Feliz Navidad a Todos

Merry Christmas, Everyone!
So, it's Christmas and I am wearing shorts and a t-shirt. That right there makes my Christmas different from any other..let alone, I'm not with my family, there is no real christmas tree, and I haven't seen one traditional christmas movie since last year. But, I am ready for a new experience. Apparently Christmas isn't very well-liked here, so I don't think I am in for much today. Although, my family and I went out to dinner last night at a chinese resteraunt! (All I could think about was A Christmas Story..).  It was really nice to go out and have more family time! I honestly feel like I'm the obviously adopted child in their family! My host sisters have become my real sisters, and I always look to my host parents for advice as if they were my real parents! Today I believe we are going to my host cousins house to "celebrate" although I am not expecting more than just having more family time and talking, which is nice!

Now, For Some Updates

Thursday and Friday nights I was in a place called Puerto Viejo with a couple friends from the states! Seeing as I still haven't been able to make it to Guanacaste, I was excited to see the beaches in Limon(the province that Puerto Viejo is in) since apparently they are second best. They most definitely were gorgeous even though it was raining a fair amount of the day we had to go to the beach. The hostel we stayed in was called Rocking J's. It was the coolest hostel I have ever been too! The people are really nice, you can rent hammocks or tents to sleep in for 7 dollars, and for years people have been painting the hostel to leave their mark!

 This is me and my friend Ryan after climbing a palm tree on the beach!

After me, Kelsey, and Ryan painted the inside of a shower! I guess you could say I miss Vermont..

 The food in the province of Limon is different from the rest of Costa Rica. Here, you can see the traditional rice and beans of Limon!

 Some artwork of other people staying in Rocking J's

 aaand some more artwork!

 And one more! I just thought this one was kind of funny since usually it's the other way around..

 The hammocks that we stayed in!

 You can also rent tents!

Yarelin's First Birthday
So, I have experienced a fair amount of birthdays this year, and written about them, but I thought I would mention this one as well. The other day was my cousin's daughter's first birthday!

 Two little boys playing a game where there are two balloons on the ground and the first one to find one and sit on it wins a lollipop!

 Yarelin is the baby in the pink dress!

So, I apologize for the lack of writing, with this post it was easier to explain with pictures! Merry Christmas to everyone reading this post, I hope it is absolutely amazing and enjoy your time with your family as much as possible.

Feliz Navidad! Pura vida

Tieta

Snow In Costa Rica..Tico Style

Last weekend I went to a parade in San Jose! There were more people there that I had ever seen in my life. The name of the parade translates to Festivals of the Lights..or Lights Festivals. I went with my sisters and a friend, hung out with them for a while, and before the parade started, a few friends and I went to find more exchange students. On our way to meet up with another friend from the US, we had to walk and push our way through thousands of people. When we finally got to a street that didn't have as many people, it became apparent how obvious it was that we were from the United States. People had bags filled with tiny circle papers about the size of snow that they would throw at people. It's a little hard to explain without it sounding really childish..although I guess it kind of was! Literally all of the center of San Jose looked like it had a blanket of snow on the ground, and the people were covered in the little pieces of paper as well. The minute we stepped on the street, we became targets for getting this "snow" thrown at us. We would just be walking, minding our own business, then about ten people would thrown the pieces of paper in our faces and yell "Gringos!". By the time we made it to our friend, we were absolutely covered. We had papers in our hair, mouths, and even in our eyes. Although, we soon decided to join the fun. It was definitely a different experience seeing this, but it turned out to be entertaining..even though I was still picking the papers out of my hair the next day.

 two of my host sisters (Sofia&Faby)

 My friends and I after accepting the fact that we were targets, and taking a picture to remember that interesting night.

The next day, my friends and I went to a concert in Cartago, but unfortunately didn't get to enjoy a lot of it. One of my friends got sick right before, so we only stayed for a little then went to my other friends house to stay the night. It's really interesting seeing where other exchange students live and how their life differs from mine, even though we are in the same, small country.

Sorry this is such a short post, It is just a quick update to keep people interested! I have less than 4 weeks left, so I am planning on spending it with my host family, and getting some last minute travel plans to work! Until next week,

Pura Vida.

Tieta

Exploring Panama

Thursday afternoon I left for San Jose to meet with other exchangers before we left for Panama. We met around 6 so that we wouldn't be in the bus stations when it was dark. For dinner, I had my first bagel since I left South Burlington, Vermont! We walked around the mall for a bit, and by 10:00 pm, we were all set to load up the buses and head to the border. We got to the border very early in the morning, and had to wait about 4 hours for them to open. It was then another long wait for us to get through customs and paperwork! It ended up taking us 20 hours from when we left San Jose to get to our hotel in Panama. The hotel wasn't the nicest I've been in, but my friends and I quickly found the roof and the gorgeous view it gave of Panama City at night..which made up for that!
The first thing I noticed about Panama was the obvious difference between the lower class and higher class. Driving through Panama City, there would be run-down houses clustered together on dirt roads-with skyscrapers and nice stores literally 2 feet behind them.
The first full day we had there was Saturday. That day, we went to an open "lake" where we were greeted by an indigenous tribe in nothing but cloth and standing in long canoes. We put on our life jackets, got on the boats, and we were taken through a mini canal leading to a beautiful waterfall. After swimming for a bit, they took us to their "town". We ate fish with our hands that still had the tail on it, and plantains for lunch. The food was delicious, and it was interesting to see their school, town hall, houses, and basketball court/soccer field all be literally 5 feet from eachother. We had a man who lived there explain how life was 50 years ago, and he compared that life to how they are living now. To our surprise, their life is much more advanced in these days than it was 50 years ago! He also did a demonstration on how they used to tell if women were virgins or not. I don't know if I can fully explain it, but the main idea is this: The girl is kneeling on a rug, and they take something like a necklace and put it over her head and around her neck. They then put a piece of  the necklace in her mouth, and if something rises, that means she isn't a virgin. I was a bit confused on how that actually works, but he did a demonstration on one of the exchange students, and I guess the result of it turned out to be true! It was interesting to say the least, seeing that! We then went swimming in the river to wash off, and got back in the boats to go to the buses. This first day was my favorite, although my friends and I felt a little weird about it. We sometimes got the feeling that it was as if we were in a zoo or a museum. The way people took pictures of the houses and school was weird when you think about how it is their daily life, yet a tourist attraction as well. That night we were taken to a MASSIVE mall in Panama City to eat dinner and look around.
The next day, we went to the Panama Canal which was cool! We walked around for a few hours, then watched a boat go through it. Later, we went to a different mall for the rest of the day. (Things are really cheap in Panama, so a lot of people wanted to go to the malls) At night, they took us to a point that was filled with yahts bigger than you could ever imagine, and fancy resteraunts. It was gorgeous, although there wasn't much to do and everything was very expensive. It was also one more reminder of the differences between how the rick people live compared to the people strugging to make a living.
On Monday, we were taken to a mini ciry that made us feel like we were in Italy. It had been built by an italian, so that explains why we felt that way. That was also really cool, although it was really hot and we didn't feel like we were in Panama anymore! Then, we went to the same mall as the first one. My friends and I didn't feel like walking around again, so about 5 of us went to see a movie. That night, we set out for the border once again. This time the drive was only 18 hours..which was an improvement. It's almost impossible for me to sleep on buses, so I was extremely tired when I finally returned to my host family. Overall, it was a great trip and I now have more stamps in my passport!

Just a side note: I have dreams in spanish now! Apparently I was talking in my sleep the other night and my host sister overheard me saying things in spanish!

 This was what awaited us when we first got off the buses

 The waterfall that we swam in!

 Welcoming us into their homes

 The river we later went swimming in

 Testing to see if she is a virgin

 Our lunch!

 Panama Canal

 A boat coming into the Panama Canal

 Panama City in the background!

