This week is going to be awesome! My head is also going to explode. Since I am starting level 2, I received a verb book. It had many verbs that a person uses to not sound like a 5 year old. I'm excited but it's going to take a lot of studying. There are three of us in the class (Makeba, Michael, and me) and we love to laugh with the teacher. It's nice to have fun, it makes the day go so much faster.
Yesterday there was a parade of cars with statues of some of the major saints and the sprinkling of holy water. It was fun to be a part of that environment. When I post pictures, I'll explain more.
That's honestly it except for the fact I can't believe there are only 2 weeks left!!! :O Hasta luego.
lunes, 1 de agosto de 2011
sábado, 30 de julio de 2011
VOLCANO!
This week flew by! It is most likely since we only had 4 days of school. My teacher was told we needed to finish the level one book by the end of the week so we learned about 3-4 things a day when we usually only cover one thing at a time in depth. I am very thankful I learned the basics about the topics before because now I remember how to use the verb conjugations/ words properly. This means LEVEL TWO!!! is next week. I'm excited :D I am going to miss my teacher though. She was very fun to listen to and did crazy (almost scandalous) examples. She said I spoke pretty well too so that made me happy.
On Friday Jenna and I decided that we should go to a Volcano this weekend, so we went to Volcan Poas today. We took two buses (instead of a taxi which would have cost us $65) to get there which was a total of about $7.00. Not bad at all. :) When we got there the weather was perfect! It was cool with a breeze and there was sunshine. (I laughed this morning when I saw the weather was such because yesterday we said a tiny prayer that it would be so. We figured it's CR during the rainy season and that it wouldn't happen. God proved once again to be in control.) We were a little out of breath because of the high altitude, it was pathetic sometimes- for me at least. Go fit Jenna! We walked a ways to see the crater and all we saw a wall of fog. We could see a tiny bit down but it was like the earth stopped. It was eerie. Thankfully there was a lagoon a little farther up. It's an extinct crater and now it had beautiful trees and plants leading down to the water. In order to get there, we had to huff and puff our way up the trail. A lady was like "You're almost there!!!" That was very reassuring. Definitely worth all the work. On our way back home, our bus had to stop because something started burning- not sure what, but we were all ok. Thankfully God took care of us and had a bus stop only 20 feet up the hill that went to Alajuela- where we needed to go. Jenna and I ran on and got back safely with no more problems. We also had lots of fun entertaining ourselves speaking in accents... yep. Now we know we are ready to conquer that week of traveling!
So far for that week we are planning to go to Monteverde (West from here) so I can go on the zip line and so we can possibly horseback ride. Then we'll head to Volcan Arenal and then to some beaches! We need to ask the person in charge of traveling which beaches are the best on Monday. I can't believe that's only a week away. And home only 2! wow.
See you in a couple weeks! :)
Oh, random thought- you know how some people add an "o" to everything to make it sound like it's Spanish? We'll we're the ones with the "volcano" and it's only "volcan" here. ha.
On Friday Jenna and I decided that we should go to a Volcano this weekend, so we went to Volcan Poas today. We took two buses (instead of a taxi which would have cost us $65) to get there which was a total of about $7.00. Not bad at all. :) When we got there the weather was perfect! It was cool with a breeze and there was sunshine. (I laughed this morning when I saw the weather was such because yesterday we said a tiny prayer that it would be so. We figured it's CR during the rainy season and that it wouldn't happen. God proved once again to be in control.) We were a little out of breath because of the high altitude, it was pathetic sometimes- for me at least. Go fit Jenna! We walked a ways to see the crater and all we saw a wall of fog. We could see a tiny bit down but it was like the earth stopped. It was eerie. Thankfully there was a lagoon a little farther up. It's an extinct crater and now it had beautiful trees and plants leading down to the water. In order to get there, we had to huff and puff our way up the trail. A lady was like "You're almost there!!!" That was very reassuring. Definitely worth all the work. On our way back home, our bus had to stop because something started burning- not sure what, but we were all ok. Thankfully God took care of us and had a bus stop only 20 feet up the hill that went to Alajuela- where we needed to go. Jenna and I ran on and got back safely with no more problems. We also had lots of fun entertaining ourselves speaking in accents... yep. Now we know we are ready to conquer that week of traveling!
