Hello everyone,
I've decided that Fridays will generally be my posting days because it is when I have the most free time. I"ll try to post something every Friday. I don't think it will be too difficult since we have so much going on here.
As I'm posting this, I'm staring out my bedroom window into the backyard. It's gorgeously sunny outside. If I could see my computer screen in the sunlight, I would bring my laptop outside to write but I can't so I'll just write this up and then enjoy the beauty.
I added a lot of pictures the other day from the various things that we have done in the last week.Last Friday we went dancing to say goodbye to the winter break students (except Mark, who leaves tomorrow). It was sad, but we had a lot of fun. But, Janiva was right about being safe and aware at night because we saw the end results of a bar fight when we got back to Heredia and were trying to catch a cab home. Our bus driver, Cristian, had to get us back on the bus to drop us off at a different spot for safety purposes. It's just a reminder that just because you are in a relatively safe place doesn't mean that you shouldn't be aware of what is going on around you that could put you in danger. And of course, in our case, Janiva is (almost) always right.
Then,on Saturday we left for La Fortuna Waterfall and Arenal Volcano. The weather up in the mountainous region was a little bit rainy, but it was still warm so the rain wasn't really all that bad. The hike down to La Fortuna wasn't that long, but it was all downhill and steep, so going back up was difficult. But, the waterfall. O jeez, the waterfall. It was..well, magical. In two different ways. One, because it is unbelievable and beautiful. Two, because they call it the magic waterfall because when you stare at it and then stare at the rocks next to it, the rocks look like they are moving. Which is awesome.
After the waterfall, we went to the hot springs at the foot of Volcan Arenal, which, according to Janiva, was called Mount Arenal until the 1960s. Nobody knew it was a volcano until it erupted then. Since that day, it has been constantly active and is one of the three most perfectly coned volcanoes in the world. The hot springs were amazing. Since it was drizzling outside, we could sit in 109 degree water and still be comfortable. It was quite possibly a perfect afternoon. The hot springs are geothermically heated pools of water which have been turned into a resort area. It's sad, but ok all at the same time because it'd be nice if they were left untouched, but if they were untouched, we probably wouldn't be allowed to sit in them. Of course, I can't talk about the hot springs without mentioning the buffet dinner at the end of the night. Can you say delicioso? Not to mention there was a chocolate fondue fountain and freshly squeezed fruit juices. Perfection.
On our way home, we went to Zarcero and stopped at the church there. It has these huge man-carved topiaries in front of it and it's really interesting to walk around there. When I was here in high school, it was white, but now the church is grey. Janiva said it has never been white, but I have photographic proof. I will show the photos to her one day. I will beat Janiva! It's unheard of!
My birthday was on Tuesday. I turned 21. My host family got me the most beautiful boquet of tropical flowers and the girls from my program, and Janiva, came over to my house for cake. It was wonderful that everyone acknowledged my birthday. It would have been sad if it had been ignored since I am so far away from home.
Then, on Wednesday we went to the Toucan Rescue Ranch in the mountains of Heredia. It was..amazing. I know that I use that word a lot, but it becomes difficult to find words to describe everything here. We got a tour of the facility and met all of the animals. They had a ton of parrots toucans, and owls, a monkey, three sloths, a porquepine, and a Kinkajou (which is a kind of adorable nocturnal tree-dwelling creature which big eyes and a tail that is used to grab things). I pretty much fell in love with the sloths. The ranch is a rescue facility that helps injured and abused animals found in the wild or confiscated for animal trafficking. If you would like to learn more about the ranch and its efforts or donate to help these amazing and beautiful animals, you can visit their site at http://www.toucanrescueranch.com. The people there are amazing and what they are doing for the endangered and threatened animals is incredible. They are currently trying to raise money to build an appropriately sized enclosure for their monkey, Izzy, who was rescued from and illegal, abusive owner. She is now doing wonderfully, but needs more space to play around in. You can choose to adopt an animal, or just make a donation.
Well, yesterday we went to San Jose to buy bus tickets because the girls and I are going back to Manuel Antonio this weekend. We wanted to go back because it was gorgeous and because we want to sit on the beach. We are renting a house for the night. It is about $100 for the night, but its split between 5 of us, so it is only $20 a person, which really isn't bad for a whole house. It should be a lot of fun.
After being in San Jose (and deciding we much prefer Heredia), we went to Mark's house for burritos and then out to celebrate his last night. I don't know if celebrate is the right word, because we are all really sad that he is leaving, but that is the only word I can think of at the moment for it.
Not really much going on today except officially saying goodbye to Mark. We leave at 9 a.m. Saturday morning for Manuel Antonio, so it would be pretty hard to do much tonight.
Pura Vida!
Jan 14, 2011
Spending time with your host family and the first week of classes
Hello all :)
So, I think we all know that a big part of studying abroad is living with a host family (at least in Spanish-speaking countries it is, some other countries don't always offer a host family option for housing). Since I've been here, I've spent a decent amount of time with my family in the evenings. It's not uncommon for mi hermana tica (Costa Rican sister) and her husband and son to come over for dinner at night, so I've gotten to know them more or less as well as I know the rest of my family.
On Wednesday I didn't have class until 6 p.m. so my host mom, hermana tica (who from now on I'll refer to as Stefanie, because that is her name), Jose (Stefanie's husband), and Anthony (Stefanie's son) went up to the mountains to explore. We walked around and hiked by a gorgeous river. I'll post the pictures later today. It was gorgeous, just like everything else in this country, and a lot of fun. My host mom was hilarious when we were getting ready to leave. She kept telling me how cold it was going to be in the mountains and that I should bring a coat. I saw her dig out mittens, a hat, and a scarf, so I assumed that it was actually going to be chilly, so I wore a sweater and put on a light coat that I had brought. We drove up to the river and when I got out of the car, I was amazed. It was so comfortable. I couldn't believe how much of a fuss had been made about how cold it was going to be. It felt like a warm autumn afternoon in Wisconsin. I instantly took off my coat and my family couldn't believe that I wasn't cold. I had to re-explain to them that weather like this is perfect to me.
