To tell you about this weekend, I have to tell you about this week. It was an awesome time. I had fun every night. It started on Wednesday. Manuel and I decided to have an adventure in San Jose. After work, we hopped a quick bus downtown and have an adventure. We went for a walk and then I mentioned that my family was coming and that I´d like to find out where their hotel is. So we ended up looking for 2 hours for our hotel. He was so sweet and we eventually found it. After, there was a talent show in my school put on by the international club that was interesting to say the least. It was only funny because it was my friends doing their acts.
On Thursday, during breakfast, I heard that there was a basketball game between Costa Rica and El Salvador for Los Juegos Deportivos de Centroamerica, or the Central American Olympics. I convinced Manuel to go with me. We hopped a bus as soon as he was off of work at about 5. We rode down to San Jose center and asked around to find out where the game was. We took a bus to Hatillo Stadium and were able to see the end of the women´s game and the beginning of the men´s game. The style that they play is completely different from that of the states and it was so cool to watch. I was even able to explain the game to Manuel who knew absolutely nothing about basketball and also does not speak a lick of English. Outside of the stadium was also the pool that the news has had in the background for the past week and I was so shocked to see what I was just watching on tv.We then hopped a bus and a taxi home so that he would have time to go back and catch a bus back to his home.
On Friday, I walked downtown with my friends and we went out to pizza. We then went thrifting and spent sometime at the artisan market. Después, my friends Brittany and Shelby and I spent some time just hanging out in a park down there for a little while. We all decided to watch a movie at Brittany´s house after dinner. After a little bit of drama, though, Shelby and I ended up watching a movie at my place and splurging on some ice cream. It was a really relaxing Friday night, something that I haven´t had in a while.
On Saturday, I woke up early and met my teacher at 8:30 to go to the market with her and another classmate of mine. She drove us to an organic market and it was so cool. All of the farmers bring their own produce and people come to buy it because it is certified as organic. We even had some breakfast there of wraps and pitas that were to die for. I even splurged a little bit and bought veggies to eat for lunch during the week. After, my teacher dropped us off at the U and we walked home from there.
I decided that I wanted to get my hair cut right after the market. I joked with Manuel, who works 2 building away from the salon, that I was nervous that they were going to cut off all of my hair. Well, guess what. Call me superficial but after telling them that I only wanted my dead ends cut off and layers put in, I was shocked to see four inches of my hair cut off. I might have cried a little and, since mamatica never misses anything, received a pep talk for 10 minutes about how beautiful I am. She is great.
After growing up and telling myself that it was only hair, I got ready for a lunch date that my family invited me to. The couple that came over was amazingly sweet. The wife is tica and the husband is Spanish. Papatico and the husband, Jesús, didn´t only talk, they had what seemed like a heated conversation for about 4 hours. Hands were flying and they were talking so loud. Mamatica said that it was just because they both are from Spain. The wife, Sonya, the twins, mamatica, and I all spent the time talking and eating the amazing paella-like dish that mamatica made. I was so full. We chatted until the twins went upstairs to get ready for going out and I left for a date.
I went with Manuel and we went out to Popeye´s for dinner to remind me of home. I forgot how good chicken strips taste. We then walked downtown for a little while. Funny enough, he was pooped on by a bird, which is kind of common for us when we go out. We must be super lucky because here they say that brings luck. Unfortunately, it put a little bit of a damper on the day so we left and I went out with my hermanaticas. We went to a bar where I immediately realized that I would have to be really on with my Spanish because I was the only gringa. Good thing their friends are super fun and welcoming. I ran over to another bar to quick say hi to some other friends that were there and watched our friend Lucho play the guitar and sing there. I went back and my group decided to go to a different bar. This one was more dancing and music. It was so much fun. We danced and hung out until the bar closed at 2 am. I really like that group of friends. They were funny and super understanding with integrating me in when I don´t speak Spanish fluently.
