Saturday, November 28, 2015

All Hallows Eve

Upon leaving the US and experiencing different holidays and celebrations here in Costa Rica, I decided to do some more research about holidays of the US, Costa Rica, and elsewhere, as they occur during my time here, and how they are celebrated around the world (if they are).

Halloween - October 31

Photo credit: www.history.com
Halloween is known by many different names, such as Hallowe'en, All Hallow's Evening, Allhalloween, All Hallow's Eve, and Saint's Eve. It's a celebration that occurs on the 31st of October, the evening of the Western Christian fest of All Hallow's day. The traditional focus of Halloween involves a theme of using "humor and ridicule to confront the power of death." Halloween has both Christian and Pagan roots. In modern days, activities include trick-or-treating, costume parties, decorating with scary items, carving pumpkins, bobbing for apples, haunted houses, telling scary stories, and watching scary movies. In the religious observance of Halloween, church services and lighting candles on the graves of the dead are the activities of choice. However, most areas that do celebrate Halloween celebrate the more commercialized and non-religious verison of it.
Read more about Halloween here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween

In Costa Rica, Halloween is not really a holiday, but due to the increased influence of the US, many younger generations are beginning to adapt portions of the holiday, like costume parties.

Recognizing the Privilege that is Study Abroad

As a first generation college student, I never thought I would be able to afford college, let alone the University of Denver, that is until I was honored with the Daniels Fund scholarship in 2013, which completely changed my life. Because of the doors that have opened up the last two years, I have had the privilege of embarking on a new journey with my study abroad program in Costa Rica. Seeing as how my experience abroad is 3/4 over (though I'm trying not to think about that), I thought I'd reflect on the privileges that comes with studying abroad.


My First Times...

Growing up, I never imagined that I would make it out of Greeley, let alone the United States. Somehow, I did, and as a result, I got to experience so many firsts: 


First time stepping onto a beach and
 feeling the soft sand between my toes
First time seeing the deep blue ocean,
feeling the cool waves rush up
against my skin
First time taking a boat
through the open water,
without a care in the world,
enjoying the sun, the views,
and the breeze flowing
through my hair
First time canyoning











First time seeing a volcano
First time in a hammock.
And first hostel.

First time swimming in hot springs.
First waterfall














just to name a few....

Those firsts were unlike anything I have ever felt before (literally). The best first by far was seeing the ocean and feeling the sand for the first time. It's hard to explain my emotions as I felt the sand of the beach run between my toes and the crash of the waves upon my body as I made my way into the ocean for the first. Many children go to the beach when they're young, so they don't always have the memory of the first time they went. For others, it's so common for them to go to the beach that they don't have as much of the excitement each time they return. For me, being 21 years old and having just stepped foot on a beach for the first time two months ago, I was able to create a memory, filled with happiness and excitement and those rich sensations of touch, and I will be able to remember that moment vividly for the rest of my life.

With my first times comes some reflection and recognition that the fact that I have this opportunity is a privilege. Not many people get to study abroad, and many others don't get to have the first times that I was able to have during my time abroad. I am so thankful and have so much gratitude for everyone that has helped to get me here.

From the university ranked #1 in the nation...

I am also very privileged to be attending the University of Denver. DU ranks number one in the nation for its study abroad program. They highly encourage students to go abroad, making it a requirement of some majors and minors. With that push comes much assistance. DU is a direct bill institution with its various partner institutions, meaning you pay DU and they pay your study abroad program. It's a very streamlined process. Along with that, all DU aid, federal and state financial aid, and most private scholarships can be used to pay for study abroad. Along with that, if you have a 3.0 or above, DU will award you something called Cherrington Global Scholars. That funding reimburses you for your plane ticket and visa fees, and pays for all your application materials. It's pretty fantastic. For me, study abroad, at least the ability to participate, was basically free with all of my aid covering everything. Obviously travel and meals and all that is on my own, but not having to pay to go abroad and getting my money back from my plane ticket is amazing, and I am so thankful for that.

