Monteverde!

This trip to Monteverde had to be the most anticipated trip so far because we were going to go zip lining through the mountains. Anxious to start our journey, Megan, Tyler and I were going to take the bus to San Jose at 4:30 am on Friday. As we boarded the bus at 4:23, something told us that something terrible was going to happen when Tyler wasn't there to board the bus. The driver said he could only wait until 4:30 and so, as the minutes passed, we knew Tyler was going to miss it, which was quite unfortunate since he was headed back to California on Sunday. The bus doors closed and we anxiously looked out the windows for any sign of him but, the bus was on its way.

We took the bus to San Jose, an easy 45 minute ride and had to take a short taxi ride to another bus station where we waited to board the next bus to Monteverde. Most of the people waiting for this bus were Americans, showing how big of a tourist attraction Monteverde was. I was so very fortunate to get to sit next to an older Tico vendor of some sort who smelled like he hadn't showered in a few weeks and so, I put in my headphones and decided to catch up on some much needed sleep.

As we approached the first rest stop 2 hours into the trip, I remember thinking "awesome, this bus ride isn't too bad!" When we walked inside the rest stop, we were pleasantly surprised to see that there were license plates from around the world along the ceiling. Megan and I were pleasantly surprised to see a Virginia license plate among them! Our rest stop ended pretty quickly and we boarded the bus to take on the second part of the bus ride. From this point on, the roads were super bumpy, narrow and curvy as we went up the mountain. There were several occasions where I saw my life flash before my eyes as another bus from the opposite direction approached us and our bus driver would put the bus in reverse and inch closer to the edge. I would just close my eyes, focus on my music and pray to God that we wouldn't fall off the edge of the mountain.

To cope with the many near death experiences along this bus ride, I focused on the unbelievable view of the mountains of Costa Rica. Even pictures couldn't capture the beauty of these mountains but I still tried to do what I could so that at least everyone could get a basic idea of what I was experiencing. I've seen the mountains on both the east and west coast of the states but nothing could come close to the rolling hills and greenery within the mountains here in Monteverde. It was absolutely breathtaking!

We arrived in Monteverde at 10:30 and immediately got off the bus to find WiFi to see if Tyler messaged us to say he was okay. We walked over to a cute coffee shop at the bottom of pretty steep hill to be typical Americans and use WiFi without buying anything. We checked Facebook to see that Tyler's alarm didn't go off but he was going to catch the bus at 2:30 and to wait up for him for dinner, at least. We then decided to save our zip lining trip for the next day so that he could go with us. After checking in with John and friends, we talked to the guy at the coffee shop to see if he knew where our hostel was. After going to 3 different places, we eventually made it to Monteverde Backpacker's Adventure, our home for the next day and a half. We were in a 7-person room with some girls from Canada.

Once we put our stuff in the hostel, Megan and I were desperate to find some food. We were missing American food so we found a cute restaurant to have a delicious cheeseburger and fries. Just like any other restaurant that we've been to in Costa Rica, the food took forever to get to us but it was delicious! Once we were done, we did some sightseeing around town and bought our bus ticket for the next day before returning back to the hostel to take a 2 hour nap. 

One glorious cat nap and Skype session with John later, we headed back into town to look through some gift shops before heading to a coffee shop to get our coffee fill while waiting for Tyler. Around 7:30, Tyler made his grand arrival and we headed to the Treehouse Restaurant and Cafe for dinner. The entire shopping center was built around this tree and we were seated upstairs, next to the tree to enjoy dinner and drinks while 3 Ticos played an xylophone for entertainment. We headed back to the hostel to watch the movie 21 with Spanish subtitles with our Canadian roommates. We all went to bed early to be ready for our zip-lining adventure at 7:30 the next day.

Coffee, fruit, milk and cereal were provided for us when we woke up the next morning. It was good but it definitely made us miss our awesome breakfasts that our host mom Zulema makes us everyday when we are home in Atenas. Since we are in Costa Rica where everything starts much later than originally planned, the shuttle bus picked up the 6 of us at 8 when it was supposed to be there at 7:30 to take us to Monteverde Xtremo Park.

This zip lining adventure had to be the coolest thing I have ever done in my life, hands down. We did 12 separate ziplines, a Tarzan swing and Superman for $40, probably the best $40 I have spent so far in Costa Rica. I didn't trust myself to hold my phone as I zip lined so we all decided to go in for a cd at the end that would capture our zip line pictures for us. Like I already said, words and pictures couldn't do justice in describing my experience here in Monteverde. It was incredible to zip line from mountain to mountain, capturing some of the beauty that Costa Rica has to offer. The Tarzan swing was the scariest zip line of them all because you were experiencing free fall for a couple seconds before the zip line caught you and swung you back and forth. The last zip line was where you were strapped to lie flat like Superman and zip line the longest path back to the beginning of the zip line tour. I absolutely felt like I was flying. I was sad to see this adventure come to an end but as we packed up our stuff, it began to rain and so, clearly it was time to head back.