Sunday, I slept in late. I got up and finally had breakfast around 11am. My papatico then invited me to go to mass with him and mamatica. We went to the church that is known as the Police church because it is in the same building as the local police station. Absolutely no separation of church and state here. After, they took me to a local mall that was a quick car ride away. We walked around and had McDonald´s for lunch. Papatico insisted that I have a double big mac, not just a big mac. He is precious. After walking in the mall for a couple of hours, they then drove me over to mamatica´s sister-in-law´s house. We had coffee there and chatted for a while. They joked that they kidnapped me for the day because I was gone until about 6pm when I agreed under the pretense that I would be only going to mass with them. It was funny, but definitely exactly what I was thinking. After coming home, I skyped with my family for a little while and watched the closing of the Central American games.
During the coffee time with mamatica´s sister-in-law, they talked about how mamatica was still shocked that I was still so white. After trying to explain to them that this is just how my skin is, and that it probably will not get any darker (even though this is the darkest I have ever gotten), she looked at me and said, "No, its just that you never go out." It´s true, I´m not like every other gringa that is always running to the beach because let´s be honest, it is so hard on my skin. This weekend, though, was a testament as to how much fun you can have not on the beach. I spent the whole week doing something and having fun without going swimming once. So, while by their standards, I am still incredibly white, I am having an amazing time.
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Adultos de Tercera Edad
In my last class, we went on a field trip to a Retirement home. It was a conversation class so we could literally do whatever we wanted so long as we were talking. We went on the last Friday of class that we had. I´m so glad that´s what we decided to do.
We arrived at the home at about 9 am with our fruit and yogurt we brought as gifts. Our teacher introduced us to a few people and then basically set us free. I began speaking with one woman that used to have exchange students also. She told me how much she loved the students that she had from the US and Europe. She told me how they impacted her and that now she missed them so much. As I was speaking with her, a man came over and introduced himself. After flashing the biggest smile I have ever seen, he told me that he knew someone that would love to meet me. I followed him over to a man that was drinking coffee in the eating area. This man took one look at me, finished his coffee, and decided to take me on a walk. We walked around the home and saw the men working and the garden. He paraded me around, showing me off to all of the other men. He told me how beautiful I was and always laughed at whatever I said. He kidnapped me from the rest of the group for about 40 minutes. My favorite part of talking with him was when his face lit up when I told him he had the same name as my tico friend, Manuel.
After my walk with him, I convinced him to come play cards with the other people and me. We played ¨Ron¨ or what I´m pretty sure was gin rummy. We played that and dominoes for a good chuck of time. Manuel was right next to me laughing at everything I said for the entire time. There was also a man that my teacher befriended. He was the jokester of the group. He told us that he was a ballerina and singer but then denied it when we asked him for a song. He eventually sang to us, with his mouth that only had one tooth left. He also surprised me when he came up behind me to sing to me and I didn´t see him until he was right behind my face. My scream almost gave him a heart attack, or "ataque de corazón" according to him.
These people were the cutest. They loved talking and telling us about everything that they knew. They were so happy to have people to talk to that they spoke so quickly that they were almost impossible to understand at times. It was cool to see that they were happy to receive us, even if we didn't speak the language all of the time.
We arrived at the home at about 9 am with our fruit and yogurt we brought as gifts. Our teacher introduced us to a few people and then basically set us free. I began speaking with one woman that used to have exchange students also. She told me how much she loved the students that she had from the US and Europe. She told me how they impacted her and that now she missed them so much. As I was speaking with her, a man came over and introduced himself. After flashing the biggest smile I have ever seen, he told me that he knew someone that would love to meet me. I followed him over to a man that was drinking coffee in the eating area. This man took one look at me, finished his coffee, and decided to take me on a walk. We walked around the home and saw the men working and the garden. He paraded me around, showing me off to all of the other men. He told me how beautiful I was and always laughed at whatever I said. He kidnapped me from the rest of the group for about 40 minutes. My favorite part of talking with him was when his face lit up when I told him he had the same name as my tico friend, Manuel.
After my walk with him, I convinced him to come play cards with the other people and me. We played ¨Ron¨ or what I´m pretty sure was gin rummy. We played that and dominoes for a good chuck of time. Manuel was right next to me laughing at everything I said for the entire time. There was also a man that my teacher befriended. He was the jokester of the group. He told us that he was a ballerina and singer but then denied it when we asked him for a song. He eventually sang to us, with his mouth that only had one tooth left. He also surprised me when he came up behind me to sing to me and I didn´t see him until he was right behind my face. My scream almost gave him a heart attack, or "ataque de corazón" according to him.