I am so thankful for all of that assistance, especially since so many students at other universities that do get the chance to study abroad don't have that. At other universities, study abroad offices are often small, students many not be able to use their financial aid, and nowhere else (that I've seen so far) has anything remotely similar to Cherrington Global Scholars. Other universities also don't have such an extensive application process that involves attending regional and general study abroad sessions. When I have told people I've met here how many students study abroad at my university (over 80%), they always have the same reaction: shock. They become even more shocked when I tell them about Cherrington Global Scholars. I am so grateful for the support given to me by DU and the Daniels Fund in order to pursue this opportunity, because for those that do get the opportunity, they often don't have such amazing support.

Daily Gratitude

Though I've probably experienced 500+ emotions during my time abroad, the one that is more poignant and the one I feel the most is gratitude. It's something I feel every day and take some time to reflect on every day.

Thank you to my teachers who always pushed me and never gave up on me. You always told me that I could reach whatever goal I set for myself, that I could rise above everything that has happened in my life and have a bright future. You told me that I needed to get out of Greeley and shoot for the stars. You told me that I could do whatever I set my mind to, and that I could be anything I wanted to be. You said that there were no limits. Thank you for that.

Thank you to my family and friends for being there, and everyone else I've met along the way. Without your support and encouragement, I wouldn't be where I am today.

Thank you to DU for working with me to make it possible for me to go on this journey. Without the Cherrington Global Scholar benefits and the transferring of all of my merit and need based aid, I would not be able to afford to go abroad. Also, thanks to OIE for all the support and help getting to this point.

Thank you so much to the Daniels Fund which has provided much much more than financial support. The Daniels Fund Scholarship is much more than a scholarship; it is a gift that keeps on giving. Thank you for the financial support that has allowed me to go to college, to go to DU specifically, and to study abroad. Thank you for the other types of support that have allowed me to stay afloat in college (I'm looking at you Laura!). Thank you for taking a chance on me in hopes that one day, I will go out there and change the world. I can never express just how much gratitude I have for that organization.

Thursday, November 26, 2015

Mi Viaje a la Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos





For a field trip, my Human Rights In Latin America profe took us to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. I was like a little kid on Christmas: big-eyed, excited, and way too enthusiastic about what it would be like. I had been wanting to visit the court since I learned that it was located in San José. I learned about it in a previous class I had back at DU: International Law & Human Rights. When we loaded the van, I couldn't contain my excitement. I forced myself on that field trip, despite my being sick, because it was a visit on my bucket list (if I had a bucket list). How nerdy! I can live with my nerding-out though. 


What is the Inter-American Court of Human Rights?

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights is an autonomous judicial system that along with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, composes the Organization of American States (OAS), whose mission is to uphold and promote basic human rights and freedoms in the Americas. It's two main functions are adjudicatory, meaning it hears and rules on cases of human rights violations, and advisory, meaning it issues opinions on legal interpretation matters. Sadly, though the US is a member of the OAS, it has not ratified the American Declaration of Human Rights, meaning it does not accept the court's jurisdiction. No cases involving human rights abuses in the US can be tried here.


Living the Dream

I originally heard about the court in my International Law and Human Rights course at DU. We learned about the various human rights instruments (treaties and such), commissions, and courts around the world. When I did my case study on the human rights situation in Chile, I utilized documents from this court a lot. When I heard that I would actually get to visit this place that I had done research about, I was ecstatic to say the least.


The Visit

We didn't have too long of a visit, due to the pouring afternoon rain, but we did get to see the court room where all of the magic happens and talk to one of the legal assistants of the court. We also got a chance to visit the library of the court down the road. It was a lot smaller than I expected, but being there, in a building where some victims have been able to seek justice for violations against their human rights, was amazing.





Monday, November 23, 2015

Enferma

2015 appears to be not so great for my health. In January, I dealt with norovirus and an upper respiratory infection. From June until mid-October, I had a rash that just wouldn't go away. Turns out it was an allergy, but the substance is unknown because I was unable to get an allergy test before I left the country. With my use of allergy tablets, the rash has subsided, and I still don't know what I have an allergy to. Fast forward to week five of my study abroad experience and I had another fun time being sick once again. So much for getting the most out of my experience abroad.

Unfortunately, what ever I had was pretty awful. I ended up leaving my night class on Monday early, and not heading to my first class of my new Spanish class the next morning. Despite being sick, I battled though the rest of my classes that week, mostly because I did not want to miss my class' field trip to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. The timing was also poor because it kept me at my homestay on Halloween, my favorite holiday. Though Halloween is not really a holiday here, younger generations have begun to celebrate it due to the influence of the US. Instead of going out to see how Ticos celebrate it, I was stuck at my homestay alone. After a couple weeks, I had made a full recovery (or at least I thought).

