Sorry it’s been awhile since my last update, I’ve been busy with field trips and tests, but I have a lot to catch you up on. I can’t believe it’s already almost November! I feel like time’s flying by, but at the same time it feels like I’ve been forever and some of the things I’ve experienced here seem like so long ago. Since my last blog we’ve been on two field trips and they’ve both been lots of fun. After the first field trip, I finally got my computer back! I was so happy that most of my information was saved when they replaced the hard drive. It feels so nice to have my own computer back and I’m super grateful that it was able to be fixed. I can relax a little bit more now that my Mac’s back in action. Now to the latest adventures…
On October 7, we went on a field trip to Volcán Arenal and Monteverde. On the way to La Fortuna, near the volcano, we stopped to visit the Maleku indigenous tribe. They taught us about their traditions, plants, and natural medical remedies. That afternoon we continued on to our hotel in La Fortuna. Unfortunately, it was too cloudy to see the top of the volcano, but it was still a pretty view. We all loved the hotel we stayed at. It had a cold pool, a few large hot ones, and lots of natural hot springs around the hillside surrounded by trees. It was really pretty and so relaxing. Near the hot springs, there’s a hiking trail that leads to a waterfall. A few girls and I decided to check it out, even though we were wearing bathing suits and flip flops. We trudged down the trail for about 5 minutes before Emily screamed and commanded us to turn around and run. When we were finally up the hill and out of breath, she told us she had seen a snake right in front of her feet on the trail. We were all scared and jumpy after that, but it was a good story to tell to the others. We later found out it was a two hour hike to the waterfall. Good thing we turned around when we did.
On Thursday, we continued on to Monteverde where the famous cloud forest reserve is located. Compared to our previous hotel, this one felt rustic, but it was cozy and we felt like we were camping in the rainforest. On Friday morning, we had an early tour of the reserve. Our guide could do many birdcalls, and we were all very impressed. At the beginning we were all hoping we’d see the famous quetzal bird, but our introduction video told us weren’t visiting during the right month to see a quetzal. Luckily 20 minutes or so into our tour, we were told that a quetzal had been spotted eating an avocado high up in the trees, so we hurried over and watched it through a telescope and took pictures. It was quite exciting. During the afternoon, we went to a butterfly garden and each of us got to set some butterflies free in the different outdoor rooms. The next day we had the opportunity to go zip lining. None of us really knew what to expect, except that the name of the company we were doing it through was called, “Extremo.” After we got all of our gear on and got to the first platform, I got nervous, but it was an experience that I would definitely recommend. We did about 10 platforms flying through the forest very high up. We did one repel drop, during which I went too fast and had to slow down before I got to the ground. We also got to experience the “Tarzan swing” which was terrifying. I had to watch a few other people do it and listen to their screams before it was my turn. I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do once I was harnessed in. They told me to sit down, so I did, but then my feet were off the platform, so the two guys running it had a hold of my harness and just let me hang there for a few seconds before finally letting me drop. The drop was so scary, but it was so much fun swinging through the trees. They took pictures and filmed all of our drops and we made sure to buy the CD of all the pictures at the end. The finale of the zip line adventure was the “Superman,” where our back and feet were hooked up the cable and we flew into the mist over trees and pastures. It was definitely a good end to the field trip, I can’t explain how much fun we all had and how exhausted we were afterward.
On Wednesday, October 14, we watched the big soccer game between the U.S. and Costa Rica that took place in Washington D.C. The morning before the game, my host dad asked Molly, the other exchange student, and me, “Are you gringas today, or are you Costa Ricans?” I was torn and said, “Can we be both?” Even though I still had some U.S. pride in my heart, I was supporting Costa Rica on the outside by wearing a Costa Rican soccer jersey I had bought that day. A few of us went to a bar to watch the game on a big screen. There is nothing crazier than Latin American soccer fans. It was really strange to hear the U.S. national anthem played, and I think it brought a little bit of nostalgia to all of us. At first, I thought I’d be happy no matter what the outcome of the game, but I found myself cheering for Costa Rica because they still needed a win for a shot at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, but the U.S. was guaranteed a spot already. Costa Rica scored 2 goals in the first half and we were feeling pretty good. In the bar at half time, they played, Queen’s “We Are the Champions.” In the second half, the U.S. scored a goal, but the game was coming to an end, so everyone was still in good spirits. Then, in extra play time minutes at the very end, the U.S. scored another goal, tying the game. A minute later the game ended. Everyone was disappointed, including myself. We watched the U.S. team celebrate and then went home to finish homework. My family was surprised that I was wearing a Costa Rican jersey, but they though it was great. My host dad said, “You wore that in the streets?” and I said, “Sure I did!” The next day, I woke up to find that the headline on the Costa Rican newspaper said, “The gringos took away our ticket to the World Cup” and I felt a little ashamed.
