Hiiiiiii everyone, or atleast the few people that might still be reading this,
I returned back, safe and sound from Limon on Wednesday. It was the craziest 4 weeks of my life and I couldn't be happier I chose to live where I lived for my intership. At times, it was really hard, but I mostly only remember the good and GREAT.
I'm not going to write about my experience cause first, I have no time, second, typed sentences aren't sufficient to describe the last 4 weeks, and third, I'll be seeing you all very shortly. So you'll just have to wait for juicy details and funny stories.
For those that are still following my life through the internet, I leave for Cuba in a few hours and CAN'T WAIT! We'll be there for a week, then have to come back to San Jose for a night, before we go to Miami. I'll be in Miami for 2 days and then I'm CO bound :)
I hope you all had a great thanksgiving and soon it'll be Christmas! Have a good week, see you sooooooooooon
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Livin jungle style
Hey y'all,
I can't believe it's already November! Time is flying by like you wouldn't believe. Looking back, I'm amazed at all I've learned, and looking ahead reminds there is still so much to be experienced.
Last weekend, our fall break, was one of the most ridiculously fun weekends I've ever had. Myself and 10 other friends decided to take a trip to Manuel Antonio near Quepos, Costa Rica. Manuel Antonio is a beach town/national park on the Pacific Coast. Two of the people in the group did all the planning, which I was fine with. They told me how much it would cost, and that we'd be staying in some kind of villa. In my mind I was still thinking "hotel" kind of business, which instead turned out to be our own private mansion for 5 days.
I'm not sure I've ever stayed, or even been in the presence of such a place. At first, I was sure it was a mistake, we were being ripped off, or that the 11 of us were sharing the Villa with another family of 20, but no. Just us, on fall break, in the middle of the rainforest, overlooking the beach, from our villa. WOW!
Since the peeps that own it aren't "hurting" financially in the midst of this not so great economy, and because it's the rainy season, they offered us a good deal. Either way we were speechless until the last day, and soaked in every second. It was pure laughter for 5 days straight, and an incredible feeling to be done with classes and do nothing but relax. On the 5th day, none of us wanted to leave. But, of course we did, which is always interesting going from the coast to the city, where things are busier and more crowded. In this case we went from Jungle Villa to concrete jungle, ha. But if anything, fall break was energizing and rejuvenating.
I had a few classes this last week, in preparation for our internships, AND my momma came to visit!!!! I'm sure most of you already know, but for those of you that didn't, she's here RIGHT NOW. To be honest, she really couldn't have come at a better time, between fall break, and before I leave to live with the Bribri. Although we've spent all our time in the city, it's been a blast. We've been embracing our tourist selves and showing Costa Rica a good time.
I leave on Monday, around 6 am, for Puerto Viejo, Limon. Getting nervous for the unexpected, and can't decide if 3 weeks is really long or just kinda long. Guess I'll find out. All in all, I hope this internship shows me a whole new side of Costa Rican life, and that I find myself experiencing and putting into practice new ways of thinking.
Can't wait to see you all in a month or two!!! Enjoy your Nov and I'll return on Nov 25th from Limon with lots of stories. Love you all :)
I can't believe it's already November! Time is flying by like you wouldn't believe. Looking back, I'm amazed at all I've learned, and looking ahead reminds there is still so much to be experienced.
Last weekend, our fall break, was one of the most ridiculously fun weekends I've ever had. Myself and 10 other friends decided to take a trip to Manuel Antonio near Quepos, Costa Rica. Manuel Antonio is a beach town/national park on the Pacific Coast. Two of the people in the group did all the planning, which I was fine with. They told me how much it would cost, and that we'd be staying in some kind of villa. In my mind I was still thinking "hotel" kind of business, which instead turned out to be our own private mansion for 5 days.
I'm not sure I've ever stayed, or even been in the presence of such a place. At first, I was sure it was a mistake, we were being ripped off, or that the 11 of us were sharing the Villa with another family of 20, but no. Just us, on fall break, in the middle of the rainforest, overlooking the beach, from our villa. WOW!
Since the peeps that own it aren't "hurting" financially in the midst of this not so great economy, and because it's the rainy season, they offered us a good deal. Either way we were speechless until the last day, and soaked in every second. It was pure laughter for 5 days straight, and an incredible feeling to be done with classes and do nothing but relax. On the 5th day, none of us wanted to leave. But, of course we did, which is always interesting going from the coast to the city, where things are busier and more crowded. In this case we went from Jungle Villa to concrete jungle, ha. But if anything, fall break was energizing and rejuvenating.
I had a few classes this last week, in preparation for our internships, AND my momma came to visit!!!! I'm sure most of you already know, but for those of you that didn't, she's here RIGHT NOW. To be honest, she really couldn't have come at a better time, between fall break, and before I leave to live with the Bribri. Although we've spent all our time in the city, it's been a blast. We've been embracing our tourist selves and showing Costa Rica a good time.
I leave on Monday, around 6 am, for Puerto Viejo, Limon. Getting nervous for the unexpected, and can't decide if 3 weeks is really long or just kinda long. Guess I'll find out. All in all, I hope this internship shows me a whole new side of Costa Rican life, and that I find myself experiencing and putting into practice new ways of thinking.
