Poopy Sandcastles and Scorpians

Alright, rewind a bit, Friday afternoon a group of us went downtown San Jose to look around and do some shopping at the Artisan’s Market.  I didn’t really buy anything because I’m stingy but I ate some strawberries and bought a mango then sat in the park and watched the pigeons.  The lady and her son sitting next to us offered us some corn to feed the pigeons.  We asked her what the word for pigeon was in Spanish and it turns out that it’s “paloma.”  It was fun talking and interacting with her and her son.

A view of the downtown square with lots of palomas

The block-long tunnel of vendors in San Jose selling their homemade ware, meeting all your souvenir needs...AKA the Artisans Market

By the way, today I have been in Costa Rica for one whole month.  Weird.  But enough about today, let’s talk about our trip this past weekend.  We all met at the university and took cabs to the bus station early Saturday morning.  Since we had bought our tickets Friday, things went very smoothly.  We got on the bus and took it the 2 hours to Jaco.  Now Jaco is a big party town and beach area about 6 miles north of Playa Hermosa, the place we were going to stay at.  We were hungry when we got off the bus so we went to the nearest restaurant in Jaco.  It was called Jaco Taco.  We sat down, a few of the group went to the bathroom, then the waiter handed us the menus.  Errr…the prices were kind of high so we just got up and left.  I told the waiter that we were going to leave because we didn’t have a lot of money.  We kind of felt bad but I was nice not having to spend that much money on lunch.

After eating lunch at a not-so-expensive place, we headed to Playa Hermosa via taxis.  We had the taxis drop us off at Cabinas Brisa Del Mar, a local hostel, because we had called ahead and asked if they had space for 11 people and they said they did.  It turns out that arriving on Saturday in the afternoon was a bad idea because most all of the hostels were full or almost full.  Brisa Del Mar had two rooms left for us but one only fit 4 people and the other only 2.  However, the guy told us that most of the other places on the beach were full (not sure if he was being truthful or not) and that he had people waiting to rent the two rooms he was offering us (this fact was true).  We took the rooms and just asked if people could sleep on the floor, etc.

A view of the small upstairs loft with the double bed.  Caroline hung her hammock from the railing there too.

A view of the first floor of the 7 person cabin.  Notice the two single person beds.  There was a small bathroom too under the second story.  The girl with the red bathing suit is standing on where I slept that night.

An outside view of our cabin which housed 7 of the 11 in our group.

Okay, we had 7 people in the room that could only fit 4 and 4 people in the room that could only fit 2.  In the 7 person room, 3 people slept on the double bed, 2 people took the single beds for themselves, Caroline slept in her hammock somehow, and I slept on the floor with a towel as my mattress and my backpack as a pillow.  I felt like a pioneer and probably slept like one too.  Roughin’ it.

The sunset at Playa Hermosa featuring the silhouette of Caroline.

            The beach at Hermosa was amazing.  It was a volcanic beach so the sand was black and since it wasn’t Jaco beach, it was less populated with drunken fools and less dirty.  Jaco beach was extremely trashy, literally, with tons of people and lots of rocks on the beach.  Hermosa was just the opposite and very relaxing.  Most of us spent all day Saturday on the beach until the sunset hit.  No surfing for me or Caroline but I did make a lot of “poopy” sandcastles, we saw a handful of Scarlet Macaws (actual real life wild parrots!), and some of us saw an Iguana too.  The parrots were eating from a beach walnut tree, just cracking the shells and popping out the nuts.  It was truly amazing to watch the parrots eat walnuts only about 20 feet above our heads.  I think I saw more wildlife at the beach Saturday than I had seen at all the national and state parks I had been to on other excursions.

A Scarlet Macaw courtesy of Caroline

A view of Playa Hermosa

For dinner that night after the sun went down, we went to the local Super and bought some bread and peanut butter and some corn flakes and milk for breakfast the next day.  We closed out the night on the beach.  A lot of people went inside to sleep but a few of us stayed outside later.  Caroline and I sat in her hammock and talked about life in Hawaii and how we’re going to open up a surf shop/restaurant one day.  Later I joined Emily, Laura, and Josh on the beach and had a glass of wine out of a box.  It was enjoyable…the beach, not the wine.  The wine was nasty.  And somehow I talked Emily into giving me a massage too.  Ahhh… a life on the beach.  

