Even though I began this whole blogging adventure with the warning that I would not be diligent in writing entries, many have asked me to post pictures and new stories about what I've been up to. My wonderful mom and grandpa sent me a package with my camera cord (and a million other things I forgot) just the other day, so pictures will come - probably not soon, but eventually. Until then, though, I am going to refer you all to my lovely friend Lauren's blog. She is much better about writing regularly and taking pictures. I live and spend time in all the same cities as her, so much of her blog is really relevant to my time here as well. Obviously, we don't do the same things all the time and have visited a few different places. However, until I decide to be responsible and write a major blog entry again, enjoy hers!
(Thanks, Lauren. You're simply wonderful!)
P.S. If you so choose to look at her blog, a quick note on "bolas de coco" - it's true, they're wonderful and I don't even like coconut. I have a feeling it's all the sweetened condensed milk and drizzled chocolate that I really like.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Palabras nuevas y mucha tarea
Things haven't changed all that much at Whitworth South since I posted the last entry. Mostly, I'm writing this because we have 15 minutes till lunch and I finally finished my homework! I think we were all pretty surprised at how demanding some of the classes are, but they're still great nonetheless. As I maybe said before (I could check, but I won't), I'm taking Latin American Culture and Civilization for the month of February. It's taught by two professors, Lindy (who everyone knows and loves) and a Costa Rican native, se llama Fernando. The themes in the class are really interesting, but the reading and homework that goes along with them are pretty demanding so far. As trying as it can seem at times, though, I know it'll be really beneficial in the end. Luckily, I'm only in 1 class (technically 2 with Core) for this month. Some with 2 (3 if they're in Core) spend every single free minute doing homework. I guess the good news is that classes only last a month, so only 3 weeks to go!
Yesterday 3 other girls and I went to Heredia to buy some school supplies. While waiting for the bus we saw what I think was the funniest thing I've seen yet in Costa Rica. We saw this tiny pick-up driving up the hill with not one, but two cows in the bed of the truck. We laughed in astonishment. I have no clue how that truck was still moving, but kudos to the driver.
I can't stress enough how much I love being in town! Applying what Spanish I have learned so far to everyday life is fantastic and so rewarding. At one of the librerÃas we visited, we were helped by an elderly Tica who was incredibly helpful. After 3 or so minutes of trying to describe a folder to her (since we couldn't remember the word "carpeta") and turning down every binder she showed us, she finally asked "Quieren un folder (foh-dehr)?" Knowing that Costa Ricans use the same word as us would've saved a lot of time, I guess. At the check-stand though she offered many good words of advice and caution about Costa Rica, and interestingly enough Spain - she was not too fond of the Spanish as she made fun of their accent, the words they use and they're haughty attitude (Lo siento, Joy!). Every time she wanted to caution me about something she would look around for listening ears, wave me closer and whisper in my ear. It was so cute!
After we were finished we caught the bus back to Monte de La Cruz and once again hiked back up to campus. From there the day ways pretty normal. We ate, went to Culture and Civ, then had our first day of Core 350, ate again, and did mucho tarea :).
The nights are really slow here. We pretty much all do homework and listen to the wind trying to blow down the Center. Every night at about 8 o'clock the wind picks up and doesn't stop until about 9 the next morning. Living on a mountain is a really strange experience, I have to say. Today, we are definitely in the clouds. Someone commented that it feels like we're continually in a car wash because of how the wind and the "rain" (it's not actually rain, it's more like mist, but not really that either) hit the windows in the comedor (dining hall). What really gets me is that if we were to take a 20 minute drive down the hill it'd be bright and sunny. Crazy.
Today, I learned how to say "cool" in Costa Rican Spanish, but Fernando said it was used in the 70s a lot, so it might be out dated...either way it's "tuani." There was another one too...but I'm blanking on it! I'll remember, sometime - probably right after I post this. Anyway, I'm amazed at how much easier it is to pick up on and remember words when I'm actually in a Spanish speaking country. I'm liking it a lot. I'm sure that once we move into our host families we'll learn even more vocab daily.
Well, lunch is ready now, so I think I'll stop there. Thanks for reading my musings :). Hasta luego!
(Okay, I cheated and went back to add things after lunch. Oh well.)
Yesterday 3 other girls and I went to Heredia to buy some school supplies. While waiting for the bus we saw what I think was the funniest thing I've seen yet in Costa Rica. We saw this tiny pick-up driving up the hill with not one, but two cows in the bed of the truck. We laughed in astonishment. I have no clue how that truck was still moving, but kudos to the driver.
