Puerto Viejo

This week I am starting week #8 in Costa Rica, pretty crazy. Teaching has been going really well, I am really enjoying getting to know the kids more and more everyday. However, I am really ready for a break. Next week is our Spring Break and I could not be more excited!

Enough about school, here is an update of our weekend. Friday we went to a restaurant to watch our beloved OSU Cowboys play in the NCAA tournament. I am sure as all of you saw that they lost which was heartbreaking but it was still fun to watch. After shedding a few tears we headed home to get some much needed sleep because we had to wake up at 4:30 the next morning to catch our 6:00 bus to the beach. Saturday morning a man picked us up to go to San Jose and the drive should have taken around 20 minutes, but somehow took close to an hour. The man had no idea where to go even though we gave very precise instructions. There were numerous times he would just hit his brakes and stop in the middle of the road or highway. Transportation here is always an adventure.
We finally traveled to the Atlantic coast this weekend to Puerto Viejo. It is a small Caribbean town with a long stretch of beaches. We rented bikes for the day and rode all along the coast to three different beaches. It was really fun and some of the best waves I have ever seen. The water was crystal clear and each beach had different types of sand, from black to tan to almost white. One thing that is really great about the beaches here is that they are never crowded and in most places condos and hotels cannot be built on the beach so it is just palm trees, sand and water. That night we went out to eat to a great restaurant that served Caribbean food so it was a little sweeter than the typical Costa Rican food.
Sunday morning we woke up and went back to the beach to enjoy it for a few hours before we had to leave. We then packed everything up; made ourselves ham sandwiches for the bus and headed to the bus stop. And this is where we got our lesson in patience. Our bus showed up, and only a certain number of people were allowed to get on. Our group of five didn’t make the cut, but we were told that the next bus would be coming in 10 minutes. No big deal right? Well, an hour and a half later our bus finally showed up. Needless to say we were all very frustrated and ready to get home.
Even though we were all frustrated with the bus system, it was still a great weekend. Puerto Viejo was our favorite beach we have been so far. Only one week until Spring Break and then we will be packing our bags for Panama! I can’t wait and I hope this week flies by…

We're Half Way There - Livin' on a Prayer

It is official; I am halfway done with my time in Costa Rica! There still are days that I can’t believe I am living in a different country. I have learned so much and I know I still have a lot to learn and to experience. Tonight I was actually able to have a conversation with my house mom tonight! It was very minimal, but very exciting for me. She is the sweetest lady and treats me like I am her own daughter and even though there is a language barrier I love her so much. I guess actions do speak louder than words. Basically, I love it here most days because each day is a new day!
Mostly I love coming to school to see all the kids and teach them. I was surprised by how friendly the kids are. It is almost like I am back at Camp War Eagle where I am the kid’s counselor and just their friend. They tease me about numerous things; my personal favorite is their attempt to hook me up with one of the teachers here so I will not go back to the states. They have my wedding all planned out down to who will sing, be the preacher and the flower girl. Honestly, it is quite embarrassing but a funny story to tell. They also try to teach me Spanish and laugh at me when I mess up.

Every day is a different day and I never know how the kids are going to act or what they will do next. I can truthfully say that I love teaching, which is good since I am about to graduate and probably do it for a good portion of my life. I remember back in the day when I would teach my stuffed animals and my dream was to become a teacher and now it is finally here. (That sounds cheesy, I know) It is weird this whole growing up thing and has really been on my mind lately. (Without a TV and a car to go anywhere I have a lot of time to think now) It’s crazy and exciting to think that in just a few months I will be on my own and starting the rest of my life. I am not scared, because I am definitely looking forward to it, I just can’t wrap my mind around the fact that I am not going to be a student any longer. It is the only profession I have known besides the glory days at Sonic and other minimum wage jobs I have had.

Here is also a verse I found that has really been on my mind lately…
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27 (NIV)

I know this post is not about an exciting adventure I have been on but I have been a little bored at school so I thought I would just type out my thoughts and share them. Miss and love you all!