These people were the cutest. They loved talking and telling us about everything that they knew. They were so happy to have people to talk to that they spoke so quickly that they were almost impossible to understand at times. It was cool to see that they were happy to receive us, even if we didn't speak the language all of the time.
Montezuma: Se sube y se baja
This past weekend my friends and I went to Montezuma. If you look at a map of Costa Rica, it is located on the peninsula all the way to the west of the country. Montezuma is known for its waterfalls, or catarratas, beautiful scenery (including stars), and the go with the flow mentality. We left for the bus station right after classes. My backpack was completely full of clothing for adventure and food. My goal was not to spend any money on anything other than a hostel. We stood in line for about 2 hours to get on the bus because we couldn´t buy tickets ahead of time. We got on and rode the first bus for about 3 hours. My friends and I occupied the whole back seat of the bus and slept and told jokes. The bus was almost 40% filled with other gringos from our school. For some reason, we all decided to go at the exact same time. Next, we hopped onto a ferry that took us across the water. It was gorgeous. We watched the sunset on the upper deck with the mountains and foot hills in the distance. After that ride, we got onto another bus that took us a little bit closer. I met a guy that was from U of I and chatted with him for a while about his program that is located in Heredia. After about another hour ride, we hopped onto another bus that was the local bus that took us to our hostel. I talked with a man from Belgium and some girls from Germany and Holland. These girls told us about how they learned all of the different languages and how they were traveling together. I think that the US could learn a ton from Europe in the way that we teach languages at a certain age.
We arrived at the hostel which was called Luz en el Cielo. It was gorgeous. The owner was from Colorado and there was a girl there doing a work stay program from Minnesota. Due to some problems with reservations, I was only able to reserve a hammock to sleep in. I has planned with my friends to just keep my things in their rooms and just sleep outside. I was hoping that someone would not show up and I would just get their bed. I had to wait to see. We ate a little family dinner of all of the food that we brought from home. For me, refried beans, corn tortillas, and a ton of hot sauce. After, we walked down with our friend from Minnesota to see a fire show. It didn´t happen, but my friend Brittany and I ended up in a local bar that played a mix between Merengue, Salsa, Bachata, and pop music. I´m going to miss these bars were they do pair dancing so much when I leave. We laughed as we watched older travelers dancing the way that university students normally do in the States and as younger adults were dancing salsa. It was way different. After, Brittany, Josh, and I went for a walk on the beach to look at the stars. I have never seen so many stars in my life. It was increíble. En serio. You could see everything. You could even see the spiral galaxy stripe. I was in love. After, we went back and sat around the table in the common room and drank coffee. Brittany decided that she wanted to sleep in the hammock and so I slept in her bed. Funny enough, she said she didn´t sleep. Ademas, Shelby didn´t sleep either so they sat outside my room talking all night. Poor girls.
Since it was a hot room with bunk beds that creaked and moved, I didn´t sleep very much either. I woke up at about 7 am just ready to go. So we all got up and went downstairs to hang out. We made friends with a guy from Seattle named Mike and spent the morning telling jokes that in reality wouldn´t have been so funny if it weren´t for the lack of sleep. We ate a breakfast that was amazing for the $15 we paid for the night. We then went with our friend Mike to the waterfalls.
