Ridin' [the bus] solo

Traveling Solo

I am constantly being asked by others where my travel companions are, or if I am waiting on other people. I reply that I am traveling alone and many seem shocked by that concept. "By yourself?" "Why would you do that?" "Don't you have friends?" "It's not safe to travel alone." "Aren't you scared?" are some of the phrases that often follow the initial shock. Yes. I am traveling through Costa Rica by myself. Yes, I have friends, but I choose to travel alone, for many reasons. I've never felt unsafe traveling alone. And no, I'm not scared. The concept of traveling alone is foreign to many people and not very much understood, so I thought I'd at least attempt to explain why I choose to travel alone.

Why I Choose to Travel Alone

1. A Journey of Self

Traveling is a great time to get to know oneself and do some serious self-reflection. I've been able to better uncover my likes, my dislikes, what ticks me off, what I'm passionate about. It's allowed me to also reflect on how I fit into the world and allows me to just be. I don't need to have a reason for my existence when I'm traveling alone. I can just be out in nature and enjoy it for its inherent beauty. 

2. Doing What I Want to Do

Traveling alone allows you to do all the activities and go to all of the places you want to do without feeling held back by others. That's not to say that friends and fellow travelers are roadblocks; that's not the case at all. It's fun to travel with friends. But sometimes, you might come across something you really want to do, like hike in a national park, that maybe some of your friends are not down for. There's nothing wrong with going to do that on your own while your friends do something else that they want to do.

3. Learning to Be Alone

It's an important piece of your development to learn that it's okay to be alone sometimes. Growing up, I felt lonely because I thought the key to life was always having people around you. Yes, relationships with other people are important, but your relationship with your self, how you see yourself, that's extremely important as well. Traveling alone allows me to feel more comfortable about myself and to take time for self-reflection.

All The Right Fun in All The Right Places

These are not all of the amazing places I've been able to visit alone, just the ones I happen to have pictures of. This visual is not exhaustive of my adventures though. But traveling by myself has been pretty incredible.

San José, Costa Rica

Mall San Pedro, exploring downtown San José, Barrio China, Castillo Azul, Avenida Central, volunteering at el Hospicio de Huérfanos, Casa Amarilla, Catedral Metropolitana, Plaza de la Democracia, Plaza de la Libertad Electoral, Museo Nacional, Festival de la Luz, Parque Morazan, Parque España, Museo de Arte y Diseño Contemporáneo, Parque Nacional

Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, Costa Rica

Playa Negra, Rocking Js (sleepin' in a hammock), Finca de la Isla Botanical Gardens, Luluberlu Art Gallery, a yellow sand beach, exploring Puerto Viejo

Monteverde, Costa Rica

Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve, Sloth Backpackers Hostel & Bed and Breakfast, Orchid Garden, Herpentarium, exploring Santa Elena

Jacó, Costa Rica

Playa Jacó

Volcán Poas, Costa Rica

what was supposed to be a crater selfie...

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.

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.

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. 

Día de las Culturas, Not Columbus Day

Monday October 12th was Día de las Culturas here in Costa Rica. In the United States, it is more commonly known as Columbus Day. This holiday celebrates the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the Americas and the fusion of different cultures between Europe and the Americas. It was a very important event that affected the geographical, economic, and political landscapes of the Americas. Unlike the in the United States, where the holiday is named for and celebrates a man contributed to the enslaved and slaughtering of many indigenous folks, the holiday focuses on the cultural activities of Costa Ricans and the indigenous groups of Costa Rica. It's a day to spread the message of respect for others. 

As a result of the holiday, we had no classes. I originally was going to travel to Jacó with my roommates, but seeing as there were very few seats left on the bus that morning and the fact that I could sense that I would be more of a burden than companion to the trip, I decided to forego the trip all together and remain in San José. After all, I had not been able to explore the city I was living in due to my weird class schedule and the weekend excursions with my program. Content, I began my first of hopefully many solo travels.

To start off my day, I ventured off to Pequeño Mundo to treat myself to a couple articles of clothing, since I packed way too lightly when coming here. Pequeño Mundo is a really cheap store that has food, house products, clothes, among other things. I managed to score three shirts, a pack of lead pencils, a thong, and a pair of leggings (though they are two see-through to wear as pants :(   ) for less than $11. I was very pleased with that.

