Because that is what my foot looks like right now. I am pretty sure that only I could manage to hurt myself one week before leaving for Guanacaste and Nicaragua...
Because that is what my foot looks like right now. I am pretty sure that only I could manage to hurt myself one week before leaving for Guanacaste and Nicaragua...
My second weekend in and I was 'feining' for the beach or at least some sun. San Jose is a sprawling, dirty city that is completely landlocked. There are parts of it that are very beautiful, but all in all the neighborhoods in the valley look very similar and the highest building is no more than 10 stories. It is winter here and therefore, it is usually somewhat sunny every morning while I am in school and then the wrath of God pours down every afternoon and sometimes well into the night. For some reason, it is usually warmer and rains less on the coasts. I love the rain, but was ready to leave the house without coming back soaking wet! I am posting the pics of San Jose at the bottom of the page, which links to my flickr account.
Puerto Viejo was my first and so far, only experience with Costa Rican beaches and the Caribbean coast. It is one of the more rugged, but also less populated places to travel in Costa Rica (because it involves traveling through the heart of the Costa Rican jungle to get to). Much of the Caribbean coast, Puerto Viejo being no exception, is heavily populated with hippies and Jamaican-Spanish that speak Spanish and/or a dialect of Creole. The town itself was small with overpriced food and a somewhat crappy beach. However, myself and the other 8 'independent' students still managed to have quite a bit of fun. Watch out: The drinks here were definitely overpriced. I bought a rum and coke for myself and my friend to share and was not happy when he told me that it was 5.000 colones (just about $10)!!!!
On Saturday we decided to go snorkeling at a somewhat questionable establishment. The Jamaican-Ticos took us out on a boat in the middle of the clear Caribbean water. Unfortunately, I did not have a good mask and so swallowed some sea water, which was followed by my becoming sea sick on the ride back to land. To top it off, there were not very many exotic fish. First experience snorkeling = Not FUN!
The next day we took a 10 min. bus ride to a different beach that was desolate and absolutely beautiful! There were a few other surfers and the waves were the biggest that I have ever seen :) The beach and the sun FINALLY!!!! Check out the pics at the bottom of the page.
Puerto Viejo was my first and so far, only experience with Costa Rican beaches and the Caribbean coast. It is one of the more rugged, but also less populated places to travel in Costa Rica (because it involves traveling through the heart of the Costa Rican jungle to get to). Much of the Caribbean coast, Puerto Viejo being no exception, is heavily populated with hippies and Jamaican-Spanish that speak Spanish and/or a dialect of Creole. The town itself was small with overpriced food and a somewhat crappy beach. However, myself and the other 8 'independent' students still managed to have quite a bit of fun. Watch out: The drinks here were definitely overpriced. I bought a rum and coke for myself and my friend to share and was not happy when he told me that it was 5.000 colones (just about $10)!!!!
On Saturday we decided to go snorkeling at a somewhat questionable establishment. The Jamaican-Ticos took us out on a boat in the middle of the clear Caribbean water. Unfortunately, I did not have a good mask and so swallowed some sea water, which was followed by my becoming sea sick on the ride back to land. To top it off, there were not very many exotic fish. First experience snorkeling = Not FUN!
The next day we took a 10 min. bus ride to a different beach that was desolate and absolutely beautiful! There were a few other surfers and the waves were the biggest that I have ever seen :) The beach and the sun FINALLY!!!! Check out the pics at the bottom of the page.
Okay so this blog thing is easier said than done! First of all, I am posting this and I have a few more posts drafted to hopefully give me direction and ambition in the future. I am sorry for leaving my 6 faithful followers hanging! Secondly, I have been very nervous about taking my camera out and, therefore, have few pictures as of yet, but will post what I do have soon!
Upon arriving to San Jose, the director of Trips, Luis, picked me up and drove me straight to the 'Tica' family that I would be staying with. Tico/a is an affectionate nickname used by Costa Ricans for themselves. I was extremely nervous as we pulled up to the house, but Gloriana, affectionately called Mama Tica, put me at ease almost immediately. She helped me carry my extraordinarily heavy bags to my small room and showed me around the house and to my private bathroom. I was then introduced to her two sons, LuisCarlos, age 5, and Tomas, age 1, and finally to Carlos, the father of the house, who fortunately speaks English very well! I also met the adorable dog of the family, 'Blue', who is a pure breed of something.
I soon learned that despite being hemispheres apart, this new family was much like my own! Gloriana was shocked when she learned about my 1 and 3 yr. old sisters and laughed when I said: 'Mis padres son locos'. I soon learned out why: this family also had 23, 21, and 19 year old sons attending college in the states. How God has blessed me with shockingly familiar similarities! On the second night at my new house, we had Lasagna, which is one of my favorites at home. It wasn't quite as good as my mom's, but the other food that my Tica Mom makes is quite phenomenal!
Gloriana "Glo" has short hair similar to mine, but shorter and is such a hard worker. She works day in and day out to make sure that her house and family are clean and well-taken care of. She absolutely loves her sons and I enjoy watching her communicate with them. She is also extremely creative and makes jewelry from glass that is absolutely beautiful.
Carlos "Charlie" reminds me of my own dad...sort of. He is always making really corny jokes, but is also very concerned with the safety of his children, always. He believes that the bond between between father and child is one that will forever impact both lives and enjoys being with his family. Carlos works on a boat for 4.5 months each year.
Luis Carlos is almost as much of a handful as my little sister ;) He is so sweet and kind sometimes, but like any child, has trouble with sharing and not getting his own way. Considering that this family has had many students coming and going, Luis handles the change very well. I struggle bonding with Luis because my Spanish is so limited that it is often hard for me to communicate with him. He is so adorable and I would love to have a closer connection with him!