I will say that thankfully, medicine did help for the most part. I ended up getting some pills for my runny nose, sore throat, fever of 102 degrees F, and other stuff, as well as some cough syrup. It's interesting here. In order to buy these meds, I had to go to a pharmacy. Here, they don't just sell them in a supermarket like they do in the states. If I were back home, I could head to Target and pick up some ibuprofen and some day quil, but here, I have to ask a pharmacist for pills and then pay by the pill. There aren't just X-count boxes you can by. Despite the difference in obtaining the medicine, it worked just like that in the US.

At the same time, I was prevented from engaging in Halloween festivities with friends outside of my homestay. Never to fear, Netflix is here! I ended up having a "Halloween" movie marathon with some snacks while laying in bed: American Horror Story (not a movie, but appropriate), Beetlejuice, Donnie Darko, among others. Despite the limitations, I had a good Halloween anyways.

Friday, November 20, 2015

Picturesque Puerto Viejo

Though my adventure to picturesque Puerto Viejo started off less than ideal, it ended up being a pretty great weekend. Between sleeping in a hammock, exploring the town, going to a botanical garden, stopping into an art gallery, and soaking up the sun on the beaches, this trip was definitely one for the books.
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On Friday, I left my Spanish class early and hung out for a bit until I met up with some girls to head to Puerto Viejo with. With five of us, we split up into two taxis. Our first taxi ride was not very pleasant. Even though I stressed to the taxi driver that we needed to go to the bus station for Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, not Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui, he ended up taking us to the wrong stop anyways. I basically fell trying to out of the cab, and lost one of my flip flops along the way. I ended up just throwing the other one away because what was I supposed to do with only one shoe? When we arrived, I had a very strong feeling we were not where we were supposed to be and that was confirmed when we made it to the ticket counter. We rushed to find a taxi to take us to the other station. We sat in traffic for what seemed like forever, but eventually made it to the correct bus station. Unfortunately, the taxi driver had taken us to the wrong terminal. Upon our looks of confusion, one taxi driver was kind enough to give us directions to the correct terminal which was a couple of blocks away. We started following his directions, but when the route appeared to be sketchy, we turned back and stood hella confused on the corner. He ended up driving up in his taxi and reiterated his directions so we wouldn't get lost. Without that kind taxi driver, we would have never made it to the right terminal.

We arrived at the correct terminal about a half an hour before the bus was set to leave. Unfortunately, when we arrived at the ticket counter, all that was left were standing tickets. Keep in mind, this is a five hour bus ride. Not wanting to be separated from the other girls once again, we decided to just roll with it. We paid for the tickets, boarded the buses, and things were finally looking up. We were finally on our way to Puerto Viejo and the other girls no longer were freaking out (and rightfully so) since they couldn't get in touch with us. After about an hour and a half of standing, the two other girls and I decided to just sit on the floor. With all the jerks and turns and countless times I almost fell, I was over it. We were near a staircase in the back of the bus, so we ended up squishing near that. About three hours into the travels, a woman walked with her toddler to the back of the bus toward the staircase. We got up from the stairs and moved out of the way so the woman could get through. I assumed that she was going to exit the bus. Soon after, she pulled down her little girl's pants and the little girl proceeded to pee all over the stairs. Well, so much for sitting down. Interestingly, five minutes later, we made it to the quick pit stop for everyone to get off, stretch, get some snacks, and use the restroom. We reboarded and stood most of the way. Many folks got of in Calhuita, so we were able to find seats for the last 30-40 minutes of the ride there.

We finally arrived in Puerto Viejo that evening. Unable to find any authorized taxis and not knowing how far the hostel was, we ended up taking a pirata, which is basically a person who uses their personal car as a taxi. They tell you how much to pay them, rather than starting a meter, or a maria  as they are called here. You basically hop in a stranger's car and pay them to take you somewhere. A little sketch, but we didn't have much of a choice. Some of the girls had utilized piratas before and assured us it was safe. We hopped in an soon arrived at the hostel of choice: Rocking Js.