Since Mall San Pedro was within walking distance of Pequeño Mundo, I decided to venture there and check out what kind of shops were there. When I arrived, I was shocked at the size of the mall. The mall had three different levels, with tons of shops, restaurants, and stands on each floor. The top floor even had a small arcade and a movie theatre. The arcade contained my two favorite games of all time, skiball and basketball. I was so excited when I saw those machines there. I haven't played skiball in ages, as nowhere nearby exists anymore to play that game. Seeing as the arcade was overrun with little children, I decided to venture out and explore the rest of the mall. When walking around, the U.S. influence on that particular mall was apparent. I saw many familiar restaurants such as KFC, Taco Bell, McDonald's, Burger King, Subway, and more. Many of the stores appeared to cater to rich tourists. I found the stores quite expensive, as they are in most malls around the world, so I mostly just browsed many different stores. I did stop into a store and get some mascara, concealer, and makeup remover since I was out, but I made sure to not spend more than I had planned to. I was happy to find a couple of stores very similar to ones that I love back home. I found Costa Rican versions of my favorite stores, Zumiez and Hot Topic. I also found a lot of shops my friends back home would love: several anime stores, a large bookstore mimicking Barnes & Noble, a couple smoke shops, and a Rasta shop. I stayed there for a couple hours and ended up purchasing a frozen caramel drink and a giant chocolate muffin to consume on my walk home. The frozen drink was very similar to a frappucino and it was delicious. Starbucks, you better watch out.

My walk home was pretty relaxed, except for the endless stream of rain that began to flood the streets. I'm glad that I had remembered to bring my umbrella for the somewhat long walk back to my homestay. Had I not brought it, I would have been soaked. Side note, I have a feeling that people reading this will wonder why I did not get a taxi there or home, since taxis tend to be fairly cheap here. The truth is, I love walking everywhere. It's something I do regularly back home in Denver. Long distances don't really bother me. Also, I really don't like to spend a ton of money on taxis when I could walk. Though the majority of the taxi drivers here are friendly and awesome, I've had the unfortunate experiences of being in taxis where the taxi drivers attempt to take advantage of the gringos by overcharging us greatly. If we remember to ask them to start the maria, the meter (it's sad that I had to look up the English word because I completely forgot it), those particular taxi drivers take long ways to produce a higher fare. If we don't remember to ask them about the maria, those particular taxi drivers charge us much more than we would pay had the maria been started. I don't blame them, though, and I understand part of the motive behind it. The history between the U.S. and Costa Rica is not great, and there is a huge stereotype that visitors from the U.S. have money. Oftentimes, that tends to be true of people who travel in general, especially those coming form the U.S.; I just happen to be one of the exceptions. On top of that, taxi drivers don't have a regular wage. It can be difficult to make a wage one can live off of. Income inequality is fairly persistent in Costa Rica as well. Plus, as I noted before, I love walking, and despite the rain, the day was beautiful.

After returning to my homestay to drop off my purchases, I took a relaxation break and just hung out for an hour or so before making the trek in the other direction to downtown San José. I arrived at Avenida Central and checked out the stores and restaurants along the streets, as well as the avenues above and below, since Avenida Central is the main avenue. Avenida Central reminds me of the 16th street mall in Denver, but on a much larger and busier scale. I marveled at the architecture of the buildings downtown, the widespread appearance of public art and murals, and the parks and green areas. I watched locals in the street selling goods, saw children running though puddles, and just experienced the relaxed atmosphere that was there. I made sure to head back to my homestay before dark, just so I could be home in time for dinner and also finish up some last minute homework. I hope to go down there again and visit the many museums and art galleries, as well as El Teatro Nacional, the national theater.

The lack of seats on the bus to Jacó caused me to have a great Monday. There is so much that the city has to offer, and when I find myself wanting to do something before my evening classes in December, when I no longer have a morning Spanish class, I know where to head.

