Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Last Post before Semana Santa
I am very very excited for semana santa aka spring break! I am meeting my dad in Panama and going to Bocos de Toros for a few days which I hear is beautiful and than back to Costa Rica. Im sure I will have exciting pictures and posts when I get back but let me backtrack back to my weekend trip to Cahuita which is a beach on the Caribe side…got up at the usual 4:30 am meeting time and made our way on the bus…saw some great views and talked to a girl from London who actually had to stand/sit in the aisle for four hours because there were no seats. Got to Cahuita and found our hostel…all very very different from Man. Ant..less touristy more chill…the rooms were like 5 star compared to our other hostel there was private bathrooms and even a fridge! Went to playa negra..we thought we were at the wrong place cuz there aws like no people but it was soo cool the beach itself wasn’t as preety but the water was so clear and the waves ended up being great for riding so as usual that’s where I spent my day while most of the group sunbathed…I constructed my own rootbeer float and found another nice place for dinner and enjoyed time in the hammock outside our room…next day went snorkeling which was awesome we went to 3 different parts of the reef… I was first one in the water and last one out everytime glad I had experience though cuz the guide gave almost no directions but he let us touch a sea cucumber and said if we see a shark there not dangerouse?! Saw great, colorful fish andlots of other stuff that I obvi don’t know the name of…so later me and my friend Kayla went on a search for cheap horseback riding we went to 2 places and we both only had like about 20 bucks…we talked the price down from 50 dollars to about 30 dollars for 2 and half hours of riding…we met our guide and got to go just the two of us plus our guide on preety well maintened horses…it was INCREDIBLE…got to gallop top speed down the abondened beach and felt like I was in the movie Black Stallion…rest of the time was at an awkard trot pace but it was so so cool went down all the little streets, jungle, and beach…stopped at one point and our guide took out his machete and gave us each a pipa…the green coconuts you drink the milk out of..asked him some basic questions in Spanish, he was preety shy but nice and really happy he let us run on the horses…so that was Cahuita trip…past weekend hanged around heredia have found a nice little running route although the weather is now changing and is extremely hot in the morning and rained for the first time this afternoon. Have my first group project tomorrow where I have to speak in front of the class of native Spanish speakers but hopefully it will not be to bad I am making some friends/aquiantences in classes although it is hard to find time out of class to do things. I think that covers it up till now! Hoping I make my way to Panama without to much stress or turbulence in the tiny plane!
Thursday, March 12, 2009
clases
Been hanging around Heredia these past weekends getting more into school work so thought I would describe my classes a little.
Spanish Class: Obvi a necesity here, its the one class with just exchange students from the program, I love my teacher its nice having a younger teacher which I have never experienced at AU.
Dibujo 1: Drawing which i thought would be easy and a break from all the spanish but since only actual art students take the class it is kinda intense...but I have a few poeple in the class that I talk to and ride the bus back with so I enjoy that. The profe is nice, he likes to practice his english with me.
Apreciation of Dance: Probobly my favorite class...the profe is a dance teacher here and weve done such cool exercises...breathing, meditation, walking exercises to learn to like have correct weight distribution and release tension, we used our hands to like tell a story to music and hopefulyl will be goign to see dance production here or in San Jose. His flexibility and comfort with his body is amazing, I am jealuse.
Social Construction of the Body: Women's study course that is definatly the most challanging b/c I am the only exchange student in the class and everyone knows eachtoher but there are 2 students that are very nice and helpful...the readings for this class are soo cool its intersting to see latin american women's perspective on issues like machismo, feminism, sexuality, I am surprised of how liberal and analytical the authors and students here are, somehow I thought America was like the only country that really had a strong movement in these areas but definatly not. Have another class that is very similiar and forget the name of it but it is also very good, it is very frustrating not feeling capable of particpating in the classes beacuse all my brainpower is beign used to even understand the basic theme of the conversation there is no way i have the time or energy to formulate my own opinion, but hopefully this will get easier with time, I am very worried about the tests and presentations I have coming up but I am trying my best.
Spinning class! I am a member at the gym close by and go to spinnins class once a week, i really look forward to it actually we listen to t.a.t.u remixes and good spanish music. I tried one aroebic class and it was fun but they go really fast.
Ive spend alot of time in the program office this weekend trying to set up volunteer work and gettting my credit card back from the stupid atm machine that ate it, and its been nice talking to the women of the program, they are so sweet and helpful and i think it is great how bonded they get with the groups.