It just goes to show how big of a difference it is to live in north-eastern Wisconsin vs. Central Costa Rica.
So yeah, that was my big adventure with my host family this week. They also introduced me to the Colombian version of Ugly Betty (Soy Betty, la Fea), which is probably way funnier as a Spanish telenovela than an English dramady, but I haven't watched the English version enough to know. (I would like to update this post by saying that the Colombian version came first, in case it was implied otherwise. I knew that, but apparently the way that I wrote it was confusing or misguiding.)
But I think it's important to tell you about my first week of classes with locals, because I have quite a story to tell about my first class.
So on Monday, I show up at the school around 1:30 so that I would have plenty of time to find my classroom before my first class, Introduction to the Theory and Practice of Public Relations, started at 2. Instead of handing out paper schedules, the school posts the classes, organized by department, on big whiteboards in the hallways. Janiva helped me figure out the board and find my classroom. So I sat outside the room and ate my lunch until the professor arrived at 2:05 (typically tico). Then, in a moment of panic, I saw the professor write a different name on the board than was in the information I had written down. I turned to the student next to me and asked if this was intro to public relations, and she said no. After taking the time to tell myself to relax, I got up and went to the classrooms on either side of mine. Neither were Intro to the Theory and Practice of Public Relations. Finally, I went back to the boards and asked one of the people who was in charge of helping students with scheduling problems what the deal was. He told me that my class had been moved to 6-9 p.m. on Mondays. All I could think was "what is going on and why didn't Janiva know this?" So I went to her office and she came back to the tables with me and asked the same questions and they told her the same thing so we talked to the woman in charge of scheduling. Turns out we had been looking at the wrong course number (BRP-002 instead of BRP-003). Of course by the time we finally got to the right room, it was around 2:30 and the professor asked why I was so late. Janiva had to explain, in front of the entire class, why I was late and that I am an international student from the States, which was just slightly horrifying, for three reasons.
1.) I am an international student from the U.S. so coming in late for the reason I did makes me look incredibly silly,
2.) I am rarely late for anything, especially class,
3.) The last thing I need is to draw more attention to myself or to give a bad first impression to my professors.
Luckily, my professor was really cool about it. He understood the situation, and I hadn't really missed much. He just wanted me to make sure that I know that his class is run on gringo time (people from the U.S. are called gringos and gringas. It's not considered derogatory, it's just slang), not tico time so being late isn't acceptable from now on. Which I am fine with. I'm a pretty prompt person.
So yeah, that was my first day of class. Great way to start it off, right? My other two classes this week were no where near as eventful. Yoga on Wednesday night and Marketing on Thursday morning went smoothly. Hopefully, the rest of my semester will go just as well.
Tonight we are going dancing again as a farewell to the winter break students. One of Costa Rica's best salsa bands (according to Janiva) is going to be playing in Heredia so we are going to go listen to them and dance. We leave early tomorrow morning for Arenal Volcano and La Fortuna Waterfall, which is going to be so much fun, but it will be weird to not have the winter break students there (except for Mark, who will be here until next weekend).
See you later!
Pura Vida.
So, I think we all know that a big part of studying abroad is living with a host family (at least in Spanish-speaking countries it is, some other countries don't always offer a host family option for housing). Since I've been here, I've spent a decent amount of time with my family in the evenings. It's not uncommon for mi hermana tica (Costa Rican sister) and her husband and son to come over for dinner at night, so I've gotten to know them more or less as well as I know the rest of my family.
On Wednesday I didn't have class until 6 p.m. so my host mom, hermana tica (who from now on I'll refer to as Stefanie, because that is her name), Jose (Stefanie's husband), and Anthony (Stefanie's son) went up to the mountains to explore. We walked around and hiked by a gorgeous river. I'll post the pictures later today. It was gorgeous, just like everything else in this country, and a lot of fun. My host mom was hilarious when we were getting ready to leave. She kept telling me how cold it was going to be in the mountains and that I should bring a coat. I saw her dig out mittens, a hat, and a scarf, so I assumed that it was actually going to be chilly, so I wore a sweater and put on a light coat that I had brought. We drove up to the river and when I got out of the car, I was amazed. It was so comfortable. I couldn't believe how much of a fuss had been made about how cold it was going to be. It felt like a warm autumn afternoon in Wisconsin. I instantly took off my coat and my family couldn't believe that I wasn't cold. I had to re-explain to them that weather like this is perfect to me.
It just goes to show how big of a difference it is to live in north-eastern Wisconsin vs. Central Costa Rica.
So yeah, that was my big adventure with my host family this week. They also introduced me to the Colombian version of Ugly Betty (Soy Betty, la Fea), which is probably way funnier as a Spanish telenovela than an English dramady, but I haven't watched the English version enough to know. (I would like to update this post by saying that the Colombian version came first, in case it was implied otherwise. I knew that, but apparently the way that I wrote it was confusing or misguiding.)
But I think it's important to tell you about my first week of classes with locals, because I have quite a story to tell about my first class.