La primera semana: exploración, entusiasmo, y diversión

I had a fabulous first week living and studying in San José, Costa Rica. This week was filled with exploration, excitement, and fun, and I would like to believe that I settled in a lot easier to this new place and culture that I had anticipated. Costa Rica is a natural beauty, with views for days, and the Pura Vida lifestyle of the Ticos is something I can definitely get on board with. In the United States, we are always in a hurry, worried about everything, and fail to take time to not only appreciate our country, but also to simply live. Pura Vida is a lifestyle that embraces life and all that it has to offer, and throughout my stay in Costa Rica, and hopefully my immersion into this beautiful culture, I hope to learn more about it and embrace it. While settling into this new culture, I also began classes, including my intensive studies in Spanish, and I anticipate that I will enjoy every piece of my study abroad experience, including my courses and professors.

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On Monday, I started off the morning first with breakfast with my familia Tica (Costa Rican family/host family) and then headed to Universidad Veritas to start my half-day of orientation. When we arrived, we were seated into a large auditorium to undergo a presentation about everything we needed to know about being international students: how the classes worked, our resources on campus, activities to get involved in, safety, etc. Unfortunately, it was almost an exact repeat of the orientation provided to us the previous day from ISA (the program I am studying abroad through). I sat in one of the back rows, and behind me, was an entire row of ISA boys. At one point, I looked back, and saw them all asleep. Considering we had gone through all of the information the day before, I couldn't blame them.

At some point, we had a campus tour, but I can't remember if it was before or after the formal presentation. The campus is much smaller than I am used to. Weeks later, I am still deciding whether that's a good thing or a bad thing. The campus spans a lofty three buildings, only one of which I utilize for classes. The building across from where I have my classes houses the auditorium, a cafeteria, and the room where the dancing club is held. Students also have classes there, just not me. The third building houses a little store and I am assuming more classes, but I haven't ventured into it quite yet.

La banda y los masquerades

Los masquerades - un abuelo y un pasayo

After orientation, Veritas hosted a surprise welcome activity. We though the extent of the activity was pizza and socialization. That was not the activity. Out of nowhere emerged a band consisting of brass and percussion instruments followed by people in large costumes with giant heads, known as "masquerades." 

conga line

These groups are a large part of Costa Rica's culture, especially when Costa Rica celebrates Día de la Masquerada on October 31. They danced and encouraged the international students to form a conga line, which did happen This lasted for a food 10 to 15 minutes or so. As the music died down, they exited without an explanation. I spent the rest of the day confused by what had happened.

The local currency is colones.
One U.S. dollar is approximately 527 colones.
In my opinion, la plata (money is not called dinero here)
 is much better looking that the money in the U.S.

Sometime after the activity, I finally figured out what. I needed to get done the rest of the day. First, I needed to exchange my U.S. dollars into the local currency, since I wasn't able to do that on Sunday. I headed to the bank with some other ISA students and made that happen. Luckily, VISA cards are widely accepted here, so I've been able to use my credit card for everything. The only fees that happen are some minor foreign currency conversion fees. I didn't take out a lot of cash before leaving the U.S. because I didn't want it to get stolen. Little did I know, that would happen anyways later in the week. For me to pull out cash here using my debit card, I get charged hefty fees, so I didn't want to resort to that. I keep the local currency on hand for the event that a place does not take cards. In my couple of weeks here, I've run into very few places where that is the case.

The live band

Long Island Iced Tea

During the evening, my roommates and I went to a popular gringo (American/Americanized) bar. I tried my first Long Island Iced Tea and socialized with other people in my program. Little did we know that they had a live band playing that night. We ventured into the dance floor and listened to the band, that played tunes I was actually familiar with, as well as tunes I was unfamiliar with (all in Spanish of course). It was a ton of fun, though I wasn't a big fan about how Americanized it was. The other areas of the bar played a lot of music that is super popular in the United States right now, and there were few Ticos in sight. Despite that, I had a good time overall.

