Manuel Antonio

What I'm doing: Sorry I am so behind on blog posts! Life gets crazy sometimes, though. :) This will be a quick post about last weekend in Manuel Antonio. Later I will post about this past weekend, which was even better!

Friday (10/5/12) we left in the afternoon. We rented a van to take us to Manuel Antonio, and the driver was very nice. It cost around $20 for the van for each of us, which was only a little more money than if we took the public bus. We were singing along to country songs and having a great time. My host brother told me about a crocodile bridge that we should stop by on the way. People feed the crocodiles, so they hang out under the bridge. I have never seen them in the wild, and it was kind of scary! But a very neat experience.

Friday night we wanted to celebrate Mariah's birthday. One of our friends had told us to go to Bamboo Jam, a restaurant and bar. We all got dressed up and called a taxi, when the driver told us that Bamboo Jam was closed...we were disappointed. He took us to Mar Luna instead, which was a really pretty place with cute lights and yummy food. I got a hamburger, and we all took lots of pictures in our dressed up outfits. We went to a club/disco. It was ladies night so we got in for free and had free drinks! We were the only ones in the whole place, so it was really fun dancing and singing in our group. We had to take a taxi back to the hostel, and the taxi drivers lied to us and charged us more than necesssary...which was sad. But we learned our lesson. :)

Saturday (10/6/12) we got up and ate breakfast at the hostel. We thought it was going to be a fruit breakfast, and it ended up being bread. That's it. Just bread. We paid $2 more a night for...only bread. But that's okay, another lesson learned. As we were eating, one of the guys that works at the hostel came out to the main room. Not only was he not wearing a shirt and rocking a belly shirt, but he also was still drunk and wearing sunglasses. He asked us what we were doing for the day and we said that we wanted to go parasailing and to the beach. He called someone and told us how much money it would be. Then he proceeded to tell us that he was going to come with us to the beach... At that point we grabbed our stuff and ran to the bus stop.

We got to the park, which cost $10. I was wearing a maxi dress, which was a huge mistake. It was SO hot, and we had to walk for 15 minutes in the park before we actually got to the beach. But when we got there, it was complete paradise. The water was so blue, and the sand was pretty and white.We floated in the water and walked around the beach area. I got to see a huge iguana, which was neat! I also found some beach glass to bring home with me.

After the beach we went to el Avion for lunch. It is a giant airplane! The food was SO yummy. It was American food, which I have been missing. I had fried calamari and a ceaser salad. I shared apple pie with warm ice cream for dessert. Incredible food. The inside of the plane is a bar, which we did not eat in. But it was incredible to see the plane!

After lunch we just went back to the hostel and stayed there all night. I took a nap, showered, and then we studied for history test. We ordered pizza in the hostel and had a nice night there.

On Sunday (10/7/12) Rachel, Mariah and I went parasailing! The day earlier, as we were waiting for the bus to go home, when a guy approached us and asked if we were staying in Pura Vida Hostel. He was the contact person that our drunk friend earlier had called. He said we needed to pay $10 each for a deposit, and return the next day to actually parasail. I felt a little uneasy about the whole thing, but I really wanted to parasail. So we did. On Sunday we went back and found our same friend. He brought us to Charlie, a guy with dreads who was going to help us. We did not see any boat in sight, nor any parachute. I was starting to get worried but Charlie told us to wait in some lawn chairs on the beach. Finally another guy showed up and we got in the harnesses and put on life jackets. I was so nervous, but I was glad I had Mariah and Rachel on my side. Katy was so nice and stayed on the beach to take our picture!

Charlie had tried explaining that he would tell us when to walk, and then we would take steps at the same time and we would slowly drift into the air. We were harnessed onto the parachute and talking to Katy. Charlie and another guy were behind us, when all of a sudden I was trying to walk and I stubbed my toe and we were in the air! I did not even know what happened. It was so peaceful in the air. We could see for miles. I was kind of scared, since if we tipped over, we would just slide out of the harness seat thing, but it was beautiful in the air. I wish I brought my waterproof camera, but I left it at home in Oregon. We even got to see a dolphin when we were in the air! It was a priceless life moment.