Some of the group having fun in the Pacific ocean

The next day we spent on the beach too.  We had to leave the hostel by noon so we just caught the bus back to Jaco (barely, by the way) because our bus back to San Jose was going to leave from Jaco.  Once in Jaco again, we all found a park to sit down in and eat lunch (peanut butter sandwiches again).  We then set a meeting time and everyone broke out into smaller groups to go and do what they wanted in town.  Out of the group, only Caroline and I wanted to go to the beach again.  We just laid out some, played in the ocean a bit, talked about God and how the ocean is a lot like Him, and built an awesome sand castle complete with drawbridge and swimming pool.  We named it the Jaco Taco Fortress or JTF for any acronym lovers.

Our sandcastle

              The bus for San Jose left Jaco at 5:15 and was supposed to be a 2 hour ride.  Needless to say we didn’t get home until 9:15pm.  Basically, we hit a TON of traffic and construction on the way back.  Our bus driver took us down dirt roads and secret shortcuts to try to bypass a lot of it.  The bus, by the way, was a big bus.  It had at least 50 people on it.  Yet, there were not 50 seats on the bus so those who didn’t get a ticket with a seat had to stand…the entire trip.  You could tell their legs were hurting so about 2-3 hours in I offered my seat to an older lady.  While I paid for the seat I would have wanted someone to do the same for me.  She took it readily and thanked me.  I asked her in Spanish too which was a triumph all its own.  I had wanted to give up my seat on the way to Playa Hermosa too but I didn’t because I didn’t want to embarrass myself butchering the language.  On the bus back to San Jose I felt the same way but realized that if the language barrier was the only thing keeping me from offering my seat, why not try anyways?  Maybe my action would help change the perception of the “Ugly American” a little in the mind of one Costa Rican. 

Anyways, about 45 minutes out from San Jose, a rather large scorpion somehow made its way onto the bus near the front and everyone started screaming and running towards the back of the bus.  We were close to the back of the bus and I had a little boy run to me and hug my legs because he was scared.  It was quite comical and someone eventually killed it with a shoe.  I felt like it brought our bus closer together.  Overall, the trip was a blast.  Even though the sleeping arrangements weren’t the best, even though I got incredibly red the second day on the beach because I didn’t wear sunscreen, and even though the bus ride was long and uncomfortable, the weekend was worth every second.  Thank you everyone for making it a memorable and enjoyable time.

No Spanish today.  Basic II starts tomorrow.  Wish me luck as I branch out and leave the shelter of the “present tense” and enter into the realm of the “preterit tense.”

Playa Hermosa

            Tomorrow a group of about 11 of us students are taking a trip to Playa Hermosa.  Hermosa is a really pretty beach on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica and is only about a 2 hour bus ride from San Jose.  We’re leaving Saturday morning, relaxing all day Saturday on the beach, spending the night in a hostel (rooms of 6 are only $12.50 a person per night), and then coming back sometime Sunday in the afternoon.  It should be a fun trip and experience.  We’re going to hit up a supermarket when we get down there so we can buy food materials.  That way we won’t spend a lot on eating out for every meal.  Caroline and I, and maybe a few others, will probably get our surf on.  I’m sure a lot of people will want to improve their tans too.

            Last day of Spanish Basico I is today.  It’s also our final exam today but it’s only written.  We had the oral part of the exam yesterday which went pretty well.  I’m not too worried about the written portion of the exam since my grammar is pretty solid for a Basico I student.  I did, however, buy note cards and made a bunch of Spanish vocab flashcards to help improve my vocab retention.  In other news, here are some more pictures for your enjoyment.  Hasta luego!    

My host parents - Juan Carlos & Gleys

Me watching the sunset in Monteverde

Part of the old military fort in San Jose.  Now part of the National Museum

A view of the beach in Tamarindo

An interesting plant/flower in Arenal

Where I am sitting right now as I type this

A few of some mountains and the largest man-made lake in Costa Rica.  Shot in Monteverde

The Princess of Japan!