Let me paint a picture: We walked for about 10 minutes on the road and then cut off into the woods. We followed a stream and climbed over boulders and what not to get to the first pool. The first pool was rather large and had a waterfall that spilled into it. It was surrounded by rocks that you could jump off of. My friends and I immediately jumped in and swam out to the rocks to jump. We didn´t loose any time. It was a blast. Mike then explained that there really wasn´t a trail up to the others. We just had to climb and follow him. We climbed up a rather steep foot trail that took about 15 minutes. I was sweating bullets by the end of that work out. We arrived at the next two pools. The very top pool had a small waterfall that flowed into it from the stream. Then from that pool, there was a huge waterfall down to another pool, which had the huge waterfall that flowed down into the very first pool. In the top pool, there was a rope swing. Between the middle and bottom waterfall, there was a 50 ft. waterfall that you could jump from. We watched as Mike didn´t even blink before jumping off of the huge waterfall into the pool below. It was so high that I doubted that I would jump. So we swam around and swung on the rope swing. After a while, I worked up the courage to jump off of the waterfall. My friends explained to me that in order to land and not get hurt, you had to be completely straight and point your toes. I ran off and jumped down to where my friends Rosie and Chelsea were waiting for me. As soon as I jumped, I realized that this was actually really huge and I was probably going to get hurt. I landed in the water and felt a horrible pain in my lower back and butt. I apparently had my legs just a little bit in front of me and that was all it took. I came up and realized that I wasn't really able to swim. Thank God I had Rosie and Chels because they carried me over to the rocks to hold on while I waited to stop hurting. To make a long story short, I had to climb up the rocks and hike a trail with a sore back. Not the best but it was still really gorgeous. Some crazy guy that climbed like a monkey helped me across some rocks too.
We went back to the hostel and I took a shower and relaxed my back. Everyone else went to the beach. I spent the time doing some homework and hanging out with a girl I met from Australia. She was really interesting. She was taking a break from reality before she went to work full time for a new company. We talked and she gave me a scarf she bought in Morocco because she didn't need it in the heat of Costa Rica. After my friends came back, we all just hung out and talked. We played a little bit of cards and basically relaxed. It was just a big family atmosphere. We thought about walking down to a bonfire that was going to be on the beach but when the time came, my group decided that it would just be best to go sleep. So we packed up and got ready to leave at the crack of dawn.
Shelby, Brittany, and I decided to get up early and take the earlier bus that left at 6:30 am. We got to the station and waited for the bus. That bus took us to another bus. We we bought tickets, Brittany and I decided to be nice and let a 2 ticos go ahead of us. Wrong decision. We were told that we probably wouldn't have seats on the next couple of buses after the ferry. Awesome. So we hopped on the bus and sat in the back. Shelby and I began to eat a quick breakfast of refried beans and pb and j tortillas. I was sitting next to a tica woman and her daughter. They were super sweet. She even gave Shelby and me an empanada when she saw our pathetic breakfast. After than, while I was just sitting thinking about how tired I was, her daughter leaned over and gave me a pair of Hello Kitty earrings. Yea, she gave me her earrings. When I told her I couldn't accept them, she said I had to because she didn't have pierced ears. She also gave Shelby a pair of teddy bear earrings after Shelby said how cute mine were. People here are really amazing. After that bus ride, we boarded the ferry and I decided to splurge and buy a torta. My back was really hurting and the benches were hard to sit on so I just hopped that the ride went faster. When the ferry reached the land, Brittany and I basically ran to try and get seats on the bus. It was pointless because the man made us wait regardless. So we waited and by the luck of God, Josh saved us a seat. I sat in it first and Brittany took the floor. We promised to switch so that one person didn't have to always be on the floor but seat opened up after the first 30 minutes and a couple of stops. So we all had seats. We made it back in record time and I was home making guacamole by about 1 pm. Amazing.
This was a great weekend. I absolutely loved Montezuma. The people there are super nice and really understand the idea of solidarity. Nature is beyond abundant and beautiful. Even though I hurt my back, I think that this was the most beautiful weekend I have had. Sure, it has been about 4 days since my horrible jump and I am still having trouble sitting down, especially now as I write this blog, but it was definitely worth it. I just needed to relearn the lesson of what goes up must come down, or se sube y se baja.