Soo thats my update for now, going to Nacional Festival de Boyerros tomorow in San Jose with the group and hopefully will have some new pictures to add s
Spanish Class: Obvi a necesity here, its the one class with just exchange students from the program, I love my teacher its nice having a younger teacher which I have never experienced at AU.
Dibujo 1: Drawing which i thought would be easy and a break from all the spanish but since only actual art students take the class it is kinda intense...but I have a few poeple in the class that I talk to and ride the bus back with so I enjoy that. The profe is nice, he likes to practice his english with me.
Apreciation of Dance: Probobly my favorite class...the profe is a dance teacher here and weve done such cool exercises...breathing, meditation, walking exercises to learn to like have correct weight distribution and release tension, we used our hands to like tell a story to music and hopefulyl will be goign to see dance production here or in San Jose. His flexibility and comfort with his body is amazing, I am jealuse.
Social Construction of the Body: Women's study course that is definatly the most challanging b/c I am the only exchange student in the class and everyone knows eachtoher but there are 2 students that are very nice and helpful...the readings for this class are soo cool its intersting to see latin american women's perspective on issues like machismo, feminism, sexuality, I am surprised of how liberal and analytical the authors and students here are, somehow I thought America was like the only country that really had a strong movement in these areas but definatly not. Have another class that is very similiar and forget the name of it but it is also very good, it is very frustrating not feeling capable of particpating in the classes beacuse all my brainpower is beign used to even understand the basic theme of the conversation there is no way i have the time or energy to formulate my own opinion, but hopefully this will get easier with time, I am very worried about the tests and presentations I have coming up but I am trying my best.
Spinning class! I am a member at the gym close by and go to spinnins class once a week, i really look forward to it actually we listen to t.a.t.u remixes and good spanish music. I tried one aroebic class and it was fun but they go really fast.
Ive spend alot of time in the program office this weekend trying to set up volunteer work and gettting my credit card back from the stupid atm machine that ate it, and its been nice talking to the women of the program, they are so sweet and helpful and i think it is great how bonded they get with the groups.
Soo thats my update for now, going to Nacional Festival de Boyerros tomorow in San Jose with the group and hopefully will have some new pictures to add s
Clases
Been hanging around Heredia these past weekends getting more into school work so thought I would describe my classes a little.
Spanish Class: Obvi a necesity here, its the one class with just exchange students from the program, I love my teacher its nice having a younger teacher which I have never experienced at AU.
Dibujo 1: Drawing which i thought would be easy and a break from all the spanish but since only actual art students take the class it is kinda intense...but I have a few poeple in the class that I talk to and ride the bus back with so I enjoy that. The profe is nice, he likes to practice his english with me.
Apreciation of Dance: Probobly my favorite class...the profe is a dance teacher here and weve done such cool exercises...breathing, meditation, walking exercises to learn to like have correct weight distribution and release tension, we used our hands to like tell a story to music and hopefulyl will be goign to see dance production here or in San Jose. His flexibility and comfort with his body is amazing, I am jealuse.
Social Construction of the Body: Women's study course that is definatly the most challanging b/c I am the only exchange student in the class and everyone knows eachtoher but there are 2 students that are very nice and helpful...the readings for this class are soo cool its intersting to see latin american women's perspective on issues like machismo, feminism, sexuality, I am surprised of how liberal and analytical the authors and students here are, somehow I thought America was like the only country that really had a strong movement in these areas but definatly not. Have another class that is very similiar and forget the name of it but it is also very good, it is very frustrating not feeling capable of particpating in the classes beacuse all my brainpower is beign used to even understand the basic theme of the conversation there is no way i have the time or energy to formulate my own opinion, but hopefully this will get easier with time, I am very worried about the tests and presentations I have coming up but I am trying my best.
Spinning class! I am a member at the gym close by and go to spinnins class once a week, i really look forward to it actually we listen to t.a.t.u remixes and good spanish music. I tried one aroebic class and it was fun but they go really fast.
Ive spend alot of time in the program office this weekend trying to set up volunteer work and gettting my credit card back from the stupid atm machine that ate it, and its been nice talking to the women of the program, they are so sweet and helpful and i think it is great how bonded they get with the groups.
Soo thats my update for now, going to Nacional Festival de Boyerros tomorow in San Jose with the group and hopefully will have some new pictures to add s
Spanish Class: Obvi a necesity here, its the one class with just exchange students from the program, I love my teacher its nice having a younger teacher which I have never experienced at AU.
