Thursday, April 4, 2013

El fin de mi viaje...

Well this past week has definitely been bittersweet... I have spent as much time as possible getting lunch with friends, playing basketball in the park, and just soaking up my time here.  Although, I had a presentation and exam in my advanced class this week so I was stressing over that too!  I leave tomorrow morning at 10 a.m.   I really though this trip would seem like it took forever but in reality I can not believe I am leaving tomorrow.

I am really grateful to God for this experience, I think he sent me here for reasons other than learning
Spanish and I am still discovering those reasons... I think he sent me here to heal a part of my life that has needed healed for a long time now... and to give me a greater appreciation for the people in my life at home. 

I have definitely experienced some things that some people can only dream about- white water rafting, zip lining, hiking mountains, going to beaches in Costa Rica and Panama, and just experiencing a different culture for the good and the bad.  I have met so many people from so many walks of life, a lawyer from Argentina (they have the coolest accents by the way), Spaniards, Ticos (of course), a guy from Denmark, and people from all over the United States.

One thing I keep telling myself is "It's not goodbye, it's i'll see you later."  I will hopefully get to see some of these people again either in this life or the next.  I will definitely miss my mama tica a lot, God really blessed me and my roommate with her.

I am off for my last night out here with my friends, lots of goodbyes, and probably tears.

God bless,

See you all when I am back in good ole Indiana :)

Friday, March 29, 2013

Bocas Del Toro, Panama

Where do I even begin for this grand adventure??

Well,  we left last Saturday at 4 a.m. from San Jose, Costa Rica and arrived in Panama around 9 p.m. by the time we got through immigrations/customs, took a bus to the port, and then a boat to the island it was about 2 p.m.  By that time we were all exhausted.  Well, we settled into our room which had 6 people in it.  3 sets of bunk beds.... this room can hardly be classified as "nice."  The walls were covered with mold, the pillows had mold growing on them, and there were no toilet seats... needless to say, none of us girls were pleased with our living conditions but we decided we had to make the best of it.  Saturday evening we went to a bar called Aqua Lounge.  It was a $2 boat ride to get there and it cost a few bucks to get in but the drinks were free for girls.  This bar was the coolest bar I have ever been to!  It had a spot to jump into the ocean and it had swings that you could swing off of into the ocean!

The next day we went to a place called Starfish beach, all of the islands you had to take boats to.  This island was like something you would see in a movie.  It was the true definition of a tropical paradise :)  it had huge starfish everywhere (see below), the water was crystal clear, and we went snorkeling.  I saw stingrays and TONS of exotic looking fish.  We spent all day on this island soaking up the sun (a little too much on my back :/ ).  That evening when we arrived to the hostel, we all realized our backs were fried from snorkeling all day, it was quite painful.  That night we just relaxed and hung out at the hostel since we were in so much pain.  We also went to look at the stars as a group but ended up playing a game called "star-tripping" and playing red-rover :)  The child in me came out again:)

On Monday we rented beach cruisers (bikes) with cute little baskets in front and cruised around the Island all day.  It was me, my girl friends Faith, Marina, Anna, and Devon and our new guy friends John, Cody, and Nayoto.  We biked to the end of the island... it was a peaceful relaxing bike ride.  Some of the scenery reminded me of being in the South in the United States.  That evening we went to a bar called Iguana.  It also had a place where you could jump into the ocean but this time I refrained from doing so :)  It was a fun night as well.

On Tuesday, we had a dolphin tour and some more snorkeling at a different beach.  We saw a lot of dolphins, it was so pretty :)  I love God's wildlife.  We also went to Red Frog Beach.  The water here was the bluest water I have EVER seen and I have been to Honduras, Panama, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, and Jamaiica!  I just lounged on the beach all day and played in the waves.  Tuesday evening we all went to dinner at a little place that reminded me of a 50s diner, it was super cute.  Afterwards my friends and I played some card games and then went to the beach and played truth or dare on the beach at night, it was a fun time.  I love reliving childhood whenever I can :)

On Wednesday, some of us went to the beach actually on the island.  It was about a 45 minute walk.  The beaches on this island were filled with trash, it was quite sad.  I don't understand how people can ruin such beauty.  We eventually found a spot with a smaller amount of trash and hung out there for the day.  We played cards on the beach and I just lounged around (again) haha.   That evening I was exhausted so I stayed in the hostel and watched t.v. with some of my girlfriends while everyone else went back to Aqua Lounge. 