We arrived at the hostel which was called Luz en el Cielo. It was gorgeous. The owner was from Colorado and there was a girl there doing a work stay program from Minnesota. Due to some problems with reservations, I was only able to reserve a hammock to sleep in. I has planned with my friends to just keep my things in their rooms and just sleep outside. I was hoping that someone would not show up and I would just get their bed. I had to wait to see. We ate a little family dinner of all of the food that we brought from home. For me, refried beans, corn tortillas, and a ton of hot sauce. After, we walked down with our friend from Minnesota to see a fire show. It didn´t happen, but my friend Brittany and I ended up in a local bar that played a mix between Merengue, Salsa, Bachata, and pop music. I´m going to miss these bars were they do pair dancing so much when I leave. We laughed as we watched older travelers dancing the way that university students normally do in the States and as younger adults were dancing salsa. It was way different. After, Brittany, Josh, and I went for a walk on the beach to look at the stars. I have never seen so many stars in my life. It was increíble. En serio. You could see everything. You could even see the spiral galaxy stripe. I was in love. After, we went back and sat around the table in the common room and drank coffee. Brittany decided that she wanted to sleep in the hammock and so I slept in her bed. Funny enough, she said she didn´t sleep. Ademas, Shelby didn´t sleep either so they sat outside my room talking all night. Poor girls.
Since it was a hot room with bunk beds that creaked and moved, I didn´t sleep very much either. I woke up at about 7 am just ready to go. So we all got up and went downstairs to hang out. We made friends with a guy from Seattle named Mike and spent the morning telling jokes that in reality wouldn´t have been so funny if it weren´t for the lack of sleep. We ate a breakfast that was amazing for the $15 we paid for the night. We then went with our friend Mike to the waterfalls.
Let me paint a picture: We walked for about 10 minutes on the road and then cut off into the woods. We followed a stream and climbed over boulders and what not to get to the first pool. The first pool was rather large and had a waterfall that spilled into it. It was surrounded by rocks that you could jump off of. My friends and I immediately jumped in and swam out to the rocks to jump. We didn´t loose any time. It was a blast. Mike then explained that there really wasn´t a trail up to the others. We just had to climb and follow him. We climbed up a rather steep foot trail that took about 15 minutes. I was sweating bullets by the end of that work out. We arrived at the next two pools. The very top pool had a small waterfall that flowed into it from the stream. Then from that pool, there was a huge waterfall down to another pool, which had the huge waterfall that flowed down into the very first pool. In the top pool, there was a rope swing. Between the middle and bottom waterfall, there was a 50 ft. waterfall that you could jump from. We watched as Mike didn´t even blink before jumping off of the huge waterfall into the pool below. It was so high that I doubted that I would jump. So we swam around and swung on the rope swing. After a while, I worked up the courage to jump off of the waterfall. My friends explained to me that in order to land and not get hurt, you had to be completely straight and point your toes. I ran off and jumped down to where my friends Rosie and Chelsea were waiting for me. As soon as I jumped, I realized that this was actually really huge and I was probably going to get hurt. I landed in the water and felt a horrible pain in my lower back and butt. I apparently had my legs just a little bit in front of me and that was all it took. I came up and realized that I wasn't really able to swim. Thank God I had Rosie and Chels because they carried me over to the rocks to hold on while I waited to stop hurting. To make a long story short, I had to climb up the rocks and hike a trail with a sore back. Not the best but it was still really gorgeous. Some crazy guy that climbed like a monkey helped me across some rocks too.
We went back to the hostel and I took a shower and relaxed my back. Everyone else went to the beach. I spent the time doing some homework and hanging out with a girl I met from Australia. She was really interesting. She was taking a break from reality before she went to work full time for a new company. We talked and she gave me a scarf she bought in Morocco because she didn't need it in the heat of Costa Rica. After my friends came back, we all just hung out and talked. We played a little bit of cards and basically relaxed. It was just a big family atmosphere. We thought about walking down to a bonfire that was going to be on the beach but when the time came, my group decided that it would just be best to go sleep. So we packed up and got ready to leave at the crack of dawn.