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On Tuesday, classes began. I entered my first classroom, a tiny room with one fan and 15 desks squished together. It was smaller than my freshman year dorm room! My first class of the day was Spanish, from 8am to 12pm. Because the language classes are four week intensive courses, we have them every day for four hours each day. With my placement exam, I was placed in Básico 2 (Basic 2), though the ISA placement exam put me at Intermédio 1 (Intermediate 1). I had already started off the morning not very happy about this, especially considering I've taken Spanish on and off since first grade. I browsed through the workbook we received and determined that I had to get out of that class; the material was only present tense, something I learned long ago, as well as concepts I learned in SPAN 2001 back home. After two hours, we had a thirty minute break. This concept of breaks to get coffee or snacks is very common here, at least in all of my classes. When my professor returned to the classroom, I asked about moving up a language level. Her response? I had to take another placement exam, which I did. I spent the rest of the day hoping that I would not be stuck in a class learning concepts I had already learned and felt comfortable with.

lugar para estudiar ADENTRO de la universidad

At noon, I headed to the ISA office for our weekly meeting. The ISA office is around the corner from Veritas, so it is super convenient. We learned that our first of three weekend excursions would be to Tamarindo, which is a beach town about four or five hours away. I became really excited, as the excursion would be the first time that I would see an ocean and step onto a beach. I couldn't contain my excitement. 

Afterwards, I spent time at the office changing into a communications class, Intercultural Communication and Competence, where a spot had just opened up. It had started already when I arrived, and I was famished from not having eaten since breakfast, so I reluctantly sat through the class, counting down the minutes until I could eat again. Next was my Human Rights in Latin America course. Before the professor arrived, I managed to head downstairs to the on campus deli and grabbed a ham & cheese sandwich. I was in the middle of eating the sandwich when my professor arrived in the classroom. What an awkward first impression! However, as class started, and my hunger subsided, I came to the conclusion that I would love the class and the professor. Having taken an international law & human rights course back at home, I was already on the right track.

After a bit of homework and dinner, I decided to check out the dancing club that was offered to international students. The club meets twice per week for an hour and a half each. It consists of learning traditional and popular dances of Costa Rica and practicing them with partners. I thoroughly enjoyed learning some steps of bachata, salsa, and a couple other dances I cannot recall. I think I'll become a regular at the club.

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Sandwich de jamón y pavo con jugo de frutas

On Wednesday morning, I was told that, indeed, I should have been placed in the Intermediate 1 Spanish class. I had passed the placement exam. As a result, I was moved into the new class and was finally at peace with that aspect of my adventure. Later that day, I ate lunch at The Whisk, a nearby artisan restaurant, with a couple of my ISA buddies and ran some errands, including getting copies of my passport made for ISA and changing into a different communications class, Creative Conflict Resolution, making my schedule what I envisioned before I arrived in Costa Rica. I stopped at the Auto Mercado, a local supermarket, and grabbed some food for lunch and snacks, before heading back to my homestay for the night. I did have class at 6pm until 8pm (Creative Conflict Resolution) so I missed dinner. Luckily, my mama Tica has agreed to put my dinner upstairs on Mondays and Wednesdays so I can eat after my class. Overall, it was a perfect day.

La cena -- yum!

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On Thursday, I attended my classes as a good student does, and stopped at Mr. Charles' Restaurant for lunch with a couple of friends. The evening is when things really took off for me. In multitasking with preparing and packing for my excursion to Tamarindo and studying for my first Spanish test, I somehow found time to Facebook video chat with my cats, who I miss so much, attended the dancing club, and followed the dancing club to show off our moves at Club Castro's. It was a night of sweat, fun, education, dancing, and so many other things. It was such a great day; I just hope to have many more days like this day.

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Friday was the day. It was the day that I would visit my first beach, take my first steps on the sand, and see an ocean for the first time. It was the day, that is until I realized that somehow, I had lost/or someone stole from me 30 mil colones (the local currency, around $60) that I had just exchanged. Then, my day took a turn for the worst. Upon further reflection and a hefty cleaning of my homestay, my money was gone for good. I believe that I accidentally took it with me to Castro's the night before and was pick-pocketed from my purse. I did find my purse unzipped a couple of times; I had assumed it was from the movement while dancing, but now I'm not so sure. I am so careful and was so eager to not let this happen to me, but it did. I guess it just goes to show that no matter how eager or how cautious you are, you can be a victim of a crime. It just happens.

On the brighter side of things, stay tuned for my later post about my excursion to Tamarindo.