For my last weekend here in Costa Rica, I traveled to the most famous volcano-Volcan Arenal. The town next to the volcano where we stayed is called La Fortuna. Unfortunately, for most of the time we were there, the volcano was completely covered with clouds. I did get one good picture, but clouds were still covering the top of it. On Friday, we went on a tour of the national park, where we got to overlook the beautiful Arenal lake and try to get a view of the cloud-covered volcano. We learned a lot about the volcano and its history, and also the rainforest (all in Spanish, of course!). We got to go to a beautiful waterfall in the rainforest, which was spectacular! It's weird to think that I've come to a point in my life where seeing amazing waterfalls has become the norm. Don't get me wrong, I am still in awe every time I see one! But, it's crazy to think of how many I've seen in my time here. To finish off our tour, we got to go to some natural hot springs, heated by the volcano, once it got dark. We all walked in our swimsuits to this river lit by candles and got in! It was so weird to go to a natural river and it was hot! We had to hold on really well, though, because the current was pretty strong! It was so incredible to think that I was sitting in natural hot springs that are powered by a volcano in the middle of the rainforest in Costa Rica! The next day, we headed to Rio Celeste, which is a notoriously beautiful river that has strikingly turquoise water. I was so looking forward to this place, because I knew I would fall in love with it instantly. It was raining that morning, and we had heard that if there's a lot of rain, the river will turn brown. Still, with all my hope, I went to the town and we took a taxi bus to the park. On our way, our driver stopped so we could take some pictures by the biggest tree in Costa Rica! While driving, a ranger came up and told us the park was closed because the river was too full due to the rain. It's an understatement to say I was heartbroken. I really wanted to see this river, and I was looking forward to it my whole time here. Mark my word, I will be back to see this magical place. However, I still tried to make the most of my time and we went to a different river and chilled there for a little while before heading back to San Jose. It was definitely quite an experience and I still had a great last weekend in Costa Rica! I hope you guys liked my last weekend update post! I'll, reluctantly, be leaving this amazing country this Saturday and be back to Tucson that night! I'm sad to leave everything that I've come to love here, but I'm excited to see all your beautiful faces and to spend Christmas with my family! :)
Pura Vida, Alyssa
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I spent my Thanksgiving weekend exploring the beautiful Caribbean beaches of Bocas Del Toro, Panama. Bocas is a gathering of islands off Panama's Caribbean coast. On Friday, I had to wake up at 3am to go to Panama on a bus. When we arrived at the border, we had to fill out lots of papers and go to 3 different stations to finally cross. We traveled on the bus until the coast, where we took a boat taxi to the biggest island, Isla Colon. There, we stayed in the town of Bocas. We changed into our swimsuits and went on a boat to a beach on the other side of the island. This beach was beautiful because the sand was incredibly soft and the waves were perfect. We swam for a while and some of my friends and I walked along the beach. We found lots of shells and took a lot of pictures. We came to a cliff with an incredible view. The waves were crashing up against the cliff and we were getting sprayed with the mist. I sat down on the edge overlooking the ocean. On Saturday, we went on a boat tour. First, we went to a bay to see dolphins. We got to see a few jump out of the water and it was cool to be able to see them in nature and not in captivation. After, we went to a small island and we never saw a soul until we were leaving. It literally felt like we were shipwrecked on some tropical island in the middle of the ocean. We walked awhile to find the best beach, although all of it was amazing. The color of the water was a beautiful and clear blue. We swam and explored the beach. When we were getting on the boat about to leave, the captain told us we had to get off because the boat was starting to sink! A lot of people got off, but not all of us had to get off. Everyone was just jumping off the sides of the boat, though, to get off! Luckily, they just dumped buckets of water out and everyone got on and we were fine! Later, the boat took us to the perfect place to snorkel. I haven't been snorkeling since I was 12, so this was a cool experience! I saw lots of fish, coral, and even jellyfish! On Sunday, we took a bus to a beach called Playa de las Estrellas, because it's famous for the starfish that come! This beach was the definition of a Caribbean beach. It had calm water and the water was a perfect, vibrant blue. We swam, floated, and played in the water for a long time. It was so much fun! We saw several starfish and took tons of pictures with them! We ate Caribbean food and drank some piña coladas. It was the perfect day! I loved my time in Panama! You can look at my pictures below to see the incredible beauty of it all because I can't explain it in words! Pasé mi fin de semana del Día de Acción de Gracias explorando las playas bonitas en el Caribe en Bocas Del Toro, Panamá. Bocas es un grupo de islas en la costa Caribeño de Panamá. El viernes, tuve que levantarme a las 3 de la mañana para ir en bus a Panamá. Cuando llegamos a la frontera, fue un proceso largo con muchos papeles para cruzar. Fuimos en bus hasta la costa, dónde tomamos un bote a la isla más grande, Isla Colón. Allá, nos quedamos en el pueblo, Bocas. Nos pusimos nuestros trajes de baño y fuimos en bote a una playa en el otro lado de la isla. Esta playa era hermosa porque la arena era muy suave y las olas eran perfectos. Nadamos por un rato y algunos de mis amigos y yo caminamos por la playa. Encontramos muchas conchas y tomamos muchas fotos. Llegamos a un acantilado que tuve una vista increíble. Las olas estaban chocando contra los acantilados y me senté en el acantilado más grande. El sábado, fuimos en un tour en bote. Primero, fuimos a una bahía para ver delfines en el agua. Era chiva para verlos en la naturaleza. Después, fuimos a una isla pequeña y me sentí como fuimos las únicas personas en toda la isla. Caminamos por un rato para buscar la mejor playa. El color del agua era un azul muy claro y perfecto. Nadamos y exploramos la playa. Luego, nuestro bote regresó y nos llevó al lugar perfecto para hacer snorkel. ¡No había hecho snorkel desde tenía 12 años, entonces fue una experiencia increíble! Vi muchos peces, coral, y medusas. El domingo, fuimos en bus a una playa que se llama Playa de las Estrellas porque es famoso por las estrellas del mar que vienen frecuentemente. Esta playa era la definición de una playa caribeña. No tenía olas y el agua era perfecto y claro. Nadamos y flotamos y jugamos en el agua por mucho tiempo. ¡Esta playa era muy divertido! Vimos varias estrellas del mar y tomamos muchas fotos. Comimos comida caribeña y tomé piña coladas. ¡Era el día perfecto! ¡Me encantó mi tiempo en Panamá! Pueden ver mis fotos para ver la belleza increíble porque no puedo explicarla con palabras. As I am writing this, I have only 10 more days left in my study abroad experience! It's all coming to an end so quickly, but I intend to enjoy every last second I have here! Hope you all enjoyed this post, and I'll be heading to Rio Celeste (a beautiful river) and Arenal Volcano (the most famous active volcano in Costa Rica) for my last weekend!
