Five Weeks Later...

It has been almost five weeks since I got home from Costa Rica, and a lot has happened in that time. When I first got home, I thought it was going to be really difficult for me to adjust to the cultural changes here in the US. However, I didn't have any problems... at first. But after a while, I started to notice some changes and stressors I had never experienced before.

I had really gotten into the Pura Vida mindset. I always felt very relaxed when I was there, regardless of what was going on. However, the stressed lifestyle of always feeling in a hurry and trying to fit everything in took hold right when I got home. Yes, it didn't help that I had a week to pack for college, work two jobs, and see everyone I wanted to see, but I still felt like I should still have that relaxed outlook. I felt my anger and anxiety come out sometimes, especially over things that didn't deserve it. I was very frustrated.

However, after a nice conversation with one of my best friends who has also been abroad, I discovered it's normal. She talked about feeling like a different person when she studied abroad. When she came home, she felt like everyone treated her like the person she was before and didn't realize she had changed or realized other unique qualities within her while she was gone. I understood that but more thought it was being put back in the same environment caused certain habits to reappear. But she reminded me that I was moving to a completely new place where I didn't know anyone and I could choose to be whoever I wanted.

Since moving to Helena, Montana for school, I have chosen to be less stressed. I do not allow things to bother me that used to. After Costa Rica, I have really started to understand that outlook is a choice. I knew it before but I am really experiencing it for the first time. I can choose to let myself get overcome by stress or I can choose to stay calm and take things one at a time.

I have also kept in contact with Kenny and have talked about going back to Costa Rica. I miss the culture and the people. Costa Rica helped open my eyes even more about what is important to me. I love connecting with people meeting people from other cultures. I love hearing about different lifestyles and making connections with people around the world. Costa Rica now feels like a second home. I really miss my host family, and I think about them often. I would love to go back and work with Maximo Nivel again, maybe even try another program, such as teaching English. I have thought about the kids I met at Rayito de Luz and wonder how they are doing. I think about what impact I made there. I want to do more for them so I may try to keep in contact with them and also go back to visit. I would love to try to organize a fundraiser at Carroll College for the kids in Costa Rica once I get a bit more settled here.

But for now, I am just trying to figure out a routine, meet people, and get comfortable. I am really loving it in Montana, even though it's only been three weeks. I love how there is a city with everything you need, yet there is that country aspect so close by. Everyone is super friendly and I feel very welcome. I also can't get over the fews. I swear, the sky IS bigger, I don't get it. I've also never lived in a place with mountains, and it is quite the spectacle. It makes everything better.

Lesson Learned

My last day. My last day in a place that has started to feel like a home to me. I used my final day to say goodbye to the people I've grown to care about so deeply.

I went to the Artisan Market for a few hours and hung out with Kenny. It was a sad goodbye, we have become such good friends. I will miss him a lot. We spent so much time together. Luckily, we are going to keep in touch and we hope to visit each other some day. Kenny left me with a few gifts to remember him by, which I plan on keeping forever.

I said goodbye to everyone at Maximo Nivel. I love everyone who works there and hope to visit them again soon. I plan on emailing the man who runs the organization because he wasn't around to talk to. I want to get more information about Maximo Nivel, why it got started and such, and hear it from his point of view so I can report back.

I finished the evening by having dinner at Ivannia's with the roommates and then the nine of us went to the Chicago bar for one last outing together. It was a sad goodbye, I've lived with these people and traveled with them for two weeks. We are all going to keep in touch.

A woman from Transleo, the travel company, picked me up to bring me to the airport. Ingrid was the same person who picked me up from the airport the first time. Ending where I started. She was very chatty and I noticed I could pick up on a lot more spanish than I could when I first arrived.

I arrived at the airport and after a couple fails when entering the airport through the wrong door, I made it. I paid the departure tax of $29 and I made it through check-in and security. I made the stupid mistake of buying a big bottle of water before I got on the plane because I was so thirsty. Thirty seconds after I bought it (a bottle costing $8 because everything is so expensive), I found out you can't have any liquids on the plane when entering the country, even if you bought it in the airport. Really? Crap. Lesson learned.

I'm now in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. After more than an hour and a half through customs and security, I've finally made it on the plane. It was a bit tight to get here, but I made it.

Some things I'm looking forward to:

Seeing my family

Seeing my friends

Seeing my animals

Packing for Montana

Going back to work

Driving my car

Sleeping in my own bed, or more likely, Adam's bed...)

And last, but definitely not least, A HOT SHOWER

Freedom

It was the last day of spanish class. My teacher, Hilda, was very helpful and supportive of everything I have learned in the past two weeks. I'm really going to miss seeing her each day. I learned so much. Luckily, I have my notes, and I can continue to learn spanish and hopefully get the hang of it a bit more.

After spanish, I met some new volunteers and talked with them about their placements and feelings about being here. I ate lunch with the roommates and then we all headed downtown. Three of us went to the Artisan Market (me included, of course), and two went to get Kendria's credit card, which had been devoured by an ATM machine. I showed one of our new roommates, Cindy, the market. I loved watching her face light up when she saw the different booths.