 In the city built by an Italian

Some houses were a little run-down..



I hope everything is going well with my readers. I will be back in the United States in less than 4 weeks!

Tieta

End Of Stay Orientation&Coffee Picking

The Rich Life of Costa Rica
Last weekend I had my end of the stay orientation. We stayed the night in San Jose after doing things to prepare us for the changes we will experience at home, then they took us to a GORGEOUS hotel at a beach called Punta Leona. The hotel was more of a residency than anything. The rooms looked like apartments, and most people who stay there rent golf carts and 4-wheelers to get around. The beach was private, with warm water, a gorgeous view, and constant music playing from the bar right next to the beach. There were two pools, a disco, a mini golf course, and a soccer field all included in the hotel. Although, the best part..was the food. Unlimited delicious food and deserts with every meal! It is very safe to say that over half of the exchangers could barely walk after the meals. (I would say lots of us have been deprived of quality eating depending if your host family has money or not..and even then, everyone eats beans and rice at every meal everyday.. so it's good to get a break from that.) When I see hotels like this, and the tourists who go there, it just makes me glad that I am here on an exchange. People who stay in Punta Leona aren't seeing the same country that I see everyday. I believe that Costa Rica is absolutely gorgeous, but in a different way than what tourists would think. I see the struggles that my family goes through to buy a carton of milk, while rich tourists see the beautiful beaches while getting waited on hand and foot. For the past two days, I have experienced what it is really like to try and earn money if you aren't married to someone with a steady job.

Hay Muchas Nicas...Y Nosotros
(There are lots of Nicaraguans...and us.)
Tuesday morning two of my host sisters and I woke up at 5 in the morning to pick coffee in the coffee fields near by. We loaded up on bug spray, met up with neighbors, hiked up to the coffee fields, and my host sisters explained to me "the rules of coffee picking." The biggest rule is to not pick the green ones. When your basket is filled, empty it into a sack and keep picking. When everyone has finished their row of coffee, we begin to pick up the beans that fell off onto the ground.
So, I got started and shared a row with my sister since it was my first time. To say the least, I was the slowest out of everyone. Although by the end of the day, they said I picked a fair amount for my first time! After picking our first row, we crawled on the ground going over our tracks to pick up every single coffee bean that fell. For the record, the rows are extremely long! After we finished that, we made our way to a different part of the field and began to eat lunch. We ate with our filthy hands, sitting in the middle of the field. After about 20 minutes of eating and taking a break, we started picking once again. This time I was a bit faster and was able to finish my part of the row and begin to help others finish theirs, which got me more coffee! We stopped for a break to actually drink some coffe and eat some bread, then once again continued picking. After about 11 hours straight of picking, I earned myself 3000 colones (6 dollars). After that day, I was sore, tired, and had spider bites and splinters all in my hands..and had to go to bed early because yesterday we woke up at 4:30 to head out at 5 in the morning. Yesterday we went to a different part of the coffee fields and had the pleasure of them all being wet because of a little rain we had gotten in the middle of the night. Even though this made us all wet since you are constantly on the ground as to not miss a branch of coffee beans and always brushing up against the plants, it helped keep our hands just a little bit cleaner! We ate lunch after finishing our rows(I had my own this time) and then began to retrace our steps in the field to pick up the fallen coffee beans.(That is my least favorite part since you end up getting very close to insects and spiders where you're better off not knowing they exist. Anyways, we ended early that day and got to come home around 1 which was nice! So, in 9 hours of picking coffee, I earned myself 3 dollars. (I was feeling lazy yesterday and our rows unfortunately didn't have much coffee in them.)
The reason why my title to this part of the post is "Hay muchas nicas..y nosostros" is because that was what one of my sisters told me as we were walking up the first day. In this part of the year there are Nicaraguans everywhere in Naranjo because of the coffee. Nicaraguans often work for less money than Costa Ricans, and therefore take a lot of jobs from the Costa Ricans. For this reason, Costa Ricans generally don't like Nicaraguans and always make fun of their accent. Although in the coffee fields, we were working side by side with the Nicaraguans. And there were definitely a lot more of them in the fields than Costa Ricans.
Although my pointer fingers are still swollen from picking, I am really happy I went with my host sisters, cousins, and neighbors. I think it is a good experience to have and makes me appreciate the whole minimun wage thing that we have in the United States!

 this earns you about 2 dollars!

 coffee beans!

Loli, A family friend of ours who came with us!

So, I am off to Panama later today. I will take lots of pictures and try to write a detailed blog post about it in a couple weeks! :)

Pura Vida.

Tieta

Message for Exchangers

I said I would try to update my blog about once a week, but this week I don't have much to say. Last weekend I had a great time with others from the US in Jaco, although I am now suffering from some pretty bad burns. (I swear I used a lot of sunscreen) so, I will write a post with a little advice about exchanges.

Exchangers in General:

• No matter how much you don't believe it, time slips away from you in the blink of an eye.
• Be prepared to spend a lot of money. And by a lot..I mean a lot!
• When you are in your host country, do anything you can to observe how your host culture is. Observe what is important to them, observe their general way of life. You can learn a lot from any person you meet, and chances are, ideas in your host country will be different than yours.
• No matter what, it will be hard. But that's what makes it worth it. You know that you aren't just on a vacation whether you are sitting on the beach everyday, or living in a country that doesn't have the ability to flush toilet paper down the toilet. (Both of these are true to Costa Rica..at least the toilet paper part)
• Travel and experience your host country as much as possible. Chances are, each place will be a little different.
• Even though you will be on a budget, try to say yes to every opportunity that comes your way. 

Exchangers in Costa Rica:

• Don't expect to be placed in an extremely hot climate! Although it's possible, there are also parts of Costa Rica that get pretty cold at times.
• Take in, and live the expression Pura Vida.
• Ticos are very laid back and generally spend their free time with the family.
• Bus rides are a workout if you don't want to hit the person sitting next to you. (At least mine from my house to the center is extremely bumpy and a little scary at times since we live on a pretty steep hill)
• I'm still not sure if the drivers here are really talented, or just really lucky. Everyone drives crazy, but I have yet to see a car accident (except a motorcycle accident)
• Ticos are generally protective of their kids, especially with the girls. If you are placed in a traditional family unfamiliar with different cultures, it's likely you won't be able to travel very much with your friends or go to the beach by yourselves.
• Ticos are very touchy. It's hard to tell who are couples, and who are just friends! It's normal to be sitting in class and have someone start playing with your hair, even if you don't know the person.
• I've found that people either really like to talk to you because you are from the US, or they don't want to talk to you because you're from the US. We don't exactly come with the best reputation.
• Ticos are generally really nice, but in my time here, it has become appparent that when you meet someone, they are extremely welcoming, but secretly judging you inside. I don't mean this in a bad way, they just notice the small things very easily!
• They also love to gossip and will believe anything you tell them!
• The guys are openly express their feelings to you while you are walking down the street. It's just something to get used to and it's best not to respond to it.
• Dancing is BIG here. And VERY different from the US!
• Taxi drivers have become my new favorite people to talk too! I have been lucky to normally get funny ones and it's a great way to practice my spanish! haha although it isn't as fun when you get one who tries to rip you off, which is pretty common as well.
• Religion is a big part of the culture. Most people are catholic, and religion is not something that is separated from public schools and meetings that I have with the rest of Naranjo.

So, I think I will stop there for now. If I think of more, I will add to it! But right now I feel like this is a good start! Tomorrow I'm off to a supposedly gorgeous beach called Punta Leona with the rest of the kids leaving in January, so I'm excited for that even though it means I am truly leaving soon!

I will be sure to update after that and before I leave for Panama with AFS!!

Until then, hasta luego! (see you later!)

