Puerto Viejo

Last weekend we went to Puerto Viejo, which is located in the Carribean. This town was said to be totally different then any other part of Costa Rica, and it was indeed. It was a town of Ragae, a type and lifestyle of music. There were so many people I met here with the same story, goes a little like this: So I was traveling around Costa Rica and Puerto Viejo was the last stop on my list. I was only planning on staying here for the weekend but then I was convinced to forget about my flight home and stay. So now its been x amount of months and Im still here.



Not kidding, I think atleast six people I met had this story. I can see exactly why it happens. This place is such a laid back paradise. Small where everyone knows eachother and what is going on in the town, but not only that, its located right on water. Restaurants and Hotels sit on the water, and nothing is more then a five minute walk to beach. Its a pretty insane place.



Thursday night, me and my friend Brenna arrived into town. We were told to stay at this awesome hostel called Rockin Jays, little did I know what was in store for me. When we got there we had a choice of a tent to sleep in or a hammock, I chose the tent. I mean I love camping so I thought this would be fun. But as we started walking around the place we were both thinking wow this is dirty! It was also party central USA. So we stuck it out for a night but decided that for how far away it was from the center of town, and how dirty, loud, and not welcoming it was, we were going to leave. The next mornign we found a hotel for four whole dollars more, so we took it. It was great. We met so many people, had the cutest room, and the place was just an awesome environment.



That afternoon, we went kayaking and snorkling in the ocean. We had met a friend who lives at the hotel, (which we found out many people lived in the hotel) who worked at the local surf shop. So he got us some kayaks and gear and off we went. We snorkled in the reef that is just off shore of where we were. It was pretty neat. That night was really fun, we bought a bunch of vegetables and potatoes to cook for dinner. Little did we know it would turn into a potluck. Everyone was cooking in the kitchen and we all put our food together and feasted. Some had pastas, chickens, veggies, fish, anything really. It was so cool how everyone just kept handing people food and didnt care about getting paid or repaid in some way. It was awesome.



Saturday we met up with the rest of our group and rented bikes. We biked down to this animal refuge place and were able to hold monkeys and sloths. They were so cute! We took a tour of the refuge which was fun, but Im going to admit, im not a tour person. It was WAY to long. After about 20 minutes I was done. Haha, but I stuck it out. The reward for that was the beach. We went to this beach that was about a 30 minute bike ride from the middle of town. It was AMAZING. We brought a little picnic and swam and took a nice loonnngg nap to get some energy for that night, which was live ragae night!



At this restaurant called Tex Mex, we ate dinner and later on listened to the local band of Ragae. They played some Bob Marley songs along with some songs of thier own. We had obviously chosen the right place to eat because it seemed like the whole town had been there. I even saw two of the people I had met in my hostel in Manuel Antonio at this restuarant. Who would have thought? It was fun.



Sunday is always traveling days. Off we went back to San Joaquin (which by the way i found out i have been spelling wrong the whole time, embarrassing). When we got back, we were welcomed with a big thunder and lightnign storm. I myself dont have a umbrella so I walked home in the rain and by the time I got there, it was as if I had gone swimming. I actually enjoyed it but my backpack and papers suffered a little. But as Ticos say, Pura Vida!

Manuel Antonio

This past weekend, I took my first excursion to Manuel Antonio, which is a beach town along the Pacific Ocean. It is said to be the prettiest and most expensive city in all of Costa Rica.

So on Thursday night, we took a 4 hour bus ride to the beach. We arrived around ten at night to our Hostel called Backpackers Manuel Antonio. Here we stayed in a huge dorm room with about ten bunk beds. The Hostel was pretty awesome. It had a pool, lounge area, kitchen, hamock setup area and a mini restaurant. We met so many crazy people. One of which I will never forget. I never seemed to catch his name, but we all refered to his as Banana Boy. The reason for that is, this boy eats thirty to forty bananas a DAY. I am not kidding. He is from Sweden and only eats fruits and vegetables, but as he put it, he will eat nuts if he picks them from a farm. He was quite the character.

Friday morning came around and we woke up to the beautiful rain. Who would have thought we would leave the rain in the valley to go to the rain at the beach? But it all worked out in our favor. Me, my friend Erin, and Sammy went on an ATV tour. We were shown pinapple plantations and farms and such and we road through a river and ended up at two awesome waterfalls. By the end of the tour I was covered in mud. We ate lunch with the group and the headed back to the hostel and relaxed for the afternoon.

That night we went to dinner at a restuarant that was built around an old airplane. The front bar is the inside of the airplane and you are able to go into the area where the pilots fly the plane and check it out. The rest of the restuarant is built around that part. Its pretty amazing.