Pura Vida, Alyssa My trip to MalPais on the Pacific Coast this past weekend was a very unusual one, as I was traveling by myself to a strange town where I would meet up with some friends. I woke up at 4:45am Friday morning, running on about 2 hours of sleep. I headed out and took the city bus to a stop where I took a taxi to the bus terminal, and I made it on the bus with only 5 minutes to spare. From there, the bus rode to the coast, where I got on a ferry ride across the Gulf of Nicoya. On the other side, I got back on the bus that was travelling on the ferry with us. That bus took me to a small town where I had to get on the city bus to finally take me to MalPais. Almost 8 hours of travel later, I find myself in this strange, but welcoming little beach town. I couldn't meet my friends right away, so (of course) the first thing I did is get some ice cream and then headed to the beach with my stuffed Jansport backpack in tow. I found a little restaurant where I grabbed some pizza before I went to the hotel that my friends were staying at. If you would have told me that I would have been able to navigate my way through numerous modes of public transportation to a new town, get to know that town, and then manage to get to the hotel that my friends are at all by myself, I never would have believed you. But, yeah, I did all that all by myself...and, damn, it's so freeing knowing how capable and independent of a human being you can be. Yes, it was so nice once I saw my friends and got to do stuff with them, but having that time to myself and doing things independently was such a cool feeling. I didn't take a whole lot of pictures this trip, because I wanted to focus on enjoying my time there! This Friday, though, I'm heading to the Caribbean coast of Panama to do some really cool stuff and see some beautiful beaches!
Pura Vida, Alyssa Ah…Monteverde, the cloud forest. Before we left, I had heard a lot about this place and, countless times, I’ve said how I knew I would love this place. It had the cloud forest (basically a lush rainforest high among the clouds), ziplining, horseback tours through the wilderness, and bungee jumping. I knew I wanted to take part in all of this and I was so excited to go to this magical place. It’s very hard to put this whole experience into words, so just bear with me! The first jaw-dropping part of this trip was before we even got to Monteverde – the drive there was absolutely beautiful, with rolling green hills with clouds covering the tops and even the ocean in the distance. When we arrived at our hotel, it turned out we were staying in these little Cabinas, or cabins, perched on a hill in the middle of the rainforest overlooking the town and the sprawling hills. We had some time to explore, so a few of us hiked the private trail through the forest until we got to the top of a hill with a tree swing and an amazing view. I wanted to build my house right there so I could always look at that view. When we got back, it was time to go on our 3-hour horseback tour through the forest. This was the first time I have ever ridden a horse and I wasn’t expecting to love it so much! I never knew horses were that tall until I was riding on top of one! I got a hang of it really quickly and I loved both galloping down the trails and slowly going through the forest. My horse’s name was Volcán, or volcano, and he was a good horse for me! The next day, we got up bright and early and headed to zipline and bungee jump! First, we did the canopy tour, which was 12 different ziplines through the forest, among trees, and over valleys; 1 superman zipline (laying and facing the ground) over the valley; 1 subterranean superman zipline that went through a tunnel; and a Tarzan swing that swung through the trees. It was absolutely breathtaking and I enjoyed every single minute of it! Once we finished all the lines, it was time to do the bungee jump! 3 of my friends and I headed over to the jump to meet the other people who were jumping. We had to go out in groups of 3, based on our weight, since they had to change the bungee cord. 2 of my friends and I got to be the 2nd group to go out in this little cart that went into the middle of the valley on 2 wires to the jumping spot. I volunteered to go 3rd out of us, since my other friends didn’t want to have to think about it too long while waiting. Let me just say, that was a bad decision since I ended up thinking about it a lot! I wasn’t truly scared until it was my turn to step up to the ledge. The heights really didn’t bother me, it was just the fact that I was only strapped in by my ankles and my waist, so I couldn’t feel anything holding me up and I was just supposed to jump off this ledge?! The guides always count down from 5 for someone to jump. I hate countdowns, since you’re expected to go at a certain time and there’s so much pressure. So, I already didn’t like that aspect, and so the first countdown didn’t even make me budge. I quickly told them to go again, and this time I was ready to jump, and then still couldn’t do it. Luckily 3rd times the charm, and I went on this countdown, with a little push and with my eyes closed for the initial jump. You’ll have to watch the video to see the jump, since it was all kind of a blur and I can’t put any of it into words! By the time I got pulled back up onto the cart, every part of me was shaking with the adrenaline – it was just so incredible. I really didn’t want to leave this amazing place, since I absolutely fell in love with it. I know I will be back someday, though! Ah, Monteverde…el bosque de las nubes. Antes de salir, he escuchado mucho sobre este lugar y, muchas veces, he dicho cómo iba a encantar este lugar. Tenía el bosque de las nubes, un tour de canopy, un tour de caballo por el bosque, y un salto de bungee. Yo sabía que quería hacer todo y estaba emocionada para ir. ¡Es muy difícil para escribir sobre esta experiencia con palabras, pero vamos a ver! La primera parte increíble sobre esta viaje ocurrió antes de llegar a Monteverde – el paseo era hermoso, con colinas verdes con nubes y el mar en la distancia. Nos quedamos en cabinas en una colina en el bosque con una vista del pueblo y la selva verde. Tuvimos tiempo para explorar, entonces algunos de nosotros caminamos en un sendero privado por el bosque hasta lo más alto de una colina con un columpio en un árbol y una vista increíble. Quería construir mi casa allá, para siempre ver aquella vista. Cuando regresamos, fue tiempo para irnos en nuestro tour de caballo por el bosque. ¡Fue la primera vez que he montado en caballo y me encantó mucho! Nunca había sabido que los caballos son tantos grandes antes de monté en uno. ¡Aprendí rápidamente y mi caballo, Volcán, era el caballo perfecto para mí! El próximo día, nos levantamos temprano y nos fuimos al tour de canopy y el salto de bungee. Primero, hicimos el tour de canopy, dónde hicimos 12 ziplines diferentes por el bosque, entre árboles, y por valles; 1 zipline de Superman por una valle; 1 zipline de Superman por un túnel; y un columpio de Tarzan que fue por los árboles. ¡Era increíble y me encantó todo! Cuando terminamos, fue el tiempo para hacer el salto de bungee. 3 de mis amigos y yo fuimos al salto para conocer a las otras personas. Tuvimos que separar en grupos de nuestros pesos en grupos de 3. 2 de mis amigos y yo fuimos un grupo y fuimos segundo. Yo ofrecí para ir tercera porque mis amigos no quisieron pensar mucho antes de saltar. No me dio miedo antes de ir a la plataforma para saltar. Los altos no me molestaron, sólo era porque necesitaba saltar de esa plataforma sólo pegada con mis tobillos y cintura. ¡Era loco! Los guías siempre contaban de 5 para saltar. Me molestan las cuentas atrás porque es demasiada presión. No me gustó eso, entonces no me moví después de la primera cuenta atrás. Inmediatamente, les dije para contar otra vez. Esta vez, estaba lista para saltar, pero todavía no pude. Por suerte, la tercera vez, me fui con un empujón pequeño y necesitaba cerrar mis ojos. ¡Tiene que ver el video para ver el salto porque todo pasó rápidamente para mí! ¡Era muy increíble! No quería irme de este lugar, porque estaba enamorada del lugar. ¡Ya sé que voy a regresar un día! Hope you guys loved reading about this place as much as I loved being there! We'll have to see where I'll be headed this weekend, since it's my last free weekend (nothing planned with my program) in Costa Rica! Yikes! I'll be soaking up every last minute of this incredible experience!