Tieta

So Little Time

So, I now have about 7 and a half weeks left in Costa Rica. My host dad was explaining to me that I am now going through the stage of my exchange where I want to do everything and go everywhere I can because I can feel my time here slipping away. I would definitely agree with this as I look back on the last few weeks! Going on trips over the weekends with friends, going on AFS trips, signing up for more AFS trips, and planning more trips with friends to go on. I am extremely lucky to have a host family that understands this and is willing to help me with anything I might want or need! I am also very excited for this upcoming month because I have so much planned! I am going to spend a weekend in Jaco with friends from the US for Thanksgiving, my sisters and I are going to an amusement park the 3rd of December, my host dad said he would take me fishing for 3 days straight on an island that doesn't have fresh water or food(we would bring food of course), we are going on a trip to a beach for 3 days with cousins and aunts and uncles, we have christmas(that should be interesting without snow and a fire to keep us warm), there is a celebration in San Jose for Dia de la Luz, and im going to panama for about a week!! Also somewhere in there, I am hoping to fit in going to Monte Verde with friends! So, long story short, I would agree I have hit this stage of wanting to go everywhere and do everything.

A few days ago my host sisters, my host dad and I went trekking through coffee fields and cabbage fields in search of I don't even know what. My family doesn't like to stay on the path, so that's why we ended up going through various fields, eating cabbage along the way, picking oranges, and me learning more about how coffee is made! I also had the pleasure of almost stepping on an orange and black hairy spider about the size of my hand.

On Tuesday I was supposed to go coffee picking with my family, but we couldn't find someone who had a basket to lend us for me to use. My host sisters say it's awful because there are spiders and mosquitos everywhere, it's a lot of walking, it's really hot, and your hair always gets caught on the branches..but of course I insisted I go just for the experience. (and you get paid about 4 dollars for a basket full of coffee beans. A basket is about as big as if you were to put your arms in a circle with your fingertips almost touching, but not quite.) Yeah, so it's not a lot of money..but I've become a lot more appreciative for every cent that I have!  It's okay, one day we will find a basket for me to use and I will go coffee picking!

Monday me, my sisters, and kids from the neighborhood all went to the soccer field near our house and played baseball! Even though it was far from playing the actual sport on an actual field and with a plastic blow-up ball and a tin tube for a bat, it most definitely made me think of home! We played into the night and sat on the field and ate oranges when everyone was tired. Around 7(it's pitch dark by then) we started walking back to our houses, all laughing and joking around.. and I had a moment. A moment where I realized once again that this has become my life, and I couldn't be more happy to say that. Being an exchange student, I have gone through a fair amount of ups and downs, and think I will be happy to return to the US in January. Then, I have a moment like this and think I could easily stay for a year, or even for a lifetime. Pura Vida.

Tieta Keetle

Once again, busy weekend!

La Cena
So last Friday I went to a celebration for one of my host sisters' and her graduating class. I believe it was in Grecia, a town near us and surprisingly, it was very nicely decorated and set up. We left around 4 30 and got home around 2 in the morning. There were a lot of things that surprised me about this celebration. The fact that many parents were serving their kids a little alcohol from the bottles that were passed out to each table, the extent of dressing up that people went to, the way people danced in front of their teachers and parents, the people that showed up in ridiculous costumes, and the surprise maryachi band. (I have no idea how to spell maryachi.) Anyways, it was actually really fun and I'm glad my sister invited me to come! It was great to see her friends again! I have found that it is a lot more fun hanging out with kids a little bit older than you here, since the kids in my class usually don't do things out of school and when they do, it's to study.

Trip With Ryan And Raina
The next morning I woke up at 5 to start making my way to San Jose to meet up with Ryan and Raina(two friends from the US). We went to Volcano Poas which was absolutely gorgeous, and even provided a little excerise which is much needed for almost all of the exchange students! When we got there, we bought a few different kinds of fruit that were extremely cheap and I decided to buy an apple pie which turned out to be absolutely amazing! (I had been missing it since I know that currently all my friends and family are enjoying it since it's apple season) So after the volcano, we went to Puntarenes(a different place in Costa Rica) to spend the night at a cheap hostel and go to Doña Ana the next morning. Doña Ana is a beach that is very popular with tourists because of the monkeys that love to hang out in the trees and come down to eat your food. Honesly, that was the coolest part of our trip for me. Since we were unable to find bananas, we used my fruit loops from my dinner the night before and I'm pretty positive they liked those better than the bananas that other tourists were giving them! The beach there was absolutely gorgeous, and of course the water was the perfect temperature to make you want to stay the entire day in the water. Unfortuantely, we all had to get back to our families and I had another birthday party to go to!

Feliz Cumple, Leon!
After returning from my trip, I immediately started getting ready to go to an exchange student's house for his 17th birthday with the rest of the Naranjo Commitee. It was nice to see everyone, but once again I hung out with the older ticos because all of the exchange students were speaking in German. There were a couple that would sometimes try to translate things for me into english or talk to me in english, but I told them that I understand that sometimes it's nice to speak in your own language. So, that night I became closer with some of the locals who were all about 18 and 19 years old which was fun!

I have about 9 weeks left in Costa Rica.....and I almost cried when I recieved my flight itenerary in my e-mail. There is still so much I want to do, and I look forward to trying to cram it all in once school is over and before I leave for the US.

I hope everything is going well, and I will try to keep up on my posts better so that I don't have to make two in one day and barely go into detail!

 at tortuguero after picking up trash with some kids from the US and a german!

 at Leons house for his birthday!

 Feeding a monkey at Doña Ana!

 Me, Ivannia and my host parents before the dinner!

 This is what I mean by people being dressed up in costumes I didn't understand!

 Going to the Volcano!

At the Volcano!

 It was gorgeous!

 Sofia's birthday!


Okay, I'm finished updating now. I really hope everything is well with everyone reading this!

Pura Vida!

Tieta

Catching Up

First I would like to say, sorry for not blogging in a while! Now, I have a lot to say from the past few weeks.. I think I will probably split ip up into two posts!

"No Soy Una Gringa"
The beginning of this blog post is going to be something about the term "gringa". Most poeple get annoyed by this term, but for me it has become second nature to respond to the label gringa. My host family sometimes calls me gringa, my friends at school sometimes call me gringa, and of course basically everyone I walk by on the street calls me gringa. I don't take it personally, they are just responding to my obvious nationality. Earlier this week, I was at my host cousin's house and my host uncle told me I no longer was a gringa to him. Even though I don't mind being called that, it felt good to hear him say that in 3 and a half months I have slowly been picking up habits within the tico culture. Therefore, "no soy una gringa" means I am not a gringa. Although I always expect to hear that word thrown at me on the street!

Feliz Cumple, Sofia!
A few weekends ago, we celebrated one of my host sister's 21st birthday. We had a lot of family over and had a "barbeque." Obviously, the barbeque was not something I was used to, although it was still fun! I helped cook the meat while people socialized, chatted, and danced on our "porch." The party lasted until about 11 at night, but even then, there were still people hanging out around our house. Most of the party consisted of people talking all at once and arguing about how we will celebrate Christmas this year and trying to agree on what to do for the yearly trip to the beach for 3 days. Everyone was talking at once and it was incredibly dysfunctional; but I understood the majority of what people were saying!

Tortuguero
A couple weekends ago I went on another trip with AFS. We went to a place called Tortuguero with about 30 other exchange students. The hostel was gorgeous and made you feel as if you were in the middle of the jungle(although we actually kind of were). We had hot showers, comfy beds, great food, and beautiful sights. When we first arrived, we went straight for the turtle shaped pool, even though it was raining and the pool wasn't heated. Honestly, I think the rain was what made it fun! We also went to the beach to pick up trash, which gave us time to enjoy the sun since most of the weekend it was constantly raining. After dinner we once again made our way to the pool until it was closed. The next day, bright and early, we wne ton a boat ride inside canals to look for different animals, birds, and insects. Once again it was raining, but we were still able to see a lot of monkeys and different types of birds and iguanas. When we got back to the hostel, we saw a sloth about two feet from us in a tree! There were also howler monkeys that apparently aroused people at about three in the morning, but I had been too exhausted to let that affect my sleep. Anyways, later that day, after lunch, I went kayaking with some friends on a river filled with crocodiles and cows! Some people were able to get masages at the hostel, but unfortunately I am on a tight budget right now, and still trying to figure out ways to go on two more trips with AFS to Nicaragua and Panama!