So on Monday, I show up at the school around 1:30 so that I would have plenty of time to find my classroom before my first class, Introduction to the Theory and Practice of Public Relations, started at 2. Instead of handing out paper schedules, the school posts the classes, organized by department, on big whiteboards in the hallways. Janiva helped me figure out the board and find my classroom. So I sat outside the room and ate my lunch until the professor arrived at 2:05 (typically tico). Then, in a moment of panic, I saw the professor write a different name on the board than was in the information I had written down. I turned to the student next to me and asked if this was intro to public relations, and she said no. After taking the time to tell myself to relax, I got up and went to the classrooms on either side of mine. Neither were Intro to the Theory and Practice of Public Relations. Finally, I went back to the boards and asked one of the people who was in charge of helping students with scheduling problems what the deal was. He told me that my class had been moved to 6-9 p.m. on Mondays. All I could think was "what is going on and why didn't Janiva know this?" So I went to her office and she came back to the tables with me and asked the same questions and they told her the same thing so we talked to the woman in charge of scheduling. Turns out we had been looking at the wrong course number (BRP-002 instead of BRP-003). Of course by the time we finally got to the right room, it was around 2:30 and the professor asked why I was so late. Janiva had to explain, in front of the entire class, why I was late and that I am an international student from the States, which was just slightly horrifying, for three reasons.
1.) I am an international student from the U.S. so coming in late for the reason I did makes me look incredibly silly,
2.) I am rarely late for anything, especially class,
3.) The last thing I need is to draw more attention to myself or to give a bad first impression to my professors.
Luckily, my professor was really cool about it. He understood the situation, and I hadn't really missed much. He just wanted me to make sure that I know that his class is run on gringo time (people from the U.S. are called gringos and gringas. It's not considered derogatory, it's just slang), not tico time so being late isn't acceptable from now on. Which I am fine with. I'm a pretty prompt person.
So yeah, that was my first day of class. Great way to start it off, right? My other two classes this week were no where near as eventful. Yoga on Wednesday night and Marketing on Thursday morning went smoothly. Hopefully, the rest of my semester will go just as well.
Tonight we are going dancing again as a farewell to the winter break students. One of Costa Rica's best salsa bands (according to Janiva) is going to be playing in Heredia so we are going to go listen to them and dance. We leave early tomorrow morning for Arenal Volcano and La Fortuna Waterfall, which is going to be so much fun, but it will be weird to not have the winter break students there (except for Mark, who will be here until next weekend).
See you later!
Pura Vida.
Jan 12, 2011
Learning to Dance
So last night we had a dance class where we learned how to do the Salsa, Merengue, and Costa Rican Cumbia. It was incredible to really learn how to dance since it isn't something that people in the U.S. know how to formally do anymore. In middle school, I avoided dances like the plague, but I grew to love them in High School and now in college I go to as many of my sorority's functions as possible because I just love how much fun dancing can be.
We met up at the University and our instructor, Carlos, started with the merengue because, according to him, it’s the easiest. And now, as I look back, I guess it probably is, when you're dancing by yourself. It's a lot more complicated with a partner, but isn't everything? Some people really got the hang of it quickly. I'm not as graceful so it took a little while.
I think everyone struggled with the cumbia. It seems really easy at first, but for some reason it was really hard, haha. But then again, Carlos made everything seem really easy, even though he was dancing with girls who had never done any of it before. The salsa was probably the easiest for me because it is a pretty basic rhythm. I thought it was easier with a partner than alone though, because it was easier for me to keep in time with the steps.
After our class we went to a discotecta (which is more or less a dance club) and we actually put to use what we had learned. It was a lot of fun dancing ourselves and watching the locals dance. They really know what they are doing. Costa Ricans dance like they live, with lots of energy and smoothness and just an all-around sense of "no day but today" to quote RENT.
We all danced with each other and a few of us danced with locals. Carlos made a point of dancing with each of the ladies in our group and teaching us how to do a dance that we didn't learn in the classroom.
Catie and I decided that we definitely want to go back during the semester. It will be interesting to see if we can really learn over time how to do these dances.
I think it’s really important to take advantages of opportunities like this when you study abroad. Every aspect of the culture is an integral part of understanding a group of people and even truly learning their language.
Tonight I have yoga with Anna, and tomorrow I have marketing and then Anna and I are going to the spa at 2. Friday we say farewell to all of the winter break students, except Mark, who will be here through next week, then Saturday and Sunday we are going to Arenal Volcano and La Fortuna waterfall.
Next week we are going to a Toucan Rescue Ranch, which I am really excited for. We are volunteering there so hopefully I will get a chance to work with some of the animals.
Pues, hasta manaña!
See you later!
We met up at the University and our instructor, Carlos, started with the merengue because, according to him, it’s the easiest. And now, as I look back, I guess it probably is, when you're dancing by yourself. It's a lot more complicated with a partner, but isn't everything? Some people really got the hang of it quickly. I'm not as graceful so it took a little while.
I think everyone struggled with the cumbia. It seems really easy at first, but for some reason it was really hard, haha. But then again, Carlos made everything seem really easy, even though he was dancing with girls who had never done any of it before. The salsa was probably the easiest for me because it is a pretty basic rhythm. I thought it was easier with a partner than alone though, because it was easier for me to keep in time with the steps.
After our class we went to a discotecta (which is more or less a dance club) and we actually put to use what we had learned. It was a lot of fun dancing ourselves and watching the locals dance. They really know what they are doing. Costa Ricans dance like they live, with lots of energy and smoothness and just an all-around sense of "no day but today" to quote RENT.
We all danced with each other and a few of us danced with locals. Carlos made a point of dancing with each of the ladies in our group and teaching us how to do a dance that we didn't learn in the classroom.
Catie and I decided that we definitely want to go back during the semester. It will be interesting to see if we can really learn over time how to do these dances.
I think it’s really important to take advantages of opportunities like this when you study abroad. Every aspect of the culture is an integral part of understanding a group of people and even truly learning their language.