I can't stress enough how much I love being in town! Applying what Spanish I have learned so far to everyday life is fantastic and so rewarding. At one of the librerÃas we visited, we were helped by an elderly Tica who was incredibly helpful. After 3 or so minutes of trying to describe a folder to her (since we couldn't remember the word "carpeta") and turning down every binder she showed us, she finally asked "Quieren un folder (foh-dehr)?" Knowing that Costa Ricans use the same word as us would've saved a lot of time, I guess. At the check-stand though she offered many good words of advice and caution about Costa Rica, and interestingly enough Spain - she was not too fond of the Spanish as she made fun of their accent, the words they use and they're haughty attitude (Lo siento, Joy!). Every time she wanted to caution me about something she would look around for listening ears, wave me closer and whisper in my ear. It was so cute!
After we were finished we caught the bus back to Monte de La Cruz and once again hiked back up to campus. From there the day ways pretty normal. We ate, went to Culture and Civ, then had our first day of Core 350, ate again, and did mucho tarea :).
The nights are really slow here. We pretty much all do homework and listen to the wind trying to blow down the Center. Every night at about 8 o'clock the wind picks up and doesn't stop until about 9 the next morning. Living on a mountain is a really strange experience, I have to say. Today, we are definitely in the clouds. Someone commented that it feels like we're continually in a car wash because of how the wind and the "rain" (it's not actually rain, it's more like mist, but not really that either) hit the windows in the comedor (dining hall). What really gets me is that if we were to take a 20 minute drive down the hill it'd be bright and sunny. Crazy.
Today, I learned how to say "cool" in Costa Rican Spanish, but Fernando said it was used in the 70s a lot, so it might be out dated...either way it's "tuani." There was another one too...but I'm blanking on it! I'll remember, sometime - probably right after I post this. Anyway, I'm amazed at how much easier it is to pick up on and remember words when I'm actually in a Spanish speaking country. I'm liking it a lot. I'm sure that once we move into our host families we'll learn even more vocab daily.
Well, lunch is ready now, so I think I'll stop there. Thanks for reading my musings :). Hasta luego!
(Okay, I cheated and went back to add things after lunch. Oh well.)
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
The First of Few
Hola y pura vida de Costa Rica! After a lot of thought and suggestions to keep a blog while I'm here, I finally decided that I might as well try. Although, I keep no promises to update this on a regular basis. Things like journaling, taking pictures, and making albums do not always occur to me. Unfortunately, these are all things that I'll need to be doing here in Costa Rica to remember my brief time as a Tica. I'm sure it will be the first of many lessons I learn here.
With that being said, let me talk about our first three days in this beautiful country. After a long layover, I fell asleep in an airplane in Denver and woke up at 6:00 a.m. to the most gorgeous sunrise over Costa Rica. If I was smart, I would've taken a picture, but that didn't happen and I definitely regret it. After we were driven back to the center, we ate breakfast, took a 2-3 hour hike up the mountain and got settled in. Our campus is wonderful! We're in a small area called Monte de la Cruz on a mountain in the middle of a cloud forest. The scenery is amazing. We have two ponds out back and are surrounded by trees. It's a little bit of an oasis here. Normally I would insert a picture here, but I left my camera cord at home and my SD card is too small to fit into my computer. I'm sure of this because when I went to slide it in it got lost and I had to carefully use tweezers to fish it out. Needless to say, I won't do that again.
Continuing on, yesterday we had a fantastic day! We ate breakfast at 6:00 a.m. (I won't lie, it was not easy to wake up), then walked down the hill to catch the 7:00 bus into San Rafael, the nearest town to the Center. There we did a mini-urban plunge and walked around the town to get oriented. An hour later, we took another bus into Heredia, the nearest city, and did a much larger plunge there. We spent the next few hours walking all around finding various churches, La Casa de La Cultura, an ice cream shoppe, and many other things that we might need to find in the future. Talking to the locals and asking for directions was scary at first, but once I began speaking it was wonderful! I only had one instance where I got nervous and seemed to forget nearly everything I'd learned in the last 6 years. Afterward, we took yet another bus up to the campus and trekked back up the hill to campus.
We're just beginning classes today. For this month, I'll be taking SN 419 which is a Latin American Culture and Civilization course. I'm ready to start school again, though. We've had a lot of free time lately and I'm not sure that I'm great at keeping myself busy, so it will be nice to have things that I need to get done.
That's it for now. If you made it this far, congratulations. I know it's not the most interesting thing you could be reading, but it's the best way to tell everyone what I'm up to. Maybe after Saturday when I move in with my host family I'll have more interesting experiences to relay to you all. Until next time, pura vida :)!
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