So far for that week we are planning to go to Monteverde (West from here) so I can go on the zip line and so we can possibly horseback ride. Then we'll head to Volcan Arenal and then to some beaches! We need to ask the person in charge of traveling which beaches are the best on Monday. I can't believe that's only a week away. And home only 2! wow.
See you in a couple weeks! :)
Oh, random thought- you know how some people add an "o" to everything to make it sound like it's Spanish? We'll we're the ones with the "volcano" and it's only "volcan" here. ha.
miércoles, 27 de julio de 2011
NOM
Hola.
Well, Monday was pretty uneventful but that's ok. I talked a little with Juliana ("cousin") and mi abuela tica and looked through some old photos. Quite fun.
Tuesday was very fun. I really like my teacher this week. She's probably in her late 50s and a spit-fire. She's always checking that her hair is in place. Very fun. I'm excited because I feel like I can talk pretty easily in class. It's fun. :)
Since Jenna's boy and his mom were still here we went down town Heredia and ate in the market. I don't know what the place was called but their food was delicious. I had a "torta arreglada" it's a hamburger with tortillas and then some lettuce, tomato, and dressings. We walked around looking at all the nasty smelling, raw meat and interesting foods. There are some nice souvenirs there too. When it comes to buying food, it's very different here. After that adventure we decided to meet again for drinks that night. We met at the bar behind my house. It was quite fun. We probably looked crazy, the 5 of us laughing, speaking English. Yeah... Also, Makeba and I might have saved Imperial beer labels for souvenirs too... maybe. :)
When I went back to the house, it was cockroach invasion. It was gross. I thought I killed one- it disappeared when I came back to clean it up. Evil things. Ronald killed two for me in my room, there were two in the bathroom when I went to take a shower, and then one in the laundry area. I was paranoid for the rest of the night. I have no idea what happened. Bleh.
On a cleaner note- Today, I'm going to the mall with others here at CPI and we're going to go see I Want to Kill My Boss. I'm excited! It's going to be funny. Stupid, yes, but funny. And caramel popcorn!!!
Other than that, things are typical, fun, and time is flying by. For more updates stay tuned.
:P
Well, Monday was pretty uneventful but that's ok. I talked a little with Juliana ("cousin") and mi abuela tica and looked through some old photos. Quite fun.
Tuesday was very fun. I really like my teacher this week. She's probably in her late 50s and a spit-fire. She's always checking that her hair is in place. Very fun. I'm excited because I feel like I can talk pretty easily in class. It's fun. :)
Since Jenna's boy and his mom were still here we went down town Heredia and ate in the market. I don't know what the place was called but their food was delicious. I had a "torta arreglada" it's a hamburger with tortillas and then some lettuce, tomato, and dressings. We walked around looking at all the nasty smelling, raw meat and interesting foods. There are some nice souvenirs there too. When it comes to buying food, it's very different here. After that adventure we decided to meet again for drinks that night. We met at the bar behind my house. It was quite fun. We probably looked crazy, the 5 of us laughing, speaking English. Yeah... Also, Makeba and I might have saved Imperial beer labels for souvenirs too... maybe. :)
When I went back to the house, it was cockroach invasion. It was gross. I thought I killed one- it disappeared when I came back to clean it up. Evil things. Ronald killed two for me in my room, there were two in the bathroom when I went to take a shower, and then one in the laundry area. I was paranoid for the rest of the night. I have no idea what happened. Bleh.
On a cleaner note- Today, I'm going to the mall with others here at CPI and we're going to go see I Want to Kill My Boss. I'm excited! It's going to be funny. Stupid, yes, but funny. And caramel popcorn!!!
Other than that, things are typical, fun, and time is flying by. For more updates stay tuned.
:P
domingo, 24 de julio de 2011
Weekend fun!
This week has gone by quickly!!!