We all went to a coffee shop to grab brunch and coffee before heading back to Atenas. This bus ride lasted a total of 7 hours due to heavy rain and the resulting traffic. The 3 of us were overjoyed to get back to Atenas at 9:30. We said our goodbyes to Tyler and headed home to a lovely dinner that our host sister heated up for us. Once that was over, Megan and I went straight to sleep. Another weekend adventure was done and we are grateful to have Sunday to rest before getting back into the swing of things on Monday!

Quepos and Manuel Antonio!

This weekend, we took a short 2 day trip out to Quepos and Manuel Antonio in Puntarenas! Luckily, one of our supervisor's had a friend who could drive us there with their minivan for $17 a person. It's so nice to be somewhere with air conditioning because that is absolutely a luxury here in Costa Rica! The drive took about 2 1/2 hours, with a quick stop along the way to look at some crocodiles. The van pulled over to the side and the group was able to walk along a bridge to see the crocodiles beneath us. There had to be at least 10 crocodiles in that immediate area! If there was anything that we noticed with these crocodiles, it is that they are huge and lazy. Even though we were there for 10 minutes, I think I saw 2 crocodiles actually open there mouths and maybe 2 more just move their arms slightly.

Upon our arrival in Quepos, we stopped to buy our bus tickets for the next day, just to be sure we had a definite way of getting home. Our driver then took us to Vista Serena Hostel, a 10 minute drive outside of Quepos. The view from our hostel was incredible! We could see the beach just past the mountains. The clouds were absolutely perfect above it all. There was a broad opening within the clouds with just enough light to give the appearance that that was the entrance into heaven. It was simply beautiful!

Since it was only 9:30 in the morning, we weren't able to check into the hostel but we took advantage of the fact that there was a shuttle leaving at 10 to take us back to Quepos to go snorkeling. After a quick change of clothes, we were on our way back to town to buy our tickets for snorkeling. There was another couple who we met at the ticket office that was part of our group for the adventure. The driver took us to a pier where we met up with our tour guide from Snorkel Adventure. He took us out on the boat for about 20 minutes until we were able to snorkel. Before we jumped in, he gave us a piece of pineapple to feed the fish. You had to hold the edge of it because he said the fish tend to be greedy and he didn't want us to accidentally get bitten. After 5 minutes trying to tread water while snorkeling, a few of us swam back to the boat to grab a float. Needless to say, this made the whole snorkeling thing a lot easier. As soon as I went underwater, there was a group of fish that immediately came to me to eat the pineapple. It was overwhelming to all of a sudden see so many fish coming towards me for the pineapple! I could feel them biting away.

We only stayed in the water for 30 minutes until we were told to get back on the boat for the rest of the tour. The next part of the tour was at el bajo del diablo. We stayed here for a couple minutes, only long enough for the tour guide to tell us that this was a popular place to come fishing but that the waves here were insane and so fishing is really difficult. We needed to get to calmer water because many of us were feeling sea sick after a few moments there. We were able to see a manta ray jump out of the water while we were here though!

The last part of the tour was to see elephant's point. This part of the island got its name from the fact that there are 10 caves along the base of the island where it meets the water. When water fills the cave, it comes shooting out, giving a similar appearance as an elephant blowing water out of its trunk! The sound that the cave makes is also similar to that of an elephant. After 2 hours on the boat, we were all ready to head back to shore. The rest of the day was spent relaxing on the porch at the hostel with other people staying at the hostel. We ordered lots of pizza and just sat around talking and laughing. If anything, it was a perfect and relaxing way to end such a busy day.

We all woke up at 6:30 in the morning the next day in order to get a head start on our adventure to Manuel Antonio National Park. After a light breakfast at the hostel, we caught a bus straight to the park. Entrance to the park was only $10, which turned out to be a great deal for such a fun day. During our walk to the beach, we saw monkeys and sloths, just hanging out in their natural environment. We saw the same animals at La Paz a few weekends before but it was awesome to actually see them in their natural habitat.

After a 30 minute walk, we arrived to 1 of the 3 beaches at Manuel Antonio. Simply put, this beach was beautiful. Since we got to the park so early, there were only a couple people at the park with us, which definitely added to the beauty of the park. It was incredible to see how the forest was able to come up so close to the shore, suddenly stop and give way to soft sand. The water was pretty clear and the perfect temperature. We spent about 3 hours there, enjoying the water and exploring some of the sights right around the beach. There were places with lots of rocks to climb and a staircase up so you could get a better view of the park. By 10:30, right when we were packing up, there were so many people, almost all gringos (American tourists/white people), who had just arrived to the beach. We were really glad to have had the beach to ourselves most of the morning and were sorry to see the peacefulness of the beach be taken away so quickly. We needed to head back though so we had enough time to get to the hostel, grab lunch and catch our bus back to Atenas at 2. After a 4 hour bus ride, we were happy to get back to the peaceful environment here in Atenas. We were quick to shower and eat dinner before getting to bed by 8:30.