Can't wait to see you all in a month or two!!! Enjoy your Nov and I'll return on Nov 25th from Limon with lots of stories. Love you all :)
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
More fotos...
Amigas
Adam eating our graduation food... before we graduated
Spanish class
Beach in Tamarindo, Guanacaste
Pretty church in Granada, Nicaragua
Mr. monkey chillin on our boat
Touring Las Islas in Grananda
Part of mi familia in Nicaragua
The national sport of Nicaragua is baseball, but everyone still loves futbol!
Finished product
Our church, where I spent most of my time in Nicaragua. The beginning of a sweet paint job.
Old theatre in Managua with a picture of the Revolution in front
The whole group
Found my name in downtown San Jose
Adam eating our graduation food... before we graduated
Spanish class
Beach in Tamarindo, Guanacaste
Pretty church in Granada, Nicaragua
Mr. monkey chillin on our boat
Touring Las Islas in Grananda
Part of mi familia in Nicaragua
The national sport of Nicaragua is baseball, but everyone still loves futbol!
Finished product
Our church, where I spent most of my time in Nicaragua. The beginning of a sweet paint job.
Old theatre in Managua with a picture of the Revolution in front
The whole group
Found my name in downtown San Jose
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Back from the dead
I'm baaaaaaccckkkkk
Some of you might be wondering if I'm still alive here in CR, but most likely I've talked to the mjority of you and that's not the case. I started writing this post last week, but after re-reading it just now I decided to erase it. So now I'm starting fresh, and I don't plan on leaving this spot until I finish this post!
I last wrote to you after going to the beach with my family. Only a week after that we went to Nicaragua. Nicaragua was a two week trip that required each one of us to stay individually with host families. There were a few assignments while we there, but the point was simply to live with them. It was a really really hard trip, but also eye-opening both politically and socially. Although my family and the community I lived in was one of the poorest in Managua, the hospitality I received was out of this world. I went to church everyday, sometimes twice a day, and even had the privilege of giving a sermon in Spanish. Yaaaa, didn't really think of it like that at the time, but looking back it was a good excercise. The two most frustrating things while I was there were the fact that my spanish was horrible, and I got really sick. I think I hit a wall with spanish, as well as the fact that Nicaraguans have a craaazzzyyyy accent. Being sick was definitely not fun either, and made me a bit homesick, but now that I'm better all is good :)
After Nicaragua school got a little more intense with papers and presentations, but of course it all got done in the end. I have now officially graduated from Spanish after 80 hours of class and 60 hours on the bus to get there everyday, and it feels sooooo good. Yesterday was the last day of my program classes and it really helped me sum up a lot of what I've learned here so far, which is...
What I do in my daily life, how I consume, and how I live as an individual in my community really does affect others around me, and in other parts of the world. (I know many of you are thinking "duh," but putting it into practice here has been meaningful to me).
Besides school, I've just been trying to live it up. Two weekends ago a few of us took a beach trip to Tamarindo in the province of Guanacaste. It was beautiful, of course, and gave me a lot of energy to finish my semester here. The area was really touristy, and all the shops and businesses are owned by people from all over the world, but being around so many foreigners reminded me how much I love traveling. I also finally went salsa dancing this last weekend, and now feel complete. I thought I would be doing dancing all the time here, but until now hadn't found a place. Oh well, I'm happy to have done it once.
Anyways, tomorrow starts our fall break. It's a five day break the program gives us between classes and our concentration, which I'm so thankful for. A bunch of us are planning on going to... try and guess... yes the beach! I'm excited to not think about school and kick it with amigos.
That's about it for now. I'm really going to try and make a conscious effort to write more over the next week and a half before I jet out to Limon. But I did find out that there is internet close by the reservation, so now I can update you periodically while I'm there! Until then, I love you and miss you, and hope the majority of you receieved my postcards! ciaochowwww
Carli
Some of you might be wondering if I'm still alive here in CR, but most likely I've talked to the mjority of you and that's not the case. I started writing this post last week, but after re-reading it just now I decided to erase it. So now I'm starting fresh, and I don't plan on leaving this spot until I finish this post!
I last wrote to you after going to the beach with my family. Only a week after that we went to Nicaragua. Nicaragua was a two week trip that required each one of us to stay individually with host families. There were a few assignments while we there, but the point was simply to live with them. It was a really really hard trip, but also eye-opening both politically and socially. Although my family and the community I lived in was one of the poorest in Managua, the hospitality I received was out of this world. I went to church everyday, sometimes twice a day, and even had the privilege of giving a sermon in Spanish. Yaaaa, didn't really think of it like that at the time, but looking back it was a good excercise. The two most frustrating things while I was there were the fact that my spanish was horrible, and I got really sick. I think I hit a wall with spanish, as well as the fact that Nicaraguans have a craaazzzyyyy accent. Being sick was definitely not fun either, and made me a bit homesick, but now that I'm better all is good :)
After Nicaragua school got a little more intense with papers and presentations, but of course it all got done in the end. I have now officially graduated from Spanish after 80 hours of class and 60 hours on the bus to get there everyday, and it feels sooooo good. Yesterday was the last day of my program classes and it really helped me sum up a lot of what I've learned here so far, which is...
