universidad Veritas. There was a TON of information, but I will give you all the highlights. The university is for architecture/art students and international students. I met a bunch of the international students today, as well as met up with Kylie (from UNI - Bridget came yesterday and we walked to school together).
The highlights of the day are this: We get to go on an excursion every weekend in January. The first is to the Pacific Coast (so I will be on a beach in 4 days!!!). The second is to the Caribbean Coast to a beach there (hopefully I wont get malaria). The third is to the volcano Poas and a coffee plantation. All are included. There is also a fourth trip that is optional. Im not sure if I will go on it because its to the same place where I will go with my family when they come in February (Arenal and Monteverde). It's all very exciting, though.
There was a problem with my classes. I wanted to take Spanish every day while I am here, and then 2 elective classes in the afternoon January - March (then Spanish only in April). Well, I can only take 5 classes while I am here. So that means I can take the 2 electives i signed up for (intercultural communication and tropical ecology) and only take Spanish 3 months while I am here. If I do that, I can take March off and volunteer every morning that month with Kylie (thats a possibility right now, neither of us know what to do) or I can not take classes in February when my family comes because I can only miss 1 day of Spanish class the ENTIRE month, otherwise I FAIL! When my family comes, I HAVE to miss a day. So there's a pickle. Another pickle is that I took the placement exam online and received a level of Basico 1, which I knew was wrong because it is the most basic class here. Well, everyone assured me that it would be corrected when I took my oral exam, which happened today. It was fixed: they placed me in intermediate 2. The only other person who I know that is in my class is an Italian girl who is SUPER nice but speaks Spanish very very very well. I am a little nervous about that... My host mom thinks I will be OK in that class, and I can always ask to go down a level if I think it's too hard for me when I go tomorrow. As for the electives, I am going to go to both of them tomorrow and then decide what to do (because I have to know by Friday...AHHHH!!!!)
Other than classes, I walked around San Jose a little with Bridget and Kylie. We originally walked to a big mall about a mile from the school with a large group of people, but then walked to a grocery store. Except I had very few Collones because I didnt have my passport, which I needed to exchange money at a bank. So Bridget and I are going tomorrow afternoon.
So today has been a VERY long and exciting/stressful day. I am hoping to go to bed early and then wake up refreshed with a brain ready to take on intermedio 2! And I am really looked forward to la playa (the beach) in 4 days!!! Take that, below freezing Iowa weather!
The highlights of the day are this: We get to go on an excursion every weekend in January. The first is to the Pacific Coast (so I will be on a beach in 4 days!!!). The second is to the Caribbean Coast to a beach there (hopefully I wont get malaria). The third is to the volcano Poas and a coffee plantation. All are included. There is also a fourth trip that is optional. Im not sure if I will go on it because its to the same place where I will go with my family when they come in February (Arenal and Monteverde). It's all very exciting, though.
There was a problem with my classes. I wanted to take Spanish every day while I am here, and then 2 elective classes in the afternoon January - March (then Spanish only in April). Well, I can only take 5 classes while I am here. So that means I can take the 2 electives i signed up for (intercultural communication and tropical ecology) and only take Spanish 3 months while I am here. If I do that, I can take March off and volunteer every morning that month with Kylie (thats a possibility right now, neither of us know what to do) or I can not take classes in February when my family comes because I can only miss 1 day of Spanish class the ENTIRE month, otherwise I FAIL! When my family comes, I HAVE to miss a day. So there's a pickle. Another pickle is that I took the placement exam online and received a level of Basico 1, which I knew was wrong because it is the most basic class here. Well, everyone assured me that it would be corrected when I took my oral exam, which happened today. It was fixed: they placed me in intermediate 2. The only other person who I know that is in my class is an Italian girl who is SUPER nice but speaks Spanish very very very well. I am a little nervous about that... My host mom thinks I will be OK in that class, and I can always ask to go down a level if I think it's too hard for me when I go tomorrow. As for the electives, I am going to go to both of them tomorrow and then decide what to do (because I have to know by Friday...AHHHH!!!!)
Other than classes, I walked around San Jose a little with Bridget and Kylie. We originally walked to a big mall about a mile from the school with a large group of people, but then walked to a grocery store. Except I had very few Collones because I didnt have my passport, which I needed to exchange money at a bank. So Bridget and I are going tomorrow afternoon.
So today has been a VERY long and exciting/stressful day. I am hoping to go to bed early and then wake up refreshed with a brain ready to take on intermedio 2! And I am really looked forward to la playa (the beach) in 4 days!!! Take that, below freezing Iowa weather!
Saturday, January 1, 2011
First Few Days
So today is the second day in Costa Rica. So far I haven't done much. I went to bed at 7 p.m. last night. Yeah, I know, I am a nerd. I could barely keep my eyes open though. I did wake up when fireworks started going off at midnight, so I watched those out my window for about 20 minutes. It was really cool because from my one window I could see about 6 difference places where they were going off, so 6 different sets of fireworks. I kind of regretted that I didn't stay up and go to the fireworks, but then my eyes started glazing over and I realized I would never have made it lol.