Pura Vida, Alyssa San Jose I realized that I haven't been talking about where I've been living and spending the majority of my time...in the capital, San Jose! Since I'm from the suburbs of Tucson and have studied in Flagstaff, living in this large city has been a huge change! My house and university aren't in the heart of San Jose, but it's still different to always be around people and traffic. I don't necessarily like living in a large city, but this has given me the opportunity to realize that and I've still enjoyed taking in a new type of environment! On Friday, my friend and I explored downtown San Jose afterschool. I've been downtown countless times before, but I've always had a destination, especially switching buses, and never take in my surroundings. We hopped on the about-25min-without-traffic bus ride and were on the central street. The central street is only for walking, so there's just a lot of people and no cars. There's lots of shops and restaurants on this avenue to explore. There are also cool markets with lots of different vendors that I like to go to, since I can bargain to lower the prices. Something a lot of people don't know about Costa Rica is that it's really expensive here! My friend and I went to a new market just to see what this one was like. There were so many pathways that just branched off everywhere, it was a good thing we didn't get lost! Then, we went to get some churros filled with dulce de leche and pecan pie! We stopped by a few stores just to check things out and see the prices of the clothes...let's just say if a store looks nice, it's probably way too expensive! We bought some cool stuff from street vendors, and then finished off our exploring with some McDonald's (I know, not supporting Costa Rican business, but reminds us of home!) french fries and ice cream while sitting in the central square and people watching. Me di cuenta que no he hablado sobre dónde he vivido…en la capital, San José. ¡Porque soy de un barrio residencial de Tucson y he estudiado en Flagstaff, es un gran cambio para vivir en esta ciudad! Mi casa y universidad no están en el centro de San José, pero todavía es diferente estar cerca de muchas personas y tráfico todo el tiempo. No me gusta mucho vivir en una ciudad grande, pero me alegre de que yo pueda vivir en un lugar diferente. El viernes, mi amiga y yo exploramos el centro de San José después de la escuela. He ido al centro muchas veces, pero siempre iba a un lugar específico, como a otro bus, y nunca veía todo. Nosotras tomamos un bus por 25 minutos y fuimos a la calle principal. La calle principal es sólo para caminar, y por eso, hay muchas personas y no hay carros. Hay muchas tiendas y restaurantes en esta avista para explorar. También, hay mercados interesantes con vendedores diferentes Me gusta ir a esos mercados porque me gusta regatear con ellos. ¡Una cosa que muchas personas no saben sobre Costa Rica es que es muy caro aquí! Mi amiga y yo fuimos para comer churros con dulce de leche y pie de pécanos. Después, fuimos a algunas tiendas para ver los precios. ¡Eran bastantes caros! Compramos algunas cosas de vendedores en la calle. Terminamos el día con helado y papas fritas de McDonald’s cuando nos estábamos sentado en el cuadrado central. CartagoCartago is a city that's a 45-minute bus ride from downtown San Jose, and is the name of the bordering province. This is the same town I went with my host family on Independence Day. On Saturday, some friends and I traveled to the city to explore and go to the botanical gardens that are there. The botanical gardens were really unique, as they were a lot different than the ones I've been to in the States. Their claim-to-fame is that they have the largest collection of orchids in the world. Sadly, they weren't in bloom when we were there! Unlike the ones in the States, these gardens were more to show different types of plants and not a bunch of flowers. It was cool to see all the nature, though! The Japanese tea garden was beautiful! There was even a cactus section that made us Arizonans feel at home! We grabbed lunch at a soda, or small restaurant, in town and then headed to see that famous church. Cartago is the country's center for religion, and this is the most important Catholic church in the country. This church is incredibly beautiful, with detailed architecture. As there was mass going on, I didn't go inside since I've already been here. Instead, I stayed outside and ate some copos, which is a cool mixture of shaved ice, flavoring, powdered milk, and condensed milk topped with marshmallows. Sounds weird, tastes delicious! Irazu Volcano On Sunday, I went to a volcano near the city of Cartago with my host family. The drive was absolutely beautiful, as we headed up the mountains surrounding Cartago. We traveled past farmlands and into where clouds traveled right next to us and in between the trees! Once we got to the national park (and I got in as a native, since I was with my family!), we got to see the crater and the surrounding black, ashy sand. It was cool, since the clouds would come and go in the crater. We walked around a bit to take some different pictures. It was a cool place to say that you've been! After, we ate at a classic Costa Rican restaurant on our way back to the city. I had Guanabana juice and a corn tortilla made with cheese. It was delicious! Later that night, my host mom made me veggie burgers using the recipe that I taught her! It was a great day spent with my wonderful family! Hope you guys enjoyed this week's post! This weekend, I'm heading to Monteverde for some adventure in the cloud forest with my program! :)
Pura Vida, Alyssa This weekend, I had 4 days off and decided to spend them taking day trips within Costa Rica's central valley. I have been living in the capital, San Jose, which is in the central valley and is Costa Rica's largest city with a population of about 1.5 million. On Friday, I took a day trip with 2 of my friends to Braulio Carrillo National Park, about an hour bus ride from San Jose, and not touristy at all. There is a highway that goes through this park, and I've driven through it twice now, always with eyes glued to the window staring at the lush green hills with clouds rolling through. This time, I got to get off the bus and hike a 5km loop trail through the rainforest. Our day started out as an adventure, as I convinced the park ranger to let us pay the resident fee of $2 since we were students, avoiding the $12 non-resident entrance fee. Then, we simply picked a trail to start from the ranger station and headed out into the wilderness, away from the highway. About twenty minutes into our hike, it started pouring rain. When I say pouring, I mean we were immediately drenched. It was amazing, though, being able to experience the rainforest this way, without a single person in sight. I'm pretty sure the Rainforest Café was modeled from our experience that day. Although we didn't see many animals, it was the plants' turn to shine and the forest was very much alive with the sound of rain hitting giant leaves and sliding down tree trunks. What's a really cool experience is standing under tall canopy trees while it's pouring and only feeling a couple drops because the tree covering is so thick above you. Our hike was full of stepping into giant mud puddles, overlooking rushing rivers, and breaking machetes in half. Getting back to the highway and returning to San Jose, it was hard getting back into civilization and away from the intense green