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
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
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
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
Thursday, October 11, 2012
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!
Tieta Keetle
- 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!
Tieta Keetle
Saturday, October 6, 2012
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
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
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
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
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
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
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
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
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
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
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
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