Random thoughts from Costa Rica

Wow, it's been a while sinc I posted!! It has been a very busy few weeks. First off, the power outages continued until last week when they finally stopped! It's really nice that they're over because you never knew when they'd go out or if you could be on the Internet or study at night, which got pretty frustrating after about a week.

Last weekend I took my first "independent" trip-that is, not sponsored through ISA. We went to Montezuma, which is a beach on the Nicoya Peninsula. It was fun, but different from what we expected! I went with 4 other girls and one guy. It ended up being slightly more expensive than we anticipated, because Montezuma is pretty tourist-oriented. We did stay in a hostel for pretty cheap, which was a new experience!! Before going to bed, I remember thinking that there was a high chance that a cockroach would crawl over me while I was sleeping, but I don't think it happened. If it did, I'm happy not knowing about it. :-) We did have a good time, though, and met some fun people that we ended up eating with and travelling back with. This weekend we went to yet another beach, called Jaco. It's a surf town and definitely has more of a party atmosphere than Montezuma. It was OK, but it rained a little, as the rainy season is just beginning here. It's funny how I took about a gazillion pictures my first couple of weeks here, and I think I took maybe 15 this weekend. I need to get on the ball of that! I guess it's because I've been to the beach the last 3 weekends, and how many pictures of beaches can you take before they all look the same? This weekend I think we're either going to tour a coffee plantation or possibly hike through a rain forest. We're not sure, we just don't want to go to another beach! :-)

Last week I also started volunteering at a daycare that's run through the Salvation Army. It is for underpriveleged kids and I am working with the 5-year-olds. They are really cute! They're a little difficult to understand, so I'm definitely going to get some great practice with my Spanish comprehension. I am also practicing commands ("Don't jump off the table!" "No, stop eating crayons and come sit down") and a different set of vocabulary words with these kids. It has been pretty hectic in the classroom the past couple of times I went, and sometimes the teacher just leaves and I have no idea where she went, when she'll be back, or what to do with the kids. But I'm starting to realize that it is so laid back and kind of doesn't matter, as long as I make sure the kids aren't killing each other or hurting themselves. It's also fun to talk to them and give them positive attention, which they really beg for.

This month a new group of students has come in, so there are a few more people around the ISA office and in our classes. It's really nice, but it stinks because they'll only be here for a month so it's going to be hard to build really great relationships with them. Also, those of us who have already been here and will be here longer have already grown very close. It's more like we're the "mentors" because they always ask us our opinion or what to do. Then again, I don't know everything because I haven't been here that long, and a lot of it is basically what I think and not solid truth about stuff. It's still fun getting to know them and helping them out, though!

That's enough for now-I'll post more picutres as soon as I get some good ones! Maybe of this coming weekend, or maybe I'll take some of my kids at the daycare. ¡Ciao!

My week in a nutshell

Another week has gone by...wow! Last week was pretty uneventful, just school and...actually that's it. The power outages have continued, but now we know why. Costa Rica's electricity is powered by water, and the largest dam is in Arenal. Since it has not rained in so long, the water is down very far, and this is what caused the nationwide power outage. Now, to conserve power, the government is shutting off the power in different parts of the country every day for three hours a day. That means that, at some point during the day, we lose power. And, to make it more frustrating, it's different every day, so you never know when you will lose power. This will continue until the rainy season starts, which is in about two weeks, more or less.

This weekend we went to Manuel Antonio, a national park on the beach. It was absolutely beautiful and so relaxing! We just got up Saturday, ate breakfast, and walked to the national park, then sat on the beach all day. As a typical gringa, I forgot how close we were to the sun and, even though I used sunscreen, I am thoroughly burnt and in pain. I should have stayed in the shade a little more. But we did have so much fun! There are a lot of artisan stands outside of the park, so we got to walk up and down the street looking at their cool jewelry and clothes. The most fun thing about this is bartering with the vendors and getting something really cool for ridiculously cheap. Yesterday I went ocean kayaking, which was so fun but hard work! We kayaked to a beach, stayed there for a while, then kayaked back. On the way back I got seasick from the waves so it was definitely a long trip back, having to row through waves while feeling sick. But I'm still glad I did it!! I've posted some pictures of the beach below...

This is the view from the beach in the national park. I like the palm tree shadow.

A monkey stealing trash from the trashcan on the beach. There were four or five of them and they weren't scared of us at all...I'm sure they're used to it!

A crocodile we saw in a river on the way to the beach...there were a ton of them but this was the only one out of the water.

This is not from the beach, this is me and my host brother stuyding in the dark after we lost power on Thursday night. They had all the Christmas candles out and we had enough light to sit at the dining room table and do our homework...it was pretty funny. We had to order takeout for dinner, and as we were cleaning up, my Tico dad opened the refridgerator to put something away, and the fridge was on, which means we had power. I'm not sure how long we had sat there with candles while having power, but we thought it was pretty funny that we'd been using candles when we had electricity!