So that is enough for this post, in my next one I will talk about my most recent weekend! Everything is going great here!

Tieta

La Peninsula de Osa and Playa Hermosa

The weekend before last I went on a four day trip with AFS and other exchange students to La Peninsula De Osa and Corcovado National Park. I spent the night in San Jose that Friday in a hotel that AFS is connected too, and immediately I knew it was going to be a fun trip! It was amazing to be able to hang out with other kids from the US and also converse with kids from other countries! We woke up Saturday at 4:15 in the morning to start our trip to the peninsula.We had breakfast at an adorable cafe in Jaco with a slight view of the beach, and even at 6 in the morning, we were all dying to go and feel the water! On our way to the peninsula, we stopped at a National park that was filled with rocks..it was extremely hot that day so that made it hard to pay full attention to the spanish speaking guide we had. We then made our way to the place where we got on our small boats to continue our way to paradise. You could feel the excitement on our boat as everyone tried to figure out the plan for when we arrived and as we tried to picture the place we would be staying at. That excitement increased as we passed the calm waters and made our way to the ocean where the waves were big and the salt was flying through our hair.
     When we arrived to the beach, the first thing we noticed was the turqouise colored water and the palm trees that reminded us we weren't in the US anymore. It was about a 10 minute hike up to the hostel and everyone was just trying to make it there without falling over from the heat. When we made it to the top, each and every student was awe-struck by the view of the ocean and the cute cabins we would soon be placed in. We quickly ate lunch, then my friends and I headed for the beach as quick as possible! I felt like a kid again, since each free second we had, we spent at the beach and would not leave until a volunteer had to come down and make us get out.
     The next day, we were split up into two groups. My group spent the day at Corcovado National Park. Here, there were a lot of animals, insects, and birds for us to see! As much as I do seem to enjoy the rain here, it was unfortunate for that day because not as many animals were out. Although we were still able to see some, and enjoy coconuts, and even swim under waterfalls in the jungle part of the park! After having lunch (I had peanut butter for the first time in over three months) and hanging out at a beach more and going to a waterfall, we made our way back to the hotel to once again enjoy a nice afternoon at the beach!
    Monday, my group got to go to an island about 30 minutes off of the peninsula to go snorkeling! We saw sharks, lots of fish, a couple sea turtles, a lot of dolphins, and even a whale and a baby calf!! We then went to a different beach to have lunch and swim, then head back to the peninsula. Of course, my friends and I headed right for the beach again, and that day the waves had been huge! Although, there were mini jellyfish in the water that continued to sting us..it was worth it! My friends and I were laughing because it seemed to only be kids from the United States getting stung and a few others who liked to hang out with us..just a wierd coincedince! Anyways, the beach and hotel was absolutely paradise..did I mention there were a lot of monkeys at our beach too?! That was pretty amazing! And it was great to get a break from the stresses I experience on a daily basis here while continuously improving my spanish and communicating only in spanish with my Tico friends.

Now, onto last weekend! There was a trip with AFS Naranjo to Playa Hermosa (a beach) to look for turtles! We left early saturday with volunteers, other exchangers in Naranjo, and host family members(one of my sisters came with me!) We stopped in the center of Jaco to look around and walk on the beach; I have decided I am in love with Jaco. It is a really cool, gorgeous town with extremely nice people! It is also very touristy, which might explain why it is so nice and also pretty expensive. After hanging out in town, we got back on the bus to head for the beach we would be camping out at (tents and everything). We went to pick up trash on the beach and my group had the opportunity to help baby turtles get to the ocean! After that, we mostly hung out on the beach (although we weren't allowed to swim) and were told what groups we would be in that night. I was in the group that would be heading out at 2 in the morning to walk on the beach and look for turtles. Unfortunately, my group stayed up all night and we didn't even get to see any even though we walked on the beach from 2 to 5 in the morning, then immediately had to start packing up to head out. Although I would still say it was fun, and a good chance to talk to people in my community.

Other than that, I have been going to school, becoming closer with people at school and in my family, and completely enjoying life. More than half way through my time here, and the struggles of wanting to be in two places at once are already getting to me, as I know that is what I will be feeling when I have to leave my life here.

Just something that made me feel pretty good about myself...the leader of AFS Naranjo told me I speak a lot of Spanish and seem to understand a lot!! After hearing this, I have noticed that I pretty much understand everything my family says and people in AFS, and even alot more in school! So, I still have a ways to go as far as speaking fluently, but it is good to know that I am making progress! :)

 One of the many monkeys on the beach we stayed at for the trip to the Peninsula De Osa!

 Me and some other kids from the US! Honestly, they have become yet another family to me

 Me and some other exchange students, volunteers, and a host sister of a friend!

 Snorkeling with Abby and Ryan!



Tieta Keetle

Just A Bunch Of Small Things

This blog post is going to be a little random..it is mostly a few small things that have happened or some short stories before I forget them!

• My host family's dog had puppies! One of them is mine and her name is Moo because she looks like a cow! (it was my host cousin's idea) I said that I wanted to take her home with me and they took me seriously, so they are now trying to figure out how much it would cost to get her allowed on the plane..so mom and dad, I hope you are ready for a new puppy!
• I had another adventure in the rainforests of Costa Rica (which are basically in my backyard) last Sunday with my host family and cousins and a couple family friends! My host dad took us to a waterfall that is incredibly hidden and absolutely gorgeous! Although, there was a fair amount of trash in it which was dissapointing. The way getting there though was extremely exhausting and required a good amount of trust in trees and stubs to ensure you don't fall down the steep incline on your way up and down! It took us about 4 hours to go there and back even though it is only about a 20 minute walk from the house! It was absolutely amazing, and great excercise! I will be sure to upload pictures in my next post!
• Tomorrow I have to make a presentation in front of my school about the United States..I am a bit nervous about that, but it should only take about 5 minutes! They said I need to bring in a typical dish from the US which brought up a problem for me. People ask me pretty often what typical food is in the US besides hamburgers and hot dogs..but I find that to be a pretty hard question. Due to the extreme diversity in our country, every time someone asks me about the US I have to specify I am speaking for my family alone. Although we don't have a typical food like they do here (beans and rice). Every meal is different. So, I am bringing in chocolate chip pancakes because my family seems to enjoy those!
• Tomorrow afternoon I am going to San Jose to spend the night and get ready to go on a trip to the peninsula de osa for 4 days and I am really excited! As much as I love my host family, it is nice to spend some time with the other exchange students every once in a while!

Well, I believe that is it for now, I hope everyone is still enjoying reading this and seeing what I am up too as I go deeper and deeper into the Tico culture and language.

Tieta Keetle

Concert, Visa, Doctors.