What I do in my daily life, how I consume, and how I live as an individual in my community really does affect others around me, and in other parts of the world. (I know many of you are thinking "duh," but putting it into practice here has been meaningful to me).
Besides school, I've just been trying to live it up. Two weekends ago a few of us took a beach trip to Tamarindo in the province of Guanacaste. It was beautiful, of course, and gave me a lot of energy to finish my semester here. The area was really touristy, and all the shops and businesses are owned by people from all over the world, but being around so many foreigners reminded me how much I love traveling. I also finally went salsa dancing this last weekend, and now feel complete. I thought I would be doing dancing all the time here, but until now hadn't found a place. Oh well, I'm happy to have done it once.
Anyways, tomorrow starts our fall break. It's a five day break the program gives us between classes and our concentration, which I'm so thankful for. A bunch of us are planning on going to... try and guess... yes the beach! I'm excited to not think about school and kick it with amigos.
That's about it for now. I'm really going to try and make a conscious effort to write more over the next week and a half before I jet out to Limon. But I did find out that there is internet close by the reservation, so now I can update you periodically while I'm there! Until then, I love you and miss you, and hope the majority of you receieved my postcards! ciaochowwww
Carli
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
PICTURES!!!
Our lovely little beach (playa blanca) at the end of the day
Best Ceviche of my life
My dad... probably making fun of me
View from an island in Puntarenas
Dinner in Limon followed by dancing in the hottest weather imagineable... but way worth it
Adam with the most giant pig known to humans
My future family and dinner in less than two months
Lengua de Vaca (cow tongue) and some other goodness
Me and my sister at Volcan Poas
Monday, September 14, 2009
21!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wow
I´m not sure where to begin. I feel like it´s been forever since I´ve last blogged, and now I have so much to say. If I was only to write one more word to describe the past week it would be "beach goodness," which is actually two. Thankfully I wont only be writing that one word, but most likely a novel or two again.
Last weekend was our Limón trip from friday to sunday. Something I´m extremely thankful for in this program is how much I´m learning about the culture. It would be easy to just travel around Costa Rica somewhat removed from reality while hardly getting to know the people you encounter. But one of the main reasons we went to Limón was to understand poverty in Costa Rica from an Indigenous and Afro-Costarican perpective. There was a lot of preparation before we left with speakers and reesarch. We were also required to interview 3 people in San Jose before we left, and 3 people while in Limón about poverty. All I can say is that it made me see Limón, and Costa Rica in general, for more than just it´s beaches, although that was a huge part of it, it´s been a healthy mix of fun and learning. But I´ll try not to bore you with the school stuff too much.
On our way to Limón we stopped at 3 different plantations (fincas). I don´t think I´ve ever been to any type of plantation, so all 3 were new to me. The first was coffee. A plantation I probably should´ve visited a long time ago considering how much I drink. The second was a pineapple plantation, which in case you were wondering, pineapples from the ground out of bushes. First, I thought they grew on trees... silly me. Then I thought they grew IN the ground. But no, they grow from these weird plants. The third was a Del Monte Banana plantation, which was loud and exciting, and we got a bunch of free bananas.
During our drive to Limón, we could immediately tell by the weather when we had reached the Carribean. Once we finally got there the weather was unbelievable. It was some of the hottest, stickiest, most humid weather I´ve EVER experienced. I´m not what I was expecting but I wasn´t prepared for the massive amount of sweating I did the entire weekend. Showers felt pointless, and towels were useless, since nothing is dry there. Although it was uncomfortable at the beginning, you get used to it quick, since everyone around you is equally sweaty.
Saturday was the best day of our trip, mostly because it was my BIRTHDAY!!! We started the day by visiting an indigenous reservation of a tribe called the Bribri. The reservation was crazy. They raise animals and grow all of their own food, but the biggest thing they farm are Iguanas. Iguanas are realy important to them not only for food, but also help replenish the forest. They are extremely in touch with nature, and always seek new ways to sustain the resources they consume. But they are also really marginalized in Costa Rica, and hardly have a say in any political decisions. They receive little medical care, and many times the government treats them as if they don´t exist.
After that, we went to a nearby national park, Cahuita, where there were tons of beautiful beaches. As I was swimming in crystal clear, warm water, while everyone in my group sang me happy birthday, I thought to myself, "I´ll probably never have a birthday like this again." And it´s true. We spent several hours at the beach, and although it wasn´t very sunny, everyone had a really good time. When we got back, we had an authentic carribean meal, which was amazing, followed by dancing, with music from a live carribean band. Literally, one of the best birthdays I´ve ever had.
The next day we went home, and I immediately appreciated my situation in San Jose more than before I left. The weather, which I use to think was hot and humid, felt dry. And my house, which sometimes made me squirm with cockroaches, felt like a mansion after seeing the wasy people live in Limón. That afternoon when I got home, I decided to eat an early dinner. Then I found out that it was my cousins birthday and that we were going to their house to eat more. Basically I´ve never eaten that much in my life. I´ve learned how to say no to food at my host home, but when I´m a guest at a different home, it´s harder. Sooooo either I ate so much that I made myself sick that night and next day, or I had a bug. Who knows.
