Wow, it has been a while since I've updated and we've done so much since then! Here's a quick little recap of the amazingly awesome week/weekend I've had:
Thursday and Friday we went to downtown Heredia to a bar called Boulevard. So much fun! Thursday we pretty much just hung out with the group and played foosball and pool. We went to the same bar Friday night, but before that we took a day trip to the famous Cafe Brit coffee plantation and then later to Volcan Poas, a huge volcano not too far from where we're staying. The coffee tour was kind of cool but since I'm not a big fan of coffee or tours, it wasn't my cup of tea (or should I say coffee!). However, the volcano was absolutely amazing and I LOVED it. On the way up, one of our classmates decided to play a trick on four of us girls. He hid behind this bush and right when we were walking by he threw a stick and us and made this hissing sound. All of us screamed and took off running in the opposite direction before we figured out it was fake! Scary at the time, but funny now! It was so interesting to see the volcano once we got there; we could see the smoke coming out form it and we could smell the sulfur in the air. Definitely a new experience! On the way back, five of us took the super long way back (kind of by accident) but it was definitely worth it. It was so amazing how sometimes it was super dark from the dense forest and other times we could see the sun shining in where there were open spaces between the branches. Very beautiful! I love hiking, so this was one of my favorite parts of the trip! Later that night we went to Boulevard again to watch the Costa Rican national soccer team play Guatamala (we won 3-2!). It was really fun! We ended up making some Tico (Costa Rican) friends and dancing downstairs. One thing we've decided is that the best Spanish practice is at the bars! It's when everyone is the most social! :)
Saturday we left for beautiful Punta Leona, where we stayed at a really nice resort at a beach (which is on the Pacific coast). This was for sure my favorite thing about Costa Rica so far. Everything about this weekend was absolutely incredible. On the way there we saw alligators on the side of the road, and the ocean just crept up on us out of nowhere. We hit the beach for a few hours before the rain clouds rolled in, and then later we went to dinner at a delicious buffet. Afterwards, we went down to a karaoke bar where four of my classmates sang and did great! Some of us wanted to try also, but we soon realized that it seems that people at Costa Rican karaoke bars can actually sing, so we decided to sit that one out! We spent the rest of the night just hanging out and being crazy! The next morning we woke up early to hit the beach one more time before going home. That whole weekend was amazing, and it probably ranks up there among some of my favorite memories of all time. Half of this is because of the group that I'm with; I am so lucky to get to spend my time with this people! Everyone is so different, yet our differences compliment each other to create an awesome group dynamic.
Today was one of my classmates birthdays (she turned 19--so young!) so we went to Ichiban for dinner, which I think may also be a chain in the U.S.? Then afterwards we went to a bar next door to just hang out for a while longer. Lots of fun! I don't have class until 1 tomorrow, so it was nice not having to worry about getting up early.
Speaking of class, I unfortunately do have one negative experience about Costa Rica so far: the homework. My classes are WAY harder than I expected, but it's too late to drop them. I'm actually really overwhelmed with the course load, which sucks because I feel like I can't fully enjoy Heredia during the week because I have so much to do. I keep asking myself why in the world I thought it would be good to take two upper level classes in one short summer semester :/ That's really the only complaint I have so far though!
This weekend, we are trying to plan a trip to the Caribbean, and next weekend we are going to stay one night in Monteverde, a national park with canopy tours of the beautiful rain forests of Costa Rica. Hopefully it all works out!
I feel like there's so much more I could write but I'm exhausted. Until next time!
Maddie
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
First of all, here are some general observations I've made thus far about Heredia:
1. There are no rules for driving, except for this one: It doesn't matter whose turn it is--the bigger vehicle always gets the right of way. Trucks will just pull out into oncoming traffic because they know they have the power!
2. There is an odd, overwhelming abundance of stores to make copies at. Still not quite sure why that is.
3. The view is beautiful. I wish I got to wake up and see these mountains and hills every day.
4. People here are generally much nicer than people in the States. I like that.
5. Umbrellas and rain jackets are 100% necessary EVERY DAY or you will suffer the consequences--I learned this quickly!
6. There are dogs EVERYWHERE, both as pets and strays. In my opinion, this city needs more cats.
7. Sleeping in is virtually impossible here. I pretty much wake up at 6 a.m. every day because of dogs barking, cars honking, people yelling, and alarms going off. Twice now I've even heard a car driving up and down the road saying something into a loudspeaker. So weird! It's not too bad though--I don't want to sleep the day away anyways!