Dibujo 1: Drawing which i thought would be easy and a break from all the spanish but since only actual art students take the class it is kinda intense...but I have a few poeple in the class that I talk to and ride the bus back with so I enjoy that. The profe is nice, he likes to practice his english with me.
Apreciation of Dance: Probobly my favorite class...the profe is a dance teacher here and weve done such cool exercises...breathing, meditation, walking exercises to learn to like have correct weight distribution and release tension, we used our hands to like tell a story to music and hopefulyl will be goign to see dance production here or in San Jose. His flexibility and comfort with his body is amazing, I am jealuse.
Social Construction of the Body: Women's study course that is definatly the most challanging b/c I am the only exchange student in the class and everyone knows eachtoher but there are 2 students that are very nice and helpful...the readings for this class are soo cool its intersting to see latin american women's perspective on issues like machismo, feminism, sexuality, I am surprised of how liberal and analytical the authors and students here are, somehow I thought America was like the only country that really had a strong movement in these areas but definatly not. Have another class that is very similiar and forget the name of it but it is also very good, it is very frustrating not feeling capable of particpating in the classes beacuse all my brainpower is beign used to even understand the basic theme of the conversation there is no way i have the time or energy to formulate my own opinion, but hopefully this will get easier with time, I am very worried about the tests and presentations I have coming up but I am trying my best.
Spinning class! I am a member at the gym close by and go to spinnins class once a week, i really look forward to it actually we listen to t.a.t.u remixes and good spanish music. I tried one aroebic class and it was fun but they go really fast.
Ive spend alot of time in the program office this weekend trying to set up volunteer work and gettting my credit card back from the stupid atm machine that ate it, and its been nice talking to the women of the program, they are so sweet and helpful and i think it is great how bonded they get with the groups.
Soo thats my update for now, going to Nacional Festival de Boyerros tomorow in San Jose with the group and hopefully will have some new pictures to add s
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Otra Fin de Semana
Another very busy weekend of traveling. Friday decided to go to Volcan Irazu with 2 girls from the program we got up early to get the bus to San Jose and than after the now routine asking of direction every 2 minutes found the next bus stop…some great views of the country side and got very cold at the top of the mountain….Unfortunatly we were basically in a rain cloud at the volcano and could see absolutely nothing we all felt like very stupid tourist for paying 10 dollars to freeze our buts off in a cloud but on the bright side we met a girl from germany and we spent a good 2 hours in the little café eating the best donuts I have ever had and all shivering together. Then went on to a little city called Cartago to see the Basilica/Church which was muy linda and we saw ruines from an old church to, went on quite a search for a café supposedly owned by one of the women that runs the proram who I think is so sweet and so affectionate. Anyway after reaffirming once again my dislike of San Jose we returned home. The next day me and one friend spontaneously (totally describes me haha) decided to go to Puntarenas for Carnival which is Mardi Gra celebration Costa Rica style…sooo back to San Jose we went! Another long busride but were able to find places to sit to watch the parade which was very cool…lots of marching bands, cheerleaders, motorcycles, some preety cool floats one about saving the enviroment and than a lot with just preety people on them dancing uncomfortable….really awesome costumes and amazing dancing skills as usual. It was so cool to be right on the beach and hear all the celebrating. At night many people get really drunk and sleep on the beach in tents our bus we were supposed to take did not leave till 4 am but we managed to find a bus going to Heredia this bus was defiantly filled with err local culture? There was one extremely drunk guy who “fell in love” with my friend and just kept saying Jamaica and marijuana plus I learned some new curse words form him…but defiantly the most uncomfortable long scary bus ride I have ever experienced but defiantly worth it and yet another life experience. Made it back around 1 am and accidenlty woke my padre up because they bolt locked the door opps! Next day I was looking forward to a day in bed….but my family invited me to one of their nepews 6th birthday party. I was not in the mood for a big family gathering where I can understand anyone or know anyone but decided to go. It was up in the mountains and the house and view was incredible…the house was actually a consturucted circle and they had this huge area for the party that just looked out over the mountain..you could see San Jose and Heredia and all the surrounding campo. The party was actually really fun…they have a huge family and everyone watched the kids hit the piñata, open presents, play games, there were clowns, music and food. I think big families can be a real blessing and kids just add so much enjoyment just watching there enjoyment I guess. Talked to my sister in law and she told me about her travels to Europe and Costa Rican culture. It was fun noting the differences and similarities between the cultures and doing things with my family like that makes me feel really apart of the actual experience of living here more than traveling around and going to school. Plus I like the days when I can only speak Spanish the whole time b/c I am with my family..sometimes on these days I accidently almost slip back into English cuz I get so comfortable or excited about somthign that I want to be able to say something…but its defiantly getting easier my father showed me the whole house at the party and I taught him the word for rainbow and potatoe in English, he said it so cute and he is interested in learning English..its great to be able to practice with people who understand how hard it is to learn a new language.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Manuel Antonio
Beach Weekend!!!
