I´ve been in the midst of a very, very busy week, coupled with expensive and archaicly slow internet access. Nevertheless, I left off last Saturday...
SATURDAY
We crammed about 8 of us in a tiny boat, and enjoyed a 45 minute bumpy ride the the legendary Isla Tortuga. On the way we saw several empty sand beaches, and even a waterfall releasing into the ocean. Very pristine, very beautiful. We went snorkling for close to 3 hours in all. I held a purple starfish, saw a school of about 60 stingrays, an eel, a needlefish (whose jaws open sideways), and a pufferfish, among others. We had a break on the beach, and a domesticated wild boar (functions like a dog comboed with Babe the Pig) blobbed along the beach looking for beer, coconuts, and cool sand to toss on herself. Very funny. I didn´t have my camera, but I need to show you a picture of her. We went back around 4 pm after another round of snorkeling. We had swordfish, rice, potatoes, and a couple Imperials for lunch. A night of drinking casually on the beach enjoying the gorgeous stars. You can actually see the ghost of the Milky Way here, and hundreds upon hundreds of stars. Absolutely no light pollution. It was amazing.
SUNDAY
We headed to Playa Samara on an even worse series of roads than before. We had to go a longer¨"calmer" route because of our clunky bus, but it turned a 3 hour ride into close to 6 hours. I´ve mastered sleeping on the bus, so I was only aware of a little bit of it. Mainly the huge bumps would either wake me up, toss me out of my seat, or both. Again, no worries. We arrived around 6 pm and went our separate ways. We had to option of staying with another host family for the week, a cabina (house turned hotel, like a cheap motel), or a hotel. I went the hotel route and ended up at the Samara Beach Hotel in a room with Morgan Carl, Todd, and my best friend this week, Air Conditioning. The only exciting thing Sunday was a bat that flew into the room at midnight as I worked on my paper. The other guys were out cold. I woke up Todd, shaking him at the bat grabbed hold of the wall above my head. It was the size of a baked potato. He didn´t really seem to care and thought I was waking him up to brush his teeth (which he proceeded to do like a zombie). Morgan looked up at the bat after I shook him, gave a nod of approval, and immediately fell back to sleep. What was wrong with them?!!! Couldn´t they see a rabid, evil, parasite-filled creature of the damned was trying to have a slumber party?! I hid in the bathroom with Todd as he brushed his teeth. When we opened the door the bat was gone, and we managed to get through the night without any blood loss.
MONDAY
I got moved to the Avanzada Alta class with five other students (Chiam, Tiara, Kristen L., Katie, and Danielle), which is the highest Spanish class at Intercultura. I´m only probably the fifth best out of six, but it´s cool. Our teacher´s name is Jesús, and he´s flaming gay. I like him, because he speaks normally. You can easily tell by his dress and his mannerisms. Another obvious sign is all of the girls think he´s "so hot" which is common sign. I think it´s because they don´t fear he´s going to sleep with them. Anyways, since three of the girls are going to be teachers, our topic for the week is the Education System of Costa Rica. I absolute despise it, but what the Hell. At least it´s only conversation and no more grammar.
SURFING!!! I took lessons this afternoon around 300 pm with Morgan C and Emily, and did pretty well. I logged close to three hours in the water, and got up several times (as did Emily, who is easily the best chica surfer from our group) as did Morgan. I loved it, and am going again later this week.
We went out to Las Olas, one of the popular bars here, and one of our guys got about 30 free drinks. He has a way of doing that. I was the unfortunate victim of a couple of the free tequila shots, and ended up paying for it Tuesday.
TUESDAY
I had afternoon classes today, ended up being hungover, and got stuck in a classroom without AC. I went surfing for an hour with Morgan, even though the conditions weren´t that great. I switched to a shorter board, which proved pretty tough. I called it a very early night because I felt exhausted. Definitely not drinking very much this trip, and I feel much better as a result, haha.
More to come!!! I´ll recap after I head back to Heredia Sunday afternoon!
Friday, January 26, 2007
Monday, January 22, 2007
Sorry Mom! I'm a busy man!
I don't really even know where to start, except that I haven't posted since last Tuesday. So I guess I'll start at Wednesday.
WEDNESDAY
After class we hopped on a bus to go to Palmares, the huge festival an hour away. I bought a fifth of guaro, the national drink made from sugar cane. It's 70 proof, and can best be described as a mix of rum and vodka. I mixed it with ginger ale. Not bad, but I had a lot more ginger ale than Cacique (the brand of choice). Anyway Wednesday wasn't a busy day, but they did have a rodeo and a running of the bulls thing going on. Yes, I participated, along with most of the other guys, and it was scary as hell a few times. We all got yellow t-shirts, which the bulls don't like (as opposed to red) and after a matador got trampled and another one succeeded, we and about 75 Ticos ran like hell. They'd bring one bull out at a time, each one successively larger, and would let us harass it for about 10 minutes. Then the caballeros would round it up and bring out the next one. Don't worry--in Costa Rica they don't torture or kill any of them. The other cool thing was "horse dancing." It was horses "dancing" to salsa and charanga music, which I personally thought was hilarious. More heavy drinking and some carnival rides, then we headed home around midnight. Also talked with a couple locals about their performance sports cars they had on display for an hour. My Spanish is coming around.
