Since this is my last week in Costa Rica, I decided to post a list of the top ten things someone should do while visiting Costa Rica! (Disclaimer- I haven't been everywhere, so this list is based on the places I have been. 1) Manuel Antonio- The national park is awesome and its the prettiest beach I've ever seen. It may have plenty of tourists but its worth it. Its beautiful, full of good restaurants and plenty of chances to do activities like para sailing. There are local beaches that aren't in the park that you don't have to pay to get into that are really pretty as well. 2) Monteverde- I love Monteverde. Its a town in the mountains with so many activities. Its also a break from the intense heat at the beaches. You can do everything from horseback riding to ziplining. Its beautiful and not like many places. 3)La Fortuna- La Fortuna waterfalls are beautiful and worth the small hike to get to them. They are beautiful and you can swim if you want (the water is cold). Its so pretty and not something you can see everyday. 4) Playa Samara- I LOVE this place. Its really low key and the locals are awesome. Its really pretty and not overcrowded. Also if you go, take a kayak tour! Its cheap and is well worth it. My friend and I kayaked to a small island with a guide who provided us with snorkeling equipment once we got there and also fresh pineapple and cold water. We also ended it by kayaking back during the sunset. The sunset in Samara is absolutely breathtaking and that is coming from someone who isn't passionate about sunsets. Overall, Samara is one of the best beaches and I would recommend it to anyone. 5) National Soccer stadium/soccer game- The soccer stadium is one of my favorites because it allowed me to see something so many ticos are passionate about. Soccer isn't nearly as popular in the States as everywhere else so it was fun for me to see their passion at a game. The games are fun and research before you come to see if you can make it to one! Although its in San Jose, its definitely worth the trip. 6) Ostional- This was one of my favorites. Its a small town with one of the few turtle reserves in the world. The whole town relies on turtle eggs and they have such an interesting project going that benefits them and in return they work to help keep predators away from the beach. Its small and pretty far but I would recommend going for a night or two but make sure to try and go during the time the numbers of turtles arriving is big. 7) Playa Jaco- Jaco has its own representation but its a good time. Its close to San Jose, around 2 hours by public bus. It has its number of tourists and the beach isn't the prettiest in the world but its fun and is always filled with people. There are plenty of restaurants to choose from and its close to Playa Hermosa if you are looking for a day trip to somewhere that is quiet and has less people. 8) Playa Uvita- Playa Uvita is a small area on the central pacific coast. The beach is in a national park and is famous for being shaped in the shape of a whale tail during low tide. It is hard to see while you're on it, but it is definitely different. When you talk to the part of the beach that is shaped like a whale tail, the water is different. There were barely any waves and the view was breath taking. There is also a local waterfall near by that costs two dollars to go to and is so much fun. The water is cool and there is a natural water slide you can slide into the water through. Our hostel was awesome and really laid back, its called the Tucan Hotel. Its a place that I would definitely recommend because its unique and very laid back. 9) White Water Rafting- Rio Pacuare. The workers are what made it so fun, the program is called Exploradores Outdoors. Its fun and not too intense. They provide you with breakfast and lunch. Its beautiful and at parts you can jump out and float alongside the raft. Its 4 hours and well worth the money, and the guides are fun! 10) Puerto Viejo- Puerto Viejo is on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica, around 4 hours away from San Jose by public bus. It is a lot different than most of Costa Rica and is a lot of fun. It's really cool to see the Caribbean side because most of the popular beaches are located on the Pacific Ocean. Its unique, to say the least, but definitely worth visiting.
Its been a while since I have posted! I have less than one month left, its so weird! The students who were only here for 12 weeks are already gone, which made me realize how fast time has gone. During Semana Santa, Holy Week, most of ticos are off of work. Most families go on vacation and the popular tourist destinations are packed. My mom was able to come and stay for the week. We were able to go to Monteverde and Manuel Antonio, two of the most popular but best places to visit. My mom visiting made me realize how much I've become accustomed to while living here because of how familiar I was with bus terminals, local places, etc. Its easy to overlook things you've become used too while being abroad. Each weekend is a new place but you do pick up on a lot of local things such as habits, good places to eat, places to avoid, etc. Having my mom here was so nice and the week went by too quickly.