Thursday we headed back to Costa Rica and going through customs has NEVER made me more grateful for our amazing country, The United States.  We waited in line for HOURS, in the pouring rain with all of our luggage to get our passport stamped, the line was literally not moving and we still have no idea why.  Then we had to cross a bridge to get from Panama back to Costa Rica and this bridge went over a river... I already have a fear of bridges but this was THE WORST.  It was made with lumber and there were places where the lumber was literally rotted through, holes everywhere, boards missing and loose so I had to watch my footing (while carrying my bags) and could see below me the entire time.   Imagine an Indiana Jones-esque bridge and this is what that was.  Once we arrived back to the Costa Rica side we had to wait AGAIN to get our passports stamped to get back into Costa Rica.  We waited for 2 HOURS, not joking... we all were getting so impatient because some of the workers who were obviously corrupt would take bribes from people in line and take their passports up and do about 20-30 passports at a time while the rest of us waited in line... we all got so fed up we started chanting "fila, fila" which means line in Spanish.  We then started blocking the line so the corrupt workers could not get through and screw us all over.  Everyone started getting really riled up, haha it was quite an experience to say the least.

I finally made it back safely to San Jose last night and officially have a week until I am back to my country I love so much.  As much fun as I have had here, I am definitely ready to be with the people I love and care about.

God Bless!
part of the group, minus the guys!

starfish!

moldy room :(

boat ride to the beach!

crystal clear water!

dolphins!


Red Frog Beach

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Montezuma :)

This past weekend I had yet another great adventure.  My friends and I left Friday after class to embark on our adventure to Montezuma.  In total, we took 3 separate buses and a ferry to arrive to this special place in Costa Rica.  The ferry ride was gorgeous because we rode the ferry at sunset :) We stayed in a nice hostel (well, nice compared to what I have stayed in).  We met a girl who was working at our hostel for a work-study program who was from Minnesota so it was a pleasant surprise to speak english to make our reservations :)  That night my friends and I ate dinner and I made the big mistake of drinking 4 cups of free coffee offered by the hostel.  It was so good, I could not stop drinking it!  Unfortunately, that night I got zero hours of sleep... and by zero, I mean ZERO.  It was awful, I was up all night just thinking and thinking and could not get to sleep.  On the bright side, God spoke to me about something I have struggled with for the past 3 years (for those of you who know me well, I am sure you know what this is).... anyways it was as if he finally delivered me from this struggle of mine and honestly I have not felt this happy in ages.  Everything has come together, just as God said it would.

Saturday, we left for the cliffs and waterfalls.  We hiked to the waterfalls.  There were various waterfalls you could jump off of, I did the smallest one haha.  I did not want to take a chance on getting hurt and my dad had previously lectured me so I decided to listen :) There was also a rope swing we could swing off of into the water, that made my whole weekend! It has been something i've always wanted to do :)

After hiking back to the beach town, we layed out on the beach for a couple hours and just soaked in the sun.  The stars that night were the most incredible stars i've ever seen, the sky was just covered in them and you could really see soo many.  It was beautiful.  I am reminded of God's majesty SO much here.

As far as life in San Jose, it is going great!  Just been busy with my advanced spanish class, it is very hard.  I have a 15 minute presentation Thursday with NO notecards, yikes!  I've got about 24 days to go, I am starting the countdown!  It is hard not to be excited to see my family so SOON.

I am looking for a job when I return to, I really hope something comes through.  If you don't mind praying for me that God will provide me with a job that fits my schedule this summer that would be awesome.

God bless, miss you all!