Other than sleeping I've just been hanging around the house, and Ana has taken me walking around the barrio (the neighborhood) a couple of times. She showed me a couple of minis (little supermarkets) and introduced me to a lot of her friends, neighbors, and family. Her mom and three of her siblings live in the same apartment building a couple of blocks away, so we went there and she introduced all of us. Ana is very nice. She has 3 kids and 5 grandkids. Her daughter is married to an English man and lives in Ohio with their 3 daughters. Her eldest son is married and has 2 daughters. They live by the airport in San Jose (about 40 minutes away). Her other son lives in San Jose and occasionally comes and stays with her, but has his own apartment. She has been married 2 and lived in Venezuela for like 12 years. Now she goes to the states to visit her grandkids for 6 months at a time and lives in CR the rest of the time with students from the university. She has had one or two students living with her for the past 10 years!
We have mostly been walking around to show me things, like today we went to the university so she could show me how to get there. It takes about 10 minutes or less to walk there. Then we walked to a big mall. Everything was closed for the holiday (New Years is a bigger deal here). But walked around and looked in the windows and we got helado (ice cream). I got my first Costa Rican money as change! When we walk we talk about all sorts of things, so I am practicing my Spanish that way. We talk about a lot of things: both our lives, things around us, Costa Rica, prices of things (everything here is cheaper than the U.S., except clothes). This afternoon we have just been relaxing at the house. Ana went outside to read but all her neighbors keep coming by and talking to her. Whenever we are walking, we see lots of her friends that she stops and talks to. Also, her phone has been ringing a lot all day because people are calling to wish her Feliz Ano (Happy New Years). People here are very friendly and like to visit a lot.
I haven't noticed a TON of differences between here and the U.S., but I already have noticed some. One is that they don't take care of public property the same as the U.S. does. The sidewalks are cracked and dogs can do their duty just about anywhere. There aren't as many cars here, though Ana tells me thats just because most people spend New Year's weekend at la playa (the beach). People here are extremely friendly and talk a lot, more than the U.S. I think. They don't need as much space (all the apartments and houses are smaller, but that might be because land is so expensive - no one has yards) and they live much more simply than we do. Not as much junk.
We have just been relaxing all day - I reading my Kindle (it was a great investment, thanks Santa!) and Ana talking or watching TV. Thats all the updates I have for now!
Pura Vida!
Other than sleeping I've just been hanging around the house, and Ana has taken me walking around the barrio (the neighborhood) a couple of times. She showed me a couple of minis (little supermarkets) and introduced me to a lot of her friends, neighbors, and family. Her mom and three of her siblings live in the same apartment building a couple of blocks away, so we went there and she introduced all of us. Ana is very nice. She has 3 kids and 5 grandkids. Her daughter is married to an English man and lives in Ohio with their 3 daughters. Her eldest son is married and has 2 daughters. They live by the airport in San Jose (about 40 minutes away). Her other son lives in San Jose and occasionally comes and stays with her, but has his own apartment. She has been married 2 and lived in Venezuela for like 12 years. Now she goes to the states to visit her grandkids for 6 months at a time and lives in CR the rest of the time with students from the university. She has had one or two students living with her for the past 10 years!
We have mostly been walking around to show me things, like today we went to the university so she could show me how to get there. It takes about 10 minutes or less to walk there. Then we walked to a big mall. Everything was closed for the holiday (New Years is a bigger deal here). But walked around and looked in the windows and we got helado (ice cream). I got my first Costa Rican money as change! When we walk we talk about all sorts of things, so I am practicing my Spanish that way. We talk about a lot of things: both our lives, things around us, Costa Rica, prices of things (everything here is cheaper than the U.S., except clothes). This afternoon we have just been relaxing at the house. Ana went outside to read but all her neighbors keep coming by and talking to her. Whenever we are walking, we see lots of her friends that she stops and talks to. Also, her phone has been ringing a lot all day because people are calling to wish her Feliz Ano (Happy New Years). People here are very friendly and like to visit a lot.
I haven't noticed a TON of differences between here and the U.S., but I already have noticed some. One is that they don't take care of public property the same as the U.S. does. The sidewalks are cracked and dogs can do their duty just about anywhere. There aren't as many cars here, though Ana tells me thats just because most people spend New Year's weekend at la playa (the beach). People here are extremely friendly and talk a lot, more than the U.S. I think. They don't need as much space (all the apartments and houses are smaller, but that might be because land is so expensive - no one has yards) and they live much more simply than we do. Not as much junk.
We have just been relaxing all day - I reading my Kindle (it was a great investment, thanks Santa!) and Ana talking or watching TV. Thats all the updates I have for now!
Pura Vida!
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