This weekend I went to a local museum, called Museo Del Jade. It is filled with facts about jade and its significance to the precolumbian indigenous peoples of Costa Rica. The stone was important in many aspects of their society to jewelry of those higher up such as the chief or the elders of the tribe to being pieces to show off victory in battle. Costa Rica isn't famous for its museums, needless to say, but this museum was beautiful. Its easy to overlook museums in Costa Rica because of all its nature enthusiasts but this proved otherwise. This exhibit was dedicated to the remembrance of indigenous trips and how they placed so much value on the jade stone.
I can't believe I only have 3 and a half weeks left!
I've already been here for 2 months! Yesterday I was in the Miami airport anxiously waiting for our plane to Costa Rica.
I've noticed a few tricks to life in Costa Rica so far: 1) Pedestrians right away- There is no such thing. Cars here have no mercy, and I'm absolutely sure that they speed up when they see pedestrians crossing the highway. 2) A certain time to be somewhere, like meet at 8 for dinner, is just an estimate here. "Tico Time" is pretty much self explanatory. Don't worry about being places on time, just use it as an estimate. 3) Taxi drivers. Taxi drivers find new routes every day that are just a bit longer than the absolute longest way they were taking before. Sometimes you luck out with a taxi driver who isn't searching for a "long cut," other times, well, it happens to the best of us. 4) Personal space? Not really a thing here. People are always over at each other's house, and your tico families aren't afraid to ask you questions that make you think twice for a second. Its actually nice to be around a lot of people at once who treat you like one of their own. And, for the questions part, don't take it personally.
Last weekend I went to Playa Samara in the province of Guanacaste. This beach is a hidden gem of Costa Rica. Its really small and the people are so friendly. Time here is stand still, which was a nice change of pace. Me and one of my friends kayaked to a small island and snorkeled with our guide. This had to be one of my favorite things I've done here so far. Our tour guide told us all about his life in Samara, and the places he lived before. He talked to us about the place itself, from the best places to go to the best place to watch the sunset.
We are getting close to preparing for final exams in our electives, and people that are here for 12 weeks are talking about how they are spending their last few weekends going here or there. Time is going by too quickly.
I got so caught up in talking about my weekend trips to describe my home stay and school experiences. My home stay is my favorite part of my experience so far. I live with a huge family (honestly, I'm not sure how many people actually live here). There are people always in and out, talking, laughing and joking. I love it! It is such a change of pace. I have 3 other house mates, and we each have our own room on one floor. We call our house mom our "mama tica," and she cooks breakfast and dinner for us. The food here is a lot of gallo pinto, rice and beans. The fruit here is out of this world, it's always fresh. Living with the family has allowed me to be immersed in the culture and forced, for lack of a better term, to speak the language.The first month I was here, I had Spanish class from 8-12 and my elective classes in the afternoon. My elective classes are through March, and in April I will take one more Spanish course. I'm in two history courses and one political science. The classroom environment here is so relaxed. The classes are really small so it's very interactive. A lot of my courses revolve around Costa Rica, which really allows me to learn even more about the country. I have classes with people from other programs along with people in AIFS. The workload is smaller but the assignments are weighed heavier. The local Ticos are in classes, and the University I attend is a small private arts school. There are two buildings that make up the school. Being an international student brought perspective about the exchange students at CofC. I realize how hard it is to be in a foreign country around others who are focused on their studies, and you have to learn to adjust to a new school environment. This environment has really tested my "gringa" way of life, always busy and ready for the next activity. It has taught me to relax and not to be so focused on what I'm doing next. Pura Vida!