I headed over to Kenny's booth and helped him sell again. My goal was to finally make a sale. A few people would come over and look, but no one was going to buy anything. And then an older couple walked over. They were really interested in Kenny's bottles. Kenny does amazing work with bottles. He take a regular bottle, such as one filled with alcohol, and puts his clay-like material (called resin) on it. He makes so many unique designs; animals, faces, mushrooms. It's really wonderful. This couple was looking at all of them and I was chatting with them about what they were interested in. Finally, they made a decision. They wanted to buy a bottle. Kenny gave me a high five, and I just couldn't handle it. I was so excited!

After a while, Kenny got a friend to watch his booth and he took me down to the supermarket, where he bought me a popsicle and got some food for himself. We had a nice time chatting in the park and he told me about his life and his family. Eventually we headed back to the booth and worked there a bit longer.

After a while of being with Kenny, I went to Maximo Nivel and waited for my roommates there. I found one of my new roommates, Nina, and we hung out a while. I filled out my evaluation cards about my experiences with Maximo, all positive of course, and received my completion T-shirt. The other roommates arrived and we headed over to Mundo Locco, the bar closest to Maximo, and we all relaxed and talked. The people at the bar have grown to know us. They know our faces, they give us things for free. It's hard to believe that I leave tomorrow and will leave all of this behind. But I just know it's not forever. I've made too many connections to leave for good.

I'm going to be sick...

The roommates split up today into three groups to accomplish our final individual desires before the bus left at 2:30pm. Paige and the girl who was staying in our room, Nicole, went on a canopy tour and ziplining, which I heard was amazing. Kendria and Ilona went to the La Fortuna waterfall and went swimming. I decided not to do it because I thought we would have to hike and my tennis shoes were still wet from yesterday. Unfortunately, turns out it was really easy and beautiful. Luckily, they took a lot of pictures and I felt like I was there!

Ebyan and I decided to stay behind and explore the city. I wanted to see if we could get out of the tourist part of the city. We were able to find a school in La Fortuna. It was pretty large and the kids were out practicing for band. Ebyan and I looked into lots of different shops and got ice cream and lunch together, yes, in that order. We stayed at our restaurant for a while and compared lives back home. Turns out my lifeguarding job and her job at an amusement park are pretty similar.

We headed back to our hostel and met up with everyone else. Hearing about all their adventures was really fun and we all got ready to go. We checked out of the hostel and headed for the bus. The weather was finally clear enough that we could actually see the volcano! It was gorgeous. We got in line and were luckily able to find spots to sit. We were all so excited to get back home.

After a little while on the bus, we got up in the mountains and it got extremely foggy. You could barely see in front of you and the driver had a pretty nervous look on his face. He was driving way too fast and I began to feel extremely sick. We were twisting and turning and everyone was frightened. Being up on a mountain with a little wire being the only thing between you and the ground below makes me scared. Not only that, we are in a place where people already drive crazy.

Luckily, after a little while, the weather cleared up. Everyone was relieved but by that point, I was feeling really sick from the ride. Turned out all my roommates felt the same way. We couldn't wait to get off the bus. We finally arrived back in San Jose and found a taxi who crammed all five of us in his cab and drove us home.

When we got back to the house, we burst through the door. "IVANNIA! We missed you so much!" We were greeted by hugs and a plate full of food. I was cautious about eating too much since my stomach still felt a bit unsettled but everything was so delicious, I couldn't help but finish it. Everyone climbed in bed around 8:00pm and we were all wiped out from our weekend. Ebyan and I stayed up and watched Step Up together, which meant we were up long enough to meet a new roommate. Nina is super nice and is from Canada. I'm excited to get to know her but I'm sad I will only see her for a short time.

I am so happy to be back in San Jose and I feel happy to be alive. I was actually afraid for my life on the bus ride. A few potential crashes during the cab ride home also didn't make me feel much better. But being in my bed brings me comfort.

Rain Never Goes Away

Since our tour of Arenal was not until 2pm, the five amigas got to sleep in! We all felt very well rested and had a lazy morning. We played cards outside and got pizza next door for lunch. Something I notice very intensely here in La Fortuna is just how touristy it is. Every restaurant has everything in spanish and in english. There are souvenir shops everywhere and everything is pretty expensive. While it was fun seeing a new place, all of us agreed that it made us miss San Jose. In San Jose, you really feel like you are a part of the culture, whereas here, you feel like you are just looking in.

When we got back from our pizza meal, we met our new roommate, Nicole, who was traveling around the world after a tough divorce. She was extremely nice and decided to go on our tour with us. We all headed to Red Lava Tour Company together and signed her up. A twenty person tour bus picked us up and after picking up a few more people on the way, we were off. On our way, we apparently saw two slothes, but I was only able to spot one. As we were driving to Arenal, we got bombarded by a thunderstorm. Just like in Drake Bay, we had to ford a river. This river was definitely much stronger than the one in Drake Bay but we successfully made it across. We arrived at a small building, which was the start of our tour. I bought a poncho because at this point, the storm had picked up. Thank goodness I bought a waterproof camera.

We split up into a few groups for the tours and headed off into the jungle. We had to cross bridges and walk up and down hills. I didn't mind the rain, it actually made it really fun. It did kind of bother me that most paths were paved. It was hard to feel like you were really exploring the jungle when there were man made paths everywhere. Our guide pointed out lots of different plants to us and told us their functions. Some smelled amazing and were mosquito repellants, while others held fresh drinking water. It was very helpful, just in case I ever get stuck in the jungle.