Shelby, Brittany, and I decided to get up early and take the earlier bus that left at 6:30 am. We got to the station and waited for the bus. That bus took us to another bus. We we bought tickets, Brittany and I decided to be nice and let a 2 ticos go ahead of us. Wrong decision. We were told that we probably wouldn't have seats on the next couple of buses after the ferry. Awesome. So we hopped on the bus and sat in the back. Shelby and I began to eat a quick breakfast of refried beans and pb and j tortillas. I was sitting next to a tica woman and her daughter. They were super sweet. She even gave Shelby and me an empanada when she saw our pathetic breakfast. After than, while I was just sitting thinking about how tired I was, her daughter leaned over and gave me a pair of Hello Kitty earrings. Yea, she gave me her earrings. When I told her I couldn't accept them, she said I had to because she didn't have pierced ears. She also gave Shelby a pair of teddy bear earrings after Shelby said how cute mine were. People here are really amazing. After that bus ride, we boarded the ferry and I decided to splurge and buy a torta. My back was really hurting and the benches were hard to sit on so I just hopped that the ride went faster. When the ferry reached the land, Brittany and I basically ran to try and get seats on the bus. It was pointless because the man made us wait regardless. So we waited and by the luck of God, Josh saved us a seat. I sat in it first and Brittany took the floor. We promised to switch so that one person didn't have to always be on the floor but seat opened up after the first 30 minutes and a couple of stops. So we all had seats. We made it back in record time and I was home making guacamole by about 1 pm. Amazing.
This was a great weekend. I absolutely loved Montezuma. The people there are super nice and really understand the idea of solidarity. Nature is beyond abundant and beautiful. Even though I hurt my back, I think that this was the most beautiful weekend I have had. Sure, it has been about 4 days since my horrible jump and I am still having trouble sitting down, especially now as I write this blog, but it was definitely worth it. I just needed to relearn the lesson of what goes up must come down, or se sube y se baja.
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Mi poema
This is the poem I wrote in class one day:
Si hubiera nacido como pez,
no habria sentido la brisa.
Si hubiera nacido como pajaro,
no habria sentido las olas.
Si Dios me preguntara si uo quisiera cambiar,
le diria que no.
Si yo tuviera que cambiar,
no podria hacerlo.
Porque yo puedo saltar,
como si fuera cangauro.
Porque yo puedo cantar,
como si fuera un violin.
Me gusta ser quien soy,
y agradezco a Dios cada dia de ser rana.
Translation:
If I had been born a fish, I wouldn't have felt the breeze. If I had been born a bird, I wouldn't have felt the waves. If God asked me if I wanted to change, I would tell him no. If I had to change, I wouldn't be able to do it. Because I can jump as if I were a kangaroo. Because I can sing as if I were a violin. I like who I am and I thank God every day that I am a frog.
Si hubiera nacido como pez,
no habria sentido la brisa.
Si hubiera nacido como pajaro,
no habria sentido las olas.
Si Dios me preguntara si uo quisiera cambiar,
le diria que no.
Si yo tuviera que cambiar,
no podria hacerlo.
Porque yo puedo saltar,
como si fuera cangauro.
Porque yo puedo cantar,
como si fuera un violin.
Me gusta ser quien soy,
y agradezco a Dios cada dia de ser rana.
Translation:
If I had been born a fish, I wouldn't have felt the breeze. If I had been born a bird, I wouldn't have felt the waves. If God asked me if I wanted to change, I would tell him no. If I had to change, I wouldn't be able to do it. Because I can jump as if I were a kangaroo. Because I can sing as if I were a violin. I like who I am and I thank God every day that I am a frog.
Saying No
I think that it is impossible for the people here to say no. It is not in their culture, vocabulary, or thoughts. I´ll never forget what one of our orientation leaders told us in regards to saying no here: "No, they would rather do almost any other thing than tell you no. But, when they want to tell you yes, they will practically hop on one foot to say it." So unbelievably true. When someone wants to tell you a direct no, they beat around the bush, or as you say in Spanish, andan por las ramas. It is almost worse when they don´t know something such as directions, because they will maybe lie just a little bit because it is a part of their culture not to offend anyone. This is just a wonderful example of how great the culture here is. They only want to make you happy or make sure you have some way to be happy. After all, it would be "happier" to walk and think you are going the right way than have someone tell you that they don´t know.
Monday, March 4, 2013
Manuel Antonio: Hot sauce and all
This weekend my friends and I went to Manuel Antonio. Papatico and Mamatica told me starting about 2 weeks before I left that it was "la playa mas linda de todas" (the most beautiful beach of all). Yup, they were right.
