Society, You're a Crazy Breed

Tomorrow, after living here in Costa Rica for 85 days, I will be returning home. In those 85 days, I  experienced something indescribable. I learned. I discovered. I explored. I pretty much did it all. While of course there were similarities, I did notice un montón de differences between the country that I call home and this country that has been my home for almost 3 months. Here I will share just a few of those differences.

This sign speaks for ALL toilets. DO NOT flush your toilet paper.

 

 There are no "trash cans" only raised trash baskets.

 

 The butter is EXTREMELY yellow.

 

 ALL cars are stick shift (and diesel).

 

 Hollister is, apparently, spelled with a silent "C."

  

Websites are not in English, surprise!

And the showers kind of suck.

Regardless, Costa Rica, you have been incredible. To all of the amazing people that I met here, I am unbelievably thankful to have had you in my life and to all of the people that I love at home, I will be glad to have you back! 

PURA VIDA

Foto Fiesta at the Finca

On Friday, I went with my photography class to my professor's family's "finca." Literally, finca means farm. So naturally, we assumed we'd be seeing chickens and other such animals. Upon arrival we realized that in Costa Rica, finca also means vacation home.  Welcome to one of the most amazing places that I have visited here...

 

We also barbecued. And it was delicious. 

For more pictures from The Finca, visit:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=244804&id=722713600&l=4fc12239d9

El Día de Acción de Gracias

My family, my friends, my time here... I have so many things to be thankful for.

Although Thanksgiving this year was unlike any I have experienced before, it was incredible in its own way.  The day started off just like any other. I woke up at 7, went to class, ate lunch, went to the gym. You really couldn't tell that it was a holiday at all. Around 4 though, things started to change. After a short skype session with my family, friends arrived and we began to get ready. Around 5 we walked to the school where we boarded a bus. The bus drove us out of San José (which took a surprising amount of time in the rush hour traffic) and up a very large mountain. At the top of the mountain, the bus stopped and we entered a beautifully decorated restaurant (which, in 1900, was the home and chapel of an elite family). Inside, staff attired in 19th century French monk frocks hurried around preparing a traditional Thanksgiving meal for us. Waiting for our turkey and mashed potatoes, we wandered the premises taking in the glittering night lights of San José.

 

 

The food was delicious and the company was excellent. It may have been different, but it was, nevertheless, a Thanksgiving to remember.

And of course there was pumpkin pie!

(though it wasn't nearly as good as yours, Uncle Michael)

I still can't believe Dad actually got onto the plane...

Sorry for the lengthy break, it was quite the week.

So I braved the San José traffic and picked my parents up from the airport around one on Saturday afternoon. Although their journey was long and tiring, they made it here safe and sound. We then checked into their hotel, chatted for a bit and headed over to my side of town (aka Zapote). There, we enjoyed conversation and Costa Rican coffee with my host mom, Doña Mayra (the term conversation may be a stretch considering the rather large language barrier, but it was conversation none-the-less). I'm going to say it again, Costa Rican coffee is delicious. After a tour of my campus and surrounding neighborhood we returned to the hotel for a nice dinner and I, taking advantage of the opportunity at hand, had a spectacular shower (tune in later for my rant about the showers here in Costa Rica). On Sunday, we learned about the history of Costa Rican in the National Museum then explored downtown San José. Not much to say there except that San José is a slightly crowed and extremely colorful city.

For me, the subsequent week was a flurry of presentations, papers and exams. For my parents, it was a flurry of travels, sights and some restless nights. I don't know a whole lot about their experiences during the week but I do know that they helped save over a hundred baby turtles and for that, I am incredibly jealous.

On Friday afternoon, I finished up my second (of three) Spanish classes and, once reunited with the padres (not the baseball team), headed to Manuel Antonio.

Manuel Antonio is a small beach town located next to one of Costa Rica's most beautiful national parks. El Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio is practically overflowing with animals. There, you may encounter anything from...

 

 a sloth,

 

to a hermit crab,

 

to a red faced iguana.

... 

And then of course there are monkeys. Un montón de monos. The monkey featured above is a White-faced Monkey. Also known as the Mafia of Costa Rica, White-faced monkeys are mischevious (but still adorable) little devils who steal everything. I mean everything. 

It was 7am on Saturday morning. My parents and I were peacefully enjoying our gallo pinto when suddenly, a monkey appeared.  While the kitchen staff was looking away he snuk into the kitchen, stole a banana and then scampered out (though not without receiving a scolding from the staff as soon as they realized what had gone down).

Apparently word spreads quickly in the monkey community because within minutes, there were a whole lot more. All trying to get their own piece of the cake, or in this case, banana.

 

You really can't fight with the Mafia of Costa Rica.