After a little while, we arrived at the waterfall. Because of the rain, the water was very brown and powerful so it wasn't safe to swim in. But it was fun looking at it with everyone. Later, we also supposedly were looking at three volcanos, but the storm created fog, which blocked our view. Regardless, it was a really fun tour. When we finished our walk, which took about three hours, we headed back to the bus which took us to the hot springs. On our way there, we got stuck at the river, which had gotten much higher and stronger. We had to wait a little while and then we attempted to cross. You could feel the strength of the river pushing you every which way. Everyone on the bus was nervous and once we made it across, everyone exploded into applause.

When we got to the hot springs, the rain had calmed down so they were safe to be in. We all rain through the dark forest down the path. I used my camera flash to light the way as best I could. We safely arrived and all slid into the hot water. There were small waterfalls around and it was really beautiful and relaxing. Some of the guides put volcanic ash on people's faces, which is an exfoliant. It felt really good and I could feel my skin opening up. Some of my roommates and I also went underneath the waterfall to some tiny caves, which was very exciting. It was a really lovely way to end the tour, especially after getting so cold and wet on our tour.

We took the bus back to our hostel and all took a hot shower. We were all pretty hungry from the long tour (which ended up being about seven hours). We found a cute restaurant across the street and I got an amazing pasta dish. We had a great time, and found some other volunteers from Maximo Nivel. After a nice long meal, we all headed back to our respective hostels, since we were all so exhausted and full. The roommates and I all head back to San Jose tomorrow and we can't wait to get home.

La Fortuna

Today, all the roommates and I are headed out on an adventure to La Fortuna, which is where the Arenal volcano is. We woke up early to pack and get ready and then headed for downtown. I hung out at the Artisan Market for a while with Kenny, who helped me with my spanish homework and then I met the roommates at the bus station. Kenny made sure to help me find a taxi, because he's always afraid I won't get to where I'm going. He worries too much.

The cab driver was very friendly and dropped me off at the station. I found my roommates quickly and the five of us waited for the bus. Once it arrived, we headed for the back. The bus ride was relaxing, yet extremely crowded at points. The bus driver didn't seem to care how many people were on the bus as long as they all fit. There were people crowded in the aisles, sitting on the stairs, anywhere you could think of. The four hour bus ride was pretty relaxing. I loved listening to music while looking out the window. I never got tired of the lush scenery. The towns and farms on the mountains were beautiful and small.

After many bus stops, we arrived in La Fortuna. We headed for Red Lava tour company and they told us about all the tours and prices. We decided that tomorrow, we will go to Arenal, where we will see the volcano, tour the forest, swim in a waterfall, and relax in the hot springs. We were so excited.

We headed for our hostel and found our room. The hostel was small and cramped, but nice. Three sets of bunk beds and a sink was all that was in the room. We relaxed for a bit and then went out and chatted with the bartender, Jose. He told us all about La Fortuna and how beautiful it is. He also told us where we can get a nice dinner.

We couldn't find the spot Jose told us about but we did find another restaurant. It was nice and we all got a meal that satisfied our cravings. It was all very delicious and the street dogs joined us for our meal. They were looking for shelter since it had been consistently raining since we arrived. After dinner, we just hung out in our room. We are exhausted from the trip and are ready for a good nights sleep before tomorrows adventures.

Muchacha!

Today is my last day at my site since tomorrow is a holiday. We brought another 300 piece puzzle for the kids, this time knights on horses. We started out with coloring at Rayito de Luz today. The volunteers got very engrossed in their pictures and the kids loved showing us theirs as well. Some were beautiful, random scribbles here and there, while others were very accurate according to the image they chose.

After a little while, I brought out the puzzle. Kids rushed over and I had some of the same problems as yesterday. I don't know what it is but children love picking up puzzle pieces and throwing them. It also makes me cringe when kids force puzzle pieces together that obviously don't fit. What do they think? "Maybe if I push a little bit harder?" Luckily, most kids lost interest except for the ones who were really good at puzzles. We worked and worked, but this was a hard puzzles. Many pieces could've gone in so many different places. But we had a great time and worked on it for a while. One little boy chose a specific section to work on. Every time he would find a piece, "MUCHACHA!" And would point to the piece. "Muy bien! Perfecto!"

Unfortunately, the two kids who were really into the puzzle lost interest once everyone went outside. I didn't feel it was appropriate for me to stay and keep working on it, even though I felt incomplete. I hesitantly walked away and headed outside. Everyone was eating a nice rice pudding snack and we ran around for a while. All I could hear was "Muchacha" this, and "Muchacha" that. Muchacha is the term the kids use to speak to the volunteers who are women. It literally just means "girl". I swear. If I get called a "muchacha" one more time... especially for the amount of times I told everyone my name...

At about 3:30, it was time for us all to say goodbye. We explained to the kids and the women who run the shelter, "the Tias", that we were all headed home. It was a sad goodbye and we would all miss each other. But I did feel like it was a good amount of time to work there. It was enough time to get to know the kids, but not enough that I felt bored with my placement, like I wanted to do something else.

We headed back to Maximo Nivel, the main office for volunteers, and me and one of the volunteers, Sarah, decided to head out and get some dinner. One of my friends told me about a great cafe, so we headed over and got some food. It was extremely delicious, and the restaurant was a cute little hole-in-the-wall place. Sarah goes to school in Boston, and she is headed back home tomorrow. We had a lot of fun eating and chatting, and turns out we have a lot of things in common, especially our taste in food.