Rocking Js is THE hostel to go to in Puerto Viejo. I received the recommendation from a friend, because it's where everyone goes. You have the option of sleeping in a hammock (the cheapest option), tent, dorm, or private room. It's known as the party hostel with an on-site bar. The hostel is basically outdoors with some roofs over the top. It's really chill and artsy, with mosaics covering every wall and piece of the ground. Though it's a walk from the main part of the town, it is right off of a beach, albeit a rocky one you probably wouldn't swim in. I knew as soon as I stepped in and got the key to my locker that was conveniently located next to my hammock that it could only go up from here.

Hungry, we settled in and then took off in search of food. Another student from the program had recommended that we check out this restaurant/bar called Hot Rocks, so that's exactly where we headed. Friday nights were karaoke nights, and in between eating and drinking, some of the girls and a couple of the boys we knew got up and belted some songs. I have videos, but I won't post them, out of respect for the fact that the boys were drunk and in respect of their identities. If they ask me to post them, I will later on. It was a good time. Exhausted, we headed back to our hostels and went to sleep in our hammocks and tents.
___________
On Saturday morning, I woke up well before sunrise, one, because for my first time in a hammock, I didn't really know how to position myself to sleep, and two, monkeys were howling non-stop. Luckily, a couple other girls woke up as well, so we decided to go watch the sunrise along the beach. It was hard to see because of where it was at and how far we could get out without getting into the water, but it was beautiful nonetheless. After watching the sunrise, I headed back to sleep for awhile while the other girls prepared for their trip to Panama.

I decided to sleep for awhile longer after watching the sunrise. I started the rest of the day by exploring the town. I first stopped into the supermarket to buy snacks as well as a towel, since I didn't have a beach towel for the beach or a towel for the shower at the hostel. It didn't cross my mind to pack one back in the states. I browsed a ton of the local shops. There was so much I wanted to buy, but I stuck to my mission: a postcard for my tutee back in the states and maybe gifts that were made in Puerto Viejo. My favorite shop was this store that had a little bit of everything. The majority of the projects there were made right there in Costa Rica. There were even a ton of natural products that I was sure my best friend back home (Alex Q) would love. After purchasing a postcard and a small wristlet (I really needed something smaller than my owl purse), I finished exploring the shops along the main roads and headed back to the hostel to research things to do in the area.

While I was researching, a Tico student from a local university asked to interview me for a project for his English class. I said sure. He and his classmates were interviewing English speakers for their conversations class to see what non-natives thought about Costa Rica.



I found a couple of places to visit thanks to Trip Advisor. I had discovered them earlier during the week, but I wanted to confirm that they were open and exactly where they were located. The first place I visited was La Finca de la Isla. La Finca de la Isla is a tropical botanical garden. With a three mil entrance fee (about $6), I started on a self-guided tour. I got a chance to chill with some red poison dart frogs and another type of poison frog that I can't remember the name of. There were so many beautiful plants, like flowers, fruit trees, and more. After my self-guided tour, I got to try various fruits, fruit juice, and chocolate from the garden, which was delicious. I would definitely recommend it; I will say it is quite a walk from the main part of town, though.



On my way back to the hostel, I stopped at an art gallery/shop called Luluberlu. There were so many cool pieces of art that I wanted to purchase, but I didn't have the money. I really enjoyed browsing the shop. All of the art was created by local artists in Puerto Rico. I ended up buying natural soaps made right there in Costa Rica, which didn't cost too much. I wish I would have had more money with me to buy more. The art was beautiful and the atmosphere there was so friendly. Those artists in Puerto Viejo are very talented. My bestie (Alex Q) would have loved it.

The rest of the evening consisted of my getting caught in the rain, eating dinner, and then passing out it my hammock. The only notable thing I feel like was my frozen mojito that I had with dinner. It was delicious. Oh, and I almost forgot -- there were fire twirling people at the hostel. Pretty cool.
___________

On Sunday, I started the day early, hoping to get in some time at different beaches throughout the day. Despite having bought snacks, I decided to search for real breakfast. Upon walking around, there were not very many cheap options for the breakfast. I decided to head back to the hostel and eat there. Upon my return, right outside the convenience store across the street, a fight broke out between two guys. They were going hard at each other, one with a bat and the other with a giant rock. I passed them as they continued fighting. I heard a loud pop. I wasn't sure if it was sort of weapon, so I sped up to make it back into the boundary of my hostel. I ended up eating there, as they have cheap breakfast options.