THURSDAY
I was hungover. I remember that. I also remember taking a nap from about 430 to 630, and missed my workout with Eric. I ended up not getting my 2250 word essay done and spent some time studying for my unreasonably large exam that's tomorrow morning (Friday). Bed around 11. I also went to the ATM to get a bunch of cash before a weekend in Montezuma and the week in Playa Sa'mara, where ATMs are scarce.
FRIDAY
I was right. My test was absolutely ridiculous. 16 pages in all, and it took me just under three hours to finish. Good news is I got another 91%, the same grade as my first one. I think it was luck and some good guessing for the most part. I had to walk (and I mean power-walk, like 5 minute mile pace) back to my house which takes 15 minutes if I haul balls. I packed very quickly, cleaned my room, and ended up having to take a taxi back to school ($1 only) to hop on the bus after lunch at the market with Morgan C. The bus was the same small one as last time, but only 15 of us went on the trip so we had some space this time around. It was a few hours to the ferrie at Puntarenas, an hour on the ferrie, and another hour or so south to Montezuma from a puny town called Paquera. The roads were horrible. There were also random speed bumps that were (obviously) unmarked. Once we hit one going 45 and I swear to God I thought we were going to flip. No worries though. We made it.
Thanks to you Mom, Emily and I had called to make hotel reservations the day before via telephone, while everybody else in the group did it over the internet. When we went to check in, they didn't have any of the internet "reservations" which consisted of them mailing their credit card information via email to a place claiming to be El Tajalin, the hotel we we're all planning to stay at. I almost started laughing, because not a single one of them got a confirmation. They all assumed if you send an email with you CC info you get a room. Even more surprising is the fact that none of them called their CC companies to see if they emailed to a fake email address. Oh well. Not my problem. I had dinner on a private balcony with Emily that overlooked the beach. It was perfect. I had Mahi-mahi, can't remember what she had. We called it an early night at 10 after making reservations to Turtle Island for the next morning.
More to come later, but I'm here in Samara and I have surfing lessons in 20 minutes. It's about 85 and sunny here, and life is good. Mom and Dad, I'll call you soon.
WEDNESDAY
After class we hopped on a bus to go to Palmares, the huge festival an hour away. I bought a fifth of guaro, the national drink made from sugar cane. It's 70 proof, and can best be described as a mix of rum and vodka. I mixed it with ginger ale. Not bad, but I had a lot more ginger ale than Cacique (the brand of choice). Anyway Wednesday wasn't a busy day, but they did have a rodeo and a running of the bulls thing going on. Yes, I participated, along with most of the other guys, and it was scary as hell a few times. We all got yellow t-shirts, which the bulls don't like (as opposed to red) and after a matador got trampled and another one succeeded, we and about 75 Ticos ran like hell. They'd bring one bull out at a time, each one successively larger, and would let us harass it for about 10 minutes. Then the caballeros would round it up and bring out the next one. Don't worry--in Costa Rica they don't torture or kill any of them. The other cool thing was "horse dancing." It was horses "dancing" to salsa and charanga music, which I personally thought was hilarious. More heavy drinking and some carnival rides, then we headed home around midnight. Also talked with a couple locals about their performance sports cars they had on display for an hour. My Spanish is coming around.
THURSDAY
I was hungover. I remember that. I also remember taking a nap from about 430 to 630, and missed my workout with Eric. I ended up not getting my 2250 word essay done and spent some time studying for my unreasonably large exam that's tomorrow morning (Friday). Bed around 11. I also went to the ATM to get a bunch of cash before a weekend in Montezuma and the week in Playa Sa'mara, where ATMs are scarce.
FRIDAY
I was right. My test was absolutely ridiculous. 16 pages in all, and it took me just under three hours to finish. Good news is I got another 91%, the same grade as my first one. I think it was luck and some good guessing for the most part. I had to walk (and I mean power-walk, like 5 minute mile pace) back to my house which takes 15 minutes if I haul balls. I packed very quickly, cleaned my room, and ended up having to take a taxi back to school ($1 only) to hop on the bus after lunch at the market with Morgan C. The bus was the same small one as last time, but only 15 of us went on the trip so we had some space this time around. It was a few hours to the ferrie at Puntarenas, an hour on the ferrie, and another hour or so south to Montezuma from a puny town called Paquera. The roads were horrible. There were also random speed bumps that were (obviously) unmarked. Once we hit one going 45 and I swear to God I thought we were going to flip. No worries though. We made it.
Thanks to you Mom, Emily and I had called to make hotel reservations the day before via telephone, while everybody else in the group did it over the internet. When we went to check in, they didn't have any of the internet "reservations" which consisted of them mailing their credit card information via email to a place claiming to be El Tajalin, the hotel we we're all planning to stay at. I almost started laughing, because not a single one of them got a confirmation. They all assumed if you send an email with you CC info you get a room. Even more surprising is the fact that none of them called their CC companies to see if they emailed to a fake email address. Oh well. Not my problem. I had dinner on a private balcony with Emily that overlooked the beach. It was perfect. I had Mahi-mahi, can't remember what she had. We called it an early night at 10 after making reservations to Turtle Island for the next morning.