ROPE SWING TIME


Monday, March 4, 2013

Manuel Antonio

This past weekend my friends and I went to Manuel Antonio.  By far the prettiest of all the beaches i've been to!  It started on Friday, we arrived to Manuel Antonio and the bus was going to drop us off at our hostel... only problem being we did not know which hostel was ours or where it was located.  We past one called "Pura Vida" which was the name of ours so we took a shot in the dark and told the bus to stop. We had to walk about 5 minutes downhill to get to it and while walking my friend Michelle's plastic bag ripped and her jelly, in a glass jar, splattered and cut her foot open.  Also, while on the bus I sat my bag on the ground only to realize that I sat it in something that looked like puke
:( very unfortuante night!  Once we got to our hostel we went to our room which was $10/night so we should not have expected much... this room was the size of my bedroom at home with 3 bunkbeds and no bathroom... and no air.  It was probably 90 degrees that night so we asked the lady if we could upgrade to an air conditioned room which we did! Praise the Lord!  After the room fiasco, we set off to town to get our friend's some dinner... we arrive to a convenience store and it starts to downpour!  My friends get some food and then we walk the mile back to the hostel, by the time we arrive we are all drenched with water!  We finished the night off with some card games in the hostel room :)

The next day we went to the National Park beach which was gorgeous (see pictures below) we then went to a restaurant that overlooked the water, it was very pretty.  The beaches had a ton of wild monkeys, it was so cool!  Unfortunately, on Saturday night the only room available was the non-air conditioned one... at one point I felt like I would have an anxiety attack because the room was so hott and small.  Only a fan!  My friend Brittany and I were on the bottom bunk and we decided to pester our friend, Katie, on the top bunk.  It was so much fun haha we all had a good time!

I survived the 100 degree room thankfully!  We went to the beach for a few hours the next day and relaxed in the sun and then got on the bus back to San Jose!  It was a successful weekend :)

Hope everyone is doing well!

Our "prison-cell"

The beautiful beach!

Monos!

More beach!
God Bless!

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

I'm still waiting for the catch... Tortugero

This past weekend I went to Tortuguero.  It was absolutely beautiful!  We left on Friday afternoon and I took my first public bus to get to Cariari which is the first stop you make before you get to the Island.  Let me back up, I planned this trip for my friends and I, which was a pain in the butt in itself.  Anyways, I used a tour guide that my friends recommended and he helped me get a hotel for Friday night as well as helping us figure out transportation to and from Tortuguero, and in return we were going on a canoe tour Saturday morning with him for $20/person.  There were only four of us, we were a bit skeptical as to why he was so willing to help us.  Anyways... we stay in Cariari on Friday night and get settled into our sketchy hotel rooms, more like hostel rooms.  Haha.  My friend Katie's infamous line that night was the joke of the whole trip, as we were in our room talking about this man's sketchiness she says "I'm still waiting for the catch."  Hence, my blog title.  It was a had to be there moment haha.  My bed sheets on Friday night were hospital sheets (see below) and we only got one paper thin sheet to sleep with, we woke up freezing in the middle of the night so we had to turn the air off.

The next morning we leave for Tortuguero, we took a 2 hour ferry ride through the canal to get there.  It was spectacular and beautiful... as we were leaving the port at Pavona for Tortugero, a man and a camera crew approach our ferry.  We then proceed to find out that his name is "El Galan" and he is a famous TV star in Costa Rica... we were soon to find out how famous.  My friend Katie was interviewed by him for her show and I was in the background with my other friends, Brittany and Devon.  What a story!  As we approach the island of Tortugero, we see that the entire town has congregated near the port to welcome this man.  The kids were playing music, photos were being taken, the whole nine yards.  It was so neat.  Definitely a great experience.

After, we took a canoe ride through the National Park where we saw monkeys, birds, lizards, caiman, and crocodiles!! Then I went hiking throughout the national Park with my friends (minus Brittany).  We had to buy rubber boots to wear for $1 then return them, the darn things cut my legs up so bad.  It was not fun.  We stayed in a hostel on the ocean for $15/night it was such a good deal!!  Saturday night we went out to dinner, I got a quesadilla that was so good!  After, we went to a local bar and I just looked at the river.  The island was surrounded by the caribbean ocean on one side and a river on the other.  A creepy, Costa Rican man asked me about 5 times and my friends as well to dance with him, he would not leave us alone!  We then got stuck in the rain (the first rain i've experienced since i've been here)... needless to say we started walking home in it and honestly it was so much fun.  It was a warm rain so I felt like a kid again playing in the rain.  Sometimes it is good to just stop and smell the roses and experience the little things in life all over again, such as playing in the rain : )

That night my friends and I shared some laughs and played cards.  We had to leave the next morning for San Jose.  It was a fabulous weekend, probably my favorite yet just because of all the laughs and inside jokes my friends and I had between meeting a famous Costa Rican TV star to being chauffered by a skeptical man haha


On a sad note, my mama tica's mother died on Sunday night so that has been hard for her.  My roommate and I feel bad being here because we feel like we are intruding in her time of grieving.  Also, one of my friends from ISU that came on this trip got mugged at gun point last night when he was walking home.  He lost a lot of valuables.  Instances like that just make me so grateful for the United States and so ready to return to my home!  Other than that, I am doing great :)  Also, any prayers right now for my knee would be great, it has been hurting me really bad lately and I do not have good medical service here so I am hoping/praying it gets better!