Tonight I have yoga with Anna, and tomorrow I have marketing and then Anna and I are going to the spa at 2. Friday we say farewell to all of the winter break students, except Mark, who will be here through next week, then Saturday and Sunday we are going to Arenal Volcano and La Fortuna waterfall.
Next week we are going to a Toucan Rescue Ranch, which I am really excited for. We are volunteering there so hopefully I will get a chance to work with some of the animals.
Pues, hasta manaña!
See you later!
Jan 11, 2011
Crocodile Look-out Point, Manuel Antonio National Park
Hello all!
So my first few days in Costa Rica were, to say the least, crazy. I was lucky to have no trouble with my flights. But just a few tips, make sure that you bring a pen on the plane to fill out customs forms and that you know all the necessary information for the forms. They ask things like address where you will be staying and phone number where you can be reached. I didn't bring a pen so I had to ask someone sitting next to me if I could borrow hers. To avoid any difficulty, just bring a pen. Also, don't let the customs people scare you. They are there to make sure that people don't get into the country who shouldn't be there. They will probably be a little tough with you.
I was the first to arrive from my group, but eventually two of the other girls showed up and we rode in the Sol Abroad bus together to our respective host families. At first, I was really nervous around my host family, because they were being quiet and I was being quiet. But, then I realized, they are probably just as nervous as I am. Give your host family the benefit of the doubt, and don't let your nerves get the best of you. You are just as new to them as they are to you. I was lucky that my host mom's grandson was at the house when I arrived. He really helped with breaking the ice. Take the time to unpack and get acquainted with your new room. You'll be there for quite a while. But don't spend all of your time there. Make the effort to meet your host family and talk with them. My first night in Costa Rica, the entire family was at the house, my mama tica and papa tico, their son and daughter, and their daughter's husband and son. It was nice to be able to meet them all at once. And remember, if they are host families that your program uses, chances are they want to learn about you and your hometown, so don't be afraid to talk to them; they will also be more than happy to help you with your Spanish learning.
Then dinner came. And dinner was fine; they didn't serve me anything too extreme, and the food was really good. It was juice, chicken, rice, potatoes, and beans. But, I've never really liked beans, which is a problem in Costa Rica because they eat beans with almost every meal. But, I told myself that I wasn't going to complain, and I grabbed a forkful and ate it. And it tasted good. I'm not saying that I've changed my opinion of beans, but I know that I'll be able to eat them for the next three months and I won't die, or be miserable. It's important to eat all the foods that your host family eats so that you really know what it's like to live there day to day. Not to mention, in Costa Rica especially, food is a huge part of welcoming you to the family. They want to make sure that you have enough to eat, so chances are they are going to give you a lot and try to accommodate you as much as they can. Accept what they are giving you. They don't live in excess like we do in the U.S., so when they offer you food, take it as a sign of good will. But, don't be afraid to let them know if you have a real reason for not being able to eat something (allergies, religious beliefs, dietary restrains such as being a vegetarian, etc.). For the most part, suck it up and just enjoy the adventure of it all. You can't really experience the country if you close yourself off to things you don't know.
After dinner, my host brother (Johan), my host sister's husband (Jose) and my host sister's son (Anthony), and I watched a Batman movie. Anyone who knows me knows that I am right at home anywhere there is Batman.
The following day my host mom walked me to the university for a tour and orientation. How do I get to class, you ask? Why, I walk through a MALL of course! And it's a huge mall, at that. But it's actually really convenient because then if there are things that I need to pick up, I can just do it on my way home from class. Not to mention, the mall is lit up and there are security guards everywhere so going that way makes me feel really safe. It's also the easiest place to catch a taxi at night.
During the university tour we met up with the winter break students to get a briefing on our trip to Manuel Antonio National Park, which was amazing and beautiful and gorgeous and can't be described with words. The campus is gorgeous, also. I feel like gorgeous and beautiful are words that can describe most of Costa Rica. Everywhere in the Central Valley (which is where Heredia is located) has views of the mountains, and it’s hot and sunny, but there are constantly mountain breezes that make it so comfortable despite the sun. It is a big campus, but it doesn't feel enormous, and it feels secure, which is really nice.
On Saturday, we left for Manuel Antonio National Park really early in the morning. On the way there we stopped at a crocodile lookout point, which is basically a bridge over a river where crocodiles naturally live. It sort of felt like looking down into a zoo exhibit until you realized there was nothing keeping the crocs from coming up the slope and attacking. But they just lay calmly in the water and swam around. It was pretty cool, since you don't that close to animals like crocodiles (crocodillos en espanol) in the States.
We stayed at the cutest hotel in Manuel Antonio. Each room had three beds and a t.v. and bathroom, but no clock. We were lucky to have a fridge in our room where we could put snacks and water that we bought in the nearby inland town called Quepos. We only had a 5 minute walk to the beach, and the views from the hotel porch of the Pacific Ocean were amazing. Our group spent about an hour swimming at the public beach, and then we did the hike through the national park, which took about 2 hours. During the hike we stopped at a bunch of look-out points and just stared at the beautiful water. We also saw and incredible number of monkeys, and they got really close to us. Janiva told us that because of all the tourists they have more or less become desensitized to human presence. We also saw a sloth and some mapaches, which basically look like raccoons, but I don't know for sure if they are raccoons, or just a jungle animal that looks like a raccoon. That night we had dinner in Quepos (because everything is cheaper inland than on the beach) and celebrated Catie, Ellen, and Maemar's birthdays.