More to come later, but I'm here in Samara and I have surfing lessons in 20 minutes. It's about 85 and sunny here, and life is good. Mom and Dad, I'll call you soon.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
I HATE HOMEWORK!
I have a 2250 word essay due on Friday in my Spanish class. We all have to write one, but the length depends on your level. The lucky ones (beginners) only have to write 600 words while the most expert students--there are four of them--have 2500 words. I think Emily has 2000. So after another day of Spanish class with Candi and Katy, and my profesora Erika, I´m here at Contactos internet cafe trying to write my paper. I´ve never been able to get a paper done more than a couple hours before it´s due, but hey--that´s my style.
Before this I had to go to Scotiabank and exchange my final $90 for colones. They gave me 516:1, which is better than the 500 that the Ticos are willing to exchange dollars for. Thank God there was no line. I was hungry. Next I went to the market with Morgan Carl (remember we have two Morgans), Todd, Peter, and Eric for a casado de pollo and a batida con leche (like a fruit milkshake). 1850 colones later (about $3.70) I´m here, trying (not) to write my paper.
I forgot to mention that Rolando turned 18 today. He´s probably getting his driver´s license today. Now he can vote, drink, drive, and gamble. And do them all at once most likely. At midnight we had a couple of drinks at the house, and I accidentally stayed up until 2:30. I´m not that tired because I got about18 hours of sleep over the previous two nights. I´ll be sure to get some pictures of my family soon so you can put some faces to the names.
Eric and I got gym memberships yesterday for 20 bucks for one month. It´s kind of a small weightroom, but it has enough free weights to keep me busy (and sore). I forgot how good it feels to lift weights...Anyway we are next door neighbors, it´s only two blocks away, and I can go at 5:00 pm before dinner, so it should workout on Mondays through Thursdays.
Tomorrow after class we´re heading to Palmares! The infamous drunken, crazy, dancing party that over one third of the country attends. Then on Sunday we head to Sámara (a beach town) for an entire week! I´m thinking about leaving Friday to go to Montezuma and do some snorkeling or Turtle Island seeing. Mom and Dad, if you´re reading this then you should know I have no money in my bank account. Please help a kid out. I´ll be okay until Friday or Saturday.
Before this I had to go to Scotiabank and exchange my final $90 for colones. They gave me 516:1, which is better than the 500 that the Ticos are willing to exchange dollars for. Thank God there was no line. I was hungry. Next I went to the market with Morgan Carl (remember we have two Morgans), Todd, Peter, and Eric for a casado de pollo and a batida con leche (like a fruit milkshake). 1850 colones later (about $3.70) I´m here, trying (not) to write my paper.
I forgot to mention that Rolando turned 18 today. He´s probably getting his driver´s license today. Now he can vote, drink, drive, and gamble. And do them all at once most likely. At midnight we had a couple of drinks at the house, and I accidentally stayed up until 2:30. I´m not that tired because I got about18 hours of sleep over the previous two nights. I´ll be sure to get some pictures of my family soon so you can put some faces to the names.
Eric and I got gym memberships yesterday for 20 bucks for one month. It´s kind of a small weightroom, but it has enough free weights to keep me busy (and sore). I forgot how good it feels to lift weights...Anyway we are next door neighbors, it´s only two blocks away, and I can go at 5:00 pm before dinner, so it should workout on Mondays through Thursdays.
Tomorrow after class we´re heading to Palmares! The infamous drunken, crazy, dancing party that over one third of the country attends. Then on Sunday we head to Sámara (a beach town) for an entire week! I´m thinking about leaving Friday to go to Montezuma and do some snorkeling or Turtle Island seeing. Mom and Dad, if you´re reading this then you should know I have no money in my bank account. Please help a kid out. I´ll be okay until Friday or Saturday.
Monday, January 15, 2007
One of my zipline videos
I didn´t know it takes about 30 minutes to upload a video here. I don´t even know if I picked the right one ( my camera died right when I selected a video). Anyways, check it out on UTube at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQmrTcit4iw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQmrTcit4iw
Arenal
This is my bedroom from the doorway
Here is my living room with a little TV.
Kind of tough to see, but this is the terrace. Largest room in the house and open-air.
Finally some pictures! I have a lot more but don´t have the time to post them. I took a bunch of pics from Arenal, and got some videos of me doing the zipline over the forest canopy. I trapped the camera to my backpack to capture the effect. There were a total of eleven ziplines in all, with one that was over 500 above the ground. It was absolutely awesome. I also handled a tarantula on the way up there (we stopped at some touristy place) so nobody can ever say anything about me being scared of spiders anymore. I´ll get those pics later. No internet at my house yet, but hopefully by Wednesday.
And my poor, poor Seahawks. What a heartbreaker. I literally watched the entire first half of the Chargers-Patriots game to see the Seattle highlights, but, of course, that would be too much to ask. It was a painful hour and a half wait to see Gould kick that field goal in OT.
Anyway, I´m getting a little ahead of myself. Our bus driver Francisco drove us to Arenal from Heredia. We left Saturday morning at 7 am, which was rough. Our bus was tiny as you can see.