The scary part was coming down because we got lowered into the ocean. I was screaming and holding onto Rachel and Mariah's hands. After we were in the ocean, the boat came and got us. The guy in the boat loaded up the parachute and rope. He brought us as close to shore as he could and we jumped out and swam back. It was literally one of the highs of my time in Costa Rica. I would love to go again! The company name is Flyfish Costa Rica, and they have a Facebook page if any of you want great service for parasailing.

On our way home smelled a strange odor and the van driver told us it was the palm trees. They are using the palm oil to make gasoline, which I thought was an interesting connection to our ecology class.

I will try to post tomorrow about this weekend. I have been doing so many fun things and I am trying to enjoy every second I have left here in Costa Rica. I have been here for 48 days, but I only have 56 left here. Very bittersweet.

Con mucho amor.

Caribbean College

What I'm doing: Here is a recap from the fieldtrip this weekend! It's going to be a long post, but I hope you all enjoy it. :)

Day 1: Thursday, September 27

We made many stops along the way to the Caribbean, which was very nice. It broke up the long trip. We stopped by a national park, and we talked about the impact roads have on the environment. We also stopped  by an "aquifiro" which is a water source for communities. We got to see the cutest baby cow while we were there! It had been born that morning, and it was adorable. We ate yummy lunch and started to realize how hot the Caribbean was going to be....

We are learning about the railroad, and we got to see the tracks and talk about the communities and slaves that worked near the railroad.

Our program director had told us that our hotel was going to be "ugly," and I believed her until we pulled up to the most beautiful paradise! There were palm trees everywhere, and the most beautiful view of the ocean! I was in heaven. We also had a pool that we were able to play in for awhile. There's our ecology professor in the background at the pool with us. It is funny how close you get with your professors when they are traveling and spending lots of time with you!

Before dinner we had a dance class that was really fun. I have not sweated that much from dancing in a long time, but I loved it. We did more Caribbean style dancing, that has some African influences as well. Afterwards we ate dinner, and it was really fun to get the opportunity to talk to different people than I normally do here in Costa Rica.

Day 2: Friday, September 28

We got to sleep in till 7am on Friday! It was crazy. :) We ate breakfast and had a talk by one of our director's teachers. He told us all about the culture of the Caribbean. He said they are the spice of the country. There are lots of black people in the Caribbean who came over from the islands nearby to help build the railroad many years ago.

After that we went to the town of Limon. We walked around and saw the ocean up close, and we saw the giant concrete Catholic church. It is interesting because in Limon they are much less focused on the religion aspect, and more focused on the spiritual relationship. We ate lunch and I tried this icky ginger juice that I did not like at all. We also learned about this building that was created to help the African Americans in the area.

We also got to visit a banana plantation which was SO neat to learn about! The bananas can only be out in the open for less than 5 hours. From the tree to the United States it takes less than 48 hours. We don't know why it takes mail so much longer. :) These strong guy put the huge things of bananas onto a wire contraption and pull the wire thing with 20+ bunches of bananas back to the factory place. They get rid of the bad ones and package the good ones. It was incredible to watch. We weren't supposed to take pictures, but I snuck one on the bus before we left.

We arrived in Puerto Viejo and it was pouring down rain. Chandler, Kristin and I had the cutest little bungalow that we stayed in! It was adorable. We walked into town that evening and did some shopping. I got a cute bag that says "Costa Rica, Pura Vida" in beaded letters. I also started getting some gifts for people.

We ate dinner at an adorable italian place, and we shared a yummy pizza!

That night we were finding lots of large bugs in our cute bungalow, so Kristin, Chandler and I all slept in a full size bed together. We thought the more people in bed, the safer we were. :) It was cozy and funny. We talked for awhile before falling asleep. I am so thankful that I have amazing friends with me in Costa Rica!

Day 3: Saturday, September 29

This was one of my favorite days in Costa Rica because we went to an indigenous community! They live in Bambu, and the people are called the Bribris. It was amazing to see they way they live, and their ideas about life. They make money by bringing in tourists. You can sleep in one of these huts, and eat their food and go on hikes. My ecology teacher says he does not know if it is just how they get tourists, by acting very "green" and "native," but I would like to think they genuinely like to live life this way.