of the jungle. That night, since it was my host mom's birthday, we all went out to dinner to celebrate and I bought her flowers. On Saturday, lots of our group traveled about an hour-and-a-half in bus to one of our professor's houses in a neighboring town to San Jose. Immediately, I knew this town was much different than San Jose, with sprawling green hills and tall trees around every corner. My professor's house was really cool, as he rents out rooms to students studying at the nearby university. So, his house has a porch with rocking chairs and hammocks overlooking a beautiful garden. A short little walk away from his house was a waterfall! I'm definitely jealous that he can go to this waterfall everyday. We also hiked to a river nearby, but didn't stop to swim in it. This was definitely a memorable way to spend my Halloween day. When we returned to San Jose, it was time to get ready for the night. We all had to be very creative when coming up with costumes, since we were just using our regular clothes. I ended up reinforcing my gringa stereotype here in Costa Rica and being a tourist for my costume. I wasn't expecting Halloween to be a big deal here, but the club we went to had a line out the door and around the street corner just waiting to get in! Everyone had super cool and elaborate costumes and we all had a great night! So, for the record, Costa Rica definitely does Halloween right. On Sunday, I stayed in San Jose to work on some homework and to spend time with my family. My family took me to a famous soda, or small restaurant, that was famous for their fruit salads. I was picturing eating a healthy meal of mixed tropical fruits in a bowl. When I arrived, I found out their fruit "salads" were actually a bowl of chopped fruit with scoops of ice cream and gelatin on top! So much for thinking I would be eating healthy! My salad had pineapple, banana, and peach with vanilla and strawberry ice cream and strawberry gelatin...and saying it was delicious would be an understatement! On Monday, a couple of my friends and I, after adventuring to find bus terminals and transferring buses, made it to Los Chorros Waterfalls. These falls, off the beaten path, were incredible to say the least. There were two large falls, which were too strong for us to swim under, with a canyon separating the two. The canyon walls were lined with moss and had little waterfalls streaming out of holes in the rocks. This place is called los chorros because this means streams of water. It all made sense once I saw this place. I'll let the pictures do the explaining, since I cannot put into words how jaw-dropping amazing this place was! Este fin de semana pasado, tenía 4 días libres y decidí tomar viajes en los días en el valle central de Costa Rica. He vivido en la capital, San José, en el valle central y es la ciudad más grande de Costa Rica con una población de 1.5 millón personas. El viernes, fui con 2 de mis amigos al Parque Nacional Braulio Carrillo, casi una hora en bus de San José y sin muchas turistas. Hay un autopista que pasa por el parque, y lo pasé 2 veces, siempre mirando de las ventanas a la naturaleza. Esta vez, pude bajar el bus para caminar 5km en el bosque. Nuestro día empezó con una aventura, porque yo convencí el guardabosques que nosotros somos residentes porque somos estudiantes. Por eso, sólo pagamos $2 en lugar de $12 para extranjeros. Luego, escogimos un sendero aleatorio y empezamos caminar. Casi 20 minutos después, llovía muy duro. Nos mojamos rápidamente. Fue increíble, porque pudimos ver el bosque en esta manera sin personas. Aunque no vimos muchos animales, era la toca de las plantas para ser interesante. Una experiencia chiva fue cuando me levanté debajo de los árboles altos cuando había mucha lluvia, y sólo sentí poca lluvia porque las hojas eran abundantes. Nuestro camino tenía muchos charcos del barro y miramos a ríos fuertes. Era difícil para regresar a la ciudad. Esa noche, porque fue el cumpleaños de mi mamá, fuimos a cenar en un restaurante para celebrar y le traje flores a ella. El sábado, fuimos en bus por una hora y media para la casa de mi profesor en Ciudad Colón. Inmediatamente, sabía que ese pueblo era diferente que San José, porque tenía montañas y era muy verde. La casa de mi profesor era chiva, porque él les alquiló casas a estudiantes de una universidad cerca. Entonces, su casa tenía un patio y un jardín muy bonitos. ¡Un camino corto de su casa, había una cascada! También, caminamos a un río cerca. Cuando regresamos a San José, me arreglé para salir porque fue Halloween. Me vestí como una turista porque soy una gringa aquí. ¡Fue una noche divertida! El domingo, me quedé en San José para hacer tarea y pasar tiempo con mi familia. Mi familia y yo fuimos a una soda famosa por sus ensaladas de fruta. Creía que las ensaladas eran boles de fruta. Me sorprendió que las ensaladas fueran frutas, pero con helado y gelatina. Mi ensalada tenía piña, banano, y melocotón. ¡Estaba riquísima! EL lunes, mis amigos y yo fuimos a las cataratas Los Chorros. Estas cataratas no son populares y eran increíbles. Había 2 cataratas grandes y fuertes, y también cataratas pequeñas que venían de los lados de las piedras. Hope you guys liked this week's post as much as I enjoyed exploring all these new places not too far from my home! This weekend is still undecided, so we'll see where I end up!
Pura Vida, Alyssa This past weekend, I visited the small town of Tortuguero on the northern Caribbean coast. The name Tortuguero comes from the Spanish word for turtle, tortuga. Like its name, this place is famous for the 4 different types of turtles that come on shore during the nights to lay their eggs. This place is the world capital for sea turtle conservation, as well. I had the once-in-a-lifetime experience to go see a greenback turtle lay her eggs on shore during the middle of the night. It was one of the most incredible events I've had the pleasure to witness. I was close enough to touch this, I would guess, 8-foot-long turtle while she was in a trance laying her eggs. She was so beautiful. I got to crouch down behind her and see her lay eggs into the hole she dug with her flippers. We could only use red light, because they are sensitive to any other type of light. As I was standing behind her, she started flipping her front flippers back and threw sand onto my face! Who can say they had a sea turtle kick sand onto their face? We also got to follow her as she crawled back to the sea under the moonlight. We made eye contact and I felt so connected to her and all of nature. We weren't allowed to take any pictures, so this experience will forever be in my memory and it's something you just have to experience for yourself. Tortuguero is only accessible by a boat ride down a small jungle river, which was an adventure in itself! On the way back, our boat broke down in the middle of the river from hitting a rock or branch in the water. The current was pushing us downstream, but eventually the engine started again. Now, I have a cool story about almost being stranded in the middle of the jungle! From 2 boat rides, a canoe tour, and hiking in the national park, I saw Caymans (small alligators), toucans, howler monkeys, spider monkeys, lots of different birds, of course the greenback turtle, sloths, and frogs! Hope you all enjoyed this week's post! I had a great time in Tortuguero and seeing the Caribbean again after awhile! This weekend I have 4 days off and will be doing some day trips to places close to San Jose!