The last weekend of February we went to Bocas del Toro, Panama. This was quite the adventure. We started the morning at 3, and arrived at the Costa Rica Panama border at 10. Once we left Costa Rican immigration we had to cross a old, wooden, and halfway broken bridge. This was how we crossed the border. Once across, we waited in a line for Panama immigration. This was probably one of the biggest cultural differences I´ve experienced so far. Immigration was relaxed and you basically just needed your passport checked. As soon as we crossed the border into Panama men in military were all around. I wasn´t expecting this, just because being in Costa Rica there is no military. We then took another bus and a boat we were finally there. The water was beautiful. We were in a small island town with a lot of things to do. We snorkeled the next morning and relaxed on the beach. It was the Sunday super bowl so we were searching for places playing it. Most places were playing the game, and there were crowds! The landscape of Panama was beautiful, clear water, beautiful plants, many places looked like a post card. This trip allowed me to realize that each Central American country is different, I realized this once I saw the Panama military all over the island. The Spanish was a little different as were the people. We were only there for a weekend, but I could see differences. This trip made me want to travel to Panama City, and to see other parts of Latin America. The interesting thing about traveling is that it causes you to be more curious than you were before you went on that trip. A lot of the restaurants were water front, which allowed for an even more relaxing time. This trip allowed me to realize even more that the world is so big, and there is so much to see! Pura Vida!
This weekend was absolutely amazing. We had the opportunity to go to Baldi Hot Springs. It was incredible. We also went to La Fortuna Waterfall. Having the opportunity to go there made me realize that there are so many places in the world to see and how if you have the opportunity to travel, you should. We went to Monteverde this weekend also. We zip-lined along the "Canopy Tour" which was great. You zip-line through a cannon and what seems to be the clouds. I would suggest zip-lining to be one of the top places to visit in Costa Rica (so far, I've only been here a little over two weeks.) This weekend made me appreciate this place even more because I got to experiencing new adventures. I had my second big culture shock. I rode the school shuttle with a driver who didn't speak English. I could not tell him the address at all. The addresses here are sentences long and refer to neighborhoods. As we were driving and another girl was able to help us translate, I started to have a conversation with him. I came home and had more conversation with my tico family in Spanish. This short bus ride made me realize that I can't depend on fellow students who are fluent in Spanish. The language barrier is still a big culture shock but I am learning how important it is to appreciate the language of another culture. These experiences also made me realize how much of an advantage people who speak more than one language have in the work field. It also gave me motivation to try and learn as much as I can while I have the chance. I'm starting to love "tico time" and it's teaching me that it's not always important to be in a rush to do even the smallest things.
I've been in Costa Rica for almost two weeks. It didn't hit me that I was leaving home for 17 weeks until I was at the end of a four hour layover in Miami, Florida and our lay over was extended. I was exhausted, nervous and ready to go to bed. But where was I going? I had no clue about the family I was about to live in, not to mention which house or how to even pronounce the family's address. I quickly learned that addresses are different here, to say the least. I arrived at my new Costa Rican home around midnight, central time. The next day was full of new faces and new names, just like orientation all over again. I instantly made friends, which is one of the best parts of my trip so far. After two exhausting days I went to my first class here at Veritas University. It was spanish. The class is intense. It is four hours a day, five days a week. I never thought I would even become close to getting used to that but it was much easier than I thought. This spanish course made me appreciate the opportunity to learn a language in the country where the people didn't speak my native language. I was terrified that I couldn't read the road signs, let alone speak the language. I also had my first big culture shock- going to the mall. It seems silly but it was the first time I realized I wasn't home anymore. I couldn't tell you hardly anything that the signs were displaying all over the mall, and I could barely order. This trip (to the San Pedro Mall) made me appreciate the millions of visitors that brave the US not knowing our language and feeling completely lost just like I was in the food court of a mall in Costa Rica. The first weekend we went to Manuel Antonio, which was fantastic. To say that Manuel Antonio is pretty would be a complete understand. Being able to go there was another humbling opportunity for me. I felt blessed and was experiencing pure bliss. These first two weeks taught me how important it is to appreciate and try to learn a second language. Living in a country where the residents speak another language can be very frustrating but it definitely helps to build independence. You start to appreciate small things, like being able to go to Quiznos and order without even thinking about it. This experience so far has helped me to take learning spanish more seriously. I'm very excited to see what the next 4 months has in store for me in this beautiful and relaxed place. Pura Vida!