On Sunday afternoon I said goodbye to my parents and began the final stretch of my adventure in this país...

Here are links to a couple of my most recent photo albums:

Exploring San José with Mom and Dad

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=241523&id=722713600&l=4ef1a3dde8

Manuel Antonio

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=241529&id=722713600&l=0804616173

 

The Opposite of Adults

Today I went to a children's museum. I felt very at home (despite the fact that it was, for many years, a prison). I think there's more kid in me than I realized.

Speaking of children. My parents will be arriving in San José (SJO, not to be confused with SJC) tomorrow afternoon. I'm pretty excited.

Today someone asked if I had a spirit animal...

 

I really couldn't say.

Happy Halloween! (from a country that doesn't exactly celebrate Halloween)

Although I am currently eating chocolate, I did not get it from a friendly neighbor down the street. That's not safe here. Halloween is not a Costa Rican holiday.

That being said, I had a great Halloween weekend! I went to a costume party hosted by my Tico brother and his wife (they have a lot of gringo influence). I went to a huge Halloween event a La Rumba, my dancing hot spot. And I went to the zoo (with a stop at McDonald's on the way back).

Here's what I've come to realize: Everybody loves an excuse to have a great time, even in costume. Ticos have their own party songs too (you know the ones that EVERYONE knows the words and or dance to) and they get just as crazy with them. Percussionists and dancers are a must at every Costa Rican celebration. Zoos, although fun, are really not the happiest places for wild animals. And American fast food tastes better outside of America.

I also learned that... 

 Crocodiles leave their mouths open to cool off (and to make their prey think they're sleeping)  

I love cats of all sizes.

 

And birds of all colors.

 Porcupines smell bad.

 And spiders are creepy, even if they sometimes look cool.

I started my new Spanish class last week. It's fun though not as great as my last one. (I was really spoiled last month). I am still, however, loving my photo class - even without my camera. Last week we began learning some basics in Photoshop. Here's my newest creation:

Happy Trick-or-Treating America!

(oh and speaking of black and orange, how bout them Giants?!)

A weekend in San José

No big excursion this weekend. But still tons of fun. I'm finally starting to get my bearings straight in this town!

Went out to a club called La Rumba on Friday night with a new friend who goes by the (nick)name of Mamá Gringa. We danced all night long. I'm serious, all night long! I really love dancing. I really wish I were better at it.

Saturday my tica sister-in-law (who I absolutely adore) took us to the biggest mall in Central America. It was huge. So big that we didn't even make it to the third floor. Guess I'll have to go back!

And today I tried to play ultimate, but I failed. Not enough people showed up for the game. I suppose it was a good thing though because as soon as I got home it started to pour. And it hasn't stopped since. I love a good thunderstorm, but everyday is getting a tad redundant.

More plans to explore the city tomorrow! (it's a three day weekend because we finished our first round of spanish classes)

hasta luego...

Monkeys, Masters and Money

It's been a long time since I wrote last... and a lot has happened.

For one, I left the country last weekend. I made a rather last minute decision and hoped on a bus to Nicaragua for the three day weekend. (Columbus day is a national holiday here - everyone had the day off!) The bus left at 3 in the morning and though, including time spend trying to cross the border, it took a total of 9 hours, it was totally worth it. We stayed at a hotel in Granada, a very colonial city with tons of Spanish influence and also a good deal of street dogs (yes, it was named after Granada, Spain).

We also visited Managua, the capital city, hiked up to a point where we could look down into one of Nicaragua's many active volcanoes, shopped at a local artisan market and took tours of various places by boat, tricycle and horse drawn carriage. 

While all of our tours were interesting, the tour by boat was, by far, the best tour I've taken. We exited our bus at a small, flooded docking station. I'll admit that I was slightly worried at this point, but it passed en un dos por tres (in a flash). We boarded two small motor boats and headed out into Lake Nicaragua, the largest lake in Central America. With the on-board sound system blasting Latin remixes of American hit songs, we weaved our way through a maze of islands created by some past volcanic eruption. Each of the islands was unique - some with small houses, some with large houses, some with no houses - yet each was identical in it's beauty.

While all of this was fantastic, the best part was yet to come. Our tour guide/boat driver pulled up next to a small, seemingly uninhibited island.  He told us about some of the local plants that were visible and then, out of no where, there were monkeys. Not one, not two, not even three! There were tons of monkeys. And the fun didn't stop there...

The monkeys jumped aboard! Apparently, these monkeys know that boats carry tourists. They also know that tourists carry food. And so, being the smart animals that they are, the monkeys gave us an especially entertaining show, gladly accepted our edible gifts, and after something like twenty minutes, jumped back into the trees to go on with their curious, monkey lives. 