Concert
On Saturday(a week ago) my sisters and I were supposed to go to a concert in San Jose. Of course, the concert got pushed back because of rain and thunderstorms, so we ended up going Sunday instead! We stayed in Cartago, a province in Costa Rica, where they have family Saturday night. I was really excited to stay there for the night because I had my own room, no chickens outside my window, and a fairly comfortable bed. My host sisters were extremely surprised to see that I actually slept in that morning, and I was just happy I was able to catch up on some much needed sleep! So we went to the concert Sunday night, which was definitely a different experience for me. First of all, we had to take the city bus to the stadium(the biggest in central america) and to say the least, I would much rather have walked. The bus was  so crouded that even when we hit our max capacity, the bus driver continued to let people on. Everyone was up close and personal for the duration of the ride as you stood there holding on for your life and tried not to hit the person next to you as you tried to rest your hands, since we were standing and had to hold on to the railings above us. Although, it was an experience so I am not going to complain. Just explain what happened! So when we arrived at the stadium, we bought ponchos because it was raining again and made our way around the entire stadium to the entrance for the center of the stadium where everyone gets to stand close to the stage! The performers were Marc Anthony and Cheyanne. Both Spanish singers, of course! Even though I didn't understand the lyrics, it was still cool to be able to hear their culture through the music. It is funny to me, because they grew up listening to spanish music and english music(there are always english songs on the radio) but my host sisters only know the songs on the radio(Ke$ha, Lady GaGa, Justin Beiber,etc.). Although, my host dad knows a lot of the good music from before I was born. Anyways, they ask me pretty often if I ever listen to spanish music on the radio when I am in the United States. When I have to explain to them that we simply don't have a spanish influence on the radio, it is one more reminder of how much the US has an influence on the rest of the world. For instance, when talking to other exchange students and commenting on how good their english is, they simply say that in their country, it is a must to know english because all of the world is basically centered around the US right now. I have always felt a little uneasy hearing that.

Visa
On monday I had to go to San Jose to spend the night and wake up early to get fingerprinting done for my visa. In the morning we were woken up at 5:00 to be ready to leave by 5:30. Of course, we were all ready by 5:30 because that was when we were told we would be leaving. That was a mistake. All of the exchange students, including myself, forgot about Tico Time. For those who don't know what this is, Ticos(Costa Ricans) are basically known for being late. At around 6:00 we were still waiting in the lobby and we saw a volunteer come out of his room, he had clearly just woken up, and was going to into the bathroom to take a shower. We ended up leaving at 6:30 in the morning instead. When we got to the place to get our fingerprints done, I was in the last group to go so my friends and I ended up waiting for about 8 hours to be able to go into the office. Although, even though it was not very fun waiting and going through that process, it feels good to know that I finally have everything finished for my visa and I officially live in Costa Rica!

Doctors
This isn't very important, but I thought I would mention things that have been going on with me physically as well. For a while now I have been sick on and off for no apparent reason. I would throw up for a couple days, then be fine for about a week and a half, then throw up again, then be fine...and I went through this cycle about four times before I finally agreed to go to a doctor. I had been sick while getting my fingerprints done, so that was the last straw for me. When I got home Tuesday evening I told my family that I was sick once again, and again they asked me if I wanted to see a doctor..I said yes. I went to the doctor and apparently something was continuously inflamed..or something..this was all in Spanish so I picked up as much as I could. What I do know, was it had to do with the food since it is so different from what I am used too. The doctor gave me the option to take medicine for the next 30 days, or to get a shot in the butt. I chose the medicine! So, I am on medicine now and already feeling better. And that is my adventure with that...once again, I hope everything is going well in the States and for the people reading this blog who are not from the states, I hope everything is going well in your country also!

 Two of my host sisters and I at the concert!

 Another picture from the concert! At some point I will take a picture of the entire stadium, since it is the biggest in Central America!


Tieta Keetle

Thrill Of A Lifetime

On Saturday I literally took a leap of faith..off of a 265 foot bridge. Me and a few friends from the United States had decided to spend the day together since we hadn't seen eachother in a while. We met in San Ramon, made our way to Palmares, enjoyed lunch at a cute cafe, and watched part of a parade. While we were eating, I happened to mention that I had brought brochures for bungee jumping with me because I was fully aware that all of my friends wanted to go just as much as I did! I told them how the jump was in Naranjo(the town that I live in) and before we knew it, we had made our way to Naranjo so I could show them the bridge. When we got to the bridge, we all knew we had an opportunity that we simply could not pass up. We signed our names on a sheet of paper, and prepared to make the jump! First was my friend Emma, then Kelsey, then me, then Ryan. Then Emma and Ryan for a second time because it is half off your second jump!
The scariest part is the feeling you get right before, when your toes are literally centimeters away from the edge of the platform, and you think about how the next couple of minutes are going to play out. As I was standing on the ledge, my head was spinning, I could barely catch my breath, and I felt sick to my stomach..but in a good, exhilerating way. My eyes drifted downwards to the river below me, and my body was almost numb with fright. When I think about the initial falling sensation, my stomach still flips and my mind returns to the feeling of having nothing below my feet and plummeting to the rocks and river below me. It was the most thrilling experience of my life, and I most definitely hope to revisit every one of those sensations.
So, that was how my exciting Saturday went..now for a couple notes.
1. It is official, I have gained weight. My host family thinks it is absolutely hilarious and keeps saying "I told you so"..in spanish of course! They also keep mentioning that by the time it is January, if I don't start working out like I say I love doing, I will have gained a fair amount due to the immense quantity of meat that they eat all through December. That should be interesting!
2. Mr. Godfrey (my old teacher from middle school) commented on my last post that Iguana is a bit chewy, and delicious. I thought I would mention that if that is the case, I am 99% sure I have eaten Iguana, and proud of it!

I hope everyone is enjoying the blog, and as for my hometown, South Burlington, my heart goes out to the family and friends of an amazing teacher, Mr. Cannon, who died early morning yesterday from a heart attack. He was truly one of the happiest people I have ever met, and I know that the community of South Burlington is feeling this loss in every way possible, as am I.

-Tieta

Pictures!

Here are some pictures for those of you who either don't have facebook, or simply haven't seen the pictures I have posted on facebook! Sorry it has taken so long..I will be sure to post more later on!


This Saturday was Independence Day for Costa Rica! There was a big parade in my town, and all of the other AFS students and I were a part of it! This is me with a friend from Germany and a little girl who wanted a picture with us!

An Iguana! My host dad said iguana is very common to eat in Costa Rica.. although I didn't have the nerve to ask if I had eaten it yet in my time here.


My street, taken from my house!


The view from my personal favorite spot right up my street!


My host sisters and I at the beach!


Naranjo(the town I live in) is known for bungee jumping. This is a 245 foot jump that I hope to go off of before I leave!

So, these are only a few of the many pictures I have taken! I hope this and my blog posts help give you an idea as to what I have been up too while here in Costa Rica! Less than 4 months left.. wish me luck!

Tieta

Busy Week&Weekend

Earthquake!
Okay, so my week wasn't that busy. Although, the 7.9 earthquake made it a little more interesting. This was my first earthquake..not technically but I count it as my first. When I was really young I remember we had an incredibly small earthquake but I pretty much slept through the whole thing, so I don't like to count it as an earthquake. Anyways, it happened on Wednesday, September 5th. I was sitting in history class when literally my entire world was shaken up. Not only was the ground shifting from side to side, it was tilting. Everyone in my class was running, screaming, and crying as I was looking to my teacher for help. It started off very smooth, so I assumed it was just a common small earthquake and would be over quickly. That was not the case! Suddenly it got harder. Once again I thought that would be the worst of it. By this time most of my class had ran out of the classroom and into the courtyard outside. Then, it got harder..and harder. Now, I knew I had to get out of the building so I ran with the rest of the class outside. Luckily I found I friend very quickly and she was one of the few generally calm about what we had just experienced. We stayed in one place to wait for the ground to completely calm down and when we were able to walk again, we went to find our other friends who were not doing as well. After calming some people down, my sisters found me and we started making our way to the house with a couple of my sister's friends. While they were still in tears and shaking uncontrollably, I was in utter shock. It is the wierdest feeling I have ever felt to have literally your entire world shaken up and to lose your ability to confidently put one foot in front of the other.