Saturday meant beach day. Waking up to the sunshine we were determined to hit the beach. Body surfing and tanning was great. We walked through the national park and saw all sorts of monkeys and animals. The animals were so friendly, they would walk right up to you or just get really close.
Saturday night was a very intersting experience. We went back to the hostel, went to dinner and then our new friend, a tour guide, wanted to take us out. So he drove us in his tourismo bus to a place called Bamba Jam. It is a Tica bar with a live band and dancing. Henry, the guide, was a great dancer and was determined to get us gringas dancing like ticas. Too bad I have only been to my zumba class once. This night was really fun and we definetly got a taste of the Costa Rican night life.

Sunday meant back to reality. It was a great trip. The funny thing for me was, everywhere I went, I had memories from my first trip with my family and the Gordons. It was a nice feeling and I was able to add on to those memories.

As for photos, I have lots that I took, but due to my computer braking, I am working on uploading them to my temporary one. I will get them up as soon as possible.

Next stop... Puerto Viejo.

Pura Vida

Computer Fail

So my computer is no longer working which means I cannot blog for a while. Hopefully it will get fixed soon and I can update everything. Pura Vida

1st week of classes

On Monday I had my first class in Costa Rica. I have class from 8-12 each day and then have free time for studying and running errands. So lets see... my school is about a 10 minute walk from my house which means I wake up around 7. Each morning my Mama Tica has a huge plate of food waiting for me. Not like in the states where we eat a yogurt, fruit or cereal, here we eat bread, ham, eggs, rice, beans, fruit, anything you could imagine, in huge quantities. Then I head off for a morning of classes. My teachers name is Johnny and he is from Costa Rica but lived in Florida for a few years. He's pretty awesome.

After school I have been running errands to the bank or the the book store to pick up materials. But, of course, as soon as I get home from school, Mama Tica has once again a huge thing of food. Let me say, I am an eater, but I think I have met my match. It is insane! Enough about food.

Monday night I went and played soccer with a group of Ticos and Americans. They play every Monday and Thursday night for about an hour. It is a lot of fun. I even met a kid who goes to Oregon! The funny thing was, everyone has in their mind that Costa Ricans or Latin American people are really good at soccer, but watching games on the weekends in the park or even playing with them proves that wrong. haha.

Last night I joined the gym and took a Costa Rican Spin class. It was so intense. The instructor turns the lights off and we have disco balls going. It made it a bit more interesting. And as for tonight, me and some of the girls in my program are going to a Zumba class. I have no clue what to expect considering I have never taken a dance class in my life! Wish me luck!

Tomorrow I leave for my first excursion to the beaches of Manuel Antonio. It should be pretty amazing.

Last thing: Here are some photos of my house, neighborhood and Baby Ian.

A visit to Cartago

On Saturday we went to the town of Cartago which is about 30 minutes or so from our town. We unfortunately had to wake up at 5 am and be at school by 6am. It was a rough morning. The bus was supposed to leave at 6:15 but because we are on "Tico Time" (aka always late) we didn't leave until seven.

Our first stop was to eat some breakfast, of course. We ate the traditional Gallo Pinto and a side of eggs. The food is always great, so you can never go wrong. The restaurant that we ate at is owned by the family of our director. They have about 5 restaurants all around the San Jose, Cartago, Heredia area. After the food, we headed off to begin our tour.

We started out a an amazing view point that looked over a town called Orosi.
Our next stop was a place not many people would appreciate. But lucky for me, I have been so lucky to live under the roof of an engineer, wooh! We stopped at a dam. To be honest, im not really sure what the significance of it was, since once again, everything was explained in spanish and I usually catch every three words or so. But when we arrived there were street vendors selling snow cones and coconut milk. We of course had to buy one.

We then ended our tour at one of the oldest cathedrals in Costa Rica. Due to a funeral, we were not able to go inside but the outside was one of the most beautiful churches I have seen.

Once we were done touring, we were given free time to do what we wanted. At this point it was GAME TIME. So all of the students went to a bar in the town near by and watched the game. As we walked up, I heard my name being called and it turns out my Tico brother was at the same bar. That must have meant we chose a good one! Watching the game with Ticos is so crazy. So much yelling and craziness, I was so entertained.

Sunday was the WORLD CUP! Sadly the outcome was not what I wanted, but it was still really fun to watch. Viva Espana!

Adios

My school, El Instituto de San Jauquin

The school I am attending is a very modern house looking building with gardens surrounding the whole thing. It was started in 2003. There are two directors of the school, Alex and Anna, and two directors of, I guess you would say, " The fun stuff", Esteban and Francy. I have not met my teachers yet, but I will once school starts on Monday.

The school has 5 classrooms, two lounge areas where they tell us to take our "siestas" because learning is tiring, and an outdoor patio that has a kitchen we can use and always has fresh fruits and coffee waiting for us. It is an amazing place. Here are some pictures, will get more of the rest of the school later.

First few days in San Juaquin

On our last day in San Jose, we packed up in the morning, had breakfast and headed towards our new home for the next 6 weeks. First thing on our list was going to see a garden in Cartago. Here is the van we drove from San Jose to Cartago.