Needless to say, I would have loved to stay in Quepos and Manuel Antonio for a few more days but I'm so glad that we at least got to visit for a bit! I can't wait for next weekend's adventure to Monteverde :)

Feliz Dia del Padre!

On Thursday at Hogar de Ancianos, we had a Father's Day party for all of the abuelos at the center! After the abuelos had breakfast, we brought everyone to the dining room to hangout while we put up the decorations. We had the usual streamers and balloons around the dining room and there was a live band being set up at the front of the dining room.

Once all of the decorations were up, the music started and the abuelos started dancing, at least the ones who were pretty mobile. It was great to see the abuelos get excited over the music and other festivities. I went over to dance with one of my favorite abuelos, Manuel. He doesn't talk much but he has the biggest smile that just brightens up my day. I wasn't allowed to get him out of his wheelchair and so, all of our dancing was restricted to arm movements in the chair. He was just smiling and laughing the whole time, which made me smile and laugh along with him. I then realized that he was singing along to the songs that the band was playing too! I ended up dancing with him for 10 or 15 minutes, partially because he wouldn't let go of my hand, which was perfectly okay because I loved dancing with him.

After dancing with Manuel, I danced with a few of the other abuelos. Some of the older volunteers were trying to teach me and the other 2 volunteers I work with how to do some of the Tico dances. It was pretty difficult for us because we don't really dance the same way in the United States but it was still a lot of fun. We all ended up dancing for about an hour and a half. Once everyone applauded for the band, presents were given to both the abuelos who had birthdays in June and to all the fathers in Hogar de Ancianos. It was really nice to see how well the abuelos were being treated at the retirement home. I know that's a really hard decision to put parents in a home like this but it was comforting to see that they were being treated well. After the party, there was special food brought for lunch for all of the abuelos and the employees! The party was a complete success and it also gave another reason why I would want to work with this age group in the future.

La Paz Waterfall Gardens

Today I travelled to La Paz Waterfall Gardens with a few of the other volunteers. We had to get up at 330 to catch a bus to San Jose, take a taxi to another bus station and catch another bus to the park. After a long and bumpy bus ride through the lusciously green mountains of Costa Rica, we finally made it to La Paz!

La Paz Waterfall Gardens and Peace Lodge is one of the more popular tourist attractions in Costa Rica. After paying for admission, we decided to take a self-guided tour throughout the park. We denied the guided tour because it was $80 and we figured it would be more fun if we explored it ourselves. The first part of the tour had all of the birds. Toucans and parrots were only some of the magnificent birds that we saw in this first part of the tour. The last part of this section, though, included the hummingbirds and we all forgot how dangerous it would be to be stationary in an enclosed area with these birds. They are so fast and at least 3 would go whizzing by you at any point! We took a group picture and as soon as that was finished, 5 birds flew by us, making all of the girls scream bloody murder! Throughout the rest of our trip, we saw the frog, snake and jungle cat exhibits, which were all really cool.

The last part of the trail included the waterfalls. There are 4 waterfalls throughout this trail and they were incredible. At the second waterfall, there was a path that brought you right up to the waterfall, letting us be misted by the falling water. After taking several panoramic pictures of the park and stopping by the gift shop, we were ready for our lunch. There was a buffet filled with lots of Costa Rican food, all of which was delicious. To appease any picky Americans visiting the park, they were sure to have hotdogs and french fries too.

Luckily, we timed our trip out well because, we found out right before lunch, that the only bus available to take us back to San Jose and eventually Atenas was leaving at 1. So after having a good lunch, some coffee and a few laughs, we were ready to start our journey back home. Since we had all been up since 3:30 am, we were all grateful to get back to our host homes around 5:30 pm to take a nap!

First weekend here in Costa Rica has been incredible and I can't wait to see what the next 7 weeks has to bring!

Finding Southern Comforts in Costa Rica

Growing up in Virginia, you become accustomed to certain Southern comforts that are really hard to find anywhere else. For example, as John and I found out during our recent vacation, it is nearly impossible to find a glass of sweet tea anywhere in Southern California. I'm excited to say that after a few days here in Costa Rica, I've found little hints of some of these Southern comforts.

Today was my first day at my internship at Hogar de Ancianos. I arrived at 7, exactly when I was told to be there, only to find out that the physical therapist would be running late. Southern comfort #1: Tico time is just like Southern concept of time. For my generation, everything has a set time to start and to end and we get frustrated when things don't go our way. Earlier generations, though, are so much more relaxed about everything and know that things will get done when the time comes. They made time to stop and smell the roses. Here in Costa Rica, there is a definite delay with things starting and there isn't a set time for things to end. We just need to enjoy the time that we're given! Having the physical therapist arriving late gave me a chance to get to know one of the other volunteers so, Tico time was definitely helpful!