On monday my family surprised me and told me that since I wasn´t in San Jose for my birthday, they wanted to take me to the beach on Tuesday, which was Independence Day. Woo hoo, more beaches! So since everyone has school and work off on September 15th, yesterday we went to a city called Puntarenas to a beach called Playa Blanca. It was equally, if not more beautiful than Limón. Like nothing I´ve ever seen. There were vendors that came by selling fresh Ceviche and Coconuts, and the sand was made of only seashells. I basically spent 8 hours in paradise all in the name of independence and my birhtday. I definitely wouldn´t say that I´m living a vacation here everyday, although it sounds like it, but it´s crazy to me that I can drive only 2 hours to places many people dream of vacationing. Very fortunate.
One downer, is that during the past two trips to the beach, I´ve gotten water in my ear that wont come out. So on top of not always being able to understand the language, I´m now part deaf. Great. Hopefully they have something at the store that can take care of this little problem.
I definitely could say way more, but now my fingers are tired of typing. I´ll try to write again before we leave for Nicaragua on Monday, but if not I wont have any communication while we´re there for two weeks. So if you have anything to say before I leave, ya better do it soooooooon. Much love
P.S.- please please please comment and leave me updates about yourselves. I really miss you all!
I´m not sure where to begin. I feel like it´s been forever since I´ve last blogged, and now I have so much to say. If I was only to write one more word to describe the past week it would be "beach goodness," which is actually two. Thankfully I wont only be writing that one word, but most likely a novel or two again.
Last weekend was our Limón trip from friday to sunday. Something I´m extremely thankful for in this program is how much I´m learning about the culture. It would be easy to just travel around Costa Rica somewhat removed from reality while hardly getting to know the people you encounter. But one of the main reasons we went to Limón was to understand poverty in Costa Rica from an Indigenous and Afro-Costarican perpective. There was a lot of preparation before we left with speakers and reesarch. We were also required to interview 3 people in San Jose before we left, and 3 people while in Limón about poverty. All I can say is that it made me see Limón, and Costa Rica in general, for more than just it´s beaches, although that was a huge part of it, it´s been a healthy mix of fun and learning. But I´ll try not to bore you with the school stuff too much.
On our way to Limón we stopped at 3 different plantations (fincas). I don´t think I´ve ever been to any type of plantation, so all 3 were new to me. The first was coffee. A plantation I probably should´ve visited a long time ago considering how much I drink. The second was a pineapple plantation, which in case you were wondering, pineapples from the ground out of bushes. First, I thought they grew on trees... silly me. Then I thought they grew IN the ground. But no, they grow from these weird plants. The third was a Del Monte Banana plantation, which was loud and exciting, and we got a bunch of free bananas.
During our drive to Limón, we could immediately tell by the weather when we had reached the Carribean. Once we finally got there the weather was unbelievable. It was some of the hottest, stickiest, most humid weather I´ve EVER experienced. I´m not what I was expecting but I wasn´t prepared for the massive amount of sweating I did the entire weekend. Showers felt pointless, and towels were useless, since nothing is dry there. Although it was uncomfortable at the beginning, you get used to it quick, since everyone around you is equally sweaty.
Saturday was the best day of our trip, mostly because it was my BIRTHDAY!!! We started the day by visiting an indigenous reservation of a tribe called the Bribri. The reservation was crazy. They raise animals and grow all of their own food, but the biggest thing they farm are Iguanas. Iguanas are realy important to them not only for food, but also help replenish the forest. They are extremely in touch with nature, and always seek new ways to sustain the resources they consume. But they are also really marginalized in Costa Rica, and hardly have a say in any political decisions. They receive little medical care, and many times the government treats them as if they don´t exist.
After that, we went to a nearby national park, Cahuita, where there were tons of beautiful beaches. As I was swimming in crystal clear, warm water, while everyone in my group sang me happy birthday, I thought to myself, "I´ll probably never have a birthday like this again." And it´s true. We spent several hours at the beach, and although it wasn´t very sunny, everyone had a really good time. When we got back, we had an authentic carribean meal, which was amazing, followed by dancing, with music from a live carribean band. Literally, one of the best birthdays I´ve ever had.
The next day we went home, and I immediately appreciated my situation in San Jose more than before I left. The weather, which I use to think was hot and humid, felt dry. And my house, which sometimes made me squirm with cockroaches, felt like a mansion after seeing the wasy people live in Limón. That afternoon when I got home, I decided to eat an early dinner. Then I found out that it was my cousins birthday and that we were going to their house to eat more. Basically I´ve never eaten that much in my life. I´ve learned how to say no to food at my host home, but when I´m a guest at a different home, it´s harder. Sooooo either I ate so much that I made myself sick that night and next day, or I had a bug. Who knows.
On monday my family surprised me and told me that since I wasn´t in San Jose for my birthday, they wanted to take me to the beach on Tuesday, which was Independence Day. Woo hoo, more beaches! So since everyone has school and work off on September 15th, yesterday we went to a city called Puntarenas to a beach called Playa Blanca. It was equally, if not more beautiful than Limón. Like nothing I´ve ever seen. There were vendors that came by selling fresh Ceviche and Coconuts, and the sand was made of only seashells. I basically spent 8 hours in paradise all in the name of independence and my birhtday. I definitely wouldn´t say that I´m living a vacation here everyday, although it sounds like it, but it´s crazy to me that I can drive only 2 hours to places many people dream of vacationing. Very fortunate.