Busy Weekend
Now, when I say I had a busy weekend, I mean it! Friday night one of my host sister's took me to a discotheque with her and her friends for dia de los niños. It was incredibly fun, and I had a great time! Then, Saturday I pretty much slept and rested because I was exhausted from the discotheque and we didn't have any plans that day. Then on Sunday, we went to a soccer game, I got to skype with my parents, and my host sisters and a friend tried to teach me how to dance. I have come to realize that dancing like a Costa Rican is pretty much impossible if you didn't grow up dancing to spanish music. You may be able to learn the steps to a dance, but it will take an immense amount of practice to learn how to dance. We ended up going to bed around 10 30 sunday night, and I was woken up at 12:30 (only 2 hours later) to Ivannia and her friends chanting my name. This brings me to a whole new catagory.

Monday's Ceremony
Each year, every section that is in their last year of school does something like this to celebrate. They don't do it as a whole grade, they do it with the kids in the class. Only one person knows the night and day that it will be, and it is up to them to plan everything. Here is how the tradition goes:
You have a cattle car, and written down where everyone lives. Depending on where you are in the line up decides how much sleep you get that night. The cattle car goes to everyone's house to pick them up. When you arrive at the house, you take anything loud you can find and bang on the windows, the doors, the walls, and sing as loud as you possibly can to wake the person up. When the person wakes up, you rush them to get   their stuff, take some of their food, and get them into the cattle car. In the cattle car, everyone was screaming, chanting, and a few made the attempt to sleep..although it was a very loud and bumpy ride so I don't think that worked out very well. We made it to the center of Naranjo at about 2 :30 in the morning and waited there until 4:30 for the bus to take us to wherever we were going. We arrived in a place called Fortuna de San Ramon at about 6:30 in the morning and everyone showered(no one was looking their finest at this point), ate breakfast, and headed straight for the pool. We spent the entire day in this gorgeous residancy playing various games in the pool, playing pool, foosball, and basketball in a small room they had, singing karaoke, and dancing to spanish music. Dancing to spanish music was not a highlight for me since, as explained before, I have a lot of difficulty with it. One of the guys who is a phenominal dancer asked me to dance and I had to explain to him that I simply don't know how! It was incredibly embarresing. But, overall I had a great time and was honored that Ivannia's friends wanted me to join them on the trip! We ended up getting home around 6:30 at night, and I headed for bed at 7:00. My family didn't make me go to school today since I was so exhausted, so that is the only reason I have time for this blogpost!

Well, I believe that is it for this week and weekend. I hope everything is well with my readers and I hope you are enjoying my blog!

Tieta

Playa, Playa, Playa

Yesterday I went to my first tropical beach! It was absolutely gorgeous and the waves were amazing. I would say I have mastered how to not get tossed around by a massive wave! I went with my host dad, and my three host sisters. My host mom doesn't like the beach because she doesn't know how to swim..so I think it is pretty understandable that she gets scared by the waves and isn't very fond of the beach. Also, we unfortunately did not make it to the beach that has monkeys and sloths because of something having to do with the amount of rain, and the beach having a lot of trash. My host dad did explain though that when the weather changes, we will make it to that beach as well!
At the beach, even though it is not tourist season, there were plenty of surfers! Most of them were speaking english, but it was very obvious that they were not from the United States, due to the variety of different accents.

On to a different subject, I am having a fair amount of trouble with my Spanish skills. Languages are most definitely not a strength of mine. I try to talk more and more, but I feel bad when my host family and I or my friends and I lack communication. I know that everyone is trying their hardest to help me, but so far I am pretty unsuccesful as far as picking up the language. I think one of the biggest problems is how I came here for the experience, for the travel, and to become a part of a new culture. As far as those goals, I would say I that has gone extremely well! Although, learning spanish was more of an after-thought for me. I don't see it as a big priority, especially when talking to the other exchange students. 99% of the exchange students are either fluent or almost fluent in english! I enjoy expressing myself through english and learning about complicated ideas and concepts through english rather than being at the same speaking level as a 2 year old.
I also think that my need for change is hurting me a little bit. For most people, change is seen as a bad thing and people fear change. As for me, if I get into a routine and if I am in one place for a long amount of time, I get extremely bored and start thinking of new places I want to see and experience. I am not saying I think I have seen everything there is to see in Costa Rica, because that is 100% not true! Me wanting to see more, is the problem. I have a desire to learn more about the culture and see more of the country.. but it is extremely difficult with the language barrier. Well, that is enough for my ranting. I have 19 weeks left and about 13 weeks left of school, wish me luck!

Tieta

Costa Rican Culture Becomes Normal

For a while now, I have felt at home here but I am beginning to realize how accustomed I am now to their culture and ways of life. I am no longer surprised when I hear people randomly whistle or howl when someone gets up during class, when there are dogs constantly at your feet, when there are thunderstorms that could take away your ability to hear, or when someone pulls a snake out of their backpack on the city bus or at school.

I don't feel like there is much to tell here, as things become normal for me. My adventures most likely are not normal for my readers..but they are normal for me. Such as when we were getting jogotes(delicious fruit) from a tree in the mountains, and were caught in the middle of the biggest storm I had ever seen. I was scared out of my mind while my host family continued getting jogotes from the tree. Of course when we finally made it back to the house safely, the storm was pretty much over. I have made peace with that and the daily thunderstorms no longer frighten me or surprise me the smallest bit.

Second Orientation
Last weekend we had our second orientation to check in on everyone's progress and get the different visas settled. Although many parts of it were broing and repetative, I had a lot of fun. I made friends with more kids from around the world and thoroughly enjoyed comparing my schooling system in the US, to theirs in their country, to here in Costa Rica. The kids from Germany agree that it isn't normal to bring snakes to school for them, either. Although that is besides the point! Mostly from talking to them, I realize how little I know and how much I want to know. I have the desire to learn about each and every culture that I got a taste of this weekend.

Upcoming Weekend
I am extremely excited for this weekend, because I am finally getting the chance to go to the beach with my host family! Apparently they have monkeys there, and sloths, and other animals that I don't know of! I am sure you will be hearing about how that went in my next blog post! Also, on Friday I am not going to school so that I can go to San Jose with my sister to buy a traditional dress of Costa Rica. I need it for something that Naranjo is doing on the 15th od Sebtember..but I am still not completely positive what exactly.

Anyways, I really need to be seeing more improvement in my Spanish skills, so I should go converse with my family! I hope everything is well with my readers and to everyone in South Burlington High School, I hope your first day went well!

Tieta

One Month

I have been in Costa Rica now for just over a month, and I am realizing how little time I have here. 5 more months in this beautiful country with these amazingly nice and open people. 5 more months with the opportunity of a lifetime to continue stepping out of my comfort zone and experiencing everything that Costa Rica has to offer. Unfortunately, I do not have much to talk about for this blog post but I know friends and family are wondering how things are going here and I am trying to update my blog about once a week. So, for this blog post, you are in for a couple short stories.

Snakes And Cockroaches

Last week in school, I held my friend's snake. It was one of those moments where you just need a couple seconds of courage to do something that causes fear to run through your body. Fortunately, the snake was a regular size at this point, but it is the kind that when it gets to be bigger, could easily strangle you without any effort. It took a while after my initial freak out to build up the courage to hold it, but I did! Although, me holding the snake wasn't what surprised me the most about the whole situation. It was the fact that teachers weren't surprised to see a kid bring a snake to school, and the other kids were intrigued enough to want to hold it rather than think that the situation was abnormal in any way. As I was holding it and panicking a little, my friend was laughing and said, "bienvenida a Costa Rica, verdad?" meaning, welcome to Costa Rica, right? So yes, that was a great welcome into Costa Rican culture.

As for the cockroaches, I had to comment on them. I have only seen a couple, but I know a lot of exchange students who have seen multiple. I have only seen one in my room and one in a classroom at school. It is awful seeing people try to kill them, though. It was like a game for the entire class to step on it. Of course, the cockroach didn't die; they never do.