Volcán Arenal

This weekend was awesome!! So fun...so pretty...and I learned a ton. We went to Arenal and La Fortuna Waterfalls, about 4 or 5 hours away from San Jose. It's funny because San Jose is about the size of North Carolina, but it takes forever to get anywhere because it's all mountains and virtually all of the roads are one lane each way. So you get stuck behind a semi truck or in a construction zone, and you can just go ahead and add an extra hour or two to your trip. Anyhow, it was amazing!! We got to swim in the pool below the waterfall (it was freezing, but really fun!), and Saturday night we went to some hot springs and got to be there for quite some time. That was really nice. Sunday morning we took a tour up to the volcano. First of all, we were staying in a resort that was practically at the base of the volcano and we had a perfect view of it. Also, we had the fortune to be able to see all the way to the top-there are almost always clouds covering it, but we had a clear view the whole time we were there!! So Sunday we went to the other side, where most of the activity is happening right now. We hiked about half an hour until we reached the spot where lava flowed about 15 years ago. We actually stood on the lava and took pictures of the small eruptions on the volcano! Our guide said that there are always eruptions happening and it was actually pretty dangerous to be where we were. We thought that was pretty cool. :-) During the day, all you see is white smoke, and we were really pulling to see an eruption at night, but when it got dark the top was covered by a cloud. Oh, well-we still got to see more than most people do!! It was a great experience!!!

This is on the way there. Some of the hills and drop-offs look like they could have been the place where they filmed the scene in Princess Bride where Buttercup pushes Westley down the hill. This one, for example. :-)

OK...the one above this one is La Fortuna Waterfall from far away...before the vertical hike down to the pool. The one directly above is a picture of the waterfall up close. Notice the clear water around it!


View of the volcano from our resort-the smaller cone is not as active as the one with smoke coming out of it
View of the volcano from the North side (I think)-where you can only see one cone. It looks like a kid's science project!
The lava from the flow in the 90's and the vegetation that is beginning to grow through it

Us on the lava-these are some of the people from my program. Behind us is el Lago Arenal, an artificial lake. There used to be a town under it, but when the volcano blew up for the first time in 1968, it destroyed the village. They built this lake over it and it's one of the main energy suppliers for the country. It's very low right now because it hasn't rained in a long time, and that's what was causing the power outages last week.

Una Cuidad Oscura

Last night there was a nation-wide power outage in Costa Rica. Apparently some huge generator or something blew in Limón, and it knocked everything out, but not all at once. The ISA office was out in the afternoon, but came back on. So I went up there to call my mom, and when I was leaving, one of the directors said to wait and she'd drive me home because the power was out in my neighborhood, and it had just gotten dark. She drove me home, and sure enough, everything around my neighborhood was pitch black.
Side note: I am sitting on the patio so I can get wireless, and this huge black and orange bug just crawled out from behind me and scared me half to death. I'm moving off the ground.
Anyhow, back to my story. I went to the Teatro Nacional last night with a friend to see a dance, and it's downtown. The power was on when we got there, but went out right before the dance started. The Teatro has a generator so we were able to see the dance. When we left, though, the entire downtown area was pitch black, along with the rest of the city. It was pretty scary! Kind of cool though, because we could see stars. It didn't come back on until 11 or so last night and has caused numerous problems today, i.e. cell phones not working, the Internet is down at a lot of places-including the ISA office and my university, and traffic lights are out everywhere, which does nothing for the already ridiculous driving habits of Ticos.
This weekend I'm off to an active volcano, which should be fun and interesting! Pictures will follow...hope everyone has a good weekend!

Misunderstandings

More observations, mostly good:

*I have figured out why I get frustrated with Tico time. Many times someone will say “we’re going to go do such-and-such ahora.” Now, traditionally, the word “ahora” translates into “right now.” However, in Costa Rica, this is not the same. “Ahora” means in a little while. “Ahorita” means later on. And, as my profesora says, “Ahoritica” means it’s probably not happening, you might as well forget about it. So, the problem for me has not been Tico time, it’s been my interpretation of the word “ahora.” Here’s my new problem: If “ahora” means later, then what word do they use for “right now?” I have determined they probably don’t use this phrase very often, because nothing is hurried or has to be done right away.

*The señora que limpia la casa (the cleaning lady) comes twice a week with her daughter, and it’s not like they clean the bathrooms and floors and then leave. It’s an all-day process where they deep clean the entire house-dusting, washing floors, cleaning the showers out, doing dishes, washing all of the laundry, even cleaning off my desk, etc…I wouldn’t be surprised to open my dresser one day and find my clothes re-organized!! This morning I was running late and didn’t make my bed and when I got home, it was all made up for me. At lunch time, they sit down and eat with us and talk, then get up and clear the table and do our dishes. They are really sweet…but I can’t understand the señora for the life of me-usually I just end up nodding and smiling when she talks to me. The first three times she was here she asked me if I had any “ropa sucia,” or dirty clothes. I had to ask her every time what she was saying. So now, whenever she talks to me before school, I’m assuming she’s asking about my laundry and I just say, “Si.”