Went to Manuel Antonio which is on the Pacific side and about a 4 hour busride. Left at 4:30 in the morning friday and left from San Jose. Our hotel/hostel was 10 dollars a night and very open and beautiful. We headed out to the beach right away and the water was amazing it was soo warm and the waves were soo perfect I spend the whole day in the water basically and it was beutifully sunny. Went walking on the beach as well and had american food for the first time in quite awhile. After long day of swimming and lots of sun was very tired but played a very fun game of Kings with other backpackers in the hotel. It was so cool to meet poeple from all over the world..we met couples from Germany, England and a girl from Italy...it was so awsome to all come together and share experiences and different cultures and everyone was so friendly. Next day met some young ticos who tuaght me to surf a little bit! I could kind of stand up at the end a few times...very hard to understand surfer dialect but it was good to try and keep practicing spanish and meet new poeple. That night had another rousing game of kings and went down to the beach where there was a bonfire and everyone from all the hotels just kind of gathered together and just hanged out. Me and my one friend got inspired to go into the ocean in the dark and it was an incredibly liberating experience..seeing all the stars and the perfect water I felt like a little kid again and felt so alive. Would like to write more but my time I have avaliable to go online is so limited...After this week I will have been here a month!
Went to Manuel Antonio which is on the Pacific side and about a 4 hour busride. Left at 4:30 in the morning friday and left from San Jose. Our hotel/hostel was 10 dollars a night and very open and beautiful. We headed out to the beach right away and the water was amazing it was soo warm and the waves were soo perfect I spend the whole day in the water basically and it was beutifully sunny. Went walking on the beach as well and had american food for the first time in quite awhile. After long day of swimming and lots of sun was very tired but played a very fun game of Kings with other backpackers in the hotel. It was so cool to meet poeple from all over the world..we met couples from Germany, England and a girl from Italy...it was so awsome to all come together and share experiences and different cultures and everyone was so friendly. Next day met some young ticos who tuaght me to surf a little bit! I could kind of stand up at the end a few times...very hard to understand surfer dialect but it was good to try and keep practicing spanish and meet new poeple. That night had another rousing game of kings and went down to the beach where there was a bonfire and everyone from all the hotels just kind of gathered together and just hanged out. Me and my one friend got inspired to go into the ocean in the dark and it was an incredibly liberating experience..seeing all the stars and the perfect water I felt like a little kid again and felt so alive. Would like to write more but my time I have avaliable to go online is so limited...After this week I will have been here a month!
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Mas
Wanted to make a post before classes start tomorrow! It has been a fun and busy week here. I am still getting used to the city but am very comfortable getting to my routine places which include the University, the gym (very near my house…where I took a spinning class the other day and hopefully will take arobics and dance as well) and bulevar (the bar me and my friends have been to almost every night). For more orientation we all went to San Jose one day which is a very busy city, really only like the parks there and went to an outdoor art market where they have souviner stuff supposedly for cheaper…we toured the national theater which was very beautiful and tried to learn the bus system. We also had dance lessons from students from the University. They are amazing dancers and there is so much culture behind the dances. However I found out I have absolutely no rhythm or skill but I will keep trying. Orientation is now over and I will miss being with the group and the program directors who are soo nice and fun. Bueno, the nightlife is defiantly fun and preety easy to get to know people. I met a few ticas/ticos and went to a house party with one of them for a little while. The funnest time to pratice Spanish is at night because everyone is “relaxed” and most of the students seem to know some English so we each can practice the different languages. Im very comfortable with my family here, my favorite thing to do with them is watch this Spanish telenovela called “el ultimo matrimonio feliz” its like the typical Spanish soap like one guy is having an affair with like 2 people and there is like at least 5 main characters and I cant understand half of what they say but I love the drama and the reactions of my family. We also talk about politics and differences in life, beliefs and culture in the US and here. There is often family members coming in and out and the other day spend the morning playing with a little girl who went over the colors in Spanish with me, played tic tac toe and drawed butterflies and hearts. Soo last info for the day I have my class schedule and I am taking 3 women’s studies courses I am not really sure exactly what there about but hopefully I can keep up and they will be interesting…plus appreciation of dance which I don’t think involves actual dancing luckily and of course Spanish class.