The first beach I headed to was a beach located about a 15-20 minute walk from my hostel in the opposite direction of town. It was a nice yellow, sandy beach, that was not as packed as the other beaches closer to the town center. I laid out in the sun for awhile, then enjoyed the waves for awhile. I alternated like this for awhile until the heat and sun and humidity, that nasty combo, began to get to me. I headed back to the hostel, purchased a Powerade from the convenience store, and took a break from the sun.


The second beach I headed to was named Playa Negra. It is a small beach with black sand. Because it is often compared to Playa Jaco, another black sanded beach which is apparently beautiful, not many visit it. It wasn't crowded, so I laid out my towel and spent some time just dipping my toes in the pretty sand. I alternated between laying out in the sun and enjoying the waves. I preferred this beach over the other because the waves weren't as intense and the water was the perfect temperature. I stayed here for a couple an hours until the afternoon rain looked like it was going to begin. Not wanting to get caught in a downpour, I gathered my belongings and headed back toward my hostel. I stopped to get a drink to quench my thirst at the super market just as soon as it started pouring. I had forgotten my umbrella and rain jacket, so I waited it out for awhile, as many others did. When it was clear that it was not going to stop for awhile, I headed out into the rain and walked the rest of the way back to my hostel.

 I hung out at the hostel until I ran into the girls again. They had decided to visit Panama that weekend as well. I joined them for dinner at a nearby pizza place. The pizza was so delicious, as were the desserts. We had a great, fun time, one of the few people in the restaurant, probably because it was pouring.
___________

Monday morning, I checked out of Rocking Js and headed to the bus station. This time, I was determined to get a seat. I bought my ticket and relaxed in the mini park while waiting for the bus. I took the bus home. On the return, traffic was backed up due to the protests in Limón. If there are people that know how to organize and protest, Ticos are up there. They have regularly scheduled protests. That Monday, they were protesting about wages, employment conditions, and governmental corruption. It was great to see this action being taken by the citizens. The other people on the bus thought it was great too. It was nice to be around people that didn't shrug it off or say that the people were just complaining and that they were causing trouble like I hear people say about protests in the US.

I eventually made it back to San José. I was out of cash (well that I brought anyways) for the most part, since I overestimated how often I would be able to use my card. There are taxis that take credit cards, but they are difficult to find. I was about to go on to a search when I was approached by a taxi driver asking where I needed to go. I told him Universidad Veritas, but unless he accepted credit cards, I couldn't take his taxi. This woman overheard me and said that she was going to Veritas as well and asked if we could share a cab. I explained to her that I needed a cab that took cards. She relayed that they are very hard to fine and offered to pay. I felt bad not paying anything, but she was insistent, so I hopped in the cab and rode to Veritas with her. Turns out, she is a local who lives in Puerto Viejo but had decided to go back to school and take classes at Veritas during the week. Since she lives and works in Puerto Viejo, she stays with a friend during the week since it would be a long commute. We arrived at Veritas and parted ways. I will always remember that act of kindness.

Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Intensive Spanish - Intermedio 1, check

Four weeks and eight credits later, I finished my first four-week intensive Spanish class on October 23 (goes to show how behind I am on these blogs)! Whoo!


At Universidad Veritas, Spanish classes are divided into four week sessions. We have four hours of class each day for four weeks (yes, even Friday), with a 30 minute break after the first half of class. I thought I was going to absolutely hate having a four hour class every day, but it's not that bad. My first professor was amazing, and I learned so much, despite having more presentations than I've ever had in my life.

The good:
I learned so much more of the grammar side of Spanish. A lot of the material, while review for other students, was new to me, and that made me happy. I want to advance my Spanish skills, not simply review them. My professor was extremely helpful in encouraging us and making room for us to learn from our mistakes. In my class, we briefly reviewed present indicative, past indicative, reflexive verbs, and then moved on to some topics I were familiar with: indirect and direct objects, object verbs, pronouns, comparatives, relative superlatives, absolute superlatives, and imperative.The new material, at least it was new for me, included: imperfect indicative and when to use it v. when to use past indicative, the uses of por v. the uses of para, present perfect, and past perfect. I also ended the class with a 93.