We saw toucans, white herons, huge butterflies (5 inches across), leaf-cutter ants, and poison dart frogs. Two kinds: (La roja and La verde). Our guides walked around the forest and found them in only a couple of minutes. They aren´t poisonous to touch, but if they get in your bloodstream or lick one you´re in trouble. The river wasn´t warm, but it was pleasant.
I think it was another three hours until we reached Arenal and checked into our hotel rooms. We quickly changed and went to Tabacon Hot Springs, which was awesome. They take water heated from the volcano and made a little spa/resort out of it. Different pools were different temperatures, and only one was too hot for me (150 degrees F). I brought my trusty camelbak and enjoyed whisky-cokes between pools, while others paid $5 for drinks. We left around 8 pm. I forgot to mention it was raining (like RAINING!!!!) the way only a tropical storm can rain. It´s funny, because it happens in short bursts of a couple minutes, stops for maybe an hour, then rains for a few minutes again. Nothing like the slow, steady drips of the Pacific Northwest.
Sunday morning we got to sleep in until 9 then loaded back on to the bus for our Canopy Tour. First was the ziplines through the forest, then we rode horses down the mountain. I couldn´t believe that every single person in our group participated in everything. Awesome group, and an even better time. Below is a pic of the enormous tractor we rode up the mountain.
Next we got geared up with a harnass, our helmet, a hand break for the zipline, and a glove for the other hand. See below!
I took a few videos with the camera strapped to my shoulder, and I gave my camera to Emily for one where she went with one of the guides (and hence had a free hand to guide the camera around). I can´t compare it to anything I´ve ever done. I´ll but the video on UTube for everybody to see.
Horses afterward was fun. I made my gallop but I almost bounced off so I stopped. Our program director Max took a spill at full gallop right in front of me when his horse slipped. I´m pretty sure he had a concussion (very loopy) but was lucky he didn´t kill himself. He has a raw shoulder and foot though. Went home after some pizza, and got home around 10.
School today was better, because I have two other students in my class. Katy from my group and a 50 year old businesswoman from Minnesota. More later. Miss you all.
Friday, January 12, 2007
Going to Arenal
It´s my first Friday in Costa Rica, and I finally found a keyboard that has a functional apostrope key. In stead of going out Wednesday I just hung around the house with Rolando and talked for a couple hours. Jose Miguel didn´t feel up to a few hours of free drinks. Too bad. Yesterday I got to watch Diarias de Motocicleta in my class (by myself), and I would recommend it to anybody who hasn´t seen it. It´s about Che Guevara, and is surprisingly funny. Last night we went to a salsa club called Castro´s, which was all right. Hard to get up this morning for my first exam, which was really hard. It took my more than two and a half hours, but the good news is one of the girls in my group is moving up to my class, so there will be another person to talk to!
After my test I went to this little cafe and got a chicken sandwich (for the second day in a row) and rice, beans, and ensalada verde with mora to drink (yes Zeigler, like Jim Mora, the legendary Husky). It´s fresh blackberry juice. Ding. Then I went to the pool again and played cards with Emily, relaxed, and got some sun.
Tomorrow we leave at 7 am to take a 5 or 6 hour bus ride to Arenal and the Monteverde cloud forests. Rafting, a forest zip line, waterfall jumping, and an active volcano all await! It´s gonna be a busy weekend.
Last thing--two of my bros play Hold ´Em! I get to show these Ticos how to play some cards. All in.
After my test I went to this little cafe and got a chicken sandwich (for the second day in a row) and rice, beans, and ensalada verde with mora to drink (yes Zeigler, like Jim Mora, the legendary Husky). It´s fresh blackberry juice. Ding. Then I went to the pool again and played cards with Emily, relaxed, and got some sun.
Tomorrow we leave at 7 am to take a 5 or 6 hour bus ride to Arenal and the Monteverde cloud forests. Rafting, a forest zip line, waterfall jumping, and an active volcano all await! It´s gonna be a busy weekend.
Last thing--two of my bros play Hold ´Em! I get to show these Ticos how to play some cards. All in.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
¿Que día es?
I am pretty sure its Wednesday, but I have already lost all sense of time as far as days go. Each individual day is pretty structured, so I know what time it is (and I have a watch). Its actually pretty easy to tell time just by looking at the sun, which rises around 550 and sets around 530 every day. At the beginning of March the sun will rise at 558 am for 17 consecutive days, which is the latest the sun ever comes up here.
I havent done a whole lot since yesterday, but I did find out some interesting, exciting news! The biggest party in Costa Rica starts tomorrow in a town called Palmares, and goes on for two weeks IN A ROW. The other huge party week that is supposed to happen in December in San Jose was cancelled by the major, so all of the Ticos are going to use the money they have saved to go to Palmares.
200,000 people are expected to be there tomorrow morning for the opening festivities, which include a carnival, 2300 caballeros (guys on horses), and apparently dozens of free beer trucks full of Imperial. The brother of one of my neighbors told me that what happens in Palmares stays in Palmares. Sounds like Vegas plus Carnival...
I learned that if you get a DUI here they seize your car, put you in jail for two weeks, suspend you license for 10 years, and fine you 1500 dollars, which to a Tico is like two months of salary or more. You cant drive and talk on a cell phone, and they have a seatbelt law, apparently, that nobody follows. I know you can pay off cops with about 5000 colones if youre getting hastled, which is about 10 bucks or so.