Makeba and I started it off by going to Musumanni (a bakery) and got dessert before we ventured to GUGO and had some lunch. She had a burger and I had a pizza. The pizza was made of tortillas, ham, salsa like sauce, and a little cheese. Delicious way to start off the weekend. :)
Yesterday was one of my aunt's birthday so we had coffee, sandwiches, and cake. The majority of the family packed into the kitchen here. It was fun. I miss having family get togethers. The cousins even act like we do. Anyways, I'm glad they try to make me feel a part of the family. :)
Today Rosario, some other families, and I went to the Basilica of Costa Rica today out in Cartago. It was beautiful and mountains were all around. Unfortunately, I didn't bring my camera- but you should look it up and see its beauty! It was interesting though, there was the church and then across the street, a lottery station. There were people selling tickets everywhere. One sales dude yelled AHHHHHHHH LOTTERYYYY!!!!!!!!! About scared the crap out of me. We also went to go see the miracle water of the Virgin de los Angeles. Then paid about .40 cents each just to go to the bathroom. Ridiculous. Whatever. At least the weather behaved!
Tomorrow I get school off for the Annextion of Guanacaste. Friday we had the cultural activity. There was a group of young children that came to dance for us. I have pictures! :) It was beautiful to watch. The girls' wore the colorful skirts with the poofy tops and the boys wore all black and held onto colored handkerchiefs. Inbetween dances we did our BOMBA!'s They were funny and some of them were pretty dirty... I was a little shocked. People made them funny though so we had a great time. Only 2 more weeks of school. I can't believe it.
I need to call Makeba for plans for tomorrow a trip to the mall may be in order. :)
That's all for now. Life here is fun. I just wish I could talk more without fumbling over my words. I hope you all have a wonderful rest of the weekend!
Side note- never have fanta down here- it tastes like medicine.
Makeba and I started it off by going to Musumanni (a bakery) and got dessert before we ventured to GUGO and had some lunch. She had a burger and I had a pizza. The pizza was made of tortillas, ham, salsa like sauce, and a little cheese. Delicious way to start off the weekend. :)
Yesterday was one of my aunt's birthday so we had coffee, sandwiches, and cake. The majority of the family packed into the kitchen here. It was fun. I miss having family get togethers. The cousins even act like we do. Anyways, I'm glad they try to make me feel a part of the family. :)
Today Rosario, some other families, and I went to the Basilica of Costa Rica today out in Cartago. It was beautiful and mountains were all around. Unfortunately, I didn't bring my camera- but you should look it up and see its beauty! It was interesting though, there was the church and then across the street, a lottery station. There were people selling tickets everywhere. One sales dude yelled AHHHHHHHH LOTTERYYYY!!!!!!!!! About scared the crap out of me. We also went to go see the miracle water of the Virgin de los Angeles. Then paid about .40 cents each just to go to the bathroom. Ridiculous. Whatever. At least the weather behaved!
Tomorrow I get school off for the Annextion of Guanacaste. Friday we had the cultural activity. There was a group of young children that came to dance for us. I have pictures! :) It was beautiful to watch. The girls' wore the colorful skirts with the poofy tops and the boys wore all black and held onto colored handkerchiefs. Inbetween dances we did our BOMBA!'s They were funny and some of them were pretty dirty... I was a little shocked. People made them funny though so we had a great time. Only 2 more weeks of school. I can't believe it.
I need to call Makeba for plans for tomorrow a trip to the mall may be in order. :)
That's all for now. Life here is fun. I just wish I could talk more without fumbling over my words. I hope you all have a wonderful rest of the weekend!
Side note- never have fanta down here- it tastes like medicine.
jueves, 21 de julio de 2011
A Thursday Afternoon
To be honest, I'm blogging because I'm bored but I really don't have much to say. I don't know where my family is which is very unusual. Oh well.
This week continues to go well. I love walking back and forth to school. There was a rainbow this morning and the mountains were in clear view. I really need to take pictures but I don't want to look like a complete tourist. Tomorrow for school we're having a little cultural celebration for the Annexation of Guanacaste (a province of Costa Rica). There will be singing and reading done by the students, dancing, and music of xylophones. I'm excited!
Jenna is off with her love today so I walked to school alone- very strange. We have pretty entertaining chats. Her boyfriend, Tom, and his mom came down for some vacation time too. They're off to white water raft today.