We walked to a nearby river. The river that borders Costa Rica and Panama! It was really pretty there.

We also got to meet the medicine man for the community. We went into his hut and he talked to us about what he does. We also did a song and learned about the symbolism of the hut. There is always a fire going in the center, which represents the beginning of the world. After we left there was a couple who came from many miles away to meet with him and see if the wife could be healed.

After we left that community, we went to the last place we were going to stay the night in Cauhita. It is a beautiful little beach town!! We walked into town for dinner. I finally got to eat shrimp! I figured it was appropriate since we were so close to the coast. :) There were many drunk scrubby looking African Americans in this city, and one of my friends said it reminded her of Priates of the Caribbean, which I thought was really funny.

Day 4: Sunday, September 30

We got up bright and early to go snorkeling! I am not the biggest fan of putting my face in the water, but I knew I wanted to experience it in the Caribbean on this field trip! We took a boat off the coast in Cauhita. Chandler is afriad of fish, but I told her that we were going to conquer our fears on this trip. We held hands the whole time, but it made me feel better. The snorkeling was different from other places I have been too. The water was less clear and there were not as many fish, but it was still beautiful. My favorite were these little bright blue fish. Chandler and I were in the water for around 35 minutes, and then we got out. I was still excited that we both did it though!



After the boat ride, we hiked through the forest to get back to the hotel. That hike was where I saw all of the amazing animals. We saw monkeys, raccoons, insects, sloths...SO many beautiful animals that I have never seen in the wild before. I felt like I was walking through a zoo! We had to cross several rivers, which we were not expecting. I finally gave up on trying to put my yoga pants back on after crossing, so I was just walking around with my swimsuit bottoms on. Not the most comfortable, but it was way less of a hassle.

I had to go to the bathroom, and we found one on the way. Luckily Sandy had some tissue that I could use. :) Sandy works for the International Programs Office at my college. She gets to travel to all the different programs to see how they are doing. She had not came to Costa Rica in over 5 years, because normally there are no problems with the program. She does not have to check in on it as much as some of the others. She is one of the sweetest ladies I know. It is funny because she is married to my boss at college! I work in the library, and he works there too. 

We made it back to the hotel, rinsed off and went to eat lunch. After that we had a lonnnnng bus ride ahead of us: 5 hours. Kristin and I watched a movie on her iPad and I talked with my friends. I took a hour long nap, also. I was very happy to arrive back home in San Ramon, though!

No field trips this weekend, but we are going to Manuel Antonio, a beach on the Pacific side. I really want to go parasailing when I am there! And hike around the forest. :)

Con mucho amor.

My heart

What I love: This beautiful picture. Don't worry this is my last post for the day! :)



From: here

Con mucho amor.

Study Abroad Blogs

What I'm reading: I thought I would compile a list of my friend's blogs who are also studying abroad! Junior year is the year that everyone goes abroad, so there are quite a few. :)

• Leanne is one of my sorority sisters who is in China right now!
• Kristin is traveling with me in Costa Rica. :)
• Courtney and I went to high school together and had every single Spanish class together. Now she is is Mexico and I am in Costa Rica. It is funny that we both are studying abroad to practice Spanish at the same time.
• Chandler is also stuck with me in Costa Rica for the semester!
• Kat is another one of my sorority sisters that is studying abroad. She is in France for the whole year! She is very good about posting about everything that happens there. So fun to read.
• Sydney is one of my closest friends in Costa Rica and she is also blogging!!
• Kiersten is Spain for a whole year!! Crazy girl, but she is having so many wonderful adventures.
• Mariah is also with me in Costa Rica. She is the official blogger for our college.
• Zack and I have been friends for years and years. He is studying abroad in London for the semester! He is also an RA there and gets to travel and explore over there!
• Sarah is also studying abroad in Costa Rica, but she is in a different program than me. She got to help deliver a baby the other day! So exciting. She is also a Christian so it is great to relate to her about all those things. :)

Enjoy reading about everyone else's adventures.

