Tortuguero Canals

Last weekend (September 21st to 22nd) the whole group went on a field trip to Tortuguero. Tortuguero is located along the Caribbean Coast. It is home to a diversified set of species.

We left ULatina at 6am in the morning! Then we took a 4 hour total bus ride to the canals of Tortuguero. On the way past by banana plantations.

The bananas were covered in blue bags. We were told the bags were used as greenhouses to make the bananas grow faster and the bags protected the plants from bugs.
We also passed a sloth climbing a tree. I've never seen a sloth move so fast up a tree! The tour guide mentioned that if a sloth feels threatened it'll move faster than expected.

 We arrived at the canal and had to take a boat to Lirio Lodge. Lirio Lodge was not the stereotypical hotel, it was located along the canal. Lirio Lodge used sustainable practices such as using solar energy and conserving water and electricity. We stayed in tents and had a typical camping experience, except for the fact that we were listening to howler monkeys all night, pretty awesome!

 The first day we arrived we went to the only school located in the area, Escuela Bara Pachuare. There we were fortunate enough to have a tour of a school as well as give a helping hand to the local students. We were assigned a task of improving a main road that students take everyday to the school house from the canal. The road we were working on was made out of sand, coconuts and hard labor!

Once we were finished working we returned to our camp site and relaxed. Some of us enjoyed napping in the hammocks while others went canoeing and kayaking.
 After dinner we were told we would have to wake up at 5am to see baby turtles hatch! It was so worth it. At the site we got to hold the turtles and then we sent them off to the ocean.

 

 We returned back to the Lodge to eat lunch and then headed back to San Jose! Tortuguero was an enriching experience. I got to learn about endangered turtles and what I can do personally to help protect endangered species. The first step is to become aware and educated about the environment and the species around us.

Manuel Antonio

Hola!

So I haven't posted in my blog for a while because it is quite busy here in Costa Rica. I have classes every day during the week and then during the weekends I try my best to get out of San Jose to travel!

Last weekend a group of us went to one of the national parks, Manuel Antonio. It is known for is diversified animals and beautiful beaches! Manuel Antonio was a four hour bus ride from the city which is not too bad (depending on the traffic). In Manuel Antonio we stayed in a hostel called Vista Serena Hostel. This Hostel cost us $10 a night (amazing price). The views from the hostels were beautiful!

Friday night we decided to explore the neighborhood we were staying in. We found many bars a long the road and a lot of stores were westernized. We were in a very touristy area. We woke up the next morning to go to the national park which was beautiful. We hiked through numerous trails and visited all the beaches. Along the way we saw many monkeys. The monkeys were so close to us! Many of the animals were not afraid of the humans, they actually expected the humans to feed them which I found strange. 

After the spark a few of us headed to the main city Quepos. There at Quepos we ate casado. A typical Costa Rican dish. We had packed peanut butter and bread for all our meals... not the wisest idea! Lets just say I don't want peanut butter anymore... for a while haha
The town Quepos was also westernized. Many of the restaurants had typical "American" food and it was hard finding a standard Costa Rican meal (go figure).

After Quepos we ran into a school performance for Independence Day. We stood in the rain and watched the little children sing and perform.  It was adorable!

Sunday was the day we were heading home. We decided to go to the beach one last time before we had to go back to San Jose. At the bus stop most of us got this delicious treat called a Copo or Granizado. Basically it was ice, condensed milk and powered milk all mixed together. Pretty awesome.

Becoming a Tica #cellphone

This weekend was running errands weekend! I got a cell phone which makes life so much easier. Now I can actually get a hold of my friends in Sabanilla in order to walk to school and go out. Savanna's mom Nery gave the people living in Sabanilla a quick tour of where the grocery store was and where the bank was as well. On our way we glimpsed at a block full of Chinese restaurants. We passed a  Chinese church. In Sabanilla, the neighborhood I am living in there is a block full of Chinese restaurants and stores! I think I might live in a part of an honorary China Town! The Chinese restaurants have half oriental food and half Costa Rican food. I have yet to go, but it's highly recommended for having great food.

Later Saturday I got a tour of San Jose by my friend's host brother who used to be a tour guide! We learned about historical landmarks while also learning about hot spots for students our age.

We went to the main market in San Jose where they sold the freshest fruit for little money. I am definitely going back soon. I love fruit and I do not know how I will survive in the US with such little and expensive fruit.  

 Saturday night the ICDS group went to a local bar in Curridabat (where the other ICDS students lived). The bar was known for Karaoke, unfortunately they didn't have any Shakira so our group didn't sing whomp whomp...
For us Sabanilla students, it was an adventure maneuvering our way around to get the bar at night. We had to ask many people along the way of how to get to Juntas which is pronounced Yuntas (which we found out later...) All in all it was a very fun night!

Sunday morning a group of us decided to go to the mall and buy lunch there. The mall was very big and reminded me of a Florida mall, everything was very open and the wind would come through huge doors in order to cool down the building. We ended up eating lunch there and sat outside. We got to admire the beautiful scenery that Ticans get to experience everyday.

Orientation Parte 2

Friday September 6th we left Casa San Benito at 8am to visit Volcán Poás! On our way we stopped at a coffee plantation. In front of the coffee plantation there were two bulls attached to a decorated cart, this is considered an important trade mark of Costa Rica. My friend's host brother was contemplating on getting a tattoo of two bulls with decorated cart because it means so much to the Costa Rican people. I think it represents how Costa Rica became more financially stable due to the coffee bean business. It represents the hard work put into their main source of income, coffee.