Makeba and I walked to town today so she could get mula and then we had ice cream. Freakin delicious! :) I had Neapolitan and she had caramel. Nom. I missed ice cream. We have talked about many times now how we cannot wait to go back to bug-less homes. We're tired of seeing them everywhere. There was a cockroach trying to get under my soap last night. Really? Out of all places, you had to be in my soap... stupid bugs. They're in food, in walls, under your feet. Ick. They need an Orkin bomb down here. I think there are birds living in the attic too. They're on my side though- They eat bugs.
Two main things that I have been taught here is to be thankful for life and to be super careful when walking in the road. There are deaths everyday and yesterday morning 4 high school kids were hit by a car and died. Another was injured. It's very tragic and sad. Please pray for the family and friends of those teens.
On a happier note, since the schools have started again my tias have been coming over for an afternoon snack. It's nice to talk to them and listen to them pick on Daniel (the cousin that's been over a few times now too). I will definitely miss seeing and spending time with all my new friends/family down here!
I don't have anything planned this weekend so maybe I'll go on a walk and get some Pizza Hut :D I don't know...
Until next time- Chao.
This week continues to go well. I love walking back and forth to school. There was a rainbow this morning and the mountains were in clear view. I really need to take pictures but I don't want to look like a complete tourist. Tomorrow for school we're having a little cultural celebration for the Annexation of Guanacaste (a province of Costa Rica). There will be singing and reading done by the students, dancing, and music of xylophones. I'm excited!
Jenna is off with her love today so I walked to school alone- very strange. We have pretty entertaining chats. Her boyfriend, Tom, and his mom came down for some vacation time too. They're off to white water raft today.
Makeba and I walked to town today so she could get mula and then we had ice cream. Freakin delicious! :) I had Neapolitan and she had caramel. Nom. I missed ice cream. We have talked about many times now how we cannot wait to go back to bug-less homes. We're tired of seeing them everywhere. There was a cockroach trying to get under my soap last night. Really? Out of all places, you had to be in my soap... stupid bugs. They're in food, in walls, under your feet. Ick. They need an Orkin bomb down here. I think there are birds living in the attic too. They're on my side though- They eat bugs.
Two main things that I have been taught here is to be thankful for life and to be super careful when walking in the road. There are deaths everyday and yesterday morning 4 high school kids were hit by a car and died. Another was injured. It's very tragic and sad. Please pray for the family and friends of those teens.
On a happier note, since the schools have started again my tias have been coming over for an afternoon snack. It's nice to talk to them and listen to them pick on Daniel (the cousin that's been over a few times now too). I will definitely miss seeing and spending time with all my new friends/family down here!
I don't have anything planned this weekend so maybe I'll go on a walk and get some Pizza Hut :D I don't know...
Until next time- Chao.
martes, 19 de julio de 2011
It's the 19th already...
Tuesday of week number 3
My teacher this week is very kind and speaks slowly. She’s also extremely patient. There are two new students in the class- both are older women and it’s their first week here. Needless to say, they were put in the wrong class. They don’t know all the stuff we have reviewed in the past two weeks. My teacher knows this so I don’t understand why she doesn’t say something to the placement lady. Makeba has moved up because she was bored out of her mind and now I’m kinda stuck. I could switch if I want, but right now, I am looking forward to what we will eventually learn. On the other hand, the school is swarming with people. It’s great for the school! Just hard to maneuver through the halls and find a quiet place to sit. Recently it’s been extremely sunny which is wonderful! I love it! Beautiful tan, here I come.
I have been reading the newspaper in my down time to help me expand my vocabulary. There are a lot of deaths out there- call me sheltered but I rather not hear about all these horrible things. I try to look for interesting things like stuff on schools and on children. The other day I found an article about children’s bad dreams. Pretty entertaining. I guess you could say I learned how to help prevent nightmares for my children…
Today I read an article about Machu Picchu and who founded it. It was interesting to read about what he had to do- it was back in the early 1900s. It’s exciting when you only have to look up a few words. J Oh! And Ronald is speaking a faster rate and I can still understand. J I’m soooo happy!!! Now, I just need to speak without having a freak out moment. I still have 4 more days of this week to accomplish that goal.