Before we went home on Sunday, we stopped for whitewater rafting, which was incredible. I've gone before in I think Kentucky and Tennessee, but this was way better. We were lucky; the only time anyone fell out of our boat was when our guide purposefully tipped it over. He did a really good job. We didn't really see any super exciting animals during our rafting, but we did see a horse just sort of wandering on its own and a farm full of cows. After rafting, we stopped at Jaco Beach and some people went bungee jumping. That was crazy to watch. I didn't go, but I took a video of Akhil jumping, and I will ask him if he minds if I post the video.
Then, on Monday, we went on a tour of Heredia Central (downtown Heredia) so that we know where to get certain things that we need. We also had the opportunity to try a bunch of different local fruits and go to a local cafe, which was a lot of fun. My first class was Monday, too, but I will write about that experience later this week after I have had all of my classes (I still have Yoga on Wednesday night and Marketing on Thursday morning.)
You can see pictures from Manuel Antonio and from the crocodile lookout point at the photographs page up above. There are also pictures from the Heredia City tour. I will talk to Akhil about the bungee video as soon as possible.
Hasta luego, see ya later.
So my first few days in Costa Rica were, to say the least, crazy. I was lucky to have no trouble with my flights. But just a few tips, make sure that you bring a pen on the plane to fill out customs forms and that you know all the necessary information for the forms. They ask things like address where you will be staying and phone number where you can be reached. I didn't bring a pen so I had to ask someone sitting next to me if I could borrow hers. To avoid any difficulty, just bring a pen. Also, don't let the customs people scare you. They are there to make sure that people don't get into the country who shouldn't be there. They will probably be a little tough with you.
I was the first to arrive from my group, but eventually two of the other girls showed up and we rode in the Sol Abroad bus together to our respective host families. At first, I was really nervous around my host family, because they were being quiet and I was being quiet. But, then I realized, they are probably just as nervous as I am. Give your host family the benefit of the doubt, and don't let your nerves get the best of you. You are just as new to them as they are to you. I was lucky that my host mom's grandson was at the house when I arrived. He really helped with breaking the ice. Take the time to unpack and get acquainted with your new room. You'll be there for quite a while. But don't spend all of your time there. Make the effort to meet your host family and talk with them. My first night in Costa Rica, the entire family was at the house, my mama tica and papa tico, their son and daughter, and their daughter's husband and son. It was nice to be able to meet them all at once. And remember, if they are host families that your program uses, chances are they want to learn about you and your hometown, so don't be afraid to talk to them; they will also be more than happy to help you with your Spanish learning.
Then dinner came. And dinner was fine; they didn't serve me anything too extreme, and the food was really good. It was juice, chicken, rice, potatoes, and beans. But, I've never really liked beans, which is a problem in Costa Rica because they eat beans with almost every meal. But, I told myself that I wasn't going to complain, and I grabbed a forkful and ate it. And it tasted good. I'm not saying that I've changed my opinion of beans, but I know that I'll be able to eat them for the next three months and I won't die, or be miserable. It's important to eat all the foods that your host family eats so that you really know what it's like to live there day to day. Not to mention, in Costa Rica especially, food is a huge part of welcoming you to the family. They want to make sure that you have enough to eat, so chances are they are going to give you a lot and try to accommodate you as much as they can. Accept what they are giving you. They don't live in excess like we do in the U.S., so when they offer you food, take it as a sign of good will. But, don't be afraid to let them know if you have a real reason for not being able to eat something (allergies, religious beliefs, dietary restrains such as being a vegetarian, etc.). For the most part, suck it up and just enjoy the adventure of it all. You can't really experience the country if you close yourself off to things you don't know.
After dinner, my host brother (Johan), my host sister's husband (Jose) and my host sister's son (Anthony), and I watched a Batman movie. Anyone who knows me knows that I am right at home anywhere there is Batman.
The following day my host mom walked me to the university for a tour and orientation. How do I get to class, you ask? Why, I walk through a MALL of course! And it's a huge mall, at that. But it's actually really convenient because then if there are things that I need to pick up, I can just do it on my way home from class. Not to mention, the mall is lit up and there are security guards everywhere so going that way makes me feel really safe. It's also the easiest place to catch a taxi at night.
During the university tour we met up with the winter break students to get a briefing on our trip to Manuel Antonio National Park, which was amazing and beautiful and gorgeous and can't be described with words. The campus is gorgeous, also. I feel like gorgeous and beautiful are words that can describe most of Costa Rica. Everywhere in the Central Valley (which is where Heredia is located) has views of the mountains, and it’s hot and sunny, but there are constantly mountain breezes that make it so comfortable despite the sun. It is a big campus, but it doesn't feel enormous, and it feels secure, which is really nice.
On Saturday, we left for Manuel Antonio National Park really early in the morning. On the way there we stopped at a crocodile lookout point, which is basically a bridge over a river where crocodiles naturally live. It sort of felt like looking down into a zoo exhibit until you realized there was nothing keeping the crocs from coming up the slope and attacking. But they just lay calmly in the water and swam around. It was pretty cool, since you don't that close to animals like crocodiles (crocodillos en espanol) in the States.
We stayed at the cutest hotel in Manuel Antonio. Each room had three beds and a t.v. and bathroom, but no clock. We were lucky to have a fridge in our room where we could put snacks and water that we bought in the nearby inland town called Quepos. We only had a 5 minute walk to the beach, and the views from the hotel porch of the Pacific Ocean were amazing. Our group spent about an hour swimming at the public beach, and then we did the hike through the national park, which took about 2 hours. During the hike we stopped at a bunch of look-out points and just stared at the beautiful water. We also saw and incredible number of monkeys, and they got really close to us. Janiva told us that because of all the tourists they have more or less become desensitized to human presence. We also saw a sloth and some mapaches, which basically look like raccoons, but I don't know for sure if they are raccoons, or just a jungle animal that looks like a raccoon. That night we had dinner in Quepos (because everything is cheaper inland than on the beach) and celebrated Catie, Ellen, and Maemar's birthdays.