More Rolling Hills Filled With Coffee

On Wednesday, we didn't have school because it was mothers day here. So, my host family and I decided that would be a good day to collect plantain tree leaves..I am not actually positive what they are called but they are massive leaves from plantain trees that they collect around this time of year and cook with in December and January. It was about a two hour adventure there and back with both sunshine and heavy rain taking turns.On the way, we collected guavas, oranges, and lemons to eat there and on the way back. Once again, there was an amazing view of the coffee plants. It was a moment where you realize how big the world is, and how small you really are. When you are looking at enormous mountains such as these, all of your problems quickly shrink to the size of a penny.

I do not have many other stories to share that pertain to life in Costa Rica. Fortunately I have been able to become good friends with another exchange student from the United States who is living a town about 20 minutes away from me. It is good to have her so we can talk and do things together that I can't do with my host family or friends from school. On Saturday I showed her the spot I mentioned in an earlier blog post about the soccer here and how after my family and friends showed me a view at the top of a mountain. We also managed to get our own oranges from an orange tree!

Well, I hope everyone who is reading this is doing well and enjoying hearing about my time in Costa Rica! Less than 5 months to go, and I am ready to do everything I can to enjoy it!

Tieta

The Rain Drags on, and They Continue Dancing/ Happy Goodnight

The rainy season has finally decided to show itself in Naranjo, Alejuela, Costa Rica. Every day for about the past 5 days we have had a fair amount of rain and thunderstorms. I named this blog post The Rain Drags on, and They Continue Dancing beacuse I feel it reflects the tico (Costa Rican) attitude. Ticos/ticas love to dance. If a song comes on that they like, they will get up from the couch and everyone will start dancing and laughing together. A couple nights ago, we were sitting on their porch when out of the blue it started raining harder than I have ever seen. My younger host sister (13 years old) got up, went out from under the roof over the porch, and started dancing to her favorite song with my 16 year old sister. I'm not positive if this is only something common in my host family and their friends, but either way, that one moment summed up their overall attitude for everything.

Happy Goodnight

Happy Goodnight is a saying that my family has created and adopted for their own. Sometimes rather than saying buenas noches before going to bed, they say feliz buenas noches. They once asked me what that is in english, so I gave them the direct translation. Happy goodnight. I tried explaining to them that in the United States, we just say goodnight when we are going to bed, but now every night they insist on saying Happy Goodnight to me. That isn't much of a story, but to me it shows their efforts to make me feel at home.

All is well here in Costa Rica. My spanish is improving, and I am much more confident within the family. The idea of being here for 6 months (about 5 more months now) is settling in. On one hand, it feels like forever, and on the other hand it feels like no time at all. I am trying to focus on living in the moment while I am here and enjoying every second I can, because soon enough I will be back in South Burlington telling stories about my time here in Costa Rica..I need to make sure I have good stories to tell rather than saying I have regrets because I spent too much time thinking about home or what it will be like when I come back. I hope everyone is enjoying the blog and if you want to read about my best friend's journey in Chile, check hers out as well! She arrived in Chile on Friday and just met her host family recently! eebriody.blogspot.com

Adios!

Tieta Keetle

3 weeks

It has now been three weeks since I left South Burlington! It seems like a long time, yet not because I still have a little over 5 months here in Costa Rica! Things are looking up with people at school, I am now sure I have made at least a couple new friends! Everyone is extremely willing to help me understand questions and make an effort to keep me included. They always encourage me to talk more, because they know that's the best way to learn. That is definitely my biggest problem, though. I have never been someone to talk much at school, but now it is necessary I do so if I want to become fluent in spanish and if I want things to get easier with the language barrier.

My host dad was telling me the other day how last year they went on a trip to an island by kayaking there and staying overnight. I'm not sure if it is a yearly thing that they do or if it was one time, but I am really hoping they do it again while I am here!

I don't believe I have mentioned the showers here, and they were definitely a shock. It is more of a spicket in the bathroom with water that literally takes your breath away. Luckily, I am starting to get used to that and I know I will be grateful for it when it gets hot out! I'm hoping that will be soon because I am not enjoying needing my sweatshirt and jeans all the time. On the other hand, our school uniforms are pants and a hot shirt, so maybe the weather should stay a little cold for longer so that I don't over heat during school!

Well, that's it for now! I can't think of much to write about, so if anyone is dying to know something, let me know and I can post the answer so everyone can see!

Tieta

Events In the Past Week

In the past week I have been going to school, and seeing little pieces of Naranjo. On Saturday we went to a town called Zarcero where they had sculptures made out of trees, and once again beautiful views on the way there. After, I met more family and friends when we went to San Juan for a little cousins' birthday party. On Sunday me and one of my host sisters attended a gathering for people in Naranjo and we hiked in the rain forest and planted trees. That was probably my favorite thing I have done so far, because I was finally able to see a different side of Costa Rica and talk with a lot of nice people! It rained a lot, everyone was drenched even with umbrellas, and I loved every second of it. I have been getting very antsy to do more things like that because I have had a lot of free time on my hands that I spend either on the computer or sitting outside the house.

As for school, it has been hard. People make an effort to talk to me, and I feel bad when we can not communicate as much as I would like. A couple of the guys have resorted to using the little they know of english to talk to me because I can´t understand them when they speak in spanish and I can never find the right words to successfully talk to them back in spanish. As much as people try to include me, I don´t feel like I fit in at all. Hopefully that will change soon because everyone in my class is really nice and I would love to get to know them more!

I promise I will post pictures at some point, when I have the ability to ask them how to do it on their computer!

Tieta

Updates!

I thought I would update everyone on things..even though it has only been a couple days. I most likely will not be able to write as much starting tomorrow since that is when I start school. I thought I was starting tuesday, but of course I completely misunderstood my family! It is okay though, we laughed it off!

So yesterday I got to actually see San Jose (since I could not when we landed in Costa Rica because of how quickly it gets dark here) and I liked it..and did not at the same time. It was dirty and had lots of people, but I thought it was also very interesting. I went with Iva and Sofia (two of my host sisters) and they took me to a museum where I learned about the history of Costa Rica. Luckily, they had translations on the plaques for people who only speak english. I found it to be interesting, but my favorite part was when we came across the indigenous tribes that still exist today. I would love to see what their life is like compared to mine in the United States and even compared to other Costa Ricans. I also got a good taste of the rainy season while walking on the streets of San Jose. It absolutely poured with no letting up for a couple hours. There was thunder, a little lightning, and lots of rain..and everyone was surprisingly calm about it. People pulled out their umbrellas, and kept on walking.

Today I had a lot of fun too! My host parents took me to the center of Naranjo so that my host dad could get his haircut and so that we could get some ice cream. Along the way we stopped at the supermarket for some more lessons in spanish, and I learned a lot of new words! It is an incredible feeling knowing how much they want to help me, take care of me, make sure I feel like a part of their family and teach me about their culture while still learning about mine! Anyways, after that we went to a soccer field with a lot of their cousins, aunts, and nieces and nephews to play soccer. I knew soccer was big here, but the amount of people showing up to play was amazing! It is an entire family event for ages 5 to 50! After a while of playing soccer, we walked up a street leading to a view of all of Costa Rica. Along the way we ate a lot of different fruits and I learned about how they make coffee, since the factories were on the way up the hill and at the top was an immense amount of land filled with coffee plants. My host aunt said that in December they help pick things off of the trees to make the coffee. I am excited for that!

I can see why poeple say that Costa Ricans are very open and welcoming. Everyone I meet gives me a warm smile and continuously tries to talk to me and get to know me as a person. I have also noticed, that everyone is always happy! Well, how could you not be when you live in paradise?

My oldest host sister, Sofia just gave me their version of hot chocolate since I mentioned that I like to have it when it is cold in Vermont. It is very good! I am not positive what is in it though..

I have also noticed that they love to dance! It might just be the Baltodano Paniagua family and their friends because they are always playing music, dancing, and singing! I recognize one of the songs they listen to often because it used to be very popular in the US, but I do not remember the title. The radio also plays Justin Bieber, Call Me Maybe, Adele, and Katy Perry. I think it is funny, since they have no idea what the songs are saying!