A Weekend with the Parents

This weekend my parents came and visited me and one word can describe the weekend, HOT. But it was still great and my teacher was nice enough to let me skip school on Friday so I could spend more time with them! My parents arrived on Thursday and my teacher took me to surprise them at the airport. After about an hour of standing outside, I spotted my parents in the glass window. Unfortunately they did not spot me so I was the crazy American waving my arms outside. Finally though they saw me and looked pretty surprised. That night they got to meet some of the other student teachers from OSU and my house mom. Although my parents do not speak Spanish and my house mom does not speak English, they were all happy to meet each other.

On Friday we went to the Poás Volcano, which is the 2nd largest active crater in the world. It was good to see, but once we hiked and reached the top we stood there for about 2 minutes and said “Cool, ready to go?” I guess we are the type of people who appreciate nature quickly. Then we decided to hike some more and saw the lagoon that the volcano created. After appreciating some nature we drove to Jaco beach where we stayed for weekend. This weekend I definitely did not have to “rough it” like our group does to save our pennies. I got my own bedroom, air conditioning and a hot shower! Having the parents around can be a perk. Saturday my Dad and I did a canopy tour and were able to ride in a “tropical limousine”. That is what the guys that worked there called it, but it was an old truck and we rode in the bed of it. The canopy tour was very fun and we zip lined on a mountain right next to the beach. There were some pretty amazing views of the beach up there. Afterwards, we met up with my mom who was too scared to go and spent the day on the beach. Sunday morning we woke up and drove to Manuel Antonio, which is a national park with beaches inside. It was really beautiful with white sand beaches, really blue water and a rainforest. After being beach bums we decided to walk through the forest where on a trail came face to face with 4 monkeys. Thank goodness because my dad gave me a very hard time because he had not seen a monkey the whole trip. Of course we took too many pictures and then feeling accomplished left the park. We found a nice little café where I was able to eat my first turkey sandwich since being here. For those who don’t know, turkey sandwiches are one of my favorite things in the world and there is virtually no turkey here, so I sure was excited.

It was a great weekend to spend with my parents and like every weekend it went by way too fast. Now the countdown is on to Semana Santa a.k.a Spring Break, two weeks! I sure am jealous that everyone is on Spring Break now, so I hope y’all have a great time!

Top 20 of Costa Rica

This weekend I know you were looking forward to hearing about my amazing adventure, however we decided to stay home in Santa Ana and relax and save our money. It was still a great weekend laying by the pool on Saturday and exploring Santa Ana on Sunday. School work has started to consume our lives now that we are full time teaching now. Between the junk we have to do for OSU and actual teaching we thought it would be smart to stay home and concentrate on that stuff. We are all well rested and ready to bring our A game this week because of University supervisor is coming to check up on us and observe our teaching.