Before we went home on Sunday, we stopped for whitewater rafting, which was incredible. I've gone before in I think Kentucky and Tennessee, but this was way better. We were lucky; the only time anyone fell out of our boat was when our guide purposefully tipped it over. He did a really good job. We didn't really see any super exciting animals during our rafting, but we did see a horse just sort of wandering on its own and a farm full of cows. After rafting, we stopped at Jaco Beach and some people went bungee jumping. That was crazy to watch. I didn't go, but I took a video of Akhil jumping, and I will ask him if he minds if I post the video.
Then, on Monday, we went on a tour of Heredia Central (downtown Heredia) so that we know where to get certain things that we need. We also had the opportunity to try a bunch of different local fruits and go to a local cafe, which was a lot of fun. My first class was Monday, too, but I will write about that experience later this week after I have had all of my classes (I still have Yoga on Wednesday night and Marketing on Thursday morning.)
You can see pictures from Manuel Antonio and from the crocodile lookout point at the photographs page up above. There are also pictures from the Heredia City tour. I will talk to Akhil about the bungee video as soon as possible.
Hasta luego, see ya later.
Jan 5, 2011
Leaving
So I leave tomorrow for Costa Rica. I don't think it has really sunk in yet that I am really leaving. It probably won't until I get there and realize that I'm not coming home for a while.
It has taken me a while to pack. I have a hard time editing once I have decided what I all want to bring. My friend who just got home from a study abroad experience in Spain had to help me eliminate some of the clothing and other things that I really didn't need. Of course, Spain and Costa Rica are two very different countries so it isn't that similar, but she had a few good insights that I'd like to share.
1. Don't bring clothing that screams "I'm NOT from this country." You are studying abroad to learn about a different culture, and part of that is trying to dress similarly to the people around you. My friend suggested that I don't bring a ton of clothing that draws attention to the fact that I am not from Costa Rica. This helped eliminate a few shirts that I had packed. Not to mention, in some countries (like Spain and Costa Rica); they dress more formally on a regular basis than we do in the United States. So bringing a lot of sweatpants and sweatshirts isn't necessarily a good use of suitcase space.
2. Books take up space...and weigh a lot. In the age that we live in, we can translate almost everything we need to online and we are lucky to have online dictionaries and verb conjugation. My Spanish teachers will kill me for saying this, but if you're looking to open up some extra space (and ditch some weight), perhaps leaving your handy dictionary behind wouldn't be awful. Plus, most classrooms you go into will have at least a dictionary available for student use.
3. Use the photos on your computer. Most programs will recommend that you bring pictures or a scrapbook to show your host family so that they can get to know you a little better. Usually the pictures are of friends, family, pets, and things that mean a lot to you. In the age of digital cameras and computers, scrapbooks and printed out photographs lose a lot of their necessity, especially in international travel. If you are going away for a semester, you are most likely bringing your computer anyway so you might as well just show your host family the pictures you already have saved onto your computer. Personally, I am bringing a digital photo frame that some of my sorority sisters bought me that is loaded with photos of my friends, family, and pets, which is another good solution to the bulky photo book alternative.
I will be taking a duffel bag, a large check suitcase, a backpack, and a laptop bag with me, which, for me, isn't much. But I will be able to carry them all by myself, which is the most important thing. Don't bring so much that you can't handle it by yourself, because you will have to get your bags through customs by yourself.
And make sure you don't forget that you need school supplies. That is easily overlooked. ;D
Next you hear from me, I'll be in Heredia!
Pura Vida.
It has taken me a while to pack. I have a hard time editing once I have decided what I all want to bring. My friend who just got home from a study abroad experience in Spain had to help me eliminate some of the clothing and other things that I really didn't need. Of course, Spain and Costa Rica are two very different countries so it isn't that similar, but she had a few good insights that I'd like to share.
1. Don't bring clothing that screams "I'm NOT from this country." You are studying abroad to learn about a different culture, and part of that is trying to dress similarly to the people around you. My friend suggested that I don't bring a ton of clothing that draws attention to the fact that I am not from Costa Rica. This helped eliminate a few shirts that I had packed. Not to mention, in some countries (like Spain and Costa Rica); they dress more formally on a regular basis than we do in the United States. So bringing a lot of sweatpants and sweatshirts isn't necessarily a good use of suitcase space.
2. Books take up space...and weigh a lot. In the age that we live in, we can translate almost everything we need to online and we are lucky to have online dictionaries and verb conjugation. My Spanish teachers will kill me for saying this, but if you're looking to open up some extra space (and ditch some weight), perhaps leaving your handy dictionary behind wouldn't be awful. Plus, most classrooms you go into will have at least a dictionary available for student use.
3. Use the photos on your computer. Most programs will recommend that you bring pictures or a scrapbook to show your host family so that they can get to know you a little better. Usually the pictures are of friends, family, pets, and things that mean a lot to you. In the age of digital cameras and computers, scrapbooks and printed out photographs lose a lot of their necessity, especially in international travel. If you are going away for a semester, you are most likely bringing your computer anyway so you might as well just show your host family the pictures you already have saved onto your computer. Personally, I am bringing a digital photo frame that some of my sorority sisters bought me that is loaded with photos of my friends, family, and pets, which is another good solution to the bulky photo book alternative.
I will be taking a duffel bag, a large check suitcase, a backpack, and a laptop bag with me, which, for me, isn't much. But I will be able to carry them all by myself, which is the most important thing. Don't bring so much that you can't handle it by yourself, because you will have to get your bags through customs by yourself.