On Friday, after my last class of Conversacion Avanzada, Brittany and I went to buy our tickets at the bus station. After having to change taxis and being dropped off at the wrong station, we finally made it to Tracope, the correct bus station. We bought our tickets and had some lunch while we waited for the rest of the group that had already bought their tickets earlier in the week. While we waited, I was joking with Brittany about how excited I was to go to the beach. I turned to her and said, in regards to the food that I had brought to save money this weekend, "Want to know what I brought to really make this weekend exciting? Hot sauce and refried beans." That turned into the motto of the weekend.
We hopped onto the bus and I sat next to a street vendor with sunglasses. I bartered (possibly the best I ever have) them down to the bargain price of 2 mil colones, or roughly $4. We rode for four hours and arrived at Quepos, where we rode a bus to our hostel Pura Vida. The bus stopped a little ways away from the hostel and so we walked up a huge hill. As we walked, Michelle's jelly fell out and cut her foot open. There was blood and jelly every where. Good thing we were close to the hostel. To add to the fun, we quickly realized that it would be the hottest temperature we have ever felt. After seeing the room, we decided to upgrade from $10 a night to $15 a night (how expensive!!) to get air conditioning. Those of us who brought our food ate in the room and after we left to try and find a place for the others to eat. I love beans and hot sauce. After, we walked down the hill and it began to rain. We decided to stop in a pulperia (small store) to find food for them. It started raining harder and so we ran back up the hill to our hostel. As we were completely soaked, we decided just to change and hang out in the room. We played BS and some other card games. It was so much fun. I slept the best I have ever slept in a hostel there. It might have been because my friends Michelle and Brittany and I pushed our beds together and were right by the air conditioner.
The next morning, we got up and had a surprisingly good breakfast that was included in our $15 price. We changed and hopped a quick bus to the beach. It was so hot. By the end of the ride, we all were dripping sweat. Thank God we only had to walk a little bit to make it over to the National Park beach. After paying $10 to enter, we walked up a hill to make it to the beaches. We heard that the second beach was way better than the first so we walked past the first and were so happy when we found the second. Gorgeous. Completely and totally amazing. We took turns watching the stuff we brought on the beach and swimming. That was perfect because I was able to come out, dry off, and dump on more sunscreen. I didn't burn because of this system. We spent the whole day on the beach. I was able to eat my refried beans, hot sauce, and tortillas on the beach for lunch. Heavenly. It was so hot but it was cloudy so it wasn't too bad. We stayed until the park closed and then walked to find dinner. We sat at a place on the second level that over looked the public beach. We were able to eat hamburgers, drink pina coladas, and watch the hooligans below. What a life I have here. After taking a bus back to our hostel, we showered in the dorm shower and moved our things to the other room because someone had already reserved the wonderfully air conditioned room. We were now in the hottest room I have ever stayed in. We played cards in the community lounge. I learned how to play uker and how other people play 31. After, we struggled to sleep. Needless to say, clothing was way too much, as was the sheet so we all slept in some variation of bathing suit or what not. We had the doors closed but the windows fogged up due to the heat. We decided to for go locking the door and finally opened it up and put the fan in front as a form of security. 3 hours of sleep at the most for this little traveler.
The next day, two of our friends caught an earlier bus because of some serious sunburns. The four of us that were left went to the public beach after a quick bus ride. It was still so pretty. We stayed there until about noon. The water was clean and beautiful. The beach was perfect. I really enjoyed swimming there. My friend and I went to the local market and bought some tank tops. We then came back to the hostel and packed up and took showers. We rode in taxi to the next town over to catch the bus back to San Jose. After being unsuccessful at changing our tickets to an earlier time, we waited and played uker at the station for a few hours. We then hopped the bus and rode back to San Jose, which for some reason was uncharacteristically cold for this time of year. It was about 60 degrees. It felt like 40. It also felt amazing.
I was really excited to come home to San Jose. As much as I always enjoy the beach, it is wonderful to come home to a clean, dry, sand-free environment. My has never felt so comfortable before. Regardless, I had a great weekend, hot sauce and all.