So, yesterday five of us girls from USAC thought it would be fun to take a spontaneous trip to San Jose, but we quickly realized that we like Heredia much better and that going without someone to show us around wasn't the best idea. We successfully found the boulevard where many shops are located, but I actually prefer the shops that I've seen in Heredia. Plus, since we left San Jose around rush hour, it took us two hours to take two different buses in order to go home. All in all, definitely not worth the effort, time, and money. I think we are going to go to San Jose as a group with someone to show us around sometime next week, so hopefully that will turn out better! The most successful part of the San Jose fiasco was a bar we found to relax in after walking aimlessly for a couple hours. Oh well, Pura Vida!
Today, one of the program directors took us to play soccer at a local facility, which was a lot of fun! We just played against each other with three Ticos and it was definitely a work out! Even though I used to play, it's been a long time since I've even touched a soccer ball, which quickly made itself apparent when we started playing. I was so rusty! But my team won and I scored two goals! Woo! I think we're going to play again next week.
Sadly, my camera decided to make Heredia its final resting place :( I was looking into buying a new one, but electronics are so much more expensive here that I don't see the point. I plan on just stealing everyone else's pictures from facebook since we're usually all together anyways.
1. There are no rules for driving, except for this one: It doesn't matter whose turn it is--the bigger vehicle always gets the right of way. Trucks will just pull out into oncoming traffic because they know they have the power!
2. There is an odd, overwhelming abundance of stores to make copies at. Still not quite sure why that is.
3. The view is beautiful. I wish I got to wake up and see these mountains and hills every day.
4. People here are generally much nicer than people in the States. I like that.
5. Umbrellas and rain jackets are 100% necessary EVERY DAY or you will suffer the consequences--I learned this quickly!
6. There are dogs EVERYWHERE, both as pets and strays. In my opinion, this city needs more cats.
7. Sleeping in is virtually impossible here. I pretty much wake up at 6 a.m. every day because of dogs barking, cars honking, people yelling, and alarms going off. Twice now I've even heard a car driving up and down the road saying something into a loudspeaker. So weird! It's not too bad though--I don't want to sleep the day away anyways!
So, yesterday five of us girls from USAC thought it would be fun to take a spontaneous trip to San Jose, but we quickly realized that we like Heredia much better and that going without someone to show us around wasn't the best idea. We successfully found the boulevard where many shops are located, but I actually prefer the shops that I've seen in Heredia. Plus, since we left San Jose around rush hour, it took us two hours to take two different buses in order to go home. All in all, definitely not worth the effort, time, and money. I think we are going to go to San Jose as a group with someone to show us around sometime next week, so hopefully that will turn out better! The most successful part of the San Jose fiasco was a bar we found to relax in after walking aimlessly for a couple hours. Oh well, Pura Vida!
Today, one of the program directors took us to play soccer at a local facility, which was a lot of fun! We just played against each other with three Ticos and it was definitely a work out! Even though I used to play, it's been a long time since I've even touched a soccer ball, which quickly made itself apparent when we started playing. I was so rusty! But my team won and I scored two goals! Woo! I think we're going to play again next week.
Sadly, my camera decided to make Heredia its final resting place :( I was looking into buying a new one, but electronics are so much more expensive here that I don't see the point. I plan on just stealing everyone else's pictures from facebook since we're usually all together anyways.
Monday, May 21, 2012
Today was our first day of classes! So far I have gone to my Latin American short stories class, which will be challenging but I really like the professor. It's in Spanish but he speaks clearly and at a easily understandable pace, which is a rare treasure here. I still have to go to my first day of advanced Spanish tomorrow. Tonight was the fun class--Latin American Dance! Those of you who know my dance skills are probably cringing at this thought, but it was actually really fun--and tiring! It is definitely a workout! I like the professor for this class as well, especially since he wants to take us out dancing and to various concerts/dance shows. Should be fun, especially since this is the one class that all the USAC students are in together.