And make sure you don't forget that you need school supplies. That is easily overlooked. ;D
Next you hear from me, I'll be in Heredia!
Pura Vida.
Dec 14, 2010
The Before
When it comes to studying abroad, preparation is key. In addition to the program application process, it is important to try to figure out as much as you can before you go so that your departure and return go as smoothly as possible. But it is also vital to remember that the beauty of study abroad is this: it is never the same for everyone, and if it teaches you anything it is to learn to go with the flow. Even the most prepared and organized person cannot account for every possible problem he or she could encounter during their time abroad.
For example, a close friend of mine spent her first semester of this year in Spain. About two weeks into her trip, she slipped and fractured her nose. Because of this, some of the money she had budgeted for other things had to be used on doctor’s appointments instead. Obviously, she could not have accounted for an accident like this before going abroad, and luckily it didn’t change her plans too much, but it just goes to show that anything that can happen to you at home can happen to you while you are abroad, so be prepared changes in plans.
But, there are some things that you can get ready before you go. Here are my Top 4 most important things to do before you leave:
1. Credit transfers – Depending on the program you are traveling through, this will either be fairly easy or incredibly difficult. Basically what you have to do (at Carthage) is get a special form from the Registrar’s office, get the course catalog from the school you are studying abroad at, fill it out, and have the department heads at Carthage ok the classes that apply to their departments. For example, I want to take my Principles of Public Relations course while I am in Costa Rica, so I had the Communication Department head (at the time Paul Chilsen) look at a few different course descriptions and sign off on the one that best fit the Carthage Principles of PR course. After obtaining all of your signatures, you return the forms to the Registrar’s Office and then the credits transfer pretty easily.
Why would this be difficult? Some programs don’t give you course options before you leave and you can’t figure this out before you go. If this is the case with your program, you should contact your advisor at Carthage and the necessary department heads as soon as possible after finding out what classes you are taking to try to work out getting the credits transferred.
2. Living situation – Whether you go in the fall or the spring, your return to school can be a lot easier and less stressful if you know where you are going to live when you return before you depart. First, you have to decide whether you are going to be living on- or off-campus when you come back from being abroad. No matter which you decide, you have to inform the head of Housing in the Dean of Students office. And of course, you have to figure out whom you will be living with. Since you will be gone for an extended amount of time, it is always best to choose someone you know won’t mess you up when you get back by deciding to live with someone else.
3. Finances – Always a stressful topic. Before you even choose a program, you should be thinking about how you’re going to pay for being abroad. At Carthage, you have the option to stay enrolled as a student and pay an academic oversight fee to the School so that they will take care of your bills. Usually, students pay for a full year at Carthage, not a single semester, so what Carthage does when you stay enrolled is use the tuition you paid for the semester you will be gone (in my case, the spring semester) to pay for your program, plus the oversight fee. If you have student loans that require you be enrolled in an American college or university or other financial aid that can be applied to your study abroad, this can be a very good option; however, if you don’t have student loans or applicable financial aid, it may be best to use the brand new Temporary Leave of Absence for Study Abroad Students form that Vatistas in the Financial Aid Office and Erik Kulke, the Carthage Study Abroad Coordinator, have just come up with. I’m using the Temporary Leave of Absence form, which really isn’t very complicated and is the better choice for me since I don’t have any student loans or applicable aid.
4. Returning semester – I recommend that before you leave you should at least beginning the conversation with your advisor about what classes you are going to take the semester that you come back to Carthage. Students who are abroad usually register while they are gone. I’m a person who loves to have a plan, so for my own personal sanity it was important to me to have some sort of idea of what my first semester back at Carthage will look like next fall, especially since it will be the first semester of my senior year.
All of these things can be a bit time consuming, but believe me, getting them done before you got can relieve a lot of stress. In GRN 351, the study abroad preparation course, Erik had us fill out check off sheets to make sure we were on track with getting everything done that we could before we left. For me, it was helpful to have a list in front of me of things I had to get done.
Like I said earlier, it’s impossible to really prepare for your trip 100%, but you there is always something that you can do to take some stress off of yourself when you return. And remember, study abroad is supposed to be exciting and challenging, so don’t let the process scare you away. Everything worth doing takes a little effort, so just take this part of the process in with the rest of your experience.
Hasta luego
Pura Vida.
For example, a close friend of mine spent her first semester of this year in Spain. About two weeks into her trip, she slipped and fractured her nose. Because of this, some of the money she had budgeted for other things had to be used on doctor’s appointments instead. Obviously, she could not have accounted for an accident like this before going abroad, and luckily it didn’t change her plans too much, but it just goes to show that anything that can happen to you at home can happen to you while you are abroad, so be prepared changes in plans.
But, there are some things that you can get ready before you go. Here are my Top 4 most important things to do before you leave:
1. Credit transfers – Depending on the program you are traveling through, this will either be fairly easy or incredibly difficult. Basically what you have to do (at Carthage) is get a special form from the Registrar’s office, get the course catalog from the school you are studying abroad at, fill it out, and have the department heads at Carthage ok the classes that apply to their departments. For example, I want to take my Principles of Public Relations course while I am in Costa Rica, so I had the Communication Department head (at the time Paul Chilsen) look at a few different course descriptions and sign off on the one that best fit the Carthage Principles of PR course. After obtaining all of your signatures, you return the forms to the Registrar’s Office and then the credits transfer pretty easily.
Why would this be difficult? Some programs don’t give you course options before you leave and you can’t figure this out before you go. If this is the case with your program, you should contact your advisor at Carthage and the necessary department heads as soon as possible after finding out what classes you are taking to try to work out getting the credits transferred.