Pura Vida, Alyssa This past week I had vacation and it was definitely one of the best weeks of my life. I did and saw a lot on this trip, so I have a lot to write about. So, if you want to just skip to the pictures, this would be a good time to scroll! First, I went to Uvita, a town on the South Pacific, with my friends, Jorge and Sara. It was a great experience, since I planned and figured out everything from the bus system to get there and finding a hostel once we showed up in this new town. It was such a new feeling of independence and freedom. Uvita is a small beach town, famous for a beach that is only accessible at low tide and is shaped like a whale tail. Of course, we had to go there, which was cool to walk out onto this body of sand protruding from the shore. However, it was very hot and it was just like any other beach. I never thought I would be at a point in my life where I have been to so many beaches that they aren't that exciting...everyone in land-locked Arizona are all hating me for saying that! But, the part I really loved of Uvita was the jungle and numerous rivers that were a short walk from our hostel. We walked to a waterfall while it was raining, and it was so beautiful, despite the fact that the water was a little muddy because of the rain. I immediately pointed out a moss-covered rock in the middle of the river that I wanted to sit on. After many failed attempts at climbing it, a man had to help me get to the top. On the shore, though, I climbed my own rock and sat for a long time in my peaceful-don't-bother-me-I'm-in-my-zen-in-nature-zone that I find myself in a lot in Costa Rica. I discovered my new favorite sport of staring straight up to see raindrops trickling down from the leaves of the tall canopy trees above and trying to catch them on the palm of my hand. We were walking in a bamboo forest and we stumbled upon a cool-looking trail and decided to take it. Little did we know this trail led to a crystal-blue river, where I sat in my zone for awhile too. Uvita was a really cool place to be at and I really enjoyed it! On Wednesday, we met up with 4 of our other friends and headed out to Drake Bay(Bahía Drake) on the Osa Peninsula, where we had to take a bus to a town and then a small boat down a river and out to the ocean for about an hour-and-a-half. The boat ride alone was amazing, looking out at the mangrove trees passing by while wind was blowing through my hair. Once we arrived and got settled in our hostel, we went to watch the beautiful sunset from the beach and swim in the water at night with the sound of drums in the distance. The next day, we went in search of natural swimming pools someone told us about, and ended up wading in and climbing rocks up this beautiful river in the forest to a set of cascading waterfalls. We spent a lot of time at these falls rock climbing and chilling under the falls as they cascaded over our heads. Our last full day in the Osa Peninsula was mainly spent on a tour of Corcovado National Park, which is Costa Rica's largest national park and is the most biologically diverse place on the planet! Our tour guide, Everest, knew the area very well and could point out unique plants and animals during our trek through the jungle. This park was the definition of the rainforest, with muddy grounds, tall canopy trees above, vines all over the place, and insects and animals everywhere you turn. Some of the cool things we did and saw: -We saw 2 types of monkeys on various occasions swinging in the trees above - spider monkeys and howler monkeys, which are the 2nd loudest animal, next to whales! -We came upon a tree that was about 900 years old and the top of it had just recently fallen over due to high winds. -I held the skeleton of a cicada, a little against my will and I was cringing the whole time, but still cool to say I did it! We learned that cicadas live underground for anywhere from 7 to 20 years and then live above ground for only 72 hours. The ones in Arizona live underground for about 15-20 years! -We walked to an amazing waterfall, which was right up my alley. If you can't already tell, I absolutely love waterfalls and I intend to live my life in constant search for waterfalls. -On our hike to the waterfall, we saw 2 different crocodiles just chilling next to the river. On our way back, we ended up swimming in the water next to some smaller falls. In this location, we were swimming in a river, where both upstream and downstream there were crocodiles! It was only slightly terrifying...but it makes for a good story! -On the beach, our guide cracked open a fresh coconut for us to all try! It was weird just biting off coconut from its shell, but I liked it better than the shredded coconut they sell in stores! I was so reluctant to leave this wonderful place and head back to the city! The boat ride back was also an experience, however, because the waves were huge in the ocean! First, it was difficult just getting onto the boat, since we had to wade in the water with all our belongings and then hop onto the boat at just the right time in between waves. Once we got started, our driver was going really fast and the boat was hopping like crazy over the waves. We were all holding onto each other for fears of anyone falling out. We were going in between rocks that were jutting out of the sea and I was absolutely terrified of capsizing or getting pushed into the rocks! Once we got to the river though, the water was nice and calm. We ended up going down a smaller river at one point and through a mangrove forest, where we could literally reach out and touch the trees! I think the driver wanted to give us a little treat to make up for him being a jerk during the waves. This vacation was an incredible experience full of great friends, laughing so hard my chest hurt, chilling under waterfalls, and experiencing so many tranquil moments in nature! Esta semana pasada, tuve vacaciones y fue una de las semanas mejores en toda mi vida. Yo vi e hice mucho en este viaje. Si solo quiere ver mis fotos, ahora puede desplazarse. Primero, fui a Uvita, un pueblo pequeño en el Sur Pacífico, con mis amigos, Jorge y Sara. Fue una experiencia buena porque planeé todo. Uvita es famoso por la playa que se parece cómo un rabo de ballena. Por supuesto, fuimos allá. Era bonita, pero hacía mucho calor y era húmedo. Entonces, no pasamos mucho tiempo allá. La parte que me encantó en Uvita era la selva y los ríos que estaban un camino corto de nuestro hostal. Caminamos para una cascada hermosa en la lluvia. Inmediatamente, vi una piedra dónde quería sentarme y fui para subirla. Pasó mucho tiempo pensando y estaba muy tranquila porque estaba en la naturaleza. Mi deporte favorito ahora es coger gotas de lluvia en mi mano cuando están cayéndose de los árboles altos. Cuando caminábamos en un bosque de bambú, vimos un sendero y decidimos caminarlo. Este sendero fue a un río claro y azul. Uvita era un lugar muy chiva y bonito. El miércoles, fuimos a Bahía Drake, en la península Osa, y necesitamos tomar un bus y un bote pequeña en un río hasta el mar. El viaje en bote fue muy divertido y bello porque vimos árboles mangles. Después de llegar, fuimos a la playa para mirar el puesto de sol y nadar en el oscuro. El próximo día, buscamos piscinas naturales y caminamos en un río hasta algunas cascadas. Nadé en las cascadas y escalé las piedras. El viernes, fuimos en un tour del parque nacional Corcovado, cual es el parque más grande de Costa Rica. Nuestro guía, Everest, sabía el área bien y pudo mostrarnos animales y plantas únicos. Este parque tuvo muchos árboles altos, insectos y animales, y vides. Vimos 2 tipos de monos. Yo agarré una cigarra en mi mano y aprendimos que las cigarras viven bajo tierra por 7-20 años y viven en la tierra por solo 72 horas. Caminamos para una cascada grande, que me gustó mucho porque me encantan cascadas. En nuestra camina a la cascada, vimos 2 cocodrilos y nadamos en el agua cerca de cascadas más pequeñas dónde no había cocodrilos. Me dio miedo que estuvimos cerca de cocodrilos en el mismo río. En la playa, nuestro guía abrió un coco y lo probamos fresco. Me gustó más que el coco que se venden en supermercados. No quería irse este lugar increíble y regresar a la ciudad. My friend, Sara, is an amazing photographer and she took all the pictures that are high-quality! :)
Nicaragua, you make my heart so happyTo say I loved my time in Nicaragua is an understatement. Nicaragua is the country bordering Costa Rica on the north and is the second poorest country in Central America, next to Haiti. First, we went to Ometepe Island, which is an island formed by 2 volcanoes in the middle of Lake Nicaragua. This place was incredible to say the least. Our hostel had a dock where we would jump into the lake during the day and lay stargazing at night. We also kayaked past an island with monkeys hanging off of every branch staring at us as we paddled by. It took us an hour kayak trip to get to a trailhead to strenuously hike up one volcano to get to a jaw-dropping 180-meter waterfall. Then, to finish the day's workout, kayaking an hour back! After Ometepe, we traveled to Masaya to shop at a local market, watch traditional ceramics being made, and visit an active volcano. Masaya volcano was just unexplainably amazing. First, we came up to the crater and were inhaling the volcanic smoke and everyone was coughing. Then, we hiked up surrounding hills in search of fresh air and some nice views. Well, we definitely found our fair share of this. Atop the highest hill was an incredible view of a lagoon, an old crater filled with lush rainforest, the active volcano, and rolling hills as far the eye could see. It was the hardest thing leaving this place. Lastly, we traveled to Granada, a city on the mainland of the lake well known for its rich history and beautiful architecture. I spent my time in Granada shopping at local shops, sipping pina coladas while watching street performers, watching and buying hand carved personalized maracas, and chilling in the pool and any hammocks at our hostel. Nicaragua has definitely stolen a piece of my heart and I will be back someday to claim it. I can't seem to stop smiling when I think about Nicaragua and how much I loved it, so I hope you liked my post on it :) Tomorrow, I'm heading off on a week-long journey to explore the South Pacific and Osa Peninsula region of Costa Rica, so I won't be in touch for awhile!