One of my USAC classmates lives right next door to me, so today we had to take the bus home by ourselves for the first time. It was an adventure! First of all, we weren't sure where to get on the bus or which one to take. When we finally boarded the bus, we realized how bad the traffic was. Since it was taking longer to get home, we got a little confused and starting thinking that it was time to get off since we had been on it for so long. However, we soon realized that we had gotten off WAY too early and had to walk down the muddy, dark street for about half an hour. It was unfortunate but we decided that it was a learning experience. ¡Pura Vida!
Yesterday my host mom took me any my classmate to a mall called El Paseo de Las Flores with her friend and her two sons. We didn't spend much time there but it actually looked exactly the same as the malls in the US. If it weren't for the Spanish signs, you could never tell that we were in Costa Rica. Then, we drove up a mountain (I actually think it is a volcano--el Volcán Poás). It was beautiful! Everything was so green and lush. We saw many coffee plantations and passed through a lot of small villages. The roads were extremely narrow--I cringed sometimes when we would pass other cars. We drive with much more caution in the States!
Tomorrow is a pretty easy day because we all have either one or no classes, so we decided to go as a group to San Jose. To do so we have to find the right buses and get off at the right stops, but hopefully we can put all 13 heads together in order to avoid getting lost! It should be fun though because there are a lot of tiendas for us to shop at.
Communicating with the people here is definitely challenging. Sometimes I feel like some kind of helpless baby that can't say or understand anything, which is more than frustrating. But when I can have a functional conversation with someone in Spanish, it is the best feeling. There is such a sense of accomplishment when you can hold a conversation with someone in a different language, and even more so when you can tell or understand a joke in that language! I really hope that I can improve a lot in Spanish throughout this trip.
That's all for now! Hasta Luego :)
One of my USAC classmates lives right next door to me, so today we had to take the bus home by ourselves for the first time. It was an adventure! First of all, we weren't sure where to get on the bus or which one to take. When we finally boarded the bus, we realized how bad the traffic was. Since it was taking longer to get home, we got a little confused and starting thinking that it was time to get off since we had been on it for so long. However, we soon realized that we had gotten off WAY too early and had to walk down the muddy, dark street for about half an hour. It was unfortunate but we decided that it was a learning experience. ¡Pura Vida!
Yesterday my host mom took me any my classmate to a mall called El Paseo de Las Flores with her friend and her two sons. We didn't spend much time there but it actually looked exactly the same as the malls in the US. If it weren't for the Spanish signs, you could never tell that we were in Costa Rica. Then, we drove up a mountain (I actually think it is a volcano--el Volcán Poás). It was beautiful! Everything was so green and lush. We saw many coffee plantations and passed through a lot of small villages. The roads were extremely narrow--I cringed sometimes when we would pass other cars. We drive with much more caution in the States!
Tomorrow is a pretty easy day because we all have either one or no classes, so we decided to go as a group to San Jose. To do so we have to find the right buses and get off at the right stops, but hopefully we can put all 13 heads together in order to avoid getting lost! It should be fun though because there are a lot of tiendas for us to shop at.
Communicating with the people here is definitely challenging. Sometimes I feel like some kind of helpless baby that can't say or understand anything, which is more than frustrating. But when I can have a functional conversation with someone in Spanish, it is the best feeling. There is such a sense of accomplishment when you can hold a conversation with someone in a different language, and even more so when you can tell or understand a joke in that language! I really hope that I can improve a lot in Spanish throughout this trip.
That's all for now! Hasta Luego :)
Saturday, May 19, 2012
And We're Off!
I made it! After eight hours of traveling, we finally arrived in San Jose around 2:30 in the afternoon. I traveled on a group flight with other USAC students, but only two of us were going to Heredia; the others were going to either Puntarenas (on the Pacific coast) or San Ramon (which is pretty close to Heredia), so for a while we were worried that we were in the wrong group flight! But everything worked out and our host families were waiting for us when we arrived. After spending two minutes in the car I can already say that Costa Rican drivers are crazy! They swerve all over the place and not a minute goes by without someone honking at someone else. I'm glad I won't have to be doing any driving while I'm here!