            I almost forgot.  Last Friday all the Basic I Spanish classes went to the biggest and oldest Catholic Basilica in Costa Rica.  It was about a 30 minute drive from San Jose.  It was very interesting to see people walking on their knees down the main aisle of the church to the altar.  Our professor told us that some people walk on their knees all the way from San Jose to the church.  When they get to the church their knees are all bloody and worn down to the bone.  I love Jesus but I also love my knees.  There was a natural spring too on the church grounds that people have said to seen visions at.  The water that comes out of the spring is supposed to produce miracles and heal those who drink it.  Of course, I drank some “miracle” water.  Maybe know I’ll learn Spanish over night.  The water hasn’t made me sick yet but if it does I’m blaming it on the Catholic Church. 

The Basilica in Cartago

After the church we continued our field trip and went to the market in Cartago.  There was sooo much fresh fruit and veggies as well as anything else you could think of: shoes, fish, chicken feet, candy, dog food, rice, beans… You name it and it was there.

            Yesterday ISA put on a free trip to the National Museum of Costa Rica.  Obviously, since it was free, I went.  We took the bus there and then walked around the museum some.  It was kind of small but interesting to learn more about Costa Rica and its culture and history.  The museum is actually in one of the forts that was used during the civil war/unrest period in Costa Rica.

One of the many relics at the National Museum

After the museum Kristina, Heather, and I decided not to take the bus home right away and instead opted to walk around downtown San Jose for a while.  We were passing by a park to get a picture of a statue in the park when we saw a lot of police officers and press people.  I asked a lady what was going on in Spanish and she said that the president of China was visiting.  Turns out, after asking a few other people, it wasn’t the president of China but instead it was the prince and princess of Japan visiting.  Yeah, that’s right, I saw the prince and princess of Japan!  No biggie.  Read about it here: http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/prince-akishino-wife-leave-japan-for-costa-rica

The princess of Japan

We went to the local artisans market after and I bought a Saprissa jersey which is the jersey for the local Costa Rican soccer team.  It’s purple with white strips.  It was only a cool $10 or 5 mil colones.  Later last night a few of us were planning on going to a church across town.  It’s a Christian church run by surfers.  Well… Needless to say, the directions we were given were wrong so we ended up in a residential neighborhood, a very nice one, with no church to be found.  Luckily, our taxi driver was very nice and hung around for a bit until we decided to just go back to school.  It was embarrassing but Kristina, Caroline, and I had a very good time.  It was basically a $20 car ride across San Jose last night.  Honestly though, I’d probably do it again.

Concrete Futbol

            It’s amazing how much one can understand of another language without actually knowing that language.  By solely reading verbal cues, hand motions, and grasping the context of the conversation, one can basically understand anything in another language, more or less.  I’m surprised that I’ve been able to live and communicate with a family that knows very little to no English at all.  We joke together, we laugh together, we eat dinner together and talk about our day; it’s amazing how people can get along in the world when their differences are so large.  I guess it shows that people are all the same really at the core, just separated by certain barriers like language and geographical location.  This is me trying to be philosophical by the way.  It’s too early in the morning for me to be trying this….

            I played soccer yesterday for a few hours with some ticos and students.  It gets rough but I really enjoy some “real” futbol.  I have some cuts, scraps, and bruises since we play on concrete but they’re more like trophies than injuries. 

I felt like this picture of a rooster basically beating the crap out of a fat hen summed up how rough soccer can get sometimes.

Monteverde

            Entonces, este fin de semana fue divertido!  The hotel we stayed at was by far the nicest one yet.  The view from our room was amazing as you can see below.  The ride to the hotel was bumpy and a little discomforting because we had to go up a one lane dirt/gravel road in a huge bus.  The road, by the way, was right along the side of a cliff with a HUGE drop off.  Our bus driver was great though and we made it there and back safe and sound.  When we got to the hotel we checked in and then ate dinner.  After dinner I just hung out in the hallways of our building listening to Emily play the ukulele.  She’s very talented in playing and singing.  She wrote me a song about a horse named Thunder and played it for me.  Haha.  It was an awesome song.  I want to learn how to play the uke now.

View and sunset from our balcony.