Gracias

God Bless

Our hostel :)

Hospital bed sheets!

Tortugero Island

Crocodile!

Ferry Ride!

Saturday, February 16, 2013

The effects of Costa Rica :)

I decided to blog about how Costa Rica has changed me thus far, for anyone who knows me, you know these are BIG changes :)

1) I wake up now at 7 a.m. usually every morning, even when I get the rare chance to sleep in until 8, my body now wakes up at 7:30.  So hopefully once I return to the States, I can keep this great habit up :)  I have always been a night owl so this is different.

2) I have become content with having a MUCH less busy/hectic lifestyle.  At college, I was constantly doing something or always busy and I loved it... here I have a ton more downtime.  At first, I hated it because I wasn't sure what to do with myself during the weeks, but I am starting to enjoy it and appreciate it while it lasts.  The weekends here are crazy busy but that is all fun stuff :)

3) I have probably eaten more meat here in the past month and a half than I have the past 5 YEARS combined!  Crazy right? 

4) As far as sweets go, I have not eaten much of those here because my host family NEVER has them so if I wanted something sweet, i'd have to go by it.  It is not like home where I can eat what I want pretty much whenever.  Therefore, I decided to give up sweets for lent.  I am not Catholic, but I thought it would be good to give something up for God.  We will see if I can do this, 2 days down and I am already dying haha

Well, those are the biggest changes I have noticed so far :)

Also, my friends and I hiked up a HUGE mountain today! Literally took us about 4 hours to get to the top. There were 3 huge crosses along the way, it was very neat. Some of our friends had to turn back because it was such an exhausting hike.

The second cross we encountered

The girls who made it to the top :)


The first cross we encountered :)
The last cross, how beautiful!


A view along the way!

Saturday, February 9, 2013

White Water Rafting

Haha, well today was interesting to say the least.  I got up at 5:30 a.m. to go white water rafting on one of the TOP 5 prettiest rivers in the world, according to National Geographic Magazine.  So that was a plus :)  We had a buffet breakfast which was great.  Then, we headed to the river.  I swear the white water rafting guides are the cutest guys ever, every time i've ever been, they are extremely attractive haha.  Anyways, we had two guides.  One named Oso (bear in espanol) and the other Manuel.  Both were GREAT.  There was another guide in a different boat who was so attractive.  We all had a crush on him.

I went with four other friends in our boat.  We did not have the best of luck but it made for the best experience.  Within the first five minutes, we slam into a rock and then the boat turns sideways and we get stuck on this rock.  Meanwhile, the boat starts sinking in the water and we literally are standing on the boat and sinking in the water.  The guides hurried up and pulled us all onto the rock.  It was so hilarious.   I about peed my pants from laughing so hard.  It was one of those you had to be there moments.  There were many of those on this trip.   Then, about 20-30 other times we got stuck on rocks in the river.  Haha.  We literally were the last group always.  However, this is what made it so much fun.  We got to swim in the water as well which was beautiful.  I honestly loved today and had so much fun.  It was the hardest i've laughed in a while.  Our guides were so funny and made us all laugh numerous times. 

On the bus ride home, we played catch phrase with some friends we made.  They spoke both english and spanish so we played in English first, then spanish :)  I can honestly tell that my Spanish is starting to improve.  I am hearing more now and understanding a lot more.  Not anywhere close to where I want to be, but I hope by the time I return I have a good enough grasp where I can talk with my Aunt who is fluent and other friends :)

I am asking for prayers if anyone is willing.  I just am worried about my credits not transferring over at a high enough level and if they do not, then it just means I am taking these classes for nothing, because I already have the credits from back home.  So, if you're willing, please pray that I will get the credits I need to fulfill my Spanish Major :)

Muchas Gracias

God Bless :)