The past few weeks have been full of tests, papers, and interviews for our independent study projects. Since Emily and I are both going to be teachers, we decided to investigate the education system in Costa Rica. We’ve been conducting lots of interviews with directors and teachers at private and public elementary and high schools around town. We interviewed an English teacher at a small private school who had lived in West Linn, OR for four months while she was a student, so she was wearing a couple Oregon pins when we visited. After the interview, she asked if we’d come into her class and answer a few questions about the U.S. It was so much fun to be around the students and answer their questions – I loved being back in a classroom again. The students were around 9 or 10 years old and they asked the funniest things, such as, “Are there parks/stores/schools/movie theaters in the U.S?” “Do you have elephants there?” “Do you have wooly mammoths there?” My favorite questions were “Did you know Michael Jackson/ Do you know the Jonas Brothers/ Do you know the president?” There was one tough part when a little boy asked if we had an army, since Costa Rica doesn’t. When I said yes, he dropped his head and sighed in disappointment. They wanted to know why and if we were in any wars. It’s hard explaining wars in English, so you can imagine how difficult it was to explain to children in Spanish. I don’t think I’ll ever forget that boy’s reaction. Being in a classroom again made me wish I had more free time so I could volunteer in an elementary school here or work with children in some way. The joy I got from that half hour in the classroom made me realize that I’ve chose the right career path.
On Wednesday October 21, we went on a field trip to the Caribbean side of Costa Rica, which I loved, despite all the bug bites I returned with. On Wednesday we went to a town called Sarapiqui and stayed at the Tirimbina Reserve, where we went on an afternoon hike into the forest for our ecology class. On Thursday we continued on to Cahuita and visited the national park there. For our ecology class, we snorkeled at a coral reef in the Caribbean Sea. We saw lots of colorful fish and even saw a small nurse shark. On the boat ride back to the shore, I realized how lucky I am to be able to experience a field trip like this and to be able to call snorkeling “class.” On Friday, we went a little further south to Puerto Viejo. It was a little more touristy than Cahuita, but I liked it. The lifestyle in the Caribbean is really laid back and a lot slower than the rest of Costa Rica. There’s a lot of Jamaican influence there, so you can hear lots of reggae music and see lots of dread locks and Bob Marley pictures. We had class Friday morning exploring the town and then were set free for the rest of the afternoon to shop and swim in the ocean. Even though it started to rain while we were in the ocean, we didn’t mind. When our stuff on the beach was soaked we finally came in. As we walked onto the shore, we spotted a sloth climbing down from a near by tree. We were all really excited since we had been searching the trees on the bus ride to catch a glimpse of a sloth. It was so sad to watch though because it was all wet and slowly moving across the pavement to climb up another tree. It felt really strange to be so close to a sloth, but unfortunately none of us had brought our cameras with us to the beach. It’s an image I’ll never forget though. It felt like a quick trip to the Caribbean, but we all really enjoyed it.
Now it’s back to work…this week we had a history test and we have an ecology test on Monday. Before the weekend studying begins, tomorrow, we’re going on a white water rafting trip. We’re getting on the 4:30 a.m. bus to San José to be picked up by the company at 6:30. I’m a little nervous since I’ve been told that it’s common to get thrown from the raft, but at least we’ll be wearing helmets and life jackets! Wish me luck and stay tuned to hear how that crazy adventure goes…
¡Hasta luego!
The quetzal we saw in Monteverde
Zip lining in Monteverde
Flying on a cable high over the forest = visible fear in my face
Marissa, Kira and me in our Costa Rica soccer jerseys before the U.S./Costa Rica game
Puerto Viejo