My family is amazing and so nice! My host mother's name is Marianela (Nela), her husband is Jefat, and they have a 17 year old son named James. Nela's mother also lives here. I spent yesterday getting to know them. So far I know that Nela LOVES cats, so my billions of pictures of mis gatos come in handy because she loves looking at them. She's also a great cook and loves to keep feeding me! Jefat and James both speak English pretty well, so that's nice for me when I can't think of the words in Spanish. They're both pretty funny and James loves playing video games on the computer. I don't know much about Nela's mother because she hasn't been here too much. They also have an adorable dog named Minnie who I love!
Today we had our orientation and I met the other USAC students that I'll be studying with. There's only 13 of us, which I like because it gives us all a chance to get to know each other. I really like everyone so far; there are students from all over the country with all different backgrounds. One of the guys is even from England! After the orientation we had one hour to kill before our host mothers came to pick us up from the university, so we decided to walk around downtown Heredia. We ended up going to a bar near the campus, but right after we got there it starting POURING rain! I have never seen such heavy rain in my life, and we learned the hard way that umbrellas are an absolute necesity here. It was still raining when we had to return to the univeristy, so we asked the bartenders for garbage bags to use as temporary umbrellas...stupid Americans! The streets of Heredia were insane today because there is a huge soccer game tonight between the Heredian team and another Costa Rican city, and Heredia hasn't won against them in 17 years. I think they might be playing for some kind of championship as well, so everyone had Heredia flags and were waving them out windows and honking. I think we are going to watch the game later tonight on the TV.
So far I'm loving Costa Rica! The people are so nice and it is so beautiful here. I love the mountains that surround us. I'm especially excited for this weekend because we are going on a field trip. On Friday we tour a coffee plantation and we're also going to hike an active volcano! Then, we head to Punta Leona for Saturday and Sunday to see the beach! Can't wait!
Hasta Luego
My family is amazing and so nice! My host mother's name is Marianela (Nela), her husband is Jefat, and they have a 17 year old son named James. Nela's mother also lives here. I spent yesterday getting to know them. So far I know that Nela LOVES cats, so my billions of pictures of mis gatos come in handy because she loves looking at them. She's also a great cook and loves to keep feeding me! Jefat and James both speak English pretty well, so that's nice for me when I can't think of the words in Spanish. They're both pretty funny and James loves playing video games on the computer. I don't know much about Nela's mother because she hasn't been here too much. They also have an adorable dog named Minnie who I love!
Today we had our orientation and I met the other USAC students that I'll be studying with. There's only 13 of us, which I like because it gives us all a chance to get to know each other. I really like everyone so far; there are students from all over the country with all different backgrounds. One of the guys is even from England! After the orientation we had one hour to kill before our host mothers came to pick us up from the university, so we decided to walk around downtown Heredia. We ended up going to a bar near the campus, but right after we got there it starting POURING rain! I have never seen such heavy rain in my life, and we learned the hard way that umbrellas are an absolute necesity here. It was still raining when we had to return to the univeristy, so we asked the bartenders for garbage bags to use as temporary umbrellas...stupid Americans! The streets of Heredia were insane today because there is a huge soccer game tonight between the Heredian team and another Costa Rican city, and Heredia hasn't won against them in 17 years. I think they might be playing for some kind of championship as well, so everyone had Heredia flags and were waving them out windows and honking. I think we are going to watch the game later tonight on the TV.
So far I'm loving Costa Rica! The people are so nice and it is so beautiful here. I love the mountains that surround us. I'm especially excited for this weekend because we are going on a field trip. On Friday we tour a coffee plantation and we're also going to hike an active volcano! Then, we head to Punta Leona for Saturday and Sunday to see the beach! Can't wait!
Hasta Luego
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Heading to Heredia!
Tomorrow I embark on a six-week long study abroad program in Heredia, Costa Rica! I'm going to try and blog often, but internet access may be limited so I don't know how frequent I can update. I also will be updating the UNLV volleyball blog as well as journaling by hand, so hopefully I will have a lot to share! So here's the plan (as far as I know):
Fly from Chicago-O'Hare @6:45 to Dallas
Fly from Dallas @11:30 to San Jose (should arrive around 2:30)
My host family will pick me up from the airport and show me their house where I will be staying while I'm there!
As for other details, I don't have much to give yet! I'm taking two Spanish classes at the university--hopefully they won't be too hard! And I'll be returning to the States on June 28th. That's all I have for now but will try my best to keep everyone updated.
¡Adios!
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