One downer, is that during the past two trips to the beach, I´ve gotten water in my ear that wont come out. So on top of not always being able to understand the language, I´m now part deaf. Great. Hopefully they have something at the store that can take care of this little problem.
I definitely could say way more, but now my fingers are tired of typing. I´ll try to write again before we leave for Nicaragua on Monday, but if not I wont have any communication while we´re there for two weeks. So if you have anything to say before I leave, ya better do it soooooooon. Much love
P.S.- please please please comment and leave me updates about yourselves. I really miss you all!
Monday, September 7, 2009
Tembloresssssss
Hello again,
I´m writing to you happily from an internet cafe after a sweet weekend of hikes, earthquakes, dance clubs, and of course, more cockroahes. They just seem to love me.
The weekend started off well when one of my friends invited me to her host sisters bday at an electronic dance club. I´ve never been to an electronic dance club, so I thought I´d give it a whirl. Her host sister, Priscilla, was turning 18. Turns out 18 is like 21 in the U.S. but even better because that´s basically the age you can do anything (driving, drinking, tobacco), but probably not good to combine them all. As we went out I thought to myself, "how many more birthdays am I going to have to celebrate in the name of drinking before my own?" Then I remembered my own is just around the corner, Finalmente! Anyways, the club was good, but I think I would have preferred different music. All in all it was really great to hang with Costa Ricans and keep speaking the spanish.
The next day me and three of my friends from the program attempted to go on a hike. We took a series of buses to Coronado which eventually led to the Cloud Forest (Las Nubes). By the time we finally reached the town where the mountain was located we didn´t really have time to hike. But it didn´t matter much because we were all just happy to be out of the city and in a less concrete landscape. The town we were in was beautiful and I actually took pictures for once so I´ll upload them soon!
As soon as we got back to San Jose I quickly went home to change and then headed downtown to watch the Costa Rica/Mexico game. At first we went to this americanized restaurant, which didn´t feel as authentic as our game watching could be. So at halftime we ventured to a Costa Rican bar and truely experienced the thrill of Futbol. Sadly, Costa Rica lost, but the experience and atmosphere was still awesome.
When I got home from the game I immediately went to bed after being out all day. As I was sitting in my bed writing in my journal my bed started shaking a bit. If I haven´t already mentioned I share a bunk bed with my host sister. She´s on the top and I´m on the bottom. I thought she was just having some dream that involved her thrashing around. But about 5 minutes later my Papi burst into the room and said, "¿Tiene miedo? Fue un temblor." Are you scared? There was an earthquake. Apparently my host sister thought I was doing the same thing. So I guess earthquakes don´t scare us.
Yesterday was the best day of the weekend, in my opinion. At around 11 am, my Papi called home from work and asked if I had a lot of schoolwork. I said no, even though I did, and he said the whole family was going to go to the Volcano Poas. After a crazy 2 hour car ride there, we finally reached Alajuela, the town where the volcano is. It was one of the coolest things I´ve ever seen. First we saw a lagoon, then the HUGE crater where apparently there´s a lot of lava underneath the water, but all we could see was green water and smoke. Still an amazing site. Afterwards we went to a restaurant where I tried the Lengua de Vaca (cow tonge). To be honest it tasted like beef, but just knowing it was the tongue, and after seeing it raw in my family´s meat shop, I could only take one bite. The best part of the day was just spending time with my family. I´ve never felt so at home with another family in such a short amount of time. They are extremely patient when I speak, or atleast when I try, and always take the time to explain things when I don´t understand, which is a lot.
Basically, I´ve really been enjoying myself here. Now that I have an idea of the city, transportation, and am in a routine, I feel the possibilities are endless. In 4 days we leave for Limon and I can´t wait to see the town. I don´t think it´s a vacation, so much as school. But that aint stoppin me from going to the beach and livin it up on my bday.
I hope everyone is doing well and, as always, I miss you :)
Buenas Noches!!!!
I´m writing to you happily from an internet cafe after a sweet weekend of hikes, earthquakes, dance clubs, and of course, more cockroahes. They just seem to love me.
The weekend started off well when one of my friends invited me to her host sisters bday at an electronic dance club. I´ve never been to an electronic dance club, so I thought I´d give it a whirl. Her host sister, Priscilla, was turning 18. Turns out 18 is like 21 in the U.S. but even better because that´s basically the age you can do anything (driving, drinking, tobacco), but probably not good to combine them all. As we went out I thought to myself, "how many more birthdays am I going to have to celebrate in the name of drinking before my own?" Then I remembered my own is just around the corner, Finalmente! Anyways, the club was good, but I think I would have preferred different music. All in all it was really great to hang with Costa Ricans and keep speaking the spanish.
The next day me and three of my friends from the program attempted to go on a hike. We took a series of buses to Coronado which eventually led to the Cloud Forest (Las Nubes). By the time we finally reached the town where the mountain was located we didn´t really have time to hike. But it didn´t matter much because we were all just happy to be out of the city and in a less concrete landscape. The town we were in was beautiful and I actually took pictures for once so I´ll upload them soon!
