Wednesday, July 8, 2009
A week off from School with the Family
its has been so great having my family here. we have done so many things this past week and a half. last week we stayed in a house in samara that had a pool, and it sleep 12 people! i still went to school that week and did things with them during my time off. i didnt go to class on my bday. in the morning we went house back riding on the beach, surfing in the afternoon, and then out to dinner. it was raining during dinner and the power was out so the majority of our time was in candlelight. it was fun! we were outside under a hut right on the beach and the lightning lit up the entire sky! i did have a couple drinks and a shot- im 21! por que no! everyone was giggly and acting silly that night. it was fun!
on thursday i had class in the morning and then we all went on a canopy tour in the afternoon. it was raining then too but it was still lots of fun ziplining through the forest! : ) that night i had 3 of my girlfriends over from school Francesca, Angie, and Claire and we ordered pizza, and went swimming! on friday i went to class in the morning again, took my test, and then we all left to go up north to Tamarindo for the week. Tamarindo is more of a touristy place, but its nice. we are staying in a condo this week. this is my break from school, i took this week off and it has been so nice and so needed. this week we have been surfing, Jerry, Chris, Tim, and I went surfing for about 3 hours the other day. the waves were great and pretty big! Rachel and i have gotten 2 massages- AMAZING! we went snorkeling and swam out to an island, on Monday we went ATVing which was SUPER fun! going along the beach, and riding FAST
other than that we have just been laying out on the beach, swimming in the pool, shopping at the local stores and relaxing. its been superb!
Sunday, June 28, 2009
SURPRISE!!!!
sooooo this weekend has been a blast so far and it only got better! yesterday, saturday, i went on a boat with 5 of my girls friends to the island that is right outside the beach. it was an adventure for sure. it was a small fishing boat, and the waves were crasheing into us and flooding the boat. we had to pale out lots and lots of water. haha! our driver's name was Pablo. he is a local here and one of my friends knew him so he was happy to take us out on his boat. so we finally made it to the island and when we were close he told us to jump out. the island was beautiful. it has rocks up from the water and then white, soft sand. it was amazing! we hung out there, went swimming, had some drinks and snacks. it was paradise!
today, sunday, i was hanging out at school, waiting for my mom and staci to get here. i went into the kitchen because my friends were making dinner. i came outside to see if they had arrived and i saw my mom walking through the gate with staci behind her. i came running to my mom, and began to tear up because i was so excited to see them! THEN, a little farther away i saw Rachel(my friend who is like my little sister) and Chris! i screamed and went running to them and pretty much jumped on rachel and chris, and started to cry!! i COULD NOT believe they were in costa rica. then chris said, someone else is here. and i looked farther down and saw my DAD!!! i went running to him and jumped into his arms and was crying even more by this time! it was UNREAL!! and jerry (rachel's dad) was there taping the whole thing, of course. my friends came running out because they heard me screaming. they said they thought i was dying or something. haha! I AM SOOO HAPPY!!!! and i STILL cant believe this happened! i am having such a great time. we are staying in a huge NICE house, with a pool, and i took a warm shower for the first time in 3 weeks! it felt so good!
i am so excited for the next 2 weeks!! we have lots of fun stuff planned and my bday is on wednesday!!!!!
today, sunday, i was hanging out at school, waiting for my mom and staci to get here. i went into the kitchen because my friends were making dinner. i came outside to see if they had arrived and i saw my mom walking through the gate with staci behind her. i came running to my mom, and began to tear up because i was so excited to see them! THEN, a little farther away i saw Rachel(my friend who is like my little sister) and Chris! i screamed and went running to them and pretty much jumped on rachel and chris, and started to cry!! i COULD NOT believe they were in costa rica. then chris said, someone else is here. and i looked farther down and saw my DAD!!! i went running to him and jumped into his arms and was crying even more by this time! it was UNREAL!! and jerry (rachel's dad) was there taping the whole thing, of course. my friends came running out because they heard me screaming. they said they thought i was dying or something. haha! I AM SOOO HAPPY!!!! and i STILL cant believe this happened! i am having such a great time. we are staying in a huge NICE house, with a pool, and i took a warm shower for the first time in 3 weeks! it felt so good!
i am so excited for the next 2 weeks!! we have lots of fun stuff planned and my bday is on wednesday!!!!!
Thursday, June 25, 2009
What a Life
i have been running everyday this week on the beach. it hasnt been raining in the morning and i have to go at like 6 30 or 7 because its so hot out. it is beautiful running on the beach! its nothing like running on sunset cliffs at school : )
I have made some really good friends here. i feel like you get closer to people faster when you are all in an uncomfortable situation and you hang out together everyday! there are people here from all over, some from switerland, germany, france, canada, south carolina, texas, colorado, arizona, michigan, and im the only one from california.
As far as spanish goes, i feel like i am improving. i am for sure doing better with writing, and i am getting better at speaking. i am starting to speak more with my host family, and im doing better during the conversations in class. i am definately more comforatble here and i am all settled in!