At the coffee plantation we learned about the coffee beans. The Costa Ricans hand pick their beans  making the coffee better quality. In the past, children would pick the beans while on break from school, now many immigrants from Nicaragua come and pick the coffee beans. Diego, our tour guide for the day was explaining to us that coffee beans are ripe when the exterior turns red. If the exterior is green the coffee will be more sour and tart (not as tasty). The beans are also only picked once a year (I'm guessing he meant only during one month of the year, but I am not sure).

After the coffee plantation we headed to the Volcán Poás. Volcán Poás is over a million years old. It is said if you stood a couple of yards away from it, your skin would burn instantly. 

After we saw the volcano we took a  thirty minute hike to a pool of water (Lagoon). No one is permitted to swim in  it (although people do when the rangers are not looking.) At the bottom of the pool of water, there are rocks that can be used as a sort of medicine. Many people dive to the bottom (of shallower parts) to get the rocks. While hiking the weather changed drastically. It went from freezing cold to burning hot to rainy. I had to be prepared and wear many layers. The hike brought back memories of hiking around Mount Blanc with my mother. 

After the hike we headed to a dairy farm that was growing strawberry as well. We got to milk cows and eat freshly made cheese yum! While on the farm we also went into a part of the Cloud Forest (how cool is that?)! I was so amazed at how close everything was. Nature was all around us that day. Our group definitely experienced the typical (tropical) stigma of Costa Rica.

We finally headed back to San Jose. The trip back took us four hours, when it would usually take two. It took so long due to the soccer game with Costa Rica vs. the U.S. On our way home we encountered FIVE automobile accidents which is a lot! The ride back was long, but it let the group bond more which was nice. I arrived back home and ate with my host mom. I gave her my present from Pittsburgh and she loved it! I got to show her where I live and trade marks about Pittsburgh. Mind you this was all in Spanish. My Spanish has improved drastically in the span of four days. Hearing it all the time and needing to use it to communicate with my family forces me to practice (which is just what I need). My host family told me I look like a Tica which was a compliment!

*Here is Costa Rica they call males Ticos and females Ticas. It's just another way of saying males and females, but its signature to Costa Rica

Orientaion- So much to learn! Parte 1

Thursday September 5th I woke up around 6:30 am in order to be at Universidad Latina at 8am. That morning I had to rush to school. The six of us that lived in Sabanilla took a 20 minute walk to school. Costa Rica is very hilly, but thankfully I am from squirrel hill so I am accustomed to steep hills. Here is Costa Rica I live on top of this steep hill!

When we arrived to ULatina, we took a bus to Heredia where the retreat Casa San Benito was located.

        

At Casa San Benito, all the students were given a clean room and bathroom. At orientation we did the usual icebreakers and learned each others names. We also went over the rules and regulations (normal program activities). The meals at Casa San Benito were delicious. All the fruit and vegetables were ripe (something I am not used to in the states). Also I had the best fish I have ever had. It literally melted in my mouth.

After eating so much food, the program providers brought in a dancer who taught us many forms of Latin American dancing. My favorite was the salsa (it was the easiest to learn). I had a great work out and I was not prepared to sweat that much.

PS this was all Thursday! At night we met the director of the program, Jorge Nowalski. Then after dinner we headed to bed to prepare for our hike to the volcano!

*Interesting fact I learned. All the houses, stores and etc. have gates on their windows, doors and even their garages. The reason for this, was in the past families would need these gates in order for animals to stay out of the house. Now it is more for decor but also for safety of potential crime.

Culture Shock- It does exist

I arrived Wednesday September 4th around 4pm in Costa Rica. Traveling alone from Pittsburgh to Miami- Miami to Costa Rica was not an easy task for me. Once I got to the Miami airport, I had to find the international flight to Costa Rica which was a never ending process. I got my first taste of only using Spanish in Miami airport while going through security. Everyone thought I spoke Spanish perfectly, but that was not the case. My eyes got huge and they continued to speak Spanish (probably because they thought I was a child traveling haha).

Once I arrived in Costa Rica I had to wait for another girl to arrive before I could go to my home-stay. At the airport I waited with one of ICDS's coordinators and her daughter. There we spoke Spanglish with one another. I realized at that point, I have a bit of a way to go before I can really converse in Spanish comfortably.

I arrived at my home-stay around 7pm. By that time it was already dark and I was muy cansanda! I got home, quickly unpacked, took a shower and got ready for orientation which was the next day at Casa San Benito, a retreat where we were spending the night. I had to be at the school at 8am which meant I needed to wake up at 6:30am.

Before I went to bed, my host mom Gabriela gave me a run down of the house rules. She told me when we eat our meals, how to keep my room clean, where the towels were, how to use Wifi and mas! Mind you this was all in Spanish so I was a bit overwhelmed.

I experienced major culture shock on my first night, which I was not expecting at all. My first thought was I want to go home and see my parents! I knew this wasn't going to be an easy process but I didn't think it would hit me hard on the first night.
Luckily it got better :)

*I said earlier that I would speak more about the packing process but I did not have time. I will go into a little detail.

Getting ready for Costa Rica was not simple (my mom will vouch for that!)
First I had to get 6 shots and I went to multiple doctors appointments, which made me very tired and worn out.
I also had/have to get a Visa which in itself is a stressful and expensive situation...
Deciding what clothing to wear and how to dress in order to blend in is difficult when you really do not know the style. What I did find out was that shorts  are not commonly worn by girls. Many girls like to dress nicely when outside (so my usual shorts and T-shirt style did not cut it).
Lastly saying good-bye to my family and friends was bitter-sweet. I know I will see everyone in December but three months is a long time, but it'll be worth it!

*One more thing, I switched my track for the second semester from the Human Rights track to the Health Care track... YAY!