As soon as we got back to San Jose I quickly went home to change and then headed downtown to watch the Costa Rica/Mexico game. At first we went to this americanized restaurant, which didn´t feel as authentic as our game watching could be. So at halftime we ventured to a Costa Rican bar and truely experienced the thrill of Futbol. Sadly, Costa Rica lost, but the experience and atmosphere was still awesome.
When I got home from the game I immediately went to bed after being out all day. As I was sitting in my bed writing in my journal my bed started shaking a bit. If I haven´t already mentioned I share a bunk bed with my host sister. She´s on the top and I´m on the bottom. I thought she was just having some dream that involved her thrashing around. But about 5 minutes later my Papi burst into the room and said, "¿Tiene miedo? Fue un temblor." Are you scared? There was an earthquake. Apparently my host sister thought I was doing the same thing. So I guess earthquakes don´t scare us.
Yesterday was the best day of the weekend, in my opinion. At around 11 am, my Papi called home from work and asked if I had a lot of schoolwork. I said no, even though I did, and he said the whole family was going to go to the Volcano Poas. After a crazy 2 hour car ride there, we finally reached Alajuela, the town where the volcano is. It was one of the coolest things I´ve ever seen. First we saw a lagoon, then the HUGE crater where apparently there´s a lot of lava underneath the water, but all we could see was green water and smoke. Still an amazing site. Afterwards we went to a restaurant where I tried the Lengua de Vaca (cow tonge). To be honest it tasted like beef, but just knowing it was the tongue, and after seeing it raw in my family´s meat shop, I could only take one bite. The best part of the day was just spending time with my family. I´ve never felt so at home with another family in such a short amount of time. They are extremely patient when I speak, or atleast when I try, and always take the time to explain things when I don´t understand, which is a lot.
Basically, I´ve really been enjoying myself here. Now that I have an idea of the city, transportation, and am in a routine, I feel the possibilities are endless. In 4 days we leave for Limon and I can´t wait to see the town. I don´t think it´s a vacation, so much as school. But that aint stoppin me from going to the beach and livin it up on my bday.
I hope everyone is doing well and, as always, I miss you :)
Buenas Noches!!!!
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Cockroaches and Marijuana
Ha I knew my title would get you all excited to read this blog. No I haven´t smoked any blunts... yet, haha just kidding just kidding. But my blog does have some good stories.
To start, this last weekend was, to be honest, one of the hardest weekends of my college life. I think it hit me that I´m going to be living in this country for the next 3 months away from home. To suddenly be stripped away from everything you take for granted (car, english language, internet, cell phones, and other conveniences) is a bit taxing, as well as being in a place where you have no idea where you are. But as different as it´s been, it´s all turned out really well.
Feeling that way encouraged me to get out and explore the city. So I now know the bus system really well. And it also made me realize that this is an opportunity of a life time and I don´t want to spend it missing home constantly. Although, I´ll always be thinking of you all, I just don´t want that to keep me from seeing and experiencing things here. The best part of all of this has been my host family who make a huge effort to make me feel at home and apart of their family.
So I´ll just update everyone on my weekend and first few days of school:
I´m not sure if I mentioned this already, but my sister Susan has been really sick from a mosquito bite. Her leg is swollen and has this pretty good size gash in it, not pretty. So she´s been to the doctor a bunch and after getting some injections she´s beginning to feel better. We like a lot of the same music, so she told me when she´s better we´ll go to concerts, etc. Ooooohhh baby.
My brother Julio, the 16 year old who talks the least to me, randomnly approached me the other day at the computer. I was just sitting there minding my own business, trying to figure out how to make an apostrophe on a spanish keyboard, when he pulls a large nug of weed out of his pocket. He showed it to me and told me that he knows I like that and not to tell his mom. I really had no idea what to say, especially in spanish, so I just started laughing, and then our Mom walked in. I tried to think of anything I have that would give him the impression I like lighting up, but no, nothing. I must just give off that ora. Which is a first.
On sunday, I worked on some homework, and sat around the house when I finally decided to go explore and find a track to run. My host sister told me there was a track not too far at the U of Costa Rica. But "not too far" meant two buses a long walk. While walking across an overpass, completely lost, I asked a runner who was approaching me where the track was. Turns out he was from the U.S. and was headed to the university right then. While walking there he told me he´s been living here for the last 4 1/2 years because he hated Bush so much. He talked quite a bit, but being older, he had a lot of wisdom about life. With out even telling him how i´d been feeling living here, he explained to me that loneliness is common when we´re in unfamiliar places. It´s what we do with that loneliness that´s important, because sometimes that´s when we learn the most. Vulnerability is a hard thing and easy to shy away from but it´s when opportunities are presented to us the best. That was really cool to hear and after that we parted ways. It sounds creepy that I met some random guy who took me to the university and talked to me about hating Bush, but it was just what I needed to hear. After running for a bit I decided to head home only to realize I didn´t have enough money for both buses. Soooooo I ended up walking for an extra hour, while getting caught in a down pour, and then finally reached the bus for home. Needless to say I got my exercise.