*Here’s one thing I love: The Kiss. Every time you greet someone, rather than saying “Hi” or shaking hands, you grasp their left hand, lean to the left of their face, and kiss the air in the general direction of their ear, brushing cheeks as you go. It’s a little awkward the first few times, but I am growing fond of it. It can be between two women or a woman and a man, but never happens between two men. It is very well practiced, and I’m beginning to miss it if it doesn’t happen! Only with Ticos, though-I haven’t given The Kiss to any of my US friends here yet. J I think The Kiss has to do with their friendliness and acceptance, as well as the fact that they feel no need to rush anything.

Observations about a new culture

Here are some things that will take some getting used to:
*Honking. Here's what it doesn't mean: "What are you thinking, you just cut me off," or any other unkind thing you may or may not have used your car horn for.
Here's what it does mean: "Hey, friend!!", or "Hey, you look nice today!" or "Thanks for letting me in!" or "Go ahead" or anything else generally nice. So, when I hear a billion honks a day, my instinct is to tense up...but usually it's people being friendly. What I don't get about this is that Ticos are such terrible, agressive drivers. So it would make sense for a honk to be meant as a bad thing. But it doesn't.

*I have 5 keys to get into-and out of-my house. This is very annoying. I guess it comes from paranoia that someone is going to break into their house, which rarely happens. I don't always use all 5. Sometimes it's 2, sometimes it's 3. But it's still time consuming. Occasionally I cheat and only re-lock one if I know I'm going to be leaving soon. But that's a secret I'm choosing to keep from my Tico family.

*There are no real policemen, only the Fuerza Publica. They walk down the streets at night armed with a long stick and a whistle, which they blow every hour to let you know they're there.

*Some crosswalks are not at intersections and have their own light. So when a pedestrian pushes the button, all traffic stops for about 3 mintues until the light changes. This is very annoying when there is one pedestrian. Most cars just run the light after the person passes, or don't stop at all. Pedestrians have virtually no right of way no matter where they cross. So I wonder why anyone bothers to push the button and stop traffic in the first place.

*Car alarms: I have not gone one day without hearing at least 3 car alarms go off. I don't know why they go off here and not in the States, but it's very annoying when there's one going off outside of our classroom for a good 15 minutes. Monday a couple of us were walking around downtown, and we walked by a car going off. Two hours later, we had made a loop, and the car alarm was still going off. I don't know why they're so much more sensitive here, but it's kind of funny!

These are not meant to be complaining, they are observations I have made about this city. They will definitely take some getting used to, but I am enjoying learning about their culture and way of life!!! Tomorrow I will post good things about the city because there are so many awesome things I've learned!!!

3x5's

I had so much fun this weekend in Monteverde! I got to know the girls in my group better, which was really fun, not to mention the awesome time we had exploring the mountain. Here are the pictures, as promised!! I'm sorry, but there's a ton...I couldn't pick which ones to show you all! It is hard to capture the beauty in a picture...I'm reminded of the John Mayer song 3x5 that says, "Didn't have a camera by my side this time/hoping I would see the world through both my eyes/maybe I will tell you all about it when I'm in the mood to lose my way with words...You should have seen that sunrise with your own eyes/brought me back to life/you'll be with me next time I go outside/no more 3x5's." I can now identify with him! Anyhow, hopefully you can see a little bit through this pictures. Oh, and if you ever have the chance to go to Monteverde, the veiw is definitely worth the two-hour winding drive up a mountain on a bumpy rock road! :-)

The group after the first cable
This is me ziplining through the air...if you're wondering where the jungle is, it's way under me.
This is the longest cable, and we had to go in groups of two so the weight would keep us going to the other side. I went with another girl, and we still got stuck about 20 feet before the platform!
We finally made it...we're waiting to be un-hooked from the cable.
this is at a private forest reserve-it's a mushroom.
They had a hummingbird viewing area-there were tons of them! I was trying to get pics where they were not on the feeder, but I couldn't get a good shot.
Some weird seed or flower, or maybe animal...I'm not sure but I thought they were cool
Just a cool-looking flower at the reserve-everything is green, with more green growing on that green, and more growing on top of that ("Monteverde" means green mountain). So when there's an occasional burst of color, it really stands out and is beautiful!The veiw on the drive home-notice how, if you look into the horizon, it flattens out. That is the ocean waaaaaayyyy back there! I loved how far we could see from the mountain we were on.



The group in front of a cool tree, which didn't show up as that cool in this picutre. :-)
Part of the private reserve we went to

This is a traditional Costa Rican ox cart. I don't think people really use them anymore, but they are one of the marks of the culture.

This is a banana tree outside my hotel room. The purple thing is a banana flower-you pull it off and re-plant it to grow another tree. It's kinda scary looking up close!

OK, that's all for now. There are so many things I want to say, so many observations I'd like to share. I think I am going to start posting more frequently about some things I love and some things that take getting used to (I'm trying to keep that side positive) :-). I will also try to keep it shorter, but knowing how I am, I can't promise that.

Thanks again for your prayers for my host family! Things are back to normal as far as routine goes, and now they are starting the process of healing.

Talk at you all later!