Primera Semana
Well ive officially been here for a whole week! And so much has happened and changed that I feel like I have been here for months. The last few days in Monteverde were so great…I went horsebackriding through the mountains on a really cool farm where there was a litter of german Shepard puppies that were sooo cute and we got to make cheese and see how milk, sugar and coffee is produced. We got to eat fresh coffee beans and different forms of sugar like agua dulce, caramels and something else really good ohh and we rode in an ox cart that are hand painted and saw how the ox used to pull this machine to produce sugar from suar cane which we also ate and was soo good. Went shopping in Santa Elena and all got icecream. Than my last two nights with my family were sooo wonderful…there was a party with all the families of the group and I accidently said the word for shit instead of snack which my table found very amusing as did I and now is one of the favorite stories of one of the program directors who is so affectionate and friendly like most people here. Than walked back in complete darkness with my family which was actually really fun, we all tried to scare eachother in the dark and the amount of stars you could see was incredible it was so beautiful. Than the last night with my family we all looked at pictures of my sisters when they were little and it was soo cute and we were all finally able to really loosen up and feel like a family and of course I had to leave the next day..que triste! I had a great talk with my madre there she told me about how both the fathers of her two kids left her and she didn’t have money to send her daughter to school but her church group and family came together and helped. We have very similar ideas of faith and life…the church group came over to our house because that is how they have there gatherings every Saturday at a different house of about 20 people and all the kids play and anyone can participate and add to the service…(for dana and krystn) it was totally like the Gathering Costa Rican style!!!! It was sooo cool and moving for me, they sang like the same songs but in Spanish and it was just that exact same surrounding of faith that the Gathering has, my madre has a somewhat similar philosophy on religion that all the rules and like sins are not what the importance of faith is all about anyway the sermon was given my a family friend and from what I could understand she had a wonderful mentality and talked about how the material things that we worry and think about are not what jesus and god teach I guess? Anyway it was an awesome experience and the next morning after playing futbol with mi hermana I tried to like hide from the guy from the institute who came to get me. But my family said I can come back and visit and even buy the really high quality coffee straight from her friend who works in the farm we toured. I miss them and Monteverde sooo much. I really loved it there it was just so beautiful all the time and I will never forget the people I met there. I was telling them how I was sad to leave and scared of the new family cuz its just a retired couple and mi madre said “we are your real family and they are like your grandparents” so far that is exactly how I feel this will be like.
So obviously I am now in heredia with my new family and University. It is 2 different worlds yet again between here and Monteverde. My new family is very nice, both the mother and father are easy to talk to and have one married son who lives near by. I went with them the first day to a big family gathering and the people here are soo soo different from in Monteverde, it really reminded me of American family gatherings..the adults talked about politics and the kids just came in and out. I talked to this 18 year old girl for awhile and really had to be patient with my own Spanish skills..i taught all the little kids the word fart which they repeated very loudly and often the rest of the time. Even in the kids there were major differences in Monteverde the kids I met were very polite, shy, patient and mature..here its defiantly more like America. The house here is very nice I walked in and was like taken aback at the big TV, modern kitchen and bathroom that coming straight from Monteverde were incredible luxuries. Anyway Monteverde obviously holds very special memories and experiences of this trip but hopefully Heredia will also be full of good things to tell. Sooo on to life here now!
Today toured the University and city all day and it is a very interesting city with lots to do and see.
So obviously I am now in heredia with my new family and University. It is 2 different worlds yet again between here and Monteverde. My new family is very nice, both the mother and father are easy to talk to and have one married son who lives near by. I went with them the first day to a big family gathering and the people here are soo soo different from in Monteverde, it really reminded me of American family gatherings..the adults talked about politics and the kids just came in and out. I talked to this 18 year old girl for awhile and really had to be patient with my own Spanish skills..i taught all the little kids the word fart which they repeated very loudly and often the rest of the time. Even in the kids there were major differences in Monteverde the kids I met were very polite, shy, patient and mature..here its defiantly more like America. The house here is very nice I walked in and was like taken aback at the big TV, modern kitchen and bathroom that coming straight from Monteverde were incredible luxuries. Anyway Monteverde obviously holds very special memories and experiences of this trip but hopefully Heredia will also be full of good things to tell. Sooo on to life here now!
Today toured the University and city all day and it is a very interesting city with lots to do and see.
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