Now on to other experiences. The day before I left for Nicaragua my Spanish class had a field trip! While field trips are always great, this one was particularly great (perhaps due to the fact that I'm in another country). 

The trip consisted of two stops. First we visited a one-legged elderly artisan craftsman. While his work was nothing incredible, his story was amazing. He showed told us a little about his past, opened his shop to us and showed us how he created his works.

Our second stop was la Universidad para la Paz, or the University for Peace, as all education there is conducted in English. UPeace is a UN mandated school which offers only year-long masters programs focusing solely on matters of peace. The small campus is filled with students from every corner of the world working for the same cause: to create a world that exists in harmony. What a beautiful concept.

Moving on. Today was the last day of my first Spanish class! My final was a 25 minute presentation on the migration of women from third world countries to first world countries in search of work as health care providers. If I needed any evidence that my Spanish capabilities are, in fact, improving I got it today.
 On to Avanzado Uno!

On a side note, colones are beautiful. Why does the US dollar fall so far below in the looks department?

Also, my camera took a fall this weekend. A friend lent me hers to finish out my photography class, but this does mean that pictures will be few and of much lesser quality until I can fix my precious.

That's all for now.
¡Pura Vida!

My Recommendations:

In Spanish class today we reviewed the subjunctive mood. We were told that if we truly wish to speak correct Spanish, we must understand this aspect of grammar in its entirety.  While the subjunctive is useful in many areas of proper language, here I will only mention that is necessary when giving recommendations.

So, in honor of today's lesson in grammar, I will share with you some of my own recommendations (inspired, of course, by my time spent here).

First, I recommend that you, at some point in your life, watch at least one of these two movies:

 

One is a sad story about a young boy in El Salvador (Voces Inocentes) and the other is a sad story about a young boy in Mexico (La Misma Luna).  Both are incredible productions.

Second, I recommend that you find the time to listen to a song from each of the following artists. I've included several links, but obviously there are plenty of other outstanding canciones to enjoy. 

Juan Luis Guerra (all of his songs are amazing, this particular one features Enrique Iglesias and is a current favorite of mine): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DO8GsIYfhQ
Ricardo Arjona (this song includes a UCLA shoutout): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwulbsTpJd4
Daddy Yankee: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHgnebZ_jYo
Juanes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRt2sRyup6A&playnext=1&videos=B_Dsjhrt-9Y&feature=artistob

And third, while there are many interesting and delicious foods here, I strongly recommend that you try:

1) Costa Rican Coffee - I promise it is better than any you've had before
2) Gallo Pinto - the most Costa Rican Dish there is, a simple mix of rice and beans (with some other spices)
3) Pejivalle* - an interesting fruit that tastes something like an artichoke and is eaten with mayonnaise (they eat everything with mayonnaise here, and I really mean everything)

*A big thank you to Nina, a Tica friend, for helping me discover this very strange fruit

Remember, (unlike my demand that you visit Jammin Jerk and Juice Joint should you find yourself in Puerto Viejo) these are only recommendations. If you liked my recommendations however, please ask for more. I have plenty!

Turns out the water is warmer on the other side as well...

I really couldn't ask for a better first view of the Caribbean.

This weekend we went to Puerto Viejo (a small town with a strong Jamaican influence on Costa Rica’s east coast). The water was warm, the weather was perfect, and the people get more entertaining with  every excursion. We didn’t do anything as exciting as last weekend’s adventures, but laying on warm sand (or in a hammock, as there were quite a few of those) with a light breeze and the faint sound of some distant Reggae was just as amazing. I'd really like to go back there before I leave this place.

 

Also, this restaurant ("Jammin Juice and Jerk Joint") provided me with the most delicious meal I have eaten thus far in Costa Rica. A Jamaican Jerk Pita Pocket. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. If you ever find yourself in Puerto Viejo you must eat here (and that's not simply a recommendation).

Here's a link to my second photo album (facebook only allows 200 pictures per album and you know I've taken more than that already):

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=230791&id=722713600&l=72b04af78f

And here's a link to an album of pictures I've take specifically for mi clase de fotografía (so far we've discussed light graffiti and motion; the results are here for your viewing pleasure) :

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=231136&id=722713600&l=d198f74348

The Ultimate Vida

I played ultimate last night! Sixes, on a nice field, in front of a gorgeous church. It was quite the experience. I got a ride to the field (which is about a half hour by car from where I live) from a couple Ticos that I found after some rather intensive internet research. They don't speak English so communication is a little rough at times but they're really cool people - aren't all ultimate players? The game is exactly the same, aside from the stall count being in Spanish obviously. I did get a little injured though. Ran into a tico. Cut up my lip...