Con mucho amor.

Animales durante la gira

What I'm doing: We got back from our latest fieldtrip last night at 8:30pm. We had class today at 8:30am...less than 12 hours to recouperate! This post is going to be about the amazing animals we got to see this weekend! I will write another post later this week about everything else we did on the field trip.

• Poision dart frog: We saw this at one of the places we stayed. The bright colors caught our eye in the tree. I have never seen one of these in the wild, so that was really neat.



• Baby and mom monkey! This was my favorite thing that I saw this weekend. We saw the momma monkey in the tree, and then we saw her trying to keep her baby on her back! It was SO SO cute. The baby is so little and tiny. I am really glad that we got to see this. :)

• Baby cow and its mom: The very first day we stopped by a small community, and saw this little cow that had been born that morning! It was precious and could barely walk. Yes, this is not really wildlife, but it was just too cute not to write about.

• Spider/scorpion mix: This disgusting thing was on our bathroom floor!! There were a ton of bugs in this bungalow that Kristin, Chandler, Syd and I stayed in for the night. Kristin, Chandler and I all slept in the same bed because we were scared of the bugs. Luckily we did not find this one until the morning when we were leaving. It was GIANT!



• SLOTHs: We saw a few on the side of the road while we were driving to the various places, but this one we saw on our walk through the jungle. Jose found it in the trees, but it took me awhile to see it. It blended in with the tree trunk. It just sat there, and I did not see its face. But I was still very excited, because I wanted to see a sloth for the past month while I have been here!

• White faced monkey: This was the first type of monkey that we saw on our nature walk through the forest after snorkeling. There were 5 of them in the trees, and this one got SO close to us! They normally travel in families and packs, so they are never alone. These monkeys were smaller than some of the others we saw.

• Racoon: This guy came right next to us when we were standing in the forest talking! I was surprised because we were being very loud, so they must be used to people coming near their territory. It started digging right in front of us for food. I did not want to be too close to it, though, since they can be aggressive and dangerous.



Well, that's all for now! I will try to write a longer post about the rest of the field trip soon. :) Anyone have any questions about my trips or things they are wondering about the culture?!

Con mucho amor. 

San Jose, Cartago, Orosi and Tapanti Field Trip

What I'm doing: We only have three days at home in San Ramon before we leave for another field trip. We have two tests, a paper, and a project proposal due next week, and another test the following week. Plus lots of reading and a paper due tomorrow. Today I had to wake up at 5am to be at the high school by 7am (we have to walk there). Needless to say, I am extremely tired and worn out. But I am still loving Costa Rica.

This last field trip we went to San Jose, Cartago, Ororsi and Tapanti National Park. We left Friday morning bright and early. We met at the public bus station. The other class's Spanish teacher rode with us on the bus to San Jose. They wanted us to see how the public system of transportation works. I listened to music and read.

Once we got to San Jose we walked around and saw the main plaza outside of a large Catholic church. Then we went to a market, but it was not what I was expecting. I thought we were going to something similar to the Saturday market, but it was a building that had a bunch of shops inside. I purchased a few postcards, so hopefully I will have time to write on them and send them soon!

We saw the National Theater next, which was amazing to see. We were given a tour and learned all about the history of the building. There is a guitar festival going on in San Jose this week, and we got to hear a group practicing for the concert that night. The group included some Grammy winning artists. That was one of my favorite parts, just sitting in an old building listening to the sweet sounds of the guitar.

We were given free time at lunch to go eat. I got Wendy's, cheap and yummy. After lunch we walked to the National Museum. There was a butterfly garden, and many old pieces of furniture. Across the street they were remodeling a house, which we found out many of the old presidents of Costa Rica used to live in! It was beautiful, and I wished I could have seen what the inside used to look like.

We also walked to the National Park before going to Hotel Don Carlos for the evening. The hotel was so incredibly cute. Here is a very unattractive picture of me, but I got the big bed for the evening. We ate dinner at the hotel as a big group. We got yummy juice and three different options for dinner: pasta, hamburgers, or rice and beans. We got ice cream for dessert.