Pura Vida, Alyssa Manuel AntonioManuel Antonio...Wow, I loved this place. There was no such thing as a bad view here - whether it was from the pool at our hostel, the restaurants, the national park, or even the bus ride. The town is on a hill over looking the Pacific Ocean, with lush rainforest leading down to perfect blue water. The beaches (all of them) were incredible. My absolute favorite part of this trip was visiting Manuel Antonio National Park. We first walked about a kilometer on what was called el sendero perezoso, or sloth trail. We didn't see any sloths on this trail, but it was a beautiful bamboo walkway that delved into the lush rainforest with tall trees looming over us. Then, we made it to the beach. This beach was very popular, filled with tourists. I could see why, though, since the water was a beautiful blue and the sand was incredibly soft. We swam here, and then a friend from our group, a new friend from Holland, and I walked down another trail in search of some other friends who wandered off. On this trail, we walked along the coast and saw some raccoons and iguanas. We came upon a dead end and turned around. When we got back, we saw a bunch of monkeys standing right next to everyone. We also got to see a three-toed sloth through a telescope, as he was chilling high in a tree. We then walked a little while to a less crowded beach and swam in some awesome waves. A few of my friends and I wanted to go hike another trail. This trail, although filled with steep steps, was magical. It was how I truly pictured the rainforest and jungle to be. We saw some rodent creatures we couldn't identify. We climbed up and up and every now and then there would be lookout points with jaw-dropping views of the ocean and surrounding islands. It was perfection. As we climbed back down the hill, we came upon a beach with a vine, so we decided to try swinging on it. It didn't move very well, as you would think it would, but swinging on a vine (or attempting to), is something everyone should experience once in their lifetime. This trip was amazing, so here are some pictures to explain it! The view at breakfast :) Friday's beach - a little cove, the definition of a tropical beach! Saturday night's sunset from the pool at our hostel Monkeys galore - still can't get a good picture, but they're in my memory :) Ocean on one side, rainbow on the other - what more can you ask for? El Sendero Perezoso I think I was born to walk through the jungle The crowded, yet amazing, beach at the national park Just the usual rope swinging through the rainforest Reppin' NAU from Costa Rica You can't have too many jumping pictures! En el Aula (Back in the Classroom)El martes pasado, empezamos voluntario en una escuela pública en Costa Rica. Todos los martes, voy a enseñar inglés en un aula del primer grado. Es perfecto porque quiero enseñar el primer grado en el futuro. A mí me encantaba estar en el aula y trabajar con niños otra vez. Es diferente, pero divertido, para crear y preparar lecciones para enseñando inglés. Es más difícil para enseñar a estudiantes que no hablan mucho inglés porque no puedo decirles cómo hacer cosas como en inglés. Las escuelas en Costa Rica son similares y diferentes de las escuelas en los Estados Unidos. Similarmente, las escuelas aquí son privadas y públicas. Las escuelas públicas son gratis y no tienen tanto recursos como las escuelas privadas. Sin embargo, las escuelas aquí son muy diferentes, porque son muy desorganizadas. Los maestros no pueden venir cualquier quieren y es posible que los estudiantes no tengan clases. También, voluntariado es diferente aquí, porque normalmente cuesta dinero para hacer voluntariado. En las escuelas, los maestros salen las aulas y esperan que tengamos lecciones preparadas. Está bien para mí porque quiero ser una maestra, pero es un poco difícil para mis amigos que no quieren ser maestros y no saben cómo preparar una lección. Last Tuesday, we started volunteering in a public school here in Costa Rica. Every Tuesday, I'm going to teach English to a first grade classroom. It's perfect because I want to teach first grade. I loved being in the classroom and working with kids again. It's different, but fun, to create and prepare lessons to teach English. It's harder to teach students who don't know a lot of English because I can't tell them to do things like I can in English. The classroom management aspect is a lot harder when there's a language barrier. Costa Rican schools are both similar and different to US schools. Similarly, the schools here are either public or private. The public schools are free and don't have as many resources as the private schools. However, schools here are a lot different, as they're very disorganized. The teachers can decide not to show up whenever they want to and it's possible that the kids don't have classes. Also, volunteering is different here, since it's common to have to pay money in order to volunteer. In schools, the teachers leave the classroom and expect us to have prepared lessons. It's good for me because I want to be a teacher, but it's hard for some who don't want to be teachers and don't know how to prepare lessons. Also, a huge thanks to my friend, Nicole Hyatt, for taking some great pictures and letting me use them! All the high quality pictures are hers :) Thank you guys for reading this week! This weekend, I'm heading to Nicaragua!!
