Turtles!!

Lets talk about turtles!

This weekend I traveled with the ecotourism class to Tortuguero. When you think about baby sea turtles, this is the place that probably pops into your mind. But before I continue, I have to say, unfortunately, we were not there during the right time and missed out on seeing the little ones scurry to the ocean. 

I’ll start with Thursday. I spent the day doing homework (and many some Pinterest J ) and emailing my mom. She is coming down in March/April so we are working on figuring out what we want to do. On Thursday night, all the girls met at the bus stop in San Joaquin and went to the mall, El Paseo de las Flores. A free mini-concert was being held, and most of us needed to see it for a music report we had to write. The singer, Xiomara, was wonderful! She is about 4’10”, but her voice is huge! I found out later that she won the Costa Rican version of The Voice. After the concert, we hung out in Heredia for an hour, then those of us heading to Tortuguero, a.k.a. Turtleville, headed home for a good nights sleep.

We all woke up on Friday and met our driver and Ana, our administrator/principle/mom/secretary at the institute at 7:00am. Taking the back roads, we traveled through Heredia and picked up the ecotourism teacher. It was my first time meeting her, and she was really nice! I felt bad because I had taken Dramamine for motion sickness, so I slept most of the way. However, I was awake when we crossed the mountains out of the central valley. They are truly rainforest, and it rained slightly on our way out, which is normal. It is always strange to me how the central valley can be relatively dry, yet the mountains that surround it always have fog and drizzly weather.

We made our way to the area where boats will ferry people to Tortuguero. Tortuguero has no roads, and the only way in and out is by boat. Lets just say, for the first time in Costa Rica, I matched everyone around me – white skin, light hair, and big backpacks. Since we arrived on Friday morning, there were many other tourists, scientists, and students waiting to catch the boats. We didn’t have to wait long – Ana had already reserved a boat for us, so we only had to wait 20 minutes for the other half of the boat to show up.

A little warning here – if the following paragraph describes you, I am sorry, and try to not take offense.

There, that’s my warning. The other half of the boat was full of stereotypical GRINGOS!! Now, I know, I am a gringo. It’s my hair, my eyes, my skin – but there is a difference between being a gringo and acting like one. This group was full of high school students and two chaperones. One chaperone would not quit talking, even though she had lost her voice before the trip. The others were constantly talking and not enjoying the peaceful river or looking for animals. Our driver, Manuel, said something to our group in Spanish. One girl yells from the back, “We don’t understand Spanish! Can you speak English??” in the whitest, blonde girl voice I have heard in a long time. When a Tico speaks, and its not directed directly at you, it might be a good idea to try to act like you understand. My group and I talked in Spanish, just because we were so fed up with their actions and it was good practice for us. I know we are all tourists, or extranjeros, en Costa Rica, but when your own countrymen think you are obnoxious, you know the locals are rolling their eyes at you. The 40-minute boat ride finally ended, and it was wonderful to get some space and put ourselves fully back into the Tico frame of mind.  Pura vida 

After eating lunch at our hotel, Vista al Mar, we got on a smaller boat and set out for the Turtle Conservatory Center. The other students passed out surveys to students as part of their class, so I had time to look around. A path led from the center to the town, so we headed down that way. The town of Tortuguero is truly a one-street town. The spit of land is not wide enough to have it any way else! I had plenty of time to shop around and enjoy the view. I found a cute, family run store and I bought a keychain and a piggybank made from a coconut. On our way back to the hotel, I stopped and grabbed a smoothie for 1000 colones, or 2 dollars. It was pineapple, mango, papaya, and it was delicious! I have been so lucky getting to be in a place where the fruit is readily available.

After riding around the river and seeing birds, monkeys, and a few adult turtles, we arrived back to the hotel. I used the Wifi to call my mom and email people, then headed to dinner.

Friday was valentines day, and I have to say, for being half a world away, I managed to have a good one. My boyfriend had sent me a package earlier that week, so I got to eat my chocolate and read his card on the beach in the moonlight. The beach was so calm and serene with the waves and the full moon. It was wonderful to sit and be able to think with no cars or people.