Apparently between 60 to 80 percent of Ticos are allergic to the volcanic ash and dust that frequents the air here in the Central Valley, and are also sensitive to "drastic" temperature changes, which isnt even noticable to a kid who grew up in Spokane.
Tonight I might go out to a club electronica with my hermano Jose called LIVING, because he is a VIP member and if he brings me we get free drinks from 900 to midnight. Sounds tempting. Other than that, I have to go to the grocery store because my family doesnt have any snacky foods at the house!
But I saved the best story for last. Last night I noticed there were a ton of these really, really tiny ants on my nightstand. Think smaller than a tiny fruit fly. They were following a line from the wall to my retainer (which was in its case) on the nightstand. Yeah. I opened it and about 15 ants were feasting on the various crevices of my retainer. Filled with little ants. Just earlier that day my mamá was saying the house has to be kept really clean or the bugs will find anything that is food or has a smell. Gross, huh? Now Im going to keep it in a zip-lock bag.
I havent done a whole lot since yesterday, but I did find out some interesting, exciting news! The biggest party in Costa Rica starts tomorrow in a town called Palmares, and goes on for two weeks IN A ROW. The other huge party week that is supposed to happen in December in San Jose was cancelled by the major, so all of the Ticos are going to use the money they have saved to go to Palmares.
200,000 people are expected to be there tomorrow morning for the opening festivities, which include a carnival, 2300 caballeros (guys on horses), and apparently dozens of free beer trucks full of Imperial. The brother of one of my neighbors told me that what happens in Palmares stays in Palmares. Sounds like Vegas plus Carnival...
I learned that if you get a DUI here they seize your car, put you in jail for two weeks, suspend you license for 10 years, and fine you 1500 dollars, which to a Tico is like two months of salary or more. You cant drive and talk on a cell phone, and they have a seatbelt law, apparently, that nobody follows. I know you can pay off cops with about 5000 colones if youre getting hastled, which is about 10 bucks or so.
Apparently between 60 to 80 percent of Ticos are allergic to the volcanic ash and dust that frequents the air here in the Central Valley, and are also sensitive to "drastic" temperature changes, which isnt even noticable to a kid who grew up in Spokane.
Tonight I might go out to a club electronica with my hermano Jose called LIVING, because he is a VIP member and if he brings me we get free drinks from 900 to midnight. Sounds tempting. Other than that, I have to go to the grocery store because my family doesnt have any snacky foods at the house!
But I saved the best story for last. Last night I noticed there were a ton of these really, really tiny ants on my nightstand. Think smaller than a tiny fruit fly. They were following a line from the wall to my retainer (which was in its case) on the nightstand. Yeah. I opened it and about 15 ants were feasting on the various crevices of my retainer. Filled with little ants. Just earlier that day my mamá was saying the house has to be kept really clean or the bugs will find anything that is food or has a smell. Gross, huh? Now Im going to keep it in a zip-lock bag.
Tuesday, January 9, 2007
Busy, busy, busy
I have so much to write I hardly know where to start. Emily and I checked out of our hotel early Sunday and took a 3 dollar cab ride to Intercultura, the English-Spanish college where we will be studying Spanish at the next 3 weeks. It wasnt open yet. We ran into two other girls from our program, Laura and Nicole, a few minutes later, and we decided to go to the parque central and pass some time. Emily and I played some more cards and we got misted by the central fountain. Its really windy here in January and February.
We checked in and filled out some paperwork at Intercultura, and I got dragged into a room and given an evaluation. At first I didnt know what was going on, but when she was only speaking in Spanish and telling to use the subjunctive to describe things for her to do in a potential future visit to Seattle, I figured it out. I happened to be the first one to go. Everybody had shown up by the time I was done with the eval, and I got picked up by my host family in a few minutes.
Two of the three brothers came. Jose Miguel, 21, and Rolando, 17. Rolando has a mowhawk and braces. Jose is a little pudgy but a really cool guy. Both (and later the third brother) speak flawless English. Mi mama is named Rosio, and she is not only a kindergarten principle, but the mayor of Heredia too. Pretty cool. They have an old rott in the yard named Zeus. Apparently he was two points away from being the Central American champion.
The house is kind of tough to describe. It is gated, and all of the windows have black bars over them, but I live in the nice area of Heredia. The rooms are small and cramped, but well decorated and clean, and the yard is pretty large. The terrace was the only huge room. Upstairs were two of the guys bedrooms and a bathroom. I apologize the apostrophe doesnt work on this keyboard. Anyways, my room is small with a single bed and half a closet, a nightstand, and a table. Ashtray included. They all smoke, but not very much, and not in the house when I am home.
My first dinner that night was traditional Tico food: fried potatoes (papas), pan fried steak (bistec), plantains (platanos), which are pretty much giant fried bananas, red beans, and white rice. I liked all of it. I also forgot to mention we watched the Eagles beat the Giants (unfortunately) on TV before dinner. After dinner I hung out with the guys for awhile, learned about Heredia and Costa Rica, and listened to music with Rolando. He listens to the same music I do and his favorite band is Iron Maiden. Pretty funny. I went to bed at 11.