This week, so far, has been busy with school. MWF we have language class in the afternoons from 1-4:30, and TTH we have our Latin American Studies class from 8am-12 and then language class from 1:30-4:30. So yesterday was the most school I´ve had in one day in a looooonnnngggg time. After class a bunch of us wanted to go out danicng that night and get dinner. It ended up being way more complicated than we thought, since we only have house phones, buses, and taxis. When I got home from school to drop off my stuff, my family told me our phone wasn´t working and was disconnected. So that changed my plans a bit, and I ended up meeting my good friend Adam (who is the only person I knew coming on this trip) downtown and no one else. This has happened several times already, where we think we´re meeting other people and then don´t because no one can get a hold of anyone. Since we were starving we went to dinner, and I accidentally ordered two meals, which with drinks, made my bill over $30. I know you´re sitting there wondering who could do something that stupid, but it´s a lot more complicated than you think. Too complicated for me to write about. But it happened. Oh well!
Anyways, I´m sure I have lots more to say, but I´ve already written a novel, which you may have had to read in two sittings. I miss you all! Please comment and let me know how you´re doing. Ta ta
- Carli
P.S. - I forgot to say that two nights ago I had to kill five spiders, which is a big deal if you know how much I hate spiders, and last night I came upon the biggest cockroach of my life in the bathroom. I also showered with mini slugs the other day and this morning when I woke up I stepped on a large caterpillar. I think the spiders at home will seem like nothing after this!
To start, this last weekend was, to be honest, one of the hardest weekends of my college life. I think it hit me that I´m going to be living in this country for the next 3 months away from home. To suddenly be stripped away from everything you take for granted (car, english language, internet, cell phones, and other conveniences) is a bit taxing, as well as being in a place where you have no idea where you are. But as different as it´s been, it´s all turned out really well.
Feeling that way encouraged me to get out and explore the city. So I now know the bus system really well. And it also made me realize that this is an opportunity of a life time and I don´t want to spend it missing home constantly. Although, I´ll always be thinking of you all, I just don´t want that to keep me from seeing and experiencing things here. The best part of all of this has been my host family who make a huge effort to make me feel at home and apart of their family.
So I´ll just update everyone on my weekend and first few days of school:
I´m not sure if I mentioned this already, but my sister Susan has been really sick from a mosquito bite. Her leg is swollen and has this pretty good size gash in it, not pretty. So she´s been to the doctor a bunch and after getting some injections she´s beginning to feel better. We like a lot of the same music, so she told me when she´s better we´ll go to concerts, etc. Ooooohhh baby.
My brother Julio, the 16 year old who talks the least to me, randomnly approached me the other day at the computer. I was just sitting there minding my own business, trying to figure out how to make an apostrophe on a spanish keyboard, when he pulls a large nug of weed out of his pocket. He showed it to me and told me that he knows I like that and not to tell his mom. I really had no idea what to say, especially in spanish, so I just started laughing, and then our Mom walked in. I tried to think of anything I have that would give him the impression I like lighting up, but no, nothing. I must just give off that ora. Which is a first.
On sunday, I worked on some homework, and sat around the house when I finally decided to go explore and find a track to run. My host sister told me there was a track not too far at the U of Costa Rica. But "not too far" meant two buses a long walk. While walking across an overpass, completely lost, I asked a runner who was approaching me where the track was. Turns out he was from the U.S. and was headed to the university right then. While walking there he told me he´s been living here for the last 4 1/2 years because he hated Bush so much. He talked quite a bit, but being older, he had a lot of wisdom about life. With out even telling him how i´d been feeling living here, he explained to me that loneliness is common when we´re in unfamiliar places. It´s what we do with that loneliness that´s important, because sometimes that´s when we learn the most. Vulnerability is a hard thing and easy to shy away from but it´s when opportunities are presented to us the best. That was really cool to hear and after that we parted ways. It sounds creepy that I met some random guy who took me to the university and talked to me about hating Bush, but it was just what I needed to hear. After running for a bit I decided to head home only to realize I didn´t have enough money for both buses. Soooooo I ended up walking for an extra hour, while getting caught in a down pour, and then finally reached the bus for home. Needless to say I got my exercise.
This week, so far, has been busy with school. MWF we have language class in the afternoons from 1-4:30, and TTH we have our Latin American Studies class from 8am-12 and then language class from 1:30-4:30. So yesterday was the most school I´ve had in one day in a looooonnnngggg time. After class a bunch of us wanted to go out danicng that night and get dinner. It ended up being way more complicated than we thought, since we only have house phones, buses, and taxis. When I got home from school to drop off my stuff, my family told me our phone wasn´t working and was disconnected. So that changed my plans a bit, and I ended up meeting my good friend Adam (who is the only person I knew coming on this trip) downtown and no one else. This has happened several times already, where we think we´re meeting other people and then don´t because no one can get a hold of anyone. Since we were starving we went to dinner, and I accidentally ordered two meals, which with drinks, made my bill over $30. I know you´re sitting there wondering who could do something that stupid, but it´s a lot more complicated than you think. Too complicated for me to write about. But it happened. Oh well!