Saturday rolled around! We headed to Tortugeuro National Park and learned more about the conservation process. After, we had a few hours free-time, then boarded the boat to return home. The drive from Tortuguero to Heredia lasts about 3.5 hours, and this time I was awake to see the country. Its amazing how many small towns there are, and there is really no wide open spaces. That’s one thing that’s been different. The idea of “rural” here is not the same as mine. I think of cattle-ranches, or the Palouse at home, and there is just not that much space here. Its been interesting adjusting to that.

On Sunday, I went to mass at 9am, then came back and worked on homework. Monica and Angelica had gone to a party, so the house was very calm with only Flor and I. We watched Letters to Juliet in Spanish. I was very glad I could take it easy on Sunday and get ready for the week, including prepping for the English class I help teach on Mondays.

Have a good rest of the week!

Arenal and Rio Celeste

Arenal!

This weekend myself and the other API kids (Albert, Jill, Scott, Abbie, and MaryClaire) had the opportunity to visit Arenal and Rio Celeste with our fearless guide and director, Esteban! We were all super excited, and for good reason.

We left San Joaquin de Flores at 9am on Friday. It was very nice having private transportation, and not having to deal with the bus system. We followed some windy roads up into the mountains. Our first stop, about 1 hour into the trip, was a town called Zarcero. It’s a small town with around 4,500 residence, but we went to see the gardens at the Parque Francisco Alvarado and the church, la Iglesia de San Rafael. The park is full of bushes and trees that have been shaped into fantastic animals, shapes, and are altogether wonderful. We all had fun running around and taking pictures. The church was also beautiful. It is made of wood, which is different from many of the stone churches you will find in Costa Rica. There was a pianist playing when we visited, so the experience was quiet majestic.

The drive from Zarcero to La Fortuna was beautiful. The skies were clear and we saw many mountain villages. The roads are very twisty, so if you have problems with motion sickness, like myself, take medication. It will help! As we descended, we saw the first view of the Arenal Volcano. It instantly reminded me of the lonely mountain from The Hobbit. Arenal is very impressive, and loams up. It is the quintessential volcano. It has stopped spewing lava, but we did see a little bit of gas released from the top.

We checked into our hotel, Arenal Paraiso, and then took off for the national park. We took a short hike and went to the observation point where there are views of the volcano and Lake Arenal. See the pictures below:

After, we had a few hours at the hotel, then headed to Baldi to visit the hot springs. They were wonderful! The water was super warm, and we explored the whole complex. Our ticket time was for 6-10pm, but we all were tired, so we found Esteban and returned to the hotel around 8:30. I checked the Olympic games, then fell asleep.

On Saturday, we had a delicious buffet breakfast and headed to Rio Celeste. It was raining, and I forgot my raincoat! I guess I’m used to the semi-desert of Wenatchee, where I never need one. Esteban and his girlfriend, Lucia, didn’t have raincoats either, so we stopped and got dollar ponchos. Best purchase of the weekend!

We hiked into Rio Celeste and saw the waterfall, sulfur pools, and where the water changes from normal to the brilliant blue. Although it was raining, we still could see the color, which was a blessing. We went to the end and soaked in some natural hot springs, and then headed back out. After a total of 5 hours of hiking in the rain and mud, we all were grateful to head back to the hotel.

*Note, if anyone is planning on going to Rio Celeste, the trail is pretty treacherous. It was super muddy for us, and there are many tree roots and rocks. Take an extra pair of shoes, because my tennis shoes were covered in mud and soaking wet.

On Saturday night, we all went to a nice group dinner in La Fortuna, and I had yummy steak. J  I also experienced Pops ice-cream for the first time. It is delicious, and reminds me of Baskin-Robbins.  

Sunday morning rolled around and we had the morning to ourselves. The group basked in the sun, watched movies, and used the WiFi in the hotel lobby. At 12, we headed back to San Joaquin. I got back at 3:45, dropped my bags, and went to the church to attend 4pm mass. Once I got back, I had some quality time with my Tica mom as we cleaned and scrubbed my tennis shoes. They are now squeaky clean, but I need some bleach to get them white again.

On the agenda this week: Classes, teaching English, working out, observing a physical therapist, and enjoying the package my boyfriend sent me for Valentines day. J Lots of yummy chocolate and candy!!

The weekend was a blast, and now I have a normal week ahead of me. Hope everyone is having a wonderful February!

Happy February

Some people have been bugging me to update my blog, so I think it’s time.