The next morning I had to be at class at 815. Breakfast was cornflakes and coffee. I was driven my Rosio´s driver. We got picked up in an SUV and I learned my route. I was placed in Advanced IV, the second highest level, and one level higher than I think I should be personally, and I am the only person in my class. From 830 to 1230 I have one-on-one with my profesora. I cant remember her name right now, but she is great. I have already learned a lot in a couple days. After class we got a tour of Heredia, which kind of sucked. Hard to hear anything. We walked to lunch which was only 1000 colones (2 bucks) for a big plate of chicken, rice, beans, plantains, and a salad, and guava juice. Then I went with a couple of the guys to Bolevar, a popular bar, and we grabbed a few pitchers (picheles). They drink Pilsen and Imperial, two local Costa Rican beers that are surprisingly really, really good. Beer is about 800 colones or so for a bottle with tip included (1.50 USD or so). At 4 we had another oriention to discuss some things. For example, you usually put your used TP in the garbage, not the toitet. Yeah.
I forgot to mention that the drivers here are insane. You will get hit by a car if you walk in front of a car. Crossing the streets can be a pain, and taxi rides are a bit of an adventure. Nobody wears seatbelts. There are huge (four feet deep sometimes) potholes on the sidewalks and in the streets. The roads are bad.
After the meeting I walked home and watched Talledaga Nights with Will Ferrell with Jose. Dinner was spaghetti with a cream sauce that had ham and corn in it, along with--you guessed it--plantains. I think Ben would die if he had to eat one. Yummmmm....mushy bananas. I took a seven minute nap and headed to La Choza or something, another bar that was across the street from Bolevar. I think all 25 of our group showed up, and we had a good night. I took a cab home around 1230 and got up at 700.
Today there was a strange woman in the kitchen. I said hi to her and she told me her name is Gabriella. She must be a maid, but maybe only comes once in awhile? No sé. I had gallepinto for breakfast, which is another typical Tico breakfast food. Its just rice and beans mixed together. Class was fine today, though I admit I was a little bit hungover. My subject this week is human rights and the dictators of Central and South America. I get to watch a movie on Thursday (by myself) for class, which will probably end up being Diarias Motocicletas (Motorcycle Diaries) which is about Che Guevera.
After class we went to the mercado (market). It was huge, and different from the market in Rome. I got a casado, which is the term for a typical Costa Rican lunch, for about 3 dollars. It is what I described above as my first meal. I bought a beach towel at the Super (short for supermercado) and went to the pool for a couple hours. It closed at 330, and now here I am, writing an entirely too long blog post at Intercultura. Im going to head home in a few, and not go out tonight. Maybe the movies. Not sure. I have to go to dance lessons tomorrow and Thursday because on Thursday night we are going to San Jose to a club. Wish me luck.
We checked in and filled out some paperwork at Intercultura, and I got dragged into a room and given an evaluation. At first I didnt know what was going on, but when she was only speaking in Spanish and telling to use the subjunctive to describe things for her to do in a potential future visit to Seattle, I figured it out. I happened to be the first one to go. Everybody had shown up by the time I was done with the eval, and I got picked up by my host family in a few minutes.
Two of the three brothers came. Jose Miguel, 21, and Rolando, 17. Rolando has a mowhawk and braces. Jose is a little pudgy but a really cool guy. Both (and later the third brother) speak flawless English. Mi mama is named Rosio, and she is not only a kindergarten principle, but the mayor of Heredia too. Pretty cool. They have an old rott in the yard named Zeus. Apparently he was two points away from being the Central American champion.
The house is kind of tough to describe. It is gated, and all of the windows have black bars over them, but I live in the nice area of Heredia. The rooms are small and cramped, but well decorated and clean, and the yard is pretty large. The terrace was the only huge room. Upstairs were two of the guys bedrooms and a bathroom. I apologize the apostrophe doesnt work on this keyboard. Anyways, my room is small with a single bed and half a closet, a nightstand, and a table. Ashtray included. They all smoke, but not very much, and not in the house when I am home.
My first dinner that night was traditional Tico food: fried potatoes (papas), pan fried steak (bistec), plantains (platanos), which are pretty much giant fried bananas, red beans, and white rice. I liked all of it. I also forgot to mention we watched the Eagles beat the Giants (unfortunately) on TV before dinner. After dinner I hung out with the guys for awhile, learned about Heredia and Costa Rica, and listened to music with Rolando. He listens to the same music I do and his favorite band is Iron Maiden. Pretty funny. I went to bed at 11.
The next morning I had to be at class at 815. Breakfast was cornflakes and coffee. I was driven my Rosio´s driver. We got picked up in an SUV and I learned my route. I was placed in Advanced IV, the second highest level, and one level higher than I think I should be personally, and I am the only person in my class. From 830 to 1230 I have one-on-one with my profesora. I cant remember her name right now, but she is great. I have already learned a lot in a couple days. After class we got a tour of Heredia, which kind of sucked. Hard to hear anything. We walked to lunch which was only 1000 colones (2 bucks) for a big plate of chicken, rice, beans, plantains, and a salad, and guava juice. Then I went with a couple of the guys to Bolevar, a popular bar, and we grabbed a few pitchers (picheles). They drink Pilsen and Imperial, two local Costa Rican beers that are surprisingly really, really good. Beer is about 800 colones or so for a bottle with tip included (1.50 USD or so). At 4 we had another oriention to discuss some things. For example, you usually put your used TP in the garbage, not the toitet. Yeah.