2. Living situation – Whether you go in the fall or the spring, your return to school can be a lot easier and less stressful if you know where you are going to live when you return before you depart. First, you have to decide whether you are going to be living on- or off-campus when you come back from being abroad. No matter which you decide, you have to inform the head of Housing in the Dean of Students office. And of course, you have to figure out whom you will be living with. Since you will be gone for an extended amount of time, it is always best to choose someone you know won’t mess you up when you get back by deciding to live with someone else.
3. Finances – Always a stressful topic. Before you even choose a program, you should be thinking about how you’re going to pay for being abroad. At Carthage, you have the option to stay enrolled as a student and pay an academic oversight fee to the School so that they will take care of your bills. Usually, students pay for a full year at Carthage, not a single semester, so what Carthage does when you stay enrolled is use the tuition you paid for the semester you will be gone (in my case, the spring semester) to pay for your program, plus the oversight fee. If you have student loans that require you be enrolled in an American college or university or other financial aid that can be applied to your study abroad, this can be a very good option; however, if you don’t have student loans or applicable financial aid, it may be best to use the brand new Temporary Leave of Absence for Study Abroad Students form that Vatistas in the Financial Aid Office and Erik Kulke, the Carthage Study Abroad Coordinator, have just come up with. I’m using the Temporary Leave of Absence form, which really isn’t very complicated and is the better choice for me since I don’t have any student loans or applicable aid.
4. Returning semester – I recommend that before you leave you should at least beginning the conversation with your advisor about what classes you are going to take the semester that you come back to Carthage. Students who are abroad usually register while they are gone. I’m a person who loves to have a plan, so for my own personal sanity it was important to me to have some sort of idea of what my first semester back at Carthage will look like next fall, especially since it will be the first semester of my senior year.
All of these things can be a bit time consuming, but believe me, getting them done before you got can relieve a lot of stress. In GRN 351, the study abroad preparation course, Erik had us fill out check off sheets to make sure we were on track with getting everything done that we could before we left. For me, it was helpful to have a list in front of me of things I had to get done.
Like I said earlier, it’s impossible to really prepare for your trip 100%, but you there is always something that you can do to take some stress off of yourself when you return. And remember, study abroad is supposed to be exciting and challenging, so don’t let the process scare you away. Everything worth doing takes a little effort, so just take this part of the process in with the rest of your experience.
Hasta luego
Pura Vida.
Dec 10, 2010
Study Abroad: An Introduction
Hello my fellow Carthaginians and study abroad enthusiasts,
For most people, study abroad is more than just a graduation requirement; it's a desire and a life-long dream. Your friends go and they come back and tell you all about all of the amazing things they did and saw. As part of my study abroad experience, I've decided to keep a blog about my travels.
My goal isn't only to tell you about my upcoming trip, though. I want to help prepare you for the entire experience, the before, during, and after. But first, a little background information about myself.
In high school, I had three teachers in particular who developed my love of foreign language and travel. Mrs. Porter, one of my Spanish teachers; Mrs. Fogarty, the teacher I originally went to Costa Rica with; and Mr. Belknap, my humanities teacher. All of them influenced my life in different ways, but the end product was the same: I had a need to experience things outside of my comfort zone. For everyone the need is different. Everyone has different reasons for wanting to go abroad. It's important that you know what your personal reasons are.
I am currently a junior at Carthage College with a double major in Spanish and Public Relations. I work as an assistant content editor for the Carthage website and am a member of Pi Theta sorority. At Carthage, foreign language majors are required to spend a semester abroad. I will be spending the spring semester of my junior year in Heredia, Costa Rica, and will be attending La Universidad Latina, where I will take classes in Spanish with locals, have multiple cultural excursions, and will live with a local family.
I am beyond excited to leave at the beginning of January, but with finals coming up next week I haven't had much of a chance to be nervous or eager. The program I am going through, Sol Abroad Education, has been sending me information all week, including my host family information, class schedule, and calendar of events. The group I am going with is relatively small; there will be seven of us there for the whole semester and an additional eight for the month of January.
Feel free to post comments or ask me questions. I will do my best to answer them.
Until next time,
Pura Vida.
For most people, study abroad is more than just a graduation requirement; it's a desire and a life-long dream. Your friends go and they come back and tell you all about all of the amazing things they did and saw. As part of my study abroad experience, I've decided to keep a blog about my travels.
My goal isn't only to tell you about my upcoming trip, though. I want to help prepare you for the entire experience, the before, during, and after. But first, a little background information about myself.
In high school, I had three teachers in particular who developed my love of foreign language and travel. Mrs. Porter, one of my Spanish teachers; Mrs. Fogarty, the teacher I originally went to Costa Rica with; and Mr. Belknap, my humanities teacher. All of them influenced my life in different ways, but the end product was the same: I had a need to experience things outside of my comfort zone. For everyone the need is different. Everyone has different reasons for wanting to go abroad. It's important that you know what your personal reasons are.
I am currently a junior at Carthage College with a double major in Spanish and Public Relations. I work as an assistant content editor for the Carthage website and am a member of Pi Theta sorority. At Carthage, foreign language majors are required to spend a semester abroad. I will be spending the spring semester of my junior year in Heredia, Costa Rica, and will be attending La Universidad Latina, where I will take classes in Spanish with locals, have multiple cultural excursions, and will live with a local family.
I am beyond excited to leave at the beginning of January, but with finals coming up next week I haven't had much of a chance to be nervous or eager. The program I am going through, Sol Abroad Education, has been sending me information all week, including my host family information, class schedule, and calendar of events. The group I am going with is relatively small; there will be seven of us there for the whole semester and an additional eight for the month of January.
Feel free to post comments or ask me questions. I will do my best to answer them.
Until next time,
Pura Vida.
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