When we were finished, we wanted to catch the bus together since we live in the same neighborhood. However, because of the holiday tomorrow, the buses were slow and not running the way we needed them to. Tomorrow is Virgin of Los Angeles Day, which is the time when many people have started walk to Cartago's Los Angeles Basilica to pay honor to La Negrita, Costa Rica's black Virgin. The streets were crowded with people all walking the same way. It was quite a site.

Sarah and I caught a cab together and she got dropped off first. I then showed the driver my address and he headed off. A few blocks later, he stopped and asked another driver for directions. He headed off and I started to recognize the area. A bit before my turn, there is a fork in the road. He stops there and asks me which way to go (mind you, he doesn't speak any english). I point to the right and he tells me, "Oh no, Santa Marta (my neighborhood) is to the left." I was pretty sure it was to the right but stayed firm and went to the left. We drove for a while and this whole time, I'm thinking, "It was to the right, I just know it." Eventually, he pulls up to Chicago Bar, the bar my host family owns. "No way. Otra de taxi." This man was kicking me out of his taxi because he didn't know where to go. Not only that, but he still insisted I pay him. I didn't want to argue with a language barrier or because of the fact that I was alone, so I payed and got in another taxi. He knew exactly where to go and took me straight there.

I was so happy to be home, I wasn't even that upset about my double cab ride. That didn't stop Diego, my host father, from being mad though. "Estupido!" Diego is probably one of my favorite people ever. One day, while we were eating, he says to me, "Claire! I'm a DJ!" He brings me out to the garage and shows me all his equipment. I told him about how impressed I was that he was a DJ and owned a bar. He then proudly said to me, "And I'm an attorny." I don't get to see Diego very much but when I do, he always points to me and says, "I love you." "No, I love you!" "I love you first." I am definitely going to miss Diego and Ivannia when I leave. They were the perfect host family for me: relaxed, yet loving.

Rompa Cabeza

The volunteers and I were much smarter today when it came to picking out activities for the kids. We found a 300 piece Tinkerbell puzzle which was filled with lots of colors and designs. When we arrived, I started out by playing karate with Juan Carlos, a boy I see most days who is probably about eight. He would karate chop me and I would slowly fall to my knees. "Yo gano!" He would shout, and a victory dance would follow. He then would pull me to my feet and we would play all over again.

Eventually, we broughtg out the puzzle and everyone was in awe. A puzzle with small pieces and blasts of color, how amazing. Some smaller kids would pick up a bunch of pieces and give them to us, pretending like they were food. "Yum yum," we would say. There was this one little girl, maybe six or seven, who got very into the puzzle. She would get very upset when the kids would play with the pieces because she was extremely determined to finish. We worked hard on the puzzle, and didn't allow any distractions. Some of the smaller girls lost interest. But this girl and I were going to finish. I used my limited spanish to talk to her about the puzzle. "Uno pieza," I would point to an empty spot, "donde?" "No say!" She would reply. After two hours, we completed the puzzle, only to discover it had nine pieces missing. but we didn't care. It was a tough puzzle and we finished it.

When we finally stepped out of our puzzle world, we looked up only to discover that everyone had gone outside. We were too engaged to care so we headed out too. I helped some younger girls walk across some tires that were sticking out of the ground. Every time they finished, they would go back to the beginning. I was helping Mazy, the cutest little girl I've ever seen. One girl fell off the tires and came to me for support. I picked her up and held her for a while, telling her it was okay. I was also lucky enough to be the victim of keep away with my bracelets and my glasses. All the kids had a great time running away from me, giggling and passing my things back and forth. I played along until I got annoyed. "No mas!" They gave me my things back and we started to play tag.

After a little while, it was time for us to leave. We said good bye to everyone and headed onto the bus. I headed for the Aristan Market, while the rest of my roommates headed home. I met Kenny and helped him work again, and I chatted with other vendors at the market. One boy, Bryan, is going to take English lessons at Maximo so he can travel to America. I'm very excited to see how that goes.

It turned into a very relaxing night with the roommates. We had a nice dinner, chatted, and then stayed in and had a calm evening. Tranquila, indeed.

Uno, Dos, Tres

After spanish class this morning, I headed to Rayito de Luz with the other volunteers. It was their first real day and I was excited to see them really experience it for the first time. We headed over, the two bus rides totaling an hour were filled with small talk.

We arrived and I was immediately greeted by running, smiling children hugging me, grabbing my hands and pulling me to their respective places. This was a common greeting at Rayito. One of the volunteers was really good with the kids and figured out how to play active games with them, such as Simon Says, without knowing much spanish. This was very helpful in getting some energy out.

We read lots of books to the kids and one of my favorite kids, Angie, wanted to read with me. It was a simple Sesame Street book about different book subjects. She wanted me to read it in english and then she would describe the pictures to me in spanish and have me repeat it. "Uno, dos, tres..." She taught me numbers, colors, and animals.

Angie is very sweet and very smart. In general, she is liked by all the other kids, but she tends to get very sassy. She got very attached to me and we did lots of stuff together. Most of the kids at Rayito get very little schooling and barely have anything. They wear the same clothes each day and react to situations with violence, which tends to reflect their home life. They also get excited about the smallest things. I would love to give a few children, such as Angie, the opportunity to go to a college or travel. These kids deserve so much more than they have.