The bad:
As of right now, these eight credits are meaningless back home. They transfer as elective credit, but since I don't need elective credit, they basically mean nothing. :(

Sunday, November 15, 2015

Magnificent Manuel Antonio

Evening at the beach
For my third weekend in Costa Rica and my last "free" excursion with ISA, we headed to Manuel Antonio. To be more specific, we headed to a beautiful hotel next to Manuel Antonio National Park, located near Quepos, Costa Rica. That trip had a bit of everything: hiking trails, beaches, swimming pools, wildlife; it was magnificent. I got a chance to see monkeys, the first time I've ever seen them outside of a zoo. I got a chance to return to my Colorado element by hiking through the national park, but at the same time enjoy the different type of hiking: in a forest, at a low altitude, humid, with views of the ocean. I also got attacked by a bat and almost had raccoons steal my belongings. Overall, I'd say that it was a successful weekend.

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I started Friday, before I even left for Manuel Antonio, already having a good time. My Spanish class took a field trip to an amusement park to play traditional Costa Rican children's games with the other Intermediate 1 classes and to go on a scavenger hunt within the "old town" area of the park. No, we didn't get to ride any rides, play carnival games, or eat amusement park foods, but we still had a good time. Each class taught the rest of the students a couple of games that they had learned within their classes. My class was assigned "Arroz con Leche" and  a game that very much resembled "Red-light, green-light" (I forgot what the name was).

Arroz con Leche is a game apparently played by young Costa Rican children. It starts with someone in the middle. Everyone sings the song to the game:

           Arroz con leche. Yo quiero casar
           Con una señorita de la capital
           Que sepa barrer, que sepa caser
           Que sepa abrir la puerta para ir a jugar
           Con esta si, con esta no
           Con esta señorita me caso yo

Upon the end of the song, the person in the middle points to someone. That individual picks a number and everyone has to form a group with that many people. The people not in a group are out. The game continues with the chosen person in the middle.

Though the game is fun and silly when played by college students, it is a great illustration of the culture of machismo that is present within Costa Rica and other Latin American countries. In these countries, women are seen as the caretakers of the home, the good mothers and wives. Catcalling is a regular part of the culture and is meant to be taken as a compliment. Women are seen as inferior to men and their place is in the household. Though gender roles reinforce this machismo, and though women are supposed to be limited to the household, they are very much respected in that role. Women are the heads of household and have a lot of power in that domain. With newer generations, we see a shift in this belief that women are limited to the home, with more women out in the workforce and obtaining educations than ever. For example, my mama tica is a dentist, as is my papa tica. Catcalling definitely exists here, and I've received it, but for me, I think it's more of a problem in the US because in the US it is more forceful and persistent, whereas the catcalling doesn't really go past the initial call. 
When your professor decides to play jumprope too
Other games included jumprope (which the professors joined in on), hide-and-seek, and a couple of others I missed out on because the people who were sent to find us during hide-and-seek never came and found us. After a good 10-20 minutes of hiding, we gave up only to find everyone else playing other games. We ended our field trip with a scavenger hunt around Pueblo Antiguo and my team, despite our lack of competitiveness, got some snacks as a prize for being one of the first groups done. I wasn't looking to beat the other teams, but I won't say I didn't enjoy the treats.


After the field trip, I headed with the rest of my program to Manuel Antonio. On the bus ride, we got to see a couple of monkeys just hanging around the town. When we arrived, I was not expecting to see what I saw: this big giant hotel right next to the national park. The amenities and view were amazing! There were pools, a view of the national forest, balconies, several beaches within walking distance, and the architecture reminded of me of that which you would see in Morocco. There was even a little underground tunnel that led to one of the beaches nearby. That evening was pretty chill. I ate dinner with some of the other students at a small place by the beach, explored the hotel, and watched part of Man of Steel with my roommate and some of the guys from the program. While exploring the top floor of the hotel, where there was an adult only pool, bar, and several lounge areas, a bat flew out of nowhere and ran into my face. Needless to say, that was the end of my exploration.
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On Saturday, I was fortunate enough to spend my entire day within Manuel Antonio National Park. This park is much different than the ones I'm used to seeing back at home. The park had many different hiking trails with different viewing points, as well as several different beaches. While the people I normally talked to headed straight for the beach, I ran into some guys from my program who desired to hike most of the day, as I did. I asked if I could join them, and that was that. 

