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!