After work, I took the other volunteers to the Artisan Market so they could see how to get there. They stayed briefly and quickly scanned the booths so could come back later. I stayed for a while and helped my Costa Rican friend, Kenny, sell some things at his booth. Kenny sells bottles, jewelry, keychains, lots of different things and he makes it all out of a material that reminds me of clay. With clay you need to cook it to harden. However, with this stuff, it hardens by itself after a few hours. A couple days before, he had shown me the material he uses to make everything and he let me make a turtle! Today it was ready. It's so fun seeing how the vendors make a living here, what people do to support their families.

I can't believe I only have a week left.

Salsa, please.

New volunteers arrived at Rayito de Luz today. It was nice to see some new faces but I was definitely missing Arielle, who by now is back in Texas. The kids at Rayito were a little crazy today. There were kids fighting, pulling each others hair, kicking each other, it was probably not the best first impression for the new volunteers. We read books, colored pictures, played karate, in general a good day.

We headed back to Maximo and me and another volunteer who had been there for a while explained what goes on each day at Rayito. I met one of my roommates at Maximo and we headed home. All the roommates wanted to have a quick dinner before salsa class at 6. We inhaled our food and got dressed. We knew we would be headed to a bar after with some friends so we changed out of our work clothes and threw on some nicer clothes.

Arriving to salsa class a bit late made things a little difficult. The steps were definitely harder this week and the random spins were hard to anticipate. We did our best but tended to stumble a bit more than we meant to. After the break, we had to grab a partner. My friend Richard and I decided to try it. Richard was very into practicing and getting every move just right. After a lot of trial and error, we srtarted to get the moves down. We felt so proud since neither of us has much experience with dancing. It was nice to dance with someone who was at the same level as me.

After class, we headed down to the main bar street. After some searching, we found a pretty cheap bar. Some friends from class joined us and we all had a nice time laughing and talking. Our group of seven has become very comfortable with one another in the past week. After people finished up at the cheap, boring bar, we headed next door to the louder, lit up bar. I wanted to go there because they had food, and after salsa, boy was I hungry! After a lot of singing and laughing, we grabbed a cab and headed home. Even though it felt extremely late, we only got in at about 11:00! It was a jam packed day and I loved every minute, even the kids pulling each other's hair.

No, I don't need an umbrella, thank you.

Today was probably the laziest day I've had so far. All the girls slept in late and had a nice breakfast/lunch. We then headed down to the Maximo Nivel main office building. Our new roommate had arrived last night so we wanted to show her how to take the bus and get to Maximo. We dropped her off at her orientation and headed out. My roommate, Kendria, needed find a supermarket to buy some stuff for her project site, which helps kids whose moms are recovering from alchohol addiction.

Once we headed out, we decided to stop at a Papa John's because Kendria was craving pizza. As we were eating our cheese pizza, it started to pour outside. We wanted to wait it out so we stuck around and chatted. We thought the rain was slowing down, so we headed out. As we stepped outside, a thunderstorm began, the worst I had seen since I had been there.

One of my roommates, Paige, came prepared with a rain poncho, but Kendria and I were completely unprepared. Costa Rican people are always prepared for storms so everyone carries an umbrella. However, being a stubborn American, I never carry one. Kendria and I popped off our flip flops and ran barefoot through the streets. The sides of the streets were flooded, creating huge puddles everywhere. I did my best to avoid them, especially after seeing a dead rat in one. We couldn't find the grocery store so we headed back to Maximo.

When we walked through the doors, everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at us. "...What happened? Where is your umbrella?!" Kendria and I took off our cardigans and hung them over the side of chairs, knowing plenty well they wouldn't dry. We stayed at Maximo for while, talking about different topics and then decided to go back home. The weather was bad, it was chilly, and we were tired so we really didn't want to do much.

When we got back, we all lazed around until our new roommate arrived. Illona is from Canada and it was super fun to chat with her and talk about her previous travel experiences. We all had to wake up early in the morning so we went to bed early.

Definitely a nice, relaxing, rainy day in Costa Rica.

Un baño, por favor?

Today was our girl's day. Arielle, Paige, and I all went out on the town together. We walked downtown and looked in all the shops. I got a super nice dress, and Arielle ended up getting the same one. I loved walking down the streets, seeing the culture, hearing the music, it was great. After a while, we decided to head to the Artisan Market.

I was so excited to be back! Some of the guys remembered me and I hung out with people. I had one man tell me all about his life, about how he fights for everything he has, how his wife left him, and what's important to him. I was also able to see guys from yesterday. "Claire! You're back! Hola!" I especially became good friends with this boy Kenny. He's nineteen and he makes all this stuff out of a sort of clay. He's really talented and we chat a lot when I'm at the market. Today, he let me come to the "VIP box" behind the counter. He let me make stuff and sell to customers. It was a lot of fun! I love walking through the market and hearing people say, "Hola, Claire! How's it going?" "Hey, Claire! High five." "I'm so happy you're back!" This is one place I will be so sad to leave.

To me, the Artisan Market has a magical spark. There is something about that place that makes me feel so comfortable. There's so much life and every color you can imagine. There is so much creative energy being thrown around, it's almost overwhelming. Everyone is so open and friendly, they want to hear about you and they want to tell you about them. They remember specific people and love their work. I want to go every day but I don't want to seem like I have no life. As crazy as it sounds, it's probably my favorite place in Costa Rica. I've never experienced such an intense connection with a place before.