Since I thought my weekly post this week was going to be boring I thought I would enlighten you with my thoughts and some things I have learned or experienced since being here. I am no Socrates or Aristotle bringing deep thoughts, but I hope you find these enjoyable and you just might learn something...
My Top 20 Things about Costa Rica
1. I can live without a TV. Although it is going to be tough when Glee comes back on.
2. I love the way people here live such simple lives. Their source of entertainment is the people around them and they just need the necessities in life. It really makes me realize I have way too much stuff and what is really important in life.
3. I take my car for granted. I think having a car is one of the things I miss the most besides friends and family of course. Not having to wait on a bus will be beautiful thing.
4. I can get up at 5:30 and function, but that means going to bed really early too. Even on the weekends making it out past 10 is an accomplishment. Needless to say my social life doesn't really exist, goodbye to those late nights and late mornings in college. It makes me feel like I have already graduated and started working, the only thing missing is a paycheck.
5. Costa Rica's McDonald's has pastries. U.S. needs to get on the ball with that.
6. Air conditioning is not a necessity although it would be nice on the really hot days. But thank God for fans!
7. I am a Gringa here and I stick out like a sore thumb with the Ticos.
8. There are quite a lot of Americans living here, I was pretty surprised and I love meeting them. Even though I love it here I cannot imagine moving to a foreign country, but who knows what the future holds...Just kidding my mom would flip.
9. Costa Rica is probably the prettiest place I have ever been to or probably will ever be.
10. Being away really makes me appreciate my family and friends more.
11. I am overwhelmed with how hospitable and kind most people are here.
12. It is crazy how many things from the US are exported here. Being a picky eater I am very grateful for my beloved cereal and granola bars so I don't starve. And the movies at the theater are almost all American.
13. The pineapple here is like a little piece of heaven. It puts American pineapple to shame and don't even get me started on the canned kind.
14. One thing I will not miss is the whistling and being stared at by men. Don't worry it's not because I am considered incredibly attractive here, it's cultural. Any woman can be here for 10 minutes and will get whistled at. Some may say it is a self-esteem booster though.
15. Friday night I experienced my first earthquake, but slept through the whole thing. I was a 4 point earthquake that shook the whole house is what my house mom told me the next morning.
16. Ziplining through the rain forest was the best $40 I have ever spent.
17. It is much more windier here than I thought.
18. Stop signs here are more of a suggestion than law.
19. I laughed when our teachers first told us to be careful when crossing the street because people had been hit by cars. Now I don't laugh, I say a quick prayer before I cross the street. I don't think I could even put into words how crazy the drivers here are, so just trust me they are crazy.
20. Pura Vida- The slogan for Costa Rica. It means pure life or basically if anything is wrong, there is no need to worry, just relax. I will use it in a sentence if you still don't get it. "We were suppose to be there 30 minutes ago. Oh well, pura vida"

That is all I have for now, I know that was a lot of things but I just started writing and couldn't stop. I hope y'all have a great week! Pura vida!

This week on the Real World Costa Rica...

A few weeks ago we decided that we could be on the Real World on MTV, but don't worry we are not near as crazy as those people. We just thought that we were a group of random people from OSU that happened to get thrown together as a group to live and experience Costa Rica together, kind of like the Real World. Anyways, this weekend we went to La Fortuna and saw the Arenal Volcano. We left on Friday night and got to our hostel which was very nice this week, much nicer than last weeks. On Saturday we woke up and went to the Baldi Hot Springs which was a very cool place and felt like a resort. They had around 20 different springs that were all different temperatures. There was one that was even 109 degrees, needless to say only my toes made it in that one. It was nice and relaxing though to hang out by the pools and play on the water slides. After being lazy a group of decided to go on a hike and see the volcano. We hiked for about an hour before reaching the top and seeing a great view of the volcano. Unfortunately, it was pretty cloudy that day so we could not see the top, but I still thought it was pretty amazing. It is still an active volcano and we were able to hear it go off and see smoke rising out of the volcano, just in case you were wondering we were about 2 miles away so completely safe. Also, on our hike we once again saw monkeys but this time spider monkeys and those things are crazy how they can jump from tree to tree so quickly. I tried to take some pictures, but I was too slow to capture anything worthwhile. After a long but great day we went to a buffet and stuffed ourselves. We probably looked like we hadn't eaten in days and I think I single handedly ate all the pineapple in that place. Then we returned home Sunday to prepare for another week.

In case you were wondering my real purpose of being here is student teaching so I guess I will update you on that, but it is not near as exciting. I have officially taken over all the classes 7th-9th. Today was my first real day and I think it went pretty well, the kids are very interested in learning so that is always a good thing. On Friday we met up at a mall to go to La Fortuna and while I was passing the food court I heard about 10 of my 7th grade girls calling Miss Kristen. So I talked with them for a while and discussed our weekend. Even though I shouldn't have favorites, the 7th graders are by far my favorite.

Oh and yesterday marked one month in Costa Rica! Where has the time gone?