Our first trail to hike was a short one which led to a small waterfall. Right away, I knew hiking in this park would be so different from other hikes I had been on. Back at home, trails are basically just marked terrain. Here, they were almost like sidewalks with wooden staircases. I thought this was odd and a little unusual, but kept at it anyways. 

After enjoying the view of the waterfall, we hiked back to the main path, following it straight until it divided in two. At that fork, we saw our first couple of monkeys. There were white-faced monkeys and howler monkeys. They were cute and pretty energetic, not really enjoying all the foot traffic, trying to pee on all of the people below. I don't blame them though; how would it make you feel if people were exploring your home every day and taking pictures of you all the time? At that fork, we decided to take the left path, which held three hiking trails, a private beach, and a beach that's not really swimmable, while the other path led to several beaches and one hiking trail. Since hiking was our focus, we headed left to begin with.

The first trail we hiked was the sloth trail. Apparently, this trail follows the areas where the sloths were likely to hang out. Though there were some great viewing points, we didn't see any sloths. It was rather disappointing.

The second trail we hiked was the mirador trail, it was the longest trail of the park and led to a beautiful view of the ocean at it's end. We spend some time there taking pictures of the landscape and taking some selfies of us taking selfies with the background, or "self-ception" as we called it. The views were unlike those I would normally encounter back home. Normally, hiking views consist of city skylines or mountain ranges. Here, the views consisted of the ocean and beaches. You don't get those views in Colorado.



The third trail we hiked was that to Puento Escogito. The view at the end was beautiful, but not quite like that of the mirador trail. We noticed a ladder than led down to a rocky beach below. Half of us stayed to explore, while the other half headed down the path to the beaches. Looking back, I regret going down that ladder. When I got off the ladder, which was so high of the ground that I about fell off of it, all that was below were a ton of rocks and a little private beach that would be difficult to get there. I decided to take this as a challenge. I climbed over rocks, trying to not squish any of the hermit crabs chilling on them. At several points, I fell into the water, and at one point, my camera fell into the water and stopped working. Thankfully, I set it to dry out back at the hotel until we left and now it is working once again. When we finally made it to the private beach, I was over it. I was soaked, dirty, and my camera wasn't working. There was a tiny island that one could explore, but that consisted of even more rocks and struggle. I decided I was not about that life and headed back. Trying to get back up the ladder was a struggle because of my short stature, but when I got back up, I decided I was done with that kind of exploring for the day.

The private beach that almost killed me

Heading back down the trail to the fork in the road, I stopped at the non-swimmable beach along the way, Playa Gemelas. I took my tennis shoes off, put my feet in the sand, sat down on a rock, and wrote in my journal. After my less than pleasant experience at the private beach, I was ready to sit down and relax. I stayed their for awhile just enjoying the view and the sun. After some time, I put on my sandals and headed back to the fork.

Hide yo wife. Hide yo kids.
Hide everyone cause these raccoons be stealing yo stuff.
This time, I took the other path. My first, and little did I know last, stop in the park was Playa Manuel Antonio. It was a big, popular beach where tons of people were swimming and soaking up the sun. I laid out in the sun for awhile, making sure to keep my belongings near me. I had just seen some raccoons steal some food from some of the other visitors and I was not about to let them steal my belongings too. I headed into the ocean to cool off and swim, and then headed back to lay out in the sun. I did this for awhile, until it started to rain. Knowing I was over hiking for the day, and that I really didn't want to be caught in a downpour, I exited the park and headed back to the hotel with the guys after reuniting with them at the beach. 


Upon our return, we changed and got ready to go eat, since it was well past lunch time. I woke up my roommate so she could eat too and we went on a hunt to find food. We ended up going to a restaurant down the road right off one of the beaches and then explored some of the nearby shops. I ended up catching up with my other roommate at the beach, and went with her, my other roommate, and their new friend to the same restaurant we went to for lunch a couple hours earlier. Not hungry, I just chilled. We then moved to a really cheap bar. Having been in the sun all day, I was not about the alcohol life, so I chilled once again. I ended up heading to the store to get some snacks in case I did get hungry later that evening and headed back to the hotel. I was supposed to meet back up with them to go to the city, but I ended up getting distracted and sitting in the hotel watching tv. I was content.