I forgot to mention that the drivers here are insane. You will get hit by a car if you walk in front of a car. Crossing the streets can be a pain, and taxi rides are a bit of an adventure. Nobody wears seatbelts. There are huge (four feet deep sometimes) potholes on the sidewalks and in the streets. The roads are bad.
After the meeting I walked home and watched Talledaga Nights with Will Ferrell with Jose. Dinner was spaghetti with a cream sauce that had ham and corn in it, along with--you guessed it--plantains. I think Ben would die if he had to eat one. Yummmmm....mushy bananas. I took a seven minute nap and headed to La Choza or something, another bar that was across the street from Bolevar. I think all 25 of our group showed up, and we had a good night. I took a cab home around 1230 and got up at 700.
Today there was a strange woman in the kitchen. I said hi to her and she told me her name is Gabriella. She must be a maid, but maybe only comes once in awhile? No sé. I had gallepinto for breakfast, which is another typical Tico breakfast food. Its just rice and beans mixed together. Class was fine today, though I admit I was a little bit hungover. My subject this week is human rights and the dictators of Central and South America. I get to watch a movie on Thursday (by myself) for class, which will probably end up being Diarias Motocicletas (Motorcycle Diaries) which is about Che Guevera.
After class we went to the mercado (market). It was huge, and different from the market in Rome. I got a casado, which is the term for a typical Costa Rican lunch, for about 3 dollars. It is what I described above as my first meal. I bought a beach towel at the Super (short for supermercado) and went to the pool for a couple hours. It closed at 330, and now here I am, writing an entirely too long blog post at Intercultura. Im going to head home in a few, and not go out tonight. Maybe the movies. Not sure. I have to go to dance lessons tomorrow and Thursday because on Thursday night we are going to San Jose to a club. Wish me luck.
Saturday, January 6, 2007
Arrival
I made it. I should say we made it. After an early morning (got up at 545 am) and Arian and Anna taking us to the airport, we met up with 4 other people from our group at SeaTac. The lady that checked us in said "have fun in Cabo" as we walked away. I was worried for a minute that our plane was going to the other San Jose, but we were fine. Unfortunately, one of the girls from our group was so sick she had to leave the airport. She´s going to try and come in a couple days. Too bad. Emily and I grabbed a drink at the Fox Sports Bar in Phoenix and watched tons of OSU and Florida fans pile off of flights. They´re getting set for the BCS title game on Monday in Phoenix.
The flight to San Jose was fine. I only slept for about 20, but am in the process of beating Emily in our fourth game of Gin Rummy in a row. I love it. Once we landed at 908 local time, 708 for you Seattlites, it was dark and there was almost a full moon. Lots of stars were already visible. Customs and baggage took literally less than 20 minutes after we got off. Emily and I found a our hotel driver holding a sign with COLIN FULTON on it, which was pretty cool--a real first for me and a life goal. Just kidding. He is one of four siblings that owns this hotel we´re staying at--two brothers, two sisters, and he was great. He gave us a ten minute driving tour of Heredia and all of the sights, including our school we´ll be studying at. Our room is awesome but small, and I´m on one of the free computers now. We´re off to grab some food. Hopefully I can figure this keyboard out later. Hasta Luego, and CONGRATS TO THE SEAHAWKS ON THEIR 21-20 WIN OVER THE COWBOYS!
The flight to San Jose was fine. I only slept for about 20, but am in the process of beating Emily in our fourth game of Gin Rummy in a row. I love it. Once we landed at 908 local time, 708 for you Seattlites, it was dark and there was almost a full moon. Lots of stars were already visible. Customs and baggage took literally less than 20 minutes after we got off. Emily and I found a our hotel driver holding a sign with COLIN FULTON on it, which was pretty cool--a real first for me and a life goal. Just kidding. He is one of four siblings that owns this hotel we´re staying at--two brothers, two sisters, and he was great. He gave us a ten minute driving tour of Heredia and all of the sights, including our school we´ll be studying at. Our room is awesome but small, and I´m on one of the free computers now. We´re off to grab some food. Hopefully I can figure this keyboard out later. Hasta Luego, and CONGRATS TO THE SEAHAWKS ON THEIR 21-20 WIN OVER THE COWBOYS!
Friday, January 5, 2007
Countdown
Today was filled with all of the standard final preparations before the trip. Of course, I waited to pack until early this afternoon, and probably forgot something essential. Actually, I already did--I left my Ipod charger in Spokane. Oh well. At least I remembered my passport and some swim shorts.
It's been raining/blowing/hurricaning all day in Seattle. There couldn't be a better time to get out some sunny weather! This afternoon I got my watch resized and did some other random errands with Emily at U Village. I think she ordered a new Ipod for free courtesy of Steve Jobs. She always gets everything for free...