After the market, we all headed to food. After searching high and low for a Thai restaurant, we had Japanese instead. The food was good and the conversation was great. After lunch, we headed back to Maximo to get a few things. As we were leaving, we found my other roommates, Kendria and Shawanda! It was so great to see them because they had gone on a coffee plantation tour that day. We all decided to go get Sweet Sensations cupcakes and Arielle and I were maybe going to get a mani/pedi.

However, on our way over, as we were walking, I saw some policemen. Right as I said hello, I felt something. Please, God, let that have been a raindrop. But I knew. I knew what had just happened. I looked at my shoulder, and saw the poop that the bird had so graciously left for me. I didn't want to say anything but I knew it was on my sweater, scarf, and worst of all, on my head. Right when we got to the mani/pedi place, "un baño?" The woman showed me to the bathroom and I tried my best to clean up. When I came back out, everyone was trying to figure out what to do since the shops appointments were filled. "Um... guys? I have to tell you something. A bird shit on my head. I would love to shower." "WAIT WHAT?! WHEN?!" I told them what happened and we headed right back to my house.

I showered and felt so much better. We decided to go to Chicago, which is the bar my host family owns. It was a lot of fun. By this point, we had also met our new roommate who is taking Shawanda's place, since she is leaving tonight. The five of us had a great time at the bar talking and singing. In that moment, I realized how much I loved these girls and just how connected I felt to them. I'm going to be so sad next week when half of them are gone. My host parents also showed up to the bar and chatted with us. My host dad even played a prank on us and spooked us. I loved the culture and the love that I felt in Chicago.

We caught a taxi and headed home so Shawanda could catch her taxi. Ivannia was so cute when we got home. "Home so soon! More beer is better!!!" We all said our goodbyes to Shawanda and have been chilling ever since. I will miss her a lot but I do love our new roommate, who is from Toronto! I'm excited to meet new people and see what the next week will bring!

Where am I?

The spanish teachers decided to use today as their holiday so I got to sleep in this morning! After a nice morning of sleeping and hanging out, I headed to Maximo to wait for Arielle so we could head to our site. While I was waiting there, I started talking to a boy from Costa Rica who was taking English classes at Maximo and wanted to practice. We chatted for a while and I helped him with vocabulary and pronunciation. Eventually he had to head to class and I had to head to Rayito. I still hadn't found Arielle so I decided to just go. It was a bit frightening doing it all by myself, but I just needed to trust in the fact that I do know what I'm doing.

While I was riding the second bus and staring endlessly out the window, I started getting nervous. I had no idea where I was. I kept dozing off and I was really afraid I had missed my stop. I didn't recognize anything and I was nervous I would end up in a neighborhood I didn't know again. Luckily, right as I was about to call Maximo for help, I saw Rayito and jumped off the bus.

As I walked in, I noticed there were no other volunteers there, just the women who work there every day. I was late getting to work because I had to wait for a bus for about a half hour, so I assumed the other people would already be there. I did my best to play with as many kids as I could and we all ate lunch together. Eventually, two other volunteers showed up and we split the job. I headed across the street with some kids and we played in a big field. While the kids were playing football, I saw a big group of people walking down the street. As they got closer, I noticed they were carrying a casket. "It's a funeral," one girl told me. She speaks English really well and helps out since the owner is her aunt. We watched as the group slowly walked down the street.

When work was done, I headed home. Before I took the second bus, I stopped at the Artisan market again. I loved being there and I chatted with so many people. I found gifts and clothes and I could not get over how much I loved it. A lot of the venders know English, so I enjoy hearing about their lives. I was sad to leave again.

When I got back to Maximo, I found Arielle. She had gone to a volcano the night before and had just gotten back. We went to Mundo Loco and got some food and some drinks. It was really nice chatting and after a little while, my roommate Paige also met up with us! I loved chatting with them and hearing about experiences.

It was a nice day, and I'm glad it's Friday. I'm excited for the weekend. We plan on having a girls day tomorrow since it's Arielle's last day. I don't know what I'm going to do without her! We were together all the time and are so similar. It's sad, but I'm so excited for our day tomorrow.

Happy Guanacaste Day!

Today is a holiday in Costa Rica: Guanacaste Day. After a little research, I discovered it celebrates Costa Rica's annexation of the Guanacaste province in 1824. Because it is a holiday, many places are shut down. I did have spanish class, but I did not have to go to Rayito de Luz today. A lot of people took advantage of the holiday and traveled to a volcano and hot springs, such as Arielle and my roommates. I didn't want to miss spanish though so I stayed behind.

After a successful class, I decided to go to a class that was lead by a clown that taught people how to create balloon animals. I was a bit nervous because blowing up balloons and tying them freaks me out but I thought it could be fun for the kids. The guy didn't speak english, but he was really nice and there were some Maximo employees who helped translate. We first practiced common turns on the balloons and once we got good, we started creating. We first created a dog, and then a flower. Mine turned out pretty well! I was so happy that none of my balloons popped and the guy was so nice, he made me this awesome ladybug bracelet... OUT OF BALLOONS. He was so talented. He made a chow dog, a turtle bracelet, Elmo, a Smurf, I was so impressed.