Pura Vida, Alyssa My trip over the weekend was to a pacific beach town called Tamarindo. Tamarindo (the town, not the fruit) was just a really fun place to be. Yes, the beach was beautiful and yes, there were a lot of tourists. But, Tamarindo was a great place to just have fun. Whether it was swimming along with the waves, dancing the night away, or chilling in the hostel, I was always having fun. I took hardly any pictures this trip, since I was focusing more on experiences than bringing my phone everywhere or whipping out my GoPro. So, I'll share some of the fun things we did, along with some pictures my friends took. Our hostel had a nice kitchen, so we decided to buy groceries and cook most of our meals rather than eating out, since it was cheaper and was really fun. It was so cool that we could all chip in to pay for groceries and then all help cook or clean. We all got to eat at a large table and it felt like we were all a big family. Our hostel was really cool, as we all were in different rooms of about 4 and had little patios with hammocks and a pool in the center. The name of our hostel-"bottle of milk". Somehow, we forgot to ask why it was called this Friday's sunset Friday night's dinner Cooking Saturday morning's breakfast Our happy family! Our beautiful hostel Claire & I Gotta take a selfie at the beach Can we talk about this perfection? Et ceteraAhora, voy a hablar sobre algunas cosas diferentes que hice en Costa Rica. También, tengo más fotos para compartir. Now, I'm going to talk about some different things I've done in Costa Rica. I have more photos to share, too. Nuestros faroles para el Día de Independencia. Fuimos a una escuela para caminar con los niños y escuchar a su música. Our faroles, or lanterns, for Independence Day. We went to a school to walk with the kids and listen to their music. Nosotros hacemos ejercicio mucho durante la semana. Es muy divertido para hacer ejercicio con amigos! We exercise a lot during the week. It's a lot of fun to work out with friends! Pudimos montar en bicicletas pequeñas a nuestra universidad. La universidad tuvo muchas cosas divertidas la primera semana para empezar el año de escuela. We rode small bikes at our university. the university had lots of fun stuff for the first week of school! Este día, el puesto de sol era muy bonito y tenía colores brillantes. This day, the sunset was very beautiful and had brilliant colors. Vimos a un perezoso subiendo un árbol en Cahuíta We saw a sloth climbing a tree in Cahuita Una foto del grupo en Montezuma en la Playa Grande A group picture in Montezuma at Playa Grande Una otra foto del grupo en Montezuma en nuestro hostel Another group photo in Montezuma at our hostel Una foto del grupo cuando fuimos al estadio para el partido nacional de fútbol. A group picture when we went to the stadium to watch the national soccer game. Aunque no puedo bailar bien, disfruté la clase de baile! Esta semana, aprendimos Merengue Although I can't dance well, I enjoyed dance class! This week, we learned Merengue Ayer, fuimos a la casa de mi profesora para cocinar y comer comida Mexicana y comida de El Salvador. No pude comer las salsas porque eran demasiados picantes para mí, pero me encantaban las pupusas con repollo. Pupusas son una harina de maíz cocinado con frijoles y queso en la media. Eran ricos! También, fue el cumpleaños de una profesora, entonces todos comimos queque. Yesterday, we went to my professor's house to cook and eat Mexican food and food from El Salvador. I couldn't eat the salsas because they were too spicy for me, but I loved the pupusas with cabbage. Pupusas are a corn flour cooked with beans and cheese in the middle. They were delicious! Also, it was one of the professor's birthdays, so we all ate cake. Thanks for reading! This weekend, I'm headed to Manuel Antonio, yet another beach town on the Pacific side!
Pura Vida, Alyssa Montezuma-Where the Jungle Meets the SeaOn Friday, I woke up to the sound of my Costa Rican phone vibrating. I answer it, and it's my friend who's waiting for me outside of my house. It's 5am and we were supposed to already be meeting everyone to get a taxi to the bus terminal to get to Montezuma for the weekend. I tell her I'll be out in less than 5 minutes. All I had time to do was change, brush my teeth, and throw everything into my backpack. Luckily, I wasn't the only girl who didn't wake up in time and we ended up making the bus with only 5 minutes to spare. This is the definition of the pura vida lifestyle, where you just pick up and leave for the weekend without getting ready and you still manage to make it. Pura Vida mae! I'm sitting on top of a mossy boulder in a cove looking out at the Pacific Ocean on one side. On the other side, I see a trickling waterfall that leads a small stream out into the sea. I stared out into the beauty of nature that surrounded me, as I heard the buzz of cicadas and saw birds flying among the tall canopy trees. In this moment, all was peaceful and tranquil. Pura Vida and Tranquilo, as the Tico culture puts it in everyday life. Another amazing moment was waking up on the second floor of our hostel and walking out onto the patio to be greeted by monkeys swinging from all the surrounding trees. We were simply watching each other at eye level. As I heard a weird scraping noise, I turned to see an iguana scaling a tall tree on the other side of the porch. It was so incredible to see and interact with these creatures and it was unlike anything I've experienced before. The definition of incredible was Montezuma Falls. We all had to literally swing from vines and grasp ropes while scaling cliffs next to a river to get here. The falls were absolutely breathtaking. The contrast of the dark water and the lush green of the forest surrounding it made it stand out. We were able to swim under the falls and grasp onto rocks as the water fell on our faces from above. We were also able to scale a cliff to do some cliff jumping. As I'm an adrenaline junkie, this was right up my alley. As I was climbing up and peering over the cliff, my heart was pounding. I absolutely love that feeling, though, where your heart is beating out of your chest with nervous excitement. Someone had hammered a horseshoe into the jumping off point to wish jumpers good luck. Standing on top of the cliff, looking down, I was terrified of how high I was and how I had to clear some rocks to reach the water below. The only way I've found to conquer these fears is to switch my brain off from thinking about it, and simply let my muscles do all the work and just jump. Don't worry, I made it out safely and with some cool stories! This was such a surreal experience. Group picture at Montezuma Falls Hiking using the ropes In love with this place In my element hiking through nature Our hostel was so chill and had the best hammock! Montezuma There were a bunch of stone towers on this beach A beach on the way to Playa Grande The amazing spot looking out at the ocean I could have stayed here forever Some of us at Playa Grande Bienvenidos a Playa Grande Selfies at the beach--the usual As the sun was setting! This place was incredible That awkward moment when not everyone is jumping... Ferriado (Holiday)Ayer, fue el Día de la Independencia de Costa Rica. Me levanté tarde y desayuné con mi mamá Tica. Tenía mucha tarea, entonces necesitaba hacerla antes de almorzar. A las 2, fui con mi mamá Tica, su hija que tiene 40 años, y su nieta que tiene 18 años al Cartago. En Cartago, fuimos a un restaurante para comer tortillas de queso. Eran muy ricas. Creía que tortillas con queso eran similares a quesadillas de México, pero eran diferentes. El restaurante tenía un parque muy bonito dónde tomamos fotos. Después de comer, fuimos a la ciudad Cartago para ir a una iglesia. Afuera de la iglesia, habían bandas internacionales. A mi mamá le encantaban las bandas. Fuimos en la iglesia para verla. Era muy bonita y grande. En la noche, mi familia y yo tuvimos una fiesta con mucha comida. Aprendí mucho sobre la cultura de Costa Rica en el Ferriado. Yesterday was Costa Rica's Independence Day. I woke up late in the morning and ate breakfast with my Tica mom. I had a lot of homework, so I needed to do that before lunch. At 2, I went with my mom, her 40-year-old daughter, and her 18-year-old granddaughter to Cartago. In Cartago, we went to a restaurant to eat cheese tortillas. They were really good. I thought that cheese tortillas were similar to quesadillas, but they were different. The restaurant had a pretty park, where we took pictures. After eating, we went to the city of Cartago to go to a church. Outside of the church, there were international marching bands. My Tica mom loved them. We went in the church to see the inside. It was beautiful and huge. At night, my family and I had a party with a lot of food. I learned a lot about Costa Rican culture in the holiday. Hope you guys enjoyed this post as much as I'm enjoying my time here! This weekend, I'm heading to Tamarindo, which is a different beach town on the Pacific side!