We had so much luggage we had to put it on top of the car.



The group in the garden.








This yellow flower looking thing is what we call Ginger. It is by far the coolest flower I have seen.

What part of the garden buildings look like.





After our trip to the garden, we heading to the town of San Juaquin. I was so nervous! We were about to meet our host families. We pulled up to the institute, at which I will be going to school, and the host moms and dads stood there with "Bienvenidos" signs. My host mom is named Anna and her husband is Mario. They have two sons, Oscar and Allen who are 25 and 27 along with a daughter Laura who is 20. Laura has a baby boy named Ian who is 1 and so cute. He is in the same boat as me, neither of us speak Spanish!

This has been a bigger challenge then I ever could have imagined. I moved into a family who does not speak any English and who talks a mile a minute. But they are so nice and understanding. I say something in Spanish that is completely incorrect and they laugh and help me out. They keep telling me not to worry because I will learn it quick.

Mama Anna cooks me every meal and it is so delicious. Lots of chicken and rice but nothing like what we have in the United States. There is lots of fruit and fresh veggies all the time. But I have one complaint, Papaya? IT IS TERRIBLE! I always thought it would be delicious but it is one thing I cannot stand.

On my first day arriving, Ana and Laura were there to greet me. We went back to the house, ate lunch and did our best to converse. Later on, Ana took me into the town nearby called Heredia to run some errands and show me around. Today, Friday, I had a full day of events at my institute. We had a police officer come and talk to us about the safety of Costa Rica, we had to take a placement test, and then did some welcome games. We were told that we are never allowed to use English while in the school. I never thought I would be so exhausted in one day.

Tonight I came home and played with Baby Ian for long time and then got roped into a game of poker with the older boys, Mario, and some friends. Lets just say its hard enough playing poker in the United States. Now off to bed for a bright and early morning tour of Cartago! Chow!

San Jose, Costa Rica

This is my first Costa Rican mean I ordered: Arroz con Pollo. Rice and chicken with vegetables. And of course some french fries.
This is the hotel that I stayed at for 4 days while in San Jose.



There is a really great story that goes along with this painted cow that my director told us, but it was told in Spanish so I did my best at translating what it means. There is a man who sits every day next to this cow who has a mental problem. These cows are made all over the world starting in Sweden and are meant to raise money for city necessities. But this particular artist said he would paint it as long as this man, Mariton, would be able to get the proceeds for his living expenses. So each day Mariton sits on this cow with a can in front of him and collects money while playing songs on a mini guitar. His name is painted all over the cow.

The Line of cars in the next picture is showing a protest I witnessed, held by taxi drivers. They are protesting against the government because they are being band since they are not legally certified (which the real taxi drivers, which we would see in the US driving yellow taxis , are). So their protest consists of hundreds of "taxi" drivers bringing their cars to main streets of the city and parking them there for hours until the government allows them to continue to work that way. The hard part is, there is no one who can make these people move out of the streets because of their governmental system so it could possibly go on for days.

My first legally bought alcoholic beverage :)Planter's Punch, sounds very American

Arrival In Costa Rica

Friday I took a red eye flight to San Jose, Costa Rica. The flights were quick and painless, minus the fact I was stuck in the middle seat, that was fun. There happened to be a group of kids from St. Ignacius High School who were heading for their immersion program. On my plane ride from El Salvador (where my lay over was) the lady in front of me was wearing a " I love my Ducks shirt" ( University of Oregon's Rosebowl shirt). Those were some comforting things to see as I was heading to a different country.

The first day I was there, I didn't do much. I was exhausted and had no idea what to do since I was by myself for the day and the next day. I soon realized that Costa Ricans are very laid back with no sense of time. I sat in the restaurant wanting a simple dinner and two hours later, I had finally gotten the check. It is kind of nice actually, no need to rush anywhere and no worrying about being late.

Today, Sunday July 4, i was supposed to go on a tour of a coffee plantation and some other things that i could not understand in Spanish. Waking up early to get breakfast and wait for my ride, i soon realized it was 8:30 and the ride never came. So i ended up not going on the tour and wondered around San Jose.

People watching is interesting here. When Mia was in Spain, she talked about how at a certain time everyone just went out and wandered aimlessly. I feel like that is what people do here. Im not sure where everyone was going but masses of people wandered the streets around 1:00. There were street vendors and people doing acts for money like in San Francisco. There is a square in the middle of down town where people gather to feed the pigeons. Costa Ricans are on the streets selling some sort of food for people to buy to feed them. I also noticed that ice cream is very popular. Everywhere i walked, everyone had ice cream cones, so naturally I got myself one also.

So far, Costa Rica has been treating me well. Tomorrow the other people in my program are arriving and we start our 6 weeks of Spanish immersion. Should be exciting!