Tonight my sis Anna picked me up at my Seattle house, we swooped down to the Ram to get Emily, then we headed to her house in Redmond. Dinner at an awesome Indian restaurant called Mayuri. It was a new experience for me, but the "butter chicken" was rico (obviously). Now I'm sitting in Arian and Anna's basement getting ready for a few hours of X-Box 360. I'm starting to get pumped for tomorrow morning!
It's been raining/blowing/hurricaning all day in Seattle. There couldn't be a better time to get out some sunny weather! This afternoon I got my watch resized and did some other random errands with Emily at U Village. I think she ordered a new Ipod for free courtesy of Steve Jobs. She always gets everything for free...
Tonight my sis Anna picked me up at my Seattle house, we swooped down to the Ram to get Emily, then we headed to her house in Redmond. Dinner at an awesome Indian restaurant called Mayuri. It was a new experience for me, but the "butter chicken" was rico (obviously). Now I'm sitting in Arian and Anna's basement getting ready for a few hours of X-Box 360. I'm starting to get pumped for tomorrow morning!
Thursday, January 4, 2007
The Aftermath
Yesterday started slow but ended up being a busy day. Emily and I got to the airport around 3:30, checked in, and boarded our flight around 4:30. I had to say goodbye to the parentals at the airport--it's weird knowing I won't see them for so long. Mom almost cried like she sometimes does, and we were off.
My seat got changed last second because apparently some passenger needed to sit in the front so they "wouldn't get sick." I had to sit in the very back, while Emily was up in row 9. She sat by a businesswoman who had apparently been drinking, and I sat by a 34-year-old guy who got dragged to Seattle last minute to help his mother-in-law move. Ouch. I had a glass of chardonnay on the plane and got picked up by Colt and his girlfriend Lindsay.
When I got home, Colt and I had to run to the liquor store and pick up the pair of kegs. The party was fun; a bunch of my friends from Rome came over (Ciaron, Kiley, Kaylor, The Wolf, and Tod) to say goodbye, which was great. I hadn't seen a couple of them in a long time. I think I called it a night around 1...or 2...or sometime after that.
A standard hangover today. I have some last-minute errands to run before Costa Rica. I'm writing on Colt's computer, and being the inconsiderate person I am, I woke him up at 2:32 pm. Tough life. I've heard him say, "Oh God," "Colin help," "My body hurts," and "What are you writing so much for?"
Flying to Costa Rica isn't the only big thing happening on Saturday. Don't forget the Seahawks play the Dallas Cowboys in the first round of the playoffs too.
My seat got changed last second because apparently some passenger needed to sit in the front so they "wouldn't get sick." I had to sit in the very back, while Emily was up in row 9. She sat by a businesswoman who had apparently been drinking, and I sat by a 34-year-old guy who got dragged to Seattle last minute to help his mother-in-law move. Ouch. I had a glass of chardonnay on the plane and got picked up by Colt and his girlfriend Lindsay.
When I got home, Colt and I had to run to the liquor store and pick up the pair of kegs. The party was fun; a bunch of my friends from Rome came over (Ciaron, Kiley, Kaylor, The Wolf, and Tod) to say goodbye, which was great. I hadn't seen a couple of them in a long time. I think I called it a night around 1...or 2...or sometime after that.
A standard hangover today. I have some last-minute errands to run before Costa Rica. I'm writing on Colt's computer, and being the inconsiderate person I am, I woke him up at 2:32 pm. Tough life. I've heard him say, "Oh God," "Colin help," "My body hurts," and "What are you writing so much for?"
Flying to Costa Rica isn't the only big thing happening on Saturday. Don't forget the Seahawks play the Dallas Cowboys in the first round of the playoffs too.
Tuesday, January 2, 2007
Last Night at Home
This is my first of many posts that I will try and routinely make during my 79-day adventure in Heredia, Costa Rica. I'm going to try and label each post with the date and day for purposes of clarification, and I'll do my best to use the Canon Elph I got as a Christmas present from my padres.
Tonight is my LAST night in Spokane. Emily came back with me after I spent New Year's in Sunnyside (her hometown in central Washington by Yakima), and we're flying out to Seattle tomorrow at 4:30. Then we leave the morning of the 6th for San Jose International Airport via Phoenix, and should be in Heredia by 9:30 pm CST. That's another thing--time is two hours ahead of Seattle.
In a few minutes my good friend Joe Migliuri (USAFA) is coming over with his new Nintendo Wii, and we're going to introduce the system to my dad and Emily. I would have already bought one, but no point in paying the inflated prices that still exist if I'm going to Central America for three months. Life is tough...
Tonight is my LAST night in Spokane. Emily came back with me after I spent New Year's in Sunnyside (her hometown in central Washington by Yakima), and we're flying out to Seattle tomorrow at 4:30. Then we leave the morning of the 6th for San Jose International Airport via Phoenix, and should be in Heredia by 9:30 pm CST. That's another thing--time is two hours ahead of Seattle.
In a few minutes my good friend Joe Migliuri (USAFA) is coming over with his new Nintendo Wii, and we're going to introduce the system to my dad and Emily. I would have already bought one, but no point in paying the inflated prices that still exist if I'm going to Central America for three months. Life is tough...
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