Pura Vida, Alyssa This past weekend, we traveled to the Caribbean side of Costa Rica to Cahuita and Puerto Viejo! Here are some pictures I took while I was there and some pictures from the rest of the week! The beautiful beach in Puerto Viejo after it rained Sunday morning. You know it's gonna be a good trip when the bus ride has views like this. The beautiful beach in Cahuita National Park Panorama of the beach at Cahuita and the jungle it was right next to. Some beautiful girls at the beach :) Our little casita in Puerto Viejo! Found a cute little vegetarian/vegan café in Costa Rica! Beach selfies are my favorite kind of selfies One of the many beaches by Puerto Viejo Panorama of a small beach near Puerto Viejo It's seriously impossible to take a bad picture when you're surrounded by this But can you ever have too many beach pictures? No, the answer is no. Big smiles because I love the rainforest A river that flows next to the beach in Cahuita National Park Quickly learned that I can barely ride a bike, nonetheless, while holding a GoPro. Therefore, I had no time to make any good facial expressions...Anyway, we rode our bikes on a road alongside the shore to get to some different beaches on Saturday! A different view of the beach Selfies in the ocean are actually pretty difficult I love the variety in Costa Rica's shorelines. We are so great at taking candid pictures... Just stealing this from Corinne because I love it :) On another note, this is where I have been living! And this is an example of what I've been eating! Here, we have "vegetable cake" (mashed potatoes layered with vegetables and baked), rice, and grilled plantains - "platanos". Had a blast at my first ever national soccer game, where Costa Rica won! My fancy ticket to the game :) If you made it this far, I applaud you! I just really love using pictures to describe my experiences. I will start using this blog for some schoolwork, where I will be posting in Spanish and then translating it to English so everyone can still read it! Tomorrow's adventures will be traveling to Montezuma, a beach town on the Pacific side!
Pura Vida, Alyssa These last few days have been so crazy! I've flown to a foreign country to live with completely new people who don't know my native language, met tons of new people, had to communicate in a new language, started the semester's classes, and tried to navigate a completely new city...and yet, I feel like everything is alright and this is where I'm supposed to be. Instead of trying to put into words the craziness that has been my life adjusting to Costa Rica, I'll let some pictures do the talking. The whole group + Javier! One last selfie with the parents. The view from my bedroom window...Something that's taken some getting used to is that they don't have screens on the windows here! My Tico (Costa Rican) phone! (and a sneak peek of my room) Part of the group in our campus's forest - "el bosquecito" Some Costa Rican money - colones. The conversion rate is about 535 colones for one dollar. Some awesome chicas (Corinne, Sara, y Claire) Chilling in the bosquecito - my favorite place on campus! Weekly soccer is life! Told you I loved the forest on campus! Still mesmerized by the colors here Cooked patacones today, which are flattened and fried plantains! Patacones - they were delicious with beans! Some Things I've Learned in Costa Rica1. Crossing the street is absolutely terrifying 2. It's really not that weird to walk into a stranger's home and then live with them for the next 3 1/2 months 3. Most everyone here either plays soccer or is obsessed with watching it (or both) 4. Rice and beans go with pretty much everything and are served with pretty much every meal...including breakfast 5. America's foods have invaded San Jose...I've seen so many McDonald's, KFCs, Starbucks, and Taco Bells So tomorrow we will be heading to Puerto Viejo bright and early to see the beach on the Caribbean side of the country! I will make sure to take tons of pictures for you guys!
Pura Vida, Alyssa Hello everyone! Today marks 3 days before I leave for my study abroad adventure in Costa Rica. As this is my first blog post and I have not departed yet, I thought that packing would be a good subject to touch on. Just the idea that I will have to pack four months of my life into a suitcase seems daunting and nearly impossible. But once I started to think about it more, it is most definitely possible! I've read quite a few blog posts from previous study abroad students and how they packed, which has helped me a lot! Here are just some tips that I have found useful: 1. Lay out all the clothes you will be bringing to make sure you can make tons of different outfits from them. Here's a picture of the clothes I will be bringing (as of yesterday): This is just a rough estimate for what I will be packing. I'm sure it will change by Saturday, but I'm pretty happy with what I have here. I've chosen clothes that are versatile and I can create multiple outfits with. Here, I have: 3 swimsuit tops and 3 bottoms, 3 T-shirts, my rain jacket bundled up into its packing pocket, 2 workout pants, 1 pair of Soffee shorts, 1 pair of spandex shorts, 4 tank tops, 1 crop top, 2 tank tops with sleeves, 1 cardigan, 1 sweatshirt, 3 pairs of jeans, 3 pairs of shorts, 1 dress, and 2 skirts. Now, this seems like a lot to be trying to put into a suitcase, but for studying abroad, this isn't all that much. 2. Two words: packing cubes. I thought people were crazy when using these - bags inside of your bag? But, trust me, they make all the difference when trying to cram a ton of stuff in your suitcase. I bought a 5-piece set on Amazon for $30. Below is a video of me filling my large sized cube: In this, I was able to fit 5 T-shirts, 3 tank tops, 2 jean shorts, 1 cardigan, 2 workout pants, and 2 skirts...and it wasn't even full! I highly recommend rolling clothes to get the most space out of the packing cubes.
3. Research the weather and culture of the place you're visiting ahead of time. I am definitely the type of person who spends way too much time planning, so I have researched Costa Rica's weather for the time that I'm there in-depth. I know I will be going during their rainy season, so I should prepare for rain almost every single day I'm there. After all, it is a rainforest! That is why I am packing a waterproof rain jacket and Scotch Gard to waterproof my backpack and some clothes. I also know there will be mild temperatures and it will be humid. That is why I am packing tank tops and breathable clothing instead of coats and boots! One weird thing I have heard about Costa Rica, particularly San Jose, is that women who are native to Costa Rica generally don't wear shorts. So, I brought along both jeans to fit in with the locals, and shorts for when I can't stand to wear pants in the humidity and for the beach. I hope you are able to follow along with my blog, as my goal is to post once every week. I will be using this blog for some school assignments that will be both in Spanish and in English. I want my posts to be mainly pictures, since that is much easier for people to look at and I believe pictures could show my amazing experiences better than my words can. I can't wait to start this journey and share it with you all! Pura Vida, Alyssa |