We missed the sunset by like 15 minutes. Unfortunate.
___________


On Sunday, I spent the day talking a walk along the beaches and exploring the shops. I wish I would have been able to enter the Nacional Park again and finish the last hiking trail, but I was not about to pay an entrance for an hour or so. I walked around but didn't buy anything. We also stopped to eat lunch in Jaco. I wish I could write more, but it honestly wasn't that eventful.

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Turning 21 Abroad

On October 14, 2015, I turned 21. In the United States, turning 21 is treated as some sort of rite of passage into adulthood, celebrated by the legality of consuming alcohol, often times ending in a severe hangover the next morning. In Colorado, the same intent goes with weed. In Costa Rica, those rites of passage have already been completed at age 18. When I told others that I would be turning 21 during my time abroad in Costa Rica, people were excited, citing how lucky I was and how cool that would be. I didn't think much of those comments, until my birthday actually happened.


My birthday present to myself:
lunch from the local soda.
For those that know me well, I'm not a huge birthday celebrator. When I was younger, I used to plan halloween-themed parties with piñatas. As I grew older, I felt like I had fewer and fewer real friends, and less and less reason to celebrate. My methods of celebrating transformed, from crazy costume party sleepovers to movies and dinners with close friends. When I started college, I would go out to dinner with friends and continue the rest of my day as normal. I've never been super big about celebrating birthdays. So, as you can imagine, when I would picture what my 21st birthday celebration would be like, I pictured a small dinner with friends, enjoying a drink with dinner. This is way different than how most celebrate their 21st birthday: going to bars or clubs and getting wasted. Bars and clubs can be chill sometimes, but they're really not my scene. I'd rather go on a night hike, or stay in and watch a movie, or go to a festival of some sort. When I imagined my 21st birthday, I did not picture how my birthday was actually celebrated here. And for me, I have mixed feelings about it.




What happens when your roommate is
a cosmetologist and it's your birthday
Those lights tell it all
Back to those comments. I shouldn't have felt like my 21st birthday was not that great. After all, I was lucky to be celebrating my 21st birthday in a foreign country often thought of as "tropical paradise." It was cool that I would not be celebrating my birthday in the United States. It is true that I have fallen in love with the country that is Costa Rica and that it has many beautiful, rich cultures that I've been able to explore. I'm so thankful for this opportunity that I have been able to access. But for me, what makes my birthday special is when I get to celebrate it with the other special people in my life: my best friends and my pets. My two best friends are back in Colorado, as are my two cats. I envisioned celebrating my "rite of passage" into adulthood with my them, enjoying a drink with dinner at a restaurant and then catching a movie, or taking a stroll in the parks. I didn't get to do that. Instead, I ended up at a reggae bar with my housemates that I've only known for a couple of weeks with an endless stream of drinks expected to be drunk. I am grateful to my housemates for their enthusiasm in celebrating my birthday and taking me out. I appreciate everything they've done for me. And my feelings are all me and have nothing to do with them. Their celebration was great and I really am thankful that they went out of their way to host it for me. But that celebration, that place, that's just not me. That scene, that type of celebration, is great for many people, but just not for me. And I'm okay with that.

My birthday wasn't all full of mixed feelings, though. I was pleasantly surprised by a nice gesture from my Spanish professor. After learning that it was my birthday, she instructed the other students to sing happy birthday to me in Spanish. (I did not tell her; she found out from a classmate who I was friends with on Facebook.) Also, after returning from our daily 30 minute break (our classes are four hours long, so...), she presented me with a delicious looking dessert. Based on the taste and layers of the dessert, I believe it to have been dulce de leche. She gave me a hug and wished me a happy birthday once again. It was so nice! I've had many great teachers and professors in my life, but I really have not lucked out when it came to Spanish teachers or professors. I've had such bad experiences with those particular individuals that I stopped taking Spanish classes once my requirement was met and as a result, missed out on the opportunity to potentially pursue a Spanish major or minor and study this language I've fallen in love with over the years more in depth. I missed out on the opportunity to seek out study abroad programs in other Latin American countries because I didn't have enough formal Spanish to qualify. It was a personal choice, though. And I'm happy where I've ended up. She's the first Spanish instructor that I've had in a long time that I actually get along with and whose class I actually feel excited to go to. If I had to pick a best part of my day, it would be that thoughtful gift.