The next day we got up nice and early (breakfast at 7am) and headed to Cartago. We saw ruins of a very old church. It was so beautiful! We saw the bell that rang when Costa Rica founded out they were independent. Each day was long and filled with lots of talking and walking, so we got a little tired throughout the day. :)

We then went to a market in Cartago that I did not like at all. We got yelled at ALL THE TIME. I have never heard so many creepy men trying to use pick up lines on us. It was semi flattering and also very uncomfortable. I understand that it is cultural, and that we clearly look different from everyone else, but it was difficult for me to handle it all. Once we walked with our professors, and it made the situation a little better. I tried some new foods, a corn and cheese type food that I really liked. There is also a cookie that I really enjoyed. We also got to see some new foods, like mondongo (cow stomach) and cow tongue. I am very thankful my host family does not eat that type of strange food.

We went to a huge Catholic church, next. The church is one of the biggest and oldest in Costa Rica. We got to see a Catholic mass that was going on while we were there. I felt kind of uncomfortable taking pictures while they were in church, but our professors said it was fine. We saw a confessional, and people walking to the alter on their knees as a form of worship. We also saw the sacred rock where someone saw the virgin Mary. People purchase charms to offer the virigin. There is also a river that runs under the church and it is considered "holy" water. People walk for miles to get the sacred water. It is a very different form of worship than I am used to seeing, but it is good to experience different things.

We ate lunch at a really yummy place that my professor suggested. I ate chicken, rice and beans, but it was SO good. We also got wifi, which was a bonus. We also stopped at several viewpoints before we made our way to the city of Orosi. The pictures don't do it justice; it was incredible to stand on top of a hill and look over all the city and river.



In Orosi we went to see a very old church, but unfortunately there was a wedding going on so we had to wait until the wedding was over before we could go to the church. We walked through the little museum next door while we were waiting. It was interesting to see a Costa Rican wedding, though. The church was beautiful! I felt bad intruding on their wedding, by our teacher said the church is a public place so anyone can go in it.

We also went to a second church ruins and walked around. We took many funny pictures there. It was pouring down rain; made me feel like I was in Oregon. :) The church ruins were my favorite part of the day. I love seeing the old places where people worshiped God. They are so beautiful.

We stayed at another adorable hotel on Saturday night, but my bed was very tiny. We went out for dinner and hung out in the hotel! We walked to a little place to eat, and I got chicken, salad and french fries for $4. So cheap. We also split a banana split.

The last day of the field trip we went to Tapanti National Park. This was for the ecology portion of the trip. On our way there we learned about coffee and the importance of coffee plantations in Costa Rica. Once we got to the park we hiked up some stairs and saw a view of the river, waterfall and whole forest covered in trees. We talked about water and the economic captial of national parks.

After that we hiked to the river which was SO fun. It was sunny out, so we swam and layed on the giant rocks. It was literally the perfect day. I am sometimes amazed that I am getting class credit to do all these fun things!

The bus ride back was a little long, but I love riding in a car/bus. I listened to music and slept a little bit. So nice and relaxing.

What I'm thinking about: Yesterday, Sydney and I went to the high school for the second time. We gave a short presentation about ourselves and our families and first jobs. We included some questions for them to answer and even had sentence starters. All the information I learned in my How to Teach English Language Learners class last year is really paying off now. :)

We were talking to the teacher and she explained that the school did not have a library. I was shocked! How are the students supposed to learn another language if there are not books to read? They do not have any books in Spanish or English. Today when I was laying in bed I came up with an idea. I really want to raise money to help them get a library, or at least a shelf with some books the teachers can use! God just put this on my heart, and I have NO idea how to go about doing this. Does anyone have any ideas for me? Fundraisers to do, or ways to ask for donations from the States? Please let me know! I would love to be able to make an impact in this way while I am in Costa Rica.

We leave Thursday morning at 6am to head to the Carribean! I have been in Costa Rica for a month and I still have not seen the ocean, so I am excited for another field trip. I am also super tired, so I hope I can get re-energized before tomorrow morning. :)

Con mucho amor.