The other volunteer and I didn't get started until 7:30 when we helped with serving breakfast. Southern comfort #2: Say good morning to whoever you see. When going for a run through the park back home, it didn't matter if you knew the person you were running by, you say "good morning" and give them a smile. Same rules apply here in Costa Rica. The patients that were able were quick to give you a smile and say "Buenas dias."We quickly adapted to try to lengthen the conversation a little more by asking "como estas hoy?" or "how are you today?"

Southern comfort #3: Use a name of endearment when you can. During my time in Richmond, Virginia and the recent visits to Boone, North Carolina, I've gotten quite used to the idea of being called sweetie, honey and many other names of endearment. It was wonderful to hear the nurses hear at Hogar de Ancianos call all of the patients "mi amor" or "my love." During the 4 hours I was there this morning, I rarely heard the nurses call the patients by their first name, it was always "mi amor. On a related note, my host family has been so welcoming to us by providing such a cute room to stay in, making all of our meals and making sure we take part in many of the daily Costa Rican customs that happen in the home. We've become big fans of coffee and bread time around 10:30 and 4:30 each day!

Southern comfort #4: There's always room for sweet tea with your lunch. I know I've only been here for 2 whole days but, let's be real, I've loved having sweet tea with lemon with my lunch each day.

Southern comfort #5: Country music. Okay, Megan and I haven't found any country music here in Costa Rica but we always have it on in our room. It helps with any feelings of homesickness and it's just fun to sing-a-long to. We're wondering what our host family thinks of us and our beautiful singing voices!

There are plenty of cultural differences between Virginia and Costa Rica but I'm happy to have found some little reminders of home :)

El primer dia en Atenas!

The day started off quite eventfully for us. When we arrived in Costa Rica last night, we were a bit tired and quickly set our alarms for 7:30 to be ready to be picked up by 8:45 before going to sleep. As planned, our alarms went off at 7:30 and we began getting ready. It took us 20 minutes and 2 cold showers to realize that our phones didn't reset the clock and it was about 5:45 in the morning. After this realization, we took the opportunity to unpack all of our things and get settled in our room.

We live with Zumela and her 3 kids Natalia, Adrian and Laura in their house in Atenas, Alajuela, a province in Costa Rica. Megan and I are in a room together in the house. The house has a very homey feel to it and we're adjusting quickly! Before heading out to orientation, Zumela made us breakfast consisting of gallo pinto (a mixture of rice and black beans), an egg, a banana and pineapple. It was delicious! We also got to experience our first cup of cafe in Costa Rica. Just needed a little sugar to make a tasty cup of coffee to get us ready for the day!

At 8:45, we were picked up by Miguel along with 2 other volunteers who also arrived to Costa Rica yesterday. We were taken to the ATESA Spanish Academy where we met Mercedes and Diego. They gave us a brief orientation about the program here in Atenas. Since I will be here for more than 2 months, I will be taking a Spanish course throughout my stay here for a total of 15 hours.

After the orientation, we got a tour of el Centro in Atenas where we stopped at the bank and supermarket. I also got to go to my internship site at Hogar de Ancianos, a retirement home where I will be working with a physical therapist. It is a 20 minute walk from my house and even though it is a beautiful walk, it will be an adventure as I walk up these hills with the high humidity. We are in Costa Rica during the rainy season and so, it's awfully humid here. If anything, I'm sort of used to it thanks to living in Virginia but the walk to the internship will still be a pain in my business casual attire. Also, the fact that the drivers here in Costa Rica don't ever stop for pedestrians will make the walk even more adventurous. I start my internship at 7 am tomorrow!

Megan and I came home to a delicious lunch made by Zumela consisting of fish, rice, vegetable soup and sweet tea with lemon. Even though we've only had 2 meals so far, I can tell that we are going to eat lots of delicious food while here! We took a nap after lunch and have been lazy the rest of the afternoon, especially since it has been raining heavily all afternoon. Natalia grabbed us to have coffee and sweet bread in the late afternoon, a Costa Rican tradition. But now that we are well rested, we will be ready to continue our adventures tomorrow!

Off to Costa Rica!

Today is the day! Megan and I are about to head to the airport in DC for our flight to Costa Rica! We will be in Atenas, a small town in the mountains outside of San Jose for 8 weeks! My physical therapy internship at Hogar Ancianos, a retirement home, is a 20 minute walk from our host family. So excited to be in another culture, participating in an awesome internship while becoming a better Spanish speaker! Lets hope that taking Spanish since middle school and through college has actually done some good! ¡Hasta luego!