Tomas is a nino of my own heart! He loves to eat ALWAYS, dance, and smile. His life is so simple and he is probably one of the happiest babies that I have ever met. He smiles so big every time that I enter the room, which has been great for my self esteem!
Blue was adopted by the family when found wandering the streets and was later found to be pure bred. He is always calm and very sweet. Blue is my new best friend because our bond is unspoken!
All-in-all my Tica family has had tremendous patience with my struggling Spanish skills and my other character flaws! I didn't bring any gifts with me when I arrived to meet my new family, but learned afterwords that this is a common practice. I hoping that Amos can bring some when he comes to visit at the end of June. I really appreciate this family and all that they have done for me and would like to get them something from the States that they would enjoy. Any suggestions?
Voy a escriber otra vez pronto!
Senorita Money
Upon arriving to San Jose, the director of Trips, Luis, picked me up and drove me straight to the 'Tica' family that I would be staying with. Tico/a is an affectionate nickname used by Costa Ricans for themselves. I was extremely nervous as we pulled up to the house, but Gloriana, affectionately called Mama Tica, put me at ease almost immediately. She helped me carry my extraordinarily heavy bags to my small room and showed me around the house and to my private bathroom. I was then introduced to her two sons, LuisCarlos, age 5, and Tomas, age 1, and finally to Carlos, the father of the house, who fortunately speaks English very well! I also met the adorable dog of the family, 'Blue', who is a pure breed of something.
I soon learned that despite being hemispheres apart, this new family was much like my own! Gloriana was shocked when she learned about my 1 and 3 yr. old sisters and laughed when I said: 'Mis padres son locos'. I soon learned out why: this family also had 23, 21, and 19 year old sons attending college in the states. How God has blessed me with shockingly familiar similarities! On the second night at my new house, we had Lasagna, which is one of my favorites at home. It wasn't quite as good as my mom's, but the other food that my Tica Mom makes is quite phenomenal!
Gloriana "Glo" has short hair similar to mine, but shorter and is such a hard worker. She works day in and day out to make sure that her house and family are clean and well-taken care of. She absolutely loves her sons and I enjoy watching her communicate with them. She is also extremely creative and makes jewelry from glass that is absolutely beautiful.
Carlos "Charlie" reminds me of my own dad...sort of. He is always making really corny jokes, but is also very concerned with the safety of his children, always. He believes that the bond between between father and child is one that will forever impact both lives and enjoys being with his family. Carlos works on a boat for 4.5 months each year.
Luis Carlos is almost as much of a handful as my little sister ;) He is so sweet and kind sometimes, but like any child, has trouble with sharing and not getting his own way. Considering that this family has had many students coming and going, Luis handles the change very well. I struggle bonding with Luis because my Spanish is so limited that it is often hard for me to communicate with him. He is so adorable and I would love to have a closer connection with him!
Tomas is a nino of my own heart! He loves to eat ALWAYS, dance, and smile. His life is so simple and he is probably one of the happiest babies that I have ever met. He smiles so big every time that I enter the room, which has been great for my self esteem!
Blue was adopted by the family when found wandering the streets and was later found to be pure bred. He is always calm and very sweet. Blue is my new best friend because our bond is unspoken!
All-in-all my Tica family has had tremendous patience with my struggling Spanish skills and my other character flaws! I didn't bring any gifts with me when I arrived to meet my new family, but learned afterwords that this is a common practice. I hoping that Amos can bring some when he comes to visit at the end of June. I really appreciate this family and all that they have done for me and would like to get them something from the States that they would enjoy. Any suggestions?
Voy a escriber otra vez pronto!
Senorita Money
I'm here and I'm still alive for all of those who are wondering! So, I guess I'll start from the beginning. On Sunday I got off the plane to a whole new world...and a whole new language! The airport was packed when I arrived. Apparently a famous Costa Rican woman boxer had arrived at the same time as me. She had just won the title for Costa Rica and there were a lot of people at the airport awaiting her arrival. While nervously waiting for my chauffeur to find me and trying to find him, I was befriended by several different Costa Rican muchachos trying to help me find my way - offering their cell phones, cabs, etc. Although I think they were just trying to be nice, I was quite flustered because my mom was very specific about my talking to strangers! By the time my driver (who is also the Director of trips for Universidad Veritas) found me, I was hot, sweaty, slightly terrified, and so thankful to see him! When he began speaking in Spanish I realized just how limited my knowledge of the language was - only increasing my nervousness. However, as soon as we began driving "I Can Only Imagine' began playing on the radio. As we drove past huge mountains and into the crowded city of San Jose, the music was, for some reason, very soothing. This place, which I could only have imagined in the past, is now very real and very beautiful in its own way! God has blessed me in amazing ways!
Although I was hoping to participate in different volunteer programs throughout my travels, this part of the trip has not materialized as I would have hoped. However, I believe that this is where God has called me to be right here and right now. I am hoping to truly create an impact in the places where I am going and with the people I meet. With equal magnitude, I know that my life and mindset will be impacted through my experiences here.
I think that this is long enough for my first entry, so I will leave you on that note.
con amor,
Senorita money ;)
Although I was hoping to participate in different volunteer programs throughout my travels, this part of the trip has not materialized as I would have hoped. However, I believe that this is where God has called me to be right here and right now. I am hoping to truly create an impact in the places where I am going and with the people I meet. With equal magnitude, I know that my life and mindset will be impacted through my experiences here.
I think that this is long enough for my first entry, so I will leave you on that note.
con amor,
Senorita money ;)