Well, I should go to bed soon. I have to wake up at 5 30 am for school tomorrow!

Adios!

Tieta

(By the way, if my writing sounds choppy and not very well written, it is because I can not find the apostraphe on the spanish keyboard. Sorry!)

Meeting the Family

Hola!

Yesterday I met my host family! They are all extremely funny, nice, and outgoing. I love them! The only problem, is I have no idea what they are saying when they talk to me. It is very stressful and I can see how it is easy for exchange students to just lock themselves in their room because of how difficult it is to communitcate. Although, I will try my hardest to not do that! (I dont even have a door to my room so that will make it easier) It is also very easy to notice how close each family is. Basically everyone in the neighborhood either has a connection to my host dad, or my host mom.

My host dad is very helpful! Even though I can not understand him when he talks, he taught me plenty of new words yesterday! Such as scissors (tijeras), cup (baso), and many others! It is really nice to know that they want to help me and make me feel at home here!

The landscape in Naranjo is absolutely gorgeous and I really enjoy the simplicity of everything. The houses are all very small, they dry their clothes on lines outside and people are always around the house visiting with eachother. I met a large part of their family within the first couple minutes of being here! Also, there are lots of dogs running around. Lots!

So, if you are wondering how I am doing mentally, I am not even sure myself. I am extremely happy to be here and learn about their culture, but it is really hard to keep laughing at myself when I make mistakes. I miss everyone back home, and since I have only been here about a day, I still have to learn their cultural norms. Such as, last night when family left, my host cousin leaned in to kiss me on the cheek and I was so confused as to what he was doing! I just stood there and so he leaned in more and kissed me on the cheek and said adios. I was extremely embarressed, but I think he understood.

Well, wish me luck for my second day! Hopefully I will get to see more of Costa Rica!

Adios!

Tieta

"See You In 6 Months"

Hey everyone!

Today I leave for Costa Rica from Miami, Florida with the other 11 kids who will be spending any amount of time in Costa Rica through AFS. It is absolutely unbelievable thaty I will be meeting my host parents and sisters in just a couple days! I'm extremely excited though! As wierd as it seems, the closer I get to meeting them, the less nervous I am. I talked to my host mom last night and she explained to me that they all are very excited to have me and are very patient and love me already! That definitely comforted me a lot! So, I promise next time I will write a longer, more thought out blog post when I actually have something to write about. Until then,

To everyone in South Burlington, Vermont,

I will see you in 6 months!

Switched Family & 19 days!

I believe the countdown is now at 19 days for when I arrive in Miami! So that would make it 21 days until I leave for Costa Rica! I also have a new host family for health reasons within my old family. Fortunately, I am in contact now with both families! My old host mom gave me her number so that I will still have the opportunity to meet her and her family! Now I have 3 host sisters who all seem incredibly nice; two of which  I have been talking to about what to expect and what life is like in Costa Rica. One of them told me my spanish was really good! Unfortunately, I had to admit that I had been using google translate in order to understand what she was saying and to help with words I couldn't find from spanish class..oh boy. Trying to talk to them really makes me realize how hard this is going to be! That just makes it all the more exciting, though! It is so great to have everyone's support and I still can't believe I have this opportunity.

Adios!

Tieta Keetle

Just Going Through The Motions

The countdown begins at 30 days! Only 30 days until I leave for Miami..!! As evident as it is in the title, I am just going through the motions of getting ready for the semester I will be spending abroad. The Health Form Addendum, Activity Waiver, looking for clothes and mosquito nets.. the whole package! Everyone asks me if I'm nervous.. but honestly it doesn't seem real yet. It most likely won't until I am greeting my family with a half frightened, half overly excited smile and a quick "Hola!" It's going to be so exciting!! Things are happening. Good things. It's amazing. This will be my first time flying on a plane without someone I know! It will also be my first time out of New England, let alone the United States and speaking Spanish consistently! Wow, lots of firsts..and that is definitely not all of them.

I can't wait to be uploading pictures of my host family and all of the animals and bugs I see! Haha, there will probably be lots!

Host Family And School

I forgot to mention that I found my host family and school!! I haven't gotten a chance to e-mail them yet, since my Spanish isn't very good, and I'm waiting for my neighbor to help me who is fluent in Spanish. I have one host brother who is about 4 or 5 months younger than my actual brother who is 18, and a host mom, and a host dad! They all seem incredibly nice and I can't wait to talk to them! I will be in a rural town called Naranjo, Alejuela Costa Rica! Two months is not a lot of time to get ready, yet it seems like all the time in the world and I keep waiting for the day to come when I fly to Miami and meet everyone else going to Costa Rica as well!

Just A Little Over A Month

There is just a little over a month until I leave for my new life in Costa Rica! So exciting! I've been able to fund raise just about everything for the tuition of $10,000 and the money was sent in a few weeks ago! I've been researching, getting my plane ticket to Miami, Florida, getting vaccinations, and reminiscing with friends about everything I will be missing in the 6 months I will be gone, yet how much of a great experience this will be. I'm beyond excited, and a tad nervous. I try to subdue the nervousness by realizing how this will literally change everything I know.

ACCEPTED!

Today I got an e-mail from AFS reading exactly this:

"Congratulations! AFS-Costa Rica has just accepted your application!"

Immediately I started questioning it in disbelief, but this entire opportunity is finally feeling like a reality!! I honestly want to start packing right now, my departure will be coming up so fast!

Please keep donating money in the ChipIn! We just raised about $700 at a fundraiser, which is only a small chunk of the $10,000 needed but it adds to everything else that we have come up with! I have been hearing from family members, businesses, and family friends. Thank you so much to everyone supporting me!

Getting To Know Me & Fundraising

Hi! My name is Tieta Keetle. I live in South Burlington, Vermont and attend South Burlington High School as a soon to be 16-year-old sophomore. As of now, the possibilities of traveling abroad are unreal to me. Being a girl who has never set foot outside of New England, (except for traveling to Florida when I was younger) my dreams have grown bigger than ever.

I've always dreamed of traveling to every continent, experiencing everything it has to offer. In simple terms, studying abroad for a semester in Costa Rica will give me traveling experience that will later be needed in my life while being a completely eye-opening experience, providing me with a good education, and improving my Spanish skills.

If you're wondering about the program I will be studying through, it is a credible program that has been around since 1914 and goes by the name of AFS (American Field Service). It operates in more than 50 countries around the world, and focuses not only on sending kids to other countries to study, but to immerse them into new cultures, languages, and experiences. Once I arrive in Costa Rica, the other kids and I will be spread out through the country and taken to our new host family to see life through their eyes rather than a tourist's.

As for myself, I'm a girl who lives a relatively simple life in a simple town. I am a part of four extra curricular activities (Student Council and three community service clubs), I run track and play tennis, and I have a job as a waitress at a senior living community center. I have a 3.5 as my GPA average, which is rising through out the year. I take school seriously, as well as my friends and family. Participating in this program would not only benefit me, but benefit others in my community by sharing my experiences with friends, families, and schools.

Everything that I have made from my job has gone straight into the bank. I plan to use every cent towards this aspiration. At this time, I have about $1,000 saved, as well as $1,250 which was granted to me through a scholarship program. That leaves about $8,000 to raise! I am asking for help from family, friends, and businesses to help me achieve this dream. Through this website, I have set up a goal of $5,000, and every cent counts. Money has been tight in my family for a while now, but they are determined to not let lack of money stop me from pursuing my ambitions.  If you would like to talk to me more about anything pertaining to this program or myself, feel free to e-mail me at pinkpanda34@gmail.com! To sponsor my AFS program now, please click the Chip In button on my blog.

Everything is greatly appreciated!

                                                                                                            Sincerely,
                                                                                                                     Tieta Keetle