The food is so good here! and i have been eating way too much! haha! yesterday i went to cooking class and made arroz con pollo, rice with chicken. it was sooo good. we ate that with a corn tortilla! YUM! there is a lady that comes to out school everyday and sells empanadas at break. i love the pollo ones! i get one almost everyday! they are delicious!
i have been drinking a lot of peach iced tea (and some of you know i never used to like tea) and its pretty good. my tica mom makes it all the time and i usually have that with my dinner.
my mom and her friend staci are coming to visit me and they will be here on sunday! im so excited to some familiar faces! they are renting a house here in Samara, and it has a pool! yay! i miss swimming in a pool, however this past weekend 2 of my friends and i got a hotel room and they had a pool. it was so nice to lay out on a comfy cushion and not the sand, and to be clean, swim in the pool! it felt so good! it was her last weekend here and she wanted to do something fun! and on friday night we went to "Reggae Night" at a restaurant called Tabonuco (which is every friday, im going again tomorrow) its right on the beach! it was fun hanging out with friends, and dancing to reggae music : )
i am trying to take in all of God's beautiful creation! it is absolutely unbelieveable and so gorgeous! He is amazing and so creative!
I have made some really good friends here. i feel like you get closer to people faster when you are all in an uncomfortable situation and you hang out together everyday! there are people here from all over, some from switerland, germany, france, canada, south carolina, texas, colorado, arizona, michigan, and im the only one from california.
As far as spanish goes, i feel like i am improving. i am for sure doing better with writing, and i am getting better at speaking. i am starting to speak more with my host family, and im doing better during the conversations in class. i am definately more comforatble here and i am all settled in!
The food is so good here! and i have been eating way too much! haha! yesterday i went to cooking class and made arroz con pollo, rice with chicken. it was sooo good. we ate that with a corn tortilla! YUM! there is a lady that comes to out school everyday and sells empanadas at break. i love the pollo ones! i get one almost everyday! they are delicious!
i have been drinking a lot of peach iced tea (and some of you know i never used to like tea) and its pretty good. my tica mom makes it all the time and i usually have that with my dinner.
my mom and her friend staci are coming to visit me and they will be here on sunday! im so excited to some familiar faces! they are renting a house here in Samara, and it has a pool! yay! i miss swimming in a pool, however this past weekend 2 of my friends and i got a hotel room and they had a pool. it was so nice to lay out on a comfy cushion and not the sand, and to be clean, swim in the pool! it felt so good! it was her last weekend here and she wanted to do something fun! and on friday night we went to "Reggae Night" at a restaurant called Tabonuco (which is every friday, im going again tomorrow) its right on the beach! it was fun hanging out with friends, and dancing to reggae music : )
i am trying to take in all of God's beautiful creation! it is absolutely unbelieveable and so gorgeous! He is amazing and so creative!
A Tropical Storm
This week has been quit a storm. it all started with HUGE waves on monday! all the local ticos were out surfing on them and it was so entertaining. some of my friends and i sat and watched for a couple hours. then on tuesday it was beautiful and sunny in the morning and so HOT, my friends and i layed out on the beach, and at about 12 45pm it began to POUR AND POUR!!! there was thunder and lightning that was literally right on top of us! it was CRAZY! it didnt stop raining until about 7 30pm, oh and the power was out all day. my friends and i had to ride our bikes home in the rain, and not all of the road is paved so we rode in the mud. it was memorable. ha! and i had a candle light dinner with my tica mom and my sister. it never usually rains that long here. it usually rains for maybe an hour and then its done. yesterday, wednesday, it rained in the morning and was overcast in the afternoon. oh and the tide has been really high almost up to the school! and now this morning it is raining again! my first couple weeks i was here it didnt rain that much. this is sure one tropical storm! and its warm rain.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
What i have learned so far...
1. i eat fruit with every breakfast especially pineapple. its delicious!
2. the eggs kinda taste sweet
3. instead of saying de nada for your welcome, costa ricans say mucho gusto or con gusto which means with pleasure or gladly
4. you have to get used to the chickens and the roasters waking you up, and just making noise all the time
5. many people ride their bikes, walk or have a mopede. my ride is a red beach cruiser!
6. it is VERY relaxed and chill here. no one is in a hurry. im lovin it!
7. Tico is the name of the locals. tico for male and tica for female
8. you pretty much sweat all the time, unless its raining. but im getting used to it and actually not sweating as much as i was when i first got here or maybe im just getting immune to it.
9. it rains randomly, but its warm
10. i basically live in a bathing suit. i wear it all day long!
11. monkeys live in the trees and make unpleasant hawling sounds
12. there are a lot of bulls and horses, however they dont usually go into town, unless someone is riding a horse. they stay in or around the field.
13. the water is ok to drink, however there is still a filtered system at school for us to fill our water bottles with
14. i dont like horchata.