Anyways, I´m sure I have lots more to say, but I´ve already written a novel, which you may have had to read in two sittings. I miss you all! Please comment and let me know how you´re doing. Ta ta
- Carli
P.S. - I forgot to say that two nights ago I had to kill five spiders, which is a big deal if you know how much I hate spiders, and last night I came upon the biggest cockroach of my life in the bathroom. I also showered with mini slugs the other day and this morning when I woke up I stepped on a large caterpillar. I think the spiders at home will seem like nothing after this!
Saturday, August 29, 2009
The beginning...
Hola mi familia y amigos!
Finally I have a chance to sit down and write to you all. Unfortunately, the internet is not as accessible as I´d hoped, but I´ll try to fill you in as much as possible. So far things have been crazy! Eventhough i´ve only been here for 4 days, it seems like much more. Costa Rica is just as beautiful as I thought and so much more.
The city of San Jose is huge, atleast it feels that way. But I´m beginning to find my way around. This entire week has been dedicated to helping us acclimate and figure out transporation, as well as orientation. School starts on monday, and to be honest I think I´ll be happy to get into a routine.
So far, I´ve gone to church with my family, eaten rice and beans everyday at all meals of the day, tried to make more friends in my group, and have attempted the night life. To start, my host family is off the chain. I have a mom, dad, two brothers and a sister. My siblings are all close in age to me, and I share a room with my sister Susan. My house is a 45 minute bus ride outside of down town, so that´s kinda a bummer, but that hasn´t stopped me from coming down here everyday. Especially because it´s the best place for internet cafes.
My spanish has picked up quicker than I thought, but that hasn´t stopped me from looking like a complete and total idiot the majority of the time. One of my brothers constantly teases me, and I usually don´t get it so I just smile and nod, and then try to think of a comeback but by the time I do it´s way too late. My family also always tells me to answer the phone, probably just cause they think it´s funny. BUt besides the jokes they are really down to earth and sincerely try to help me with my spanish. I went to their pentecostal church with them the other day, which ended up being 3 hours long. I started nodding off, mostly cause I couldn´t understand everything the pastor was saying, oh and cause it was 3 hours. Hopefully they didn´t notice. The food is acutally pretty yummy, so I have nothing to complain about! I´ve also been told I look latin american by one of my spanish teachers, but I´m sure everytime I open my mouth to speak that idea fades away. Oh well!
All in all, life here has been one big adventure everyday. I´m never quite sure what to expect. I found out that we´ll be in Limón on my birthday for the weekend. Limón is a beach town on the carribean side of Costa Rica, which means i´ll be soakin in the rays while turning 21. Even though that age is like any other here. Anyways, I have so much more I could write, but to be honest my thoughts are still really scattered. I´ll try to write soon and update you on future events.
Just wanted to let you know I´m here, safe, and loving every minute while still thinking about you all at home. Much Love.
-Carlita
p.s.- I probably wont have pictures for a long time, so until then, use your imagination!
Finally I have a chance to sit down and write to you all. Unfortunately, the internet is not as accessible as I´d hoped, but I´ll try to fill you in as much as possible. So far things have been crazy! Eventhough i´ve only been here for 4 days, it seems like much more. Costa Rica is just as beautiful as I thought and so much more.
The city of San Jose is huge, atleast it feels that way. But I´m beginning to find my way around. This entire week has been dedicated to helping us acclimate and figure out transporation, as well as orientation. School starts on monday, and to be honest I think I´ll be happy to get into a routine.
So far, I´ve gone to church with my family, eaten rice and beans everyday at all meals of the day, tried to make more friends in my group, and have attempted the night life. To start, my host family is off the chain. I have a mom, dad, two brothers and a sister. My siblings are all close in age to me, and I share a room with my sister Susan. My house is a 45 minute bus ride outside of down town, so that´s kinda a bummer, but that hasn´t stopped me from coming down here everyday. Especially because it´s the best place for internet cafes.
My spanish has picked up quicker than I thought, but that hasn´t stopped me from looking like a complete and total idiot the majority of the time. One of my brothers constantly teases me, and I usually don´t get it so I just smile and nod, and then try to think of a comeback but by the time I do it´s way too late. My family also always tells me to answer the phone, probably just cause they think it´s funny. BUt besides the jokes they are really down to earth and sincerely try to help me with my spanish. I went to their pentecostal church with them the other day, which ended up being 3 hours long. I started nodding off, mostly cause I couldn´t understand everything the pastor was saying, oh and cause it was 3 hours. Hopefully they didn´t notice. The food is acutally pretty yummy, so I have nothing to complain about! I´ve also been told I look latin american by one of my spanish teachers, but I´m sure everytime I open my mouth to speak that idea fades away. Oh well!
All in all, life here has been one big adventure everyday. I´m never quite sure what to expect. I found out that we´ll be in Limón on my birthday for the weekend. Limón is a beach town on the carribean side of Costa Rica, which means i´ll be soakin in the rays while turning 21. Even though that age is like any other here. Anyways, I have so much more I could write, but to be honest my thoughts are still really scattered. I´ll try to write soon and update you on future events.
Just wanted to let you know I´m here, safe, and loving every minute while still thinking about you all at home. Much Love.
-Carlita
p.s.- I probably wont have pictures for a long time, so until then, use your imagination!
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