Time is flying by! It’s been two weeks since I have last posted. I can’t believe I’ve already been here a month! It seems like yesterday I boarded the plane and said goodbye to my family and my boyfriend.  

So much has happened these past two weeks. I finished my resume material and sent them to my mom for her to proof read and mail. I also got some sad news from home. My dog, who was a puppy when I was 9, had to be put down. She had cancer and it was time. Having to deal with those feelings and emotions while in another country has been interesting. I think it was easier to get over my dog’s death because there is nothing here to remind me of her, and thankfully I haven’t seen any chocolate labs around.

Classes are going well. I only have four, so I can’t complain about anything. My week starts on Monday at 8am and ends Wednesday at noon. There are definitely worse things!  In my conversation class, we have to do community service. I choose to teach intro to English at the local library. The first class was a little crazy because my partner and I didn’t have a lesson plan. Luckily, we could focus on the basics, like the alphabet, how to say the letters, and little greetings. Tomorrow will be a lot better – we are working on numbers, colors, and some basic information, and we have handouts for the students. There are 5 women, so we are able to help them one-on-one a lot. I have found I really like teaching them, even when I have a hard time explaining something because my Spanish isn’t perfect.  

Other fun news, I will be observing a physical therapist here in Costa Rica! I have been working with one of the administrators at the Institute and he has helped me get everything set up. Hopefully I will be able to start this week, and if not, for sure the week after. I am really excited to see if there is a difference in how they treat clients.

Last weekend (January 25^th) I went to a wedding with Monica. It was very fun, with lots of food. I found it very similar to a normal US wedding. The ceremony was similar, and there was plenty of dancing! A DJ took care of the music, but a Mariachi came by, along with a Mardi Gras drum line and dancers! There was a ton of energy at the wedding, and everyone had a wonderful time. 

Also, I was craving chocolate chip cookies two weeks ago. So, after asking my host mom, I bought everything to make them with Emily and Brenda. They turned out slightly different - I think it is the brown sugar. It is not the same as at home. But, they still tasted great! 

This weekend, everyone went to Puerto Viejo! It’s a wonderful beach on the Caribbean. I think I liked it more than Manuel Antonio. We left early on Friday and came back Saturday night. In that time we explored the town of Puerto Viejo, laid on the beach, had a group dinner at a lovely restaurant, and hung out at the hostel. On Saturday, Emily and I rented bikes and rode the 12km down to Manzanillo beach and walked around the Gandoca-Manzanillo Preserve. The views of the ocean were spectacular! We enjoyed our time, and on the way back up, stopped at a chocolate shop. It was okay, but we had found a better one on Friday. It was located in a yoga shop (Om Yoga), and was awesome! The owner had a tasting room with free chocolate samples, and he let us have as many as we wanted. In fact, he actually left us, two young women, alone with all the chocolate J It was delicious! I ended up purchasing Black Beach Espresso, Chai Choco Latte, and Three Kings chocolate bars. So good! The company is Caribeans, and everything was made in Puerto Viejo. I could seriously talk about the chocolate all day, but I think I should move on :)

After biking 15 miles and hiking around, I was glad to get back to the hostel and shower. We had return tickets for 4pm, so around 3pm we started trekking into town. There are no assigned seats on the bus from Puerto Viejo, so we wanted to be in the front of the line. The ride back was uneventful, and everyone was glad we had decided to do a short trip. We arrived in San Jose, and found a bus to take us back to San Joaquin. I was so happy to fall into my bed! I slept until 8:15am, which is the longest I have done so far. I know, that’s not too late, but if you heard the traffic outside my house, you would be impressed, especially today.

Today (Sunday) is voting day! People really get into the voting and drive around playing music from their cars while waving flags. It’s a really fun atmosphere. I am going to church at 4pm, then I’m having my own celebration for the Super Bowl! Go Hawks!! I am so excited to watch it, and represent the Seahawks from Costa Rica. I have loved seeing the news on Facebook, and am really excited for this Super Bowl, especially since my cousin in son the team! He is a wide receiver, and has worked so hard to get to where he is. Cheer him on, #19, Bryan Walters!

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! I want to say good luck to the Seahawks, and my friends at St. Thomas More who are planning the Founder's Dinner. I know how much work it is, but I know you will all do a wonderful job!

Hasta Luego!

PS - I will edit this when I have faster internet and post some pictures!