            The next day was the ziplining/canopy tour.  We had to leave the hotel at 7:20am so we had to get up early to eat breakfast.  Ziplining was awesome!  I didn’t bring my camera along with me to the park but some friends got some photos of me doing it.  The Tarzan swing was the best and most fun.  It is exactly what it sounds like.  Props to Josh for doing all of this too.  After canopying we were shuttled back to the hotel, relaxed a bit before lunch, and then ate.  All the meals were included this time for the trip which was nice and inexpensive.

Part of the Continental Divide

            Before lunch, Greg and I decided it was best to run up the hill to our rooms (the hotel is on the side of a mountain by the way).  Turns out, it was probably a bad idea trying to sprint up the hill.  About half way up we both started to have chest pains and difficulty breathing.  First off, it was a freaking mountain we were trying to sprint up.  Second, the hotel is 4,662 feet above sea level which made the air much thinner.  We eventually made it to the top through a mixture of running and walking but it was a battle.  Lunch later was a nice reward.  After lunch, I found some hammocks the hotel had half way up the mountain and took a nap in one for an hour or so.  I ended up getting cold by the breeze.  Plus, a silly annoying bird started chirping and woke me up.

As I was getting back to my room after the hammock nap, some people were going hiking so I joined in.  The hike was fun and we saw some sort of raccoon like animal (sorry I forget the name) and a really rockin’ squirrel.  After dinner I watched a movie called Ponyo with Quincy, Claire, and Nicole and then just relaxed the rest of the night in the hotel talking with friends.  Sunday morning, most of the group went on a 2 hour hike through the national cloud forest park.  While I didn’t see any animals and only a few birds, some people from the group saw sloths.  I did, however, get to see part of the Continental Divide.  We had lunch at the hotel when we got back and then enjoyed the 4 hour bus ride home.  

Mr. Squirrel

It’s amazing to think that after this week I will have been in Costa Rica for a month.  Hopefully next semester I will be able to take the next level of Spanish.  I think Caroline and me and maybe a few other people are going to go to church this Wednesday at a place that’s run by Christian surfers.  Since ISA is done with its planned tours, a group of us might go to the beach this weekend on our own…we’ll see how the week plays out.

Jueves

            I think one if the biggest things here in Costa Rica that I have found difficult to fully adjust to is not being able to carry on small talk with people.  Like small talk with the checkout lady at the grocery store or the taxi driver on the way to the mall.  I miss walking into Meijer or Wal-Mart and greeting the greater by his or her name with a friendly smile.  It’s not that the Ticos are mean or distant.  It’s just that things are a little different here.  I’ve been working on my small talk here and there but it mostly stops at “hola” and “como esta?”  But I’m learning and making it progress slowly but surely (clichés are silly…sorry).

            I had dance class Tuesday which was a blast.  We learned Cumbia.  Went to the movies last night with Sarah and Caroline and saw Los pequenos Focker.  It was pretty funny.  Lots of subtle sexual jokes of course.  Test today in Intercultural Communication.  Fieldtrip tomorrow in Spanish class to an open air market.  Then off to Monteverde to go ziplining and cloud forest exploring Friday afternoon and weekend.  Should be a fun close to week number 3!

Birthdays and Walking

            Got my Spanish test back yesterday and got a 97.5% on it.  I misspell the Spanish word “orange” and used the wrong word for actress but other than that I did great.  I played soccer yesterday with some Americans and Ticos on a concrete basketball court.  It was a blast.  Most of the ticos are pretty darn good and take the game really seriously even though it was just a low-key pickup game.  I was able to keep up with most of them.  I definitely want to do it again. 

            We all met at 8 last night and went out for Sarah’s 22^nd birthday.  After walking forever trying to find the Italian restaurant we wanted to go to, taking a bus, and walking some more, we found the restaurant.  Then we realized that it was closed.  We settled instead on this nice little Mexican restaurant.  I didn’t eat since I had just had dinner but the rest did and it was fun to just hang out and relax with everyone.  The urinals in this place were really high up which confused me since most ticos are short.  Anyways, we took a taxi home since we shouldn’t have been walking around the city at night anyways.  In other unrelated news, today I have a quiz over some vocab words (parts of the body and food) and a presentation about the “responsibilities of my family.”

We’re headed to Monteverde this coming weekend to see the cloud forest and do some zip lining.  Hopefully it doesn’t rain as much as it did in Arenal.