After the class and chatting with some amigos, I took the bus back to Ivennia's casa. It was nice to be back and have some relaxing time to myself. I was able to take a nap, watch a tv show, chat with some other housemates, and talk to Ivannia after she got home. I love Ivannia. I love the way she speaks and says, "Adios, mi amor" every time I leave. She makes me feel very at home and even though we aren't around each other too much since one of us is always gone, I really enjoy her company. I'm definitely going to miss the family when I leave.

After dinner, my roommates got back from Arenal, which was the volcano. They showed me all the pictures and told me about their adventures. The whole trip sounded amazing and it made me excited for what was to come for me. However, for now, I'm headed to bed. There's no spanish class tomorrow so I get to sleep in past 6am, and I can't wait.

Where are we?

As I headed to spanish class today, I could tell I was taking in more and more vocabulary. Slowly but surely, I was learning. Now the trick was memorizing. I'm now able to communicate what I do in a day and I'm picking up on what people say to me. It's nice to know I'm getting the hang of it! I've always been so bad at learning languages and I can tell that being in the country helps a lot.

After spanish, I quickly ate my lunch and then Arielle and I headed to Rayito de Luz. On our way to work, we stopped at a little fruit stand and picked up grapes, an avocado, and mamo chino, which is kind of like a lychee. We waited at the bus stop for a while and I noticed a guy attempt to pick pocket a woman! She noticed however and he was unsuccessful.

We arrived at our site and was greeted by screaming children that automatically grabbed my hand and dragged me over to a table. We sat down and colored together, the girls constantly telling me which colors were okay and which weren't. Eventually, a group of kids decided to play what I thought was tag. After a while, I figured out we were playing freeze tag. The kids were so quick! Every time I would get unfrozen, I would get tagged again. It was a lot of fun. Once I got tired, I sat down and one of the girls buttoned up my cardigan. Another girl braided my hair into pigtails, and a boy sat close and held my hand tight. I loved hanging out with the kids and doing whatever they wanted. Later that day we played Go Fish and Slap Jack card games with them. They kept cheating but we didn't care. Every time you go and see how little they have at this daycare, it makes you want to help. All they have are tables, chairs, mats, a few cribs, and markers. I would love to see them be able to have a few more options of toys and games. They deserve it more than anyone.

After we finished work, Arielle and I headed downtown to do a bit of shopping. We took a detour and got Arielle some McDonalds because she had barely eaten anything all day. She ordered chicken, which made me think of chicken strips. What did she find? Actual chicken, legitimate quality chicken that would be like what I would eat for dinner at home. I tried it, it was awesome. All the food in Costa Rica is so much better than in the states, I can't even get over it. The only thing about this McDonalds that I don't like is that there are just pidgeons walking around inside since there is no door. I love animals, but not birds who are so pushy that they walk on your feet to get what they want. Let's just say Arielle and I dipped out of there pretty quick.

We stopped at street venders and got handmade bracelets and headbands. Everything in Costa Rica is so colorful. I love how everything has rainbows on it. We also eventually found ourselves at the Artisan Market, which is a place that looks like a small store, but when you walk inside, it's a block long with all these small shops piled in. All these people sell their work to tourists. It's beautiful and energetic, colorful and friendly. It's my favorite place so far. People are so nice and it's a good place to practice bargaining skills. "You want this scarf? $5.00." "Maybe! I'll come back!" "...$4.00!" "Done." I can't wait to go back there and just spend the afternoon hanging out.

We were able to meet up with Shawanda and Kendria and the four of us started to head back home. We successfully crossed the street without dying and caught the bus back to the Outlet Mall (which is where Maximo is). I got some of my stuff that I was storing there and we waited to catch our other bus, which would take us to Santa Marta (where our host family lives). We waited a while and evetually got a bus that had our town on it. We rode the bus for probably 45 minutes to an hour until it got to the end of the line and realized we had no idea where we were. We had gotten far up a mountain and didn't know what to do. We told the driver we had to get to Santa Marta and he said it was maybe twenty stops back. He drove us to the bus station and we met a guy who worked for the company. After struggling to communicate, he told us we should wait here and a bus would come for us. We were in a pretty bad neighborhood, but at least we were all together and there were a few guys around us helping to flag down the bus. After a lot of worrying and a lot of waiting, we caught the bus to Santa Marta and made it back home. We were extremely relieved to be back at Ivannia's house and we scarfed down our food and went in our room.

I'm so exhausted from the day... This city has so much energy wherever you go. I love it, but I have never appreciated sleep more.

Also, happy birthday to my favorite mom in the whole world, Kathy Romey! I've been thinking of you awesome and hope you had a wonderful day. I love you so much.

Quiere jugar?

Today marks the first official day of work and español classes. After yet another morning of cold showers, breakfast, and bugs all over the room, my roommates, Kendria and Shawanda, and I decided to walk to Maximo Nivel. I was too passionate during salsa lessons last night causing my sandals to break and my tennis shoes are still a bit wet from Drake Bay (NOTHING DRIES HERE), I wore my new flats. We started out on the 40 minute walk, chatting about our lives and things we are excited about for the future. My feet were hurting a bit and I figured I was developing blisters. A few blocks before Maximo, I decided to check my feet at a crosswalk. The back of my feet were dripping blood. I didn't want to say anything, I figured I would just deal with it at Maximo. Just then, I felt a tap on my shoulder. A Costa Rican woman led me over to a step and sat me down. I explained I didn't speak spanish but she insisted. She pulled tape, paper towels, and hand sanitizer out of her bag and started addressing the wounds. She covered the back of my feet with bandages after cleaning them. She surprised me when she started speaking english. "You need to go buy new shoes right away and clean the wounds." "Mucho gracias." It was nice to have a random person notice my situation, drop what they were doing, and help me. You wouldn't see that very often in the States.