15. i have rice with every dinner, and beans with every other
16.mamon chino is a fruit that has a shell that looks like a spikey ball, and you peel it open. inside there is a squishy clearish ball that you eat. it has a seed inside, and i felt like i was eating an eyeball.
17. i really like empanadas
18. never throw the toilet paper in the toilet, always in the trash!
19. Geckos sound like birds. they climb on the walls and one went behind the picture frame that is in my room, and started making noises like a bird. i thought there was a bird in my room somewhere....ha!
20. i took a shower with a crab. they tend to roam the streets
im having fun and learning alot!
2. the eggs kinda taste sweet
3. instead of saying de nada for your welcome, costa ricans say mucho gusto or con gusto which means with pleasure or gladly
4. you have to get used to the chickens and the roasters waking you up, and just making noise all the time
5. many people ride their bikes, walk or have a mopede. my ride is a red beach cruiser!
6. it is VERY relaxed and chill here. no one is in a hurry. im lovin it!
7. Tico is the name of the locals. tico for male and tica for female
8. you pretty much sweat all the time, unless its raining. but im getting used to it and actually not sweating as much as i was when i first got here or maybe im just getting immune to it.
9. it rains randomly, but its warm
10. i basically live in a bathing suit. i wear it all day long!
11. monkeys live in the trees and make unpleasant hawling sounds
12. there are a lot of bulls and horses, however they dont usually go into town, unless someone is riding a horse. they stay in or around the field.
13. the water is ok to drink, however there is still a filtered system at school for us to fill our water bottles with
14. i dont like horchata.
15. i have rice with every dinner, and beans with every other
16.mamon chino is a fruit that has a shell that looks like a spikey ball, and you peel it open. inside there is a squishy clearish ball that you eat. it has a seed inside, and i felt like i was eating an eyeball.
17. i really like empanadas
18. never throw the toilet paper in the toilet, always in the trash!
19. Geckos sound like birds. they climb on the walls and one went behind the picture frame that is in my room, and started making noises like a bird. i thought there was a bird in my room somewhere....ha!
20. i took a shower with a crab. they tend to roam the streets
im having fun and learning alot!
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
My typical Costa Rican day
*wake up around 7 (cant sleep in here bc of the roasters and monkeys)
*class alternates times, sometimes it goes from 8am to 12pm or from 1:15pm to 5:15 with a 20 minute break. In class this week there are a total of 4 studentsa with a teacher. there is never more than 6 students in a class. the teacher changes every week depending on which class you move up to. this week i am in beginner 3 : ) in class we usually start with conversation, and we ask each other questions, and we answer, or the teacher asks us questions, and so on. then we move into grammar and structure, however we still do some conversation. we are only allowed to speak spanish in class and they strongly encourage us to speak spanish outside of class (we usually speak english with some random spanish words) in class we also do different activities, for example, last week we played pictionary, guess who, a matching game, and this week we played tabu. haha! these classes are totally different than anything i took in high school. there is so much interaction with spanish.
*then we will have lunch, usually at guanafruta which has smoothies, empanadas, tocaos, and sandwiches which are really good. this place is known as the fast food place.
*and then go surfing if the tide isnt too far out and the waves are descent.
*after surfing, lay out on the beach for a couple hours, nap and read.
*then depending on the day do activities. monday salsa, merengue dance class. tuesday dance or art class. wednesday dance or cooking class. thursday dance class. they also have yoga and aerobics, but i havent been to those yet.
*when those classes are done then ride bikes home, shower, eat dinner, and do homework. and depending on the night/mood go out with the amigas. the usual place is bar olas which is like a night club, but i dont really like it that much.
*and then go home and go to sleep.
: )
*class alternates times, sometimes it goes from 8am to 12pm or from 1:15pm to 5:15 with a 20 minute break. In class this week there are a total of 4 studentsa with a teacher. there is never more than 6 students in a class. the teacher changes every week depending on which class you move up to. this week i am in beginner 3 : ) in class we usually start with conversation, and we ask each other questions, and we answer, or the teacher asks us questions, and so on. then we move into grammar and structure, however we still do some conversation. we are only allowed to speak spanish in class and they strongly encourage us to speak spanish outside of class (we usually speak english with some random spanish words) in class we also do different activities, for example, last week we played pictionary, guess who, a matching game, and this week we played tabu. haha! these classes are totally different than anything i took in high school. there is so much interaction with spanish.
*then we will have lunch, usually at guanafruta which has smoothies, empanadas, tocaos, and sandwiches which are really good. this place is known as the fast food place.
*and then go surfing if the tide isnt too far out and the waves are descent.
*after surfing, lay out on the beach for a couple hours, nap and read.
*then depending on the day do activities. monday salsa, merengue dance class. tuesday dance or art class. wednesday dance or cooking class. thursday dance class. they also have yoga and aerobics, but i havent been to those yet.
*when those classes are done then ride bikes home, shower, eat dinner, and do homework. and depending on the night/mood go out with the amigas. the usual place is bar olas which is like a night club, but i dont really like it that much.
*and then go home and go to sleep.
: )
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