I was at first afraid that I'd be needing stitches due to the amount red coming from my mouth, but I'll be just fine! Oh and it was worth it for the much needed exercise . The food here is delicious but no where near healthy. I also joined a gym and attended my first spin class. So hard. It does make my miss my bicycle. Oh and I've been playing fútbol with the ticos. They're really really good at soccer.

Going to Puerto Viejo for the weekend! I'll let y'all know how it goes.

"It's like an Eduvacation"

Let me start by apologizing for the week-long absence. (Robin, this one's for you)

It has been an incredible week. And when I say incredible, I mean like nothing I've experienced before. That is the idea behind this whole thing, verdad?

My classes are amazing. I thought it would be tough to make it through the four hours of Spanish, but I was wrong. I'm even adjusting to class at 8am everyday! I didn't think it was possible. We talk about everything from childhood memories to current events. I mean everything. The restrictionless conversation is a nice change form the structure of my previous Spanish classes, however it has made me realize how many words I still don't know. In fact, it sort of feels like my Spanish has gotten worse since I've been here, though I know it hasn't. Oh and my Cultural Photography class... I should have started taking photo classes long ago. I absolutely love it. I'm also taking a dance class with some friends at night. I'm not great but I do enjoy a good salsa. (food and dance)

Now for the fun(ner) things. On Thursday night the university had it's first "Crash Party" of the year. Free food, free music, free dancing and lots and lots of people - gringos and ticos! We met some ticos, we danced, and after, we went out to a discotech called Castro's where we danced some more. (On a side note, attending a single dance class does not make one sufficient on their feet in the real dancing world.) Spanish the next morning was slightly difficult to get through, but after a cup of Costa Rica's delicious coffee, anything is possible. Class flew by and an hour later I found myself on a bus with 20 fellow exchange students headed towards Volcán Arenal, Costa Rica's most active volcano. (with snacks and horchata togo from my oh-so-sweet tica mom)

 

Volcán Arenal is on the right

When we arrived in La Fortuna, the home of Arenal, we checked in to our hotel and almost immediately left for Baldí Hot Springs. Baldí is a hotel and spa with a view of the volcano, 20 naturally heated pools ranging from 93° to 153° F, three water slides and a wet bar. I really don't even need to say what an incredible place it was.

After a delicious dinner at Baldí we returned to our hotel and (most) everyone went to sleep. I, did not. While some friends and I were chillin' outside the hotel, Arenal erupted! It was beautiful. The brightness of the reds, yellows and oranges against the clear night sky literally took my breath away. Although Arenal is indeed, a very active volcano, we were apparently quite lucky to see the nighttime eruption so clearly. (Arenal's erruptions are irregular and often obscured by clouds)

The next morning we awoke bright and early for our adventure to La Fortuna Waterfall. While the bus ride to the head of the trail was short, the trek to the waterfall was long and steep. Upon arrival I took lots of pictures, jumped off rocks, and practiced laying out into the water. We then hiked back up the mountain (which took a whole lot longer than the hike down) during which we witnessed a giant, and I do mean giant, spider feeding. I also spotted my first monkey of the trip.

After another delicious meal in La Fortuna at a restaurant called The Lava Lounge, we headed out on our "jeep-boat-jeep" journey to a town called Monteverde (literally green mountain - and actually the greenest place I have ever seen). Although the jeep-boat-jeep ride was simply the fastest way of getting to Monteverde, it was an adventure in itself. The first part of the journey was a short, docile ride in a van - not a jeep, as the name may lead you to believe. We then took a rather long and somewhat boring boat ride though the rain. (though I must say that the landscape surrounding the lake was spectacular). And then came the last leg. We ran through the rain, from the boat to a second van. Seeing how it was a van, just like the first one, we assumed it'd be another ride, just like the first one. It wasn't. It was an hour of wet, bumpy, windy, ups and downs. Mad props to our driver. Eventually we made it to our next hotel, dropped our things off and headed into town for dinner and dancing.

After another short night's rest, we awoke, ate and were on our way to 100% Aventura! our canopy tour central. Just one week after I made the promise to my plane-friend, I was harnessed up and zip-lining though the lush cloud forests of Monteverde.  I was flying (or at least as close as I'll ever get) through valleys of green and it was quite possibly the coolest thing I have ever done.

We then returned to the real world, ate some lunch and drove back to San José - just in time to sleep and wake up for class the next morning.

I'm here for education, but I swear I'm on vacation.

♥

P.S. For those of you following who do not have direct access to my facebook, here is a link to an album of pictures I have posted online from the trip thus far:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=218015&id=722713600&l=4bf7ced6fc
and I will of course add more as they come...