On Friday, after my last class of Conversacion Avanzada, Brittany and I went to buy our tickets at the bus station. After having to change taxis and being dropped off at the wrong station, we finally made it to Tracope, the correct bus station. We bought our tickets and had some lunch while we waited for the rest of the group that had already bought their tickets earlier in the week. While we waited, I was joking with Brittany about how excited I was to go to the beach. I turned to her and said, in regards to the food that I had brought to save money this weekend, "Want to know what I brought to really make this weekend exciting? Hot sauce and refried beans." That turned into the motto of the weekend.
We hopped onto the bus and I sat next to a street vendor with sunglasses. I bartered (possibly the best I ever have) them down to the bargain price of 2 mil colones, or roughly $4. We rode for four hours and arrived at Quepos, where we rode a bus to our hostel Pura Vida. The bus stopped a little ways away from the hostel and so we walked up a huge hill. As we walked, Michelle's jelly fell out and cut her foot open. There was blood and jelly every where. Good thing we were close to the hostel. To add to the fun, we quickly realized that it would be the hottest temperature we have ever felt. After seeing the room, we decided to upgrade from $10 a night to $15 a night (how expensive!!) to get air conditioning. Those of us who brought our food ate in the room and after we left to try and find a place for the others to eat. I love beans and hot sauce. After, we walked down the hill and it began to rain. We decided to stop in a pulperia (small store) to find food for them. It started raining harder and so we ran back up the hill to our hostel. As we were completely soaked, we decided just to change and hang out in the room. We played BS and some other card games. It was so much fun. I slept the best I have ever slept in a hostel there. It might have been because my friends Michelle and Brittany and I pushed our beds together and were right by the air conditioner.
The next morning, we got up and had a surprisingly good breakfast that was included in our $15 price. We changed and hopped a quick bus to the beach. It was so hot. By the end of the ride, we all were dripping sweat. Thank God we only had to walk a little bit to make it over to the National Park beach. After paying $10 to enter, we walked up a hill to make it to the beaches. We heard that the second beach was way better than the first so we walked past the first and were so happy when we found the second. Gorgeous. Completely and totally amazing. We took turns watching the stuff we brought on the beach and swimming. That was perfect because I was able to come out, dry off, and dump on more sunscreen. I didn't burn because of this system. We spent the whole day on the beach. I was able to eat my refried beans, hot sauce, and tortillas on the beach for lunch. Heavenly. It was so hot but it was cloudy so it wasn't too bad. We stayed until the park closed and then walked to find dinner. We sat at a place on the second level that over looked the public beach. We were able to eat hamburgers, drink pina coladas, and watch the hooligans below. What a life I have here. After taking a bus back to our hostel, we showered in the dorm shower and moved our things to the other room because someone had already reserved the wonderfully air conditioned room. We were now in the hottest room I have ever stayed in. We played cards in the community lounge. I learned how to play uker and how other people play 31. After, we struggled to sleep. Needless to say, clothing was way too much, as was the sheet so we all slept in some variation of bathing suit or what not. We had the doors closed but the windows fogged up due to the heat. We decided to for go locking the door and finally opened it up and put the fan in front as a form of security. 3 hours of sleep at the most for this little traveler.
The next day, two of our friends caught an earlier bus because of some serious sunburns. The four of us that were left went to the public beach after a quick bus ride. It was still so pretty. We stayed there until about noon. The water was clean and beautiful. The beach was perfect. I really enjoyed swimming there. My friend and I went to the local market and bought some tank tops. We then came back to the hostel and packed up and took showers. We rode in taxi to the next town over to catch the bus back to San Jose. After being unsuccessful at changing our tickets to an earlier time, we waited and played uker at the station for a few hours. We then hopped the bus and rode back to San Jose, which for some reason was uncharacteristically cold for this time of year. It was about 60 degrees. It felt like 40. It also felt amazing.
I was really excited to come home to San Jose. As much as I always enjoy the beach, it is wonderful to come home to a clean, dry, sand-free environment. My has never felt so comfortable before. Regardless, I had a great weekend, hot sauce and all.
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