I went to dancing class today! Unfortunately, I play the role of the male better (Matt, I really don’t know if this will cause a problem. JK!). Jenna was my dancing partner. We danced Salsa, Marangue, and Swing- Costa Rica swing. [lol- my abuela tica just went EEEEEEEE because Paraguay made a goal. I love it. (Remember- she’s 82)] I think we would have won the competition if there was one. We were very serious about it. Ha. It’s an excellent cardio work out. A lot a jumping, spinning, and overall fun.
Tomorrow is the cooking class! If anyone would like a Costa Rican meal when I am back- talk to me. :)
Good night!
domingo, 17 de julio de 2011
Saturday
Yesterday was pretty fun. We actually didn't go to San Jose (I seriously thought I heard that though) and we went somewhere in the mountains. It was an all day excursion. We took a coach bus with many of Ronald's coworkers and friends, along with their families. It was about a 2 hour ride and we ended up at a veteran's club. Along the way there were small waterfalls, some rivers, and beautiful landscape all around. The veteran's club was also beautiful (despite the rain). There were trees and flowers every where you looked (especially up the mountain) and a small stream at one end of the club.
On the way there we stopped in the canopy and saw some people on the zip line. It looked awesome. Rosario asked me if I wanted to do it (with a kinda frightened tone) and I said, some day! :) She just laughed and patted me on the arm. I have to be honest though- just thinking about it made me nervous.
While we were there, some people swam, others talked, some drank. It was a good time. There was one man that had little bottles of mixed drinks- strong mixed drinks. He was giving shots to anyone that wanted one. Rosario did it so I was like what the heck... I choked. It was like fire. Delicious! but like fire. They all laughed at me and Ronald was saying something like small drinks small sips! Didn't really listen... Lets just say I refused any more offers until the next concoction he had (which was like vanilla cinnamon- much better). In the late afternoon, there was also a soccer game. Many of the men that went were on a soccer team. They played against the veteran's club soccer team. I'm not sure who won (because half the time I was playing pool with my new 10 year old friend) but it was a good game. (Oh and as far as who won the pool matches, it was one-one. He was good/ I was really bad. They have different rules and really short, light pool sticks.)
We did not return until around 8:30. I had hot chocolate and some bread for dinner. Rosario makes the best hot chocolate in the world. I don't know how. I have to ask because it's better than ANY hot chocolate I have ever drank.
Today is more laid back. We went to church and now I'm doing hw/ blogging/ listening to the English songs played in the bar/ watching a partido (futbol game). Yes, that's laid back.
I can't believe tomorrow is already the third Monday! Can't wait to see what the teaching is like.
Pura Vida :)
On the way there we stopped in the canopy and saw some people on the zip line. It looked awesome. Rosario asked me if I wanted to do it (with a kinda frightened tone) and I said, some day! :) She just laughed and patted me on the arm. I have to be honest though- just thinking about it made me nervous.
While we were there, some people swam, others talked, some drank. It was a good time. There was one man that had little bottles of mixed drinks- strong mixed drinks. He was giving shots to anyone that wanted one. Rosario did it so I was like what the heck... I choked. It was like fire. Delicious! but like fire. They all laughed at me and Ronald was saying something like small drinks small sips! Didn't really listen... Lets just say I refused any more offers until the next concoction he had (which was like vanilla cinnamon- much better). In the late afternoon, there was also a soccer game. Many of the men that went were on a soccer team. They played against the veteran's club soccer team. I'm not sure who won (because half the time I was playing pool with my new 10 year old friend) but it was a good game. (Oh and as far as who won the pool matches, it was one-one. He was good/ I was really bad. They have different rules and really short, light pool sticks.)
We did not return until around 8:30. I had hot chocolate and some bread for dinner. Rosario makes the best hot chocolate in the world. I don't know how. I have to ask because it's better than ANY hot chocolate I have ever drank.
Today is more laid back. We went to church and now I'm doing hw/ blogging/ listening to the English songs played in the bar/ watching a partido (futbol game). Yes, that's laid back.
I can't believe tomorrow is already the third Monday! Can't wait to see what the teaching is like.
Pura Vida :)
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