I met Arielle at Maximo and right outside on the corner, there was a terrible car accident. Dad met us there and we all watched as firemen came to help free a passenger who was stuck in the car that had been hit. People were crowded around the scene of the accident, something that would never be allowed back in the states. They got the man out okay and he had large cuts all over his arms. It was a bit frightening.

At 9:00, I had my first spanish class. My teacher, Hilda, is a very sweet woman from Costa Rica. She speaks really great english and the first thing we worked on together were phrases I could use to speak to the kids at my site and at home. It was extremely helpful. By sheer chance, I'm the only one in the class so it's nice to get the one-on-one attention, especially because of how much I struggle with languages.

After class, Arielle and I took the hour bus ride to our site, Rayito de Luz. There were two other Maximo girls at Rayito de Luz, Charlotte and Claudia, who are from Manchester, England. We had fun talking to them and hearing about their experiences so far. The kids were crazy as ever; screaming, yelling, hitting, running. We did a lot of playing together. Dancing, coloring, and horsey were common games. We also played "pato pato ganso", or "duck duck goose", which was a lot of fun. The kids also loved my cell phone and played games on it. All the kids here are so sweet. I love this little girl, Angie. She's so sweet and loves to take my hand and lead me through the building. I pick her up and swing her around and we color together. She talks to me (although I don't understand much) and we have a nice time together. All the kids though are so wonderful. It's hard for me to think about the fact that most of them have no money or much love in their lives. I've only been here a day and I know it will be hard to leave.

The time at Rayito went quickly and we took the bus back to Maximo. Arielle and I waited for my roommate Paige so we could all go shopping. We were also able to meet up with Arielle's roommate, Kasandra. It ended up not working out so we all went out to Ichiban, which is a sushi restaurant. While it was a little expensive, it was nice to be out with friends at a nice place. After that, we went to a bar, Mundo Loco, and got piña coladas and daiquiris. It was a lot of fun hanging out with a group of girls and having a good time. After that, we all headed back to our homes and I hung out with my roommates and am headed to bed.

Bonita Ojos

Hola mi amigos!

Today was very eventful, with a lot of information thrown in my face. San Jose is an intense college town and very alive. Half the population of Costa Rica lives in San Jose. It's incredibly different from Drake Bay. It's definitely a city. There are people everywhere. Every nook and cranny is filled with shops, supermarkets, bars, restaurants, you name it. And the traffic here is terrifying. Yes, there are street signs, but no one pays attention to them. People do whatever they feel like and they most definitely do not stop for pedestrians. Motorcycles weave in and out of traffic, sometimes going in the wrong lane to get ahead of the traffic. It's very intense, yet I've seen no accidents.

I started out my morning by being greeted by a cold shower, and then heading to Maximo Nivel and joining my orientation group. We learned about safety tips, tours, where we will be working, all the information you would need to know. I got placed at a wonderful daycare called Rayito de Luz. After our orientation, I took a spanish placement test to see what level of classes I should take. Of course, I didn't know anything, only how to say my name and a question in reading comprehension, and by the look on his face, one of the other test takers felt the same way.

After my test, we went on a walking tour of San Jose. We were shown restaurants, shops, markets, bars (the drinking age is 18), etc. I feel so lost in this city. After an hour or so, I felt like we were three or four blocks away, but we were outside Maximo.

I was able to socialize with a bunch of other volunteers and learned about their sites. People were from all over, all over the US, all over the world. Everyone is super nice and is excited about their sites: turtle conservation, childcare, teaching english, construction, etc. I loved hearing about different people's lives back home, why they were there, it was so interesting. I met a girl named Arielle from Houston, Texas, who I really like and found out that she and I work at the same site!

At 1:00, I set off for my site, Rayito de Luz. Emily, our guide from Maximo, showed us how to get to the daycare, which is about an hour away. We had to take two buses to get there. On the first bus, we sat in the back and Emily was telling us about the city. As we were talking, a man got on the bus, and was climbing on the railing. "He's trying to climb over the sensor so he doesn't get counted as a passenger and has to pay." He chatted with the bus driver a while, they seemed to be friends, and then he started selling things on the bus. Once he got through the passengers, he climbed back over the railing and hopped off.

Once we got off that bus, we headed for the second bus. We had to walk through downtown San Jose to get to the second one. Downtown San Jose was really exciting. It was for pedestrians only, so you didn't feel like you were going to die wherever you walked. We walked past shops, theaters, museums, everything. When we arrived at the second stop, we waited a few minutes, and then the bus arrived.

On this bus, we got the pleasure of experiencing two men play lovely music on the bus (one with a guitar, one with a hand flute) and then try to sell CDs, I bought two! Eventually, we arrived at the site. The children in this daycare all live in the same slum and most are related in some way. They come from really tough backgrounds and the program helps keep them out of trouble. The children range from three months to ten years old. We walked in and were greeted by a huge blast of energy. Children were running around everywhere, coloring, playing, giggling, fighting. We were dragged over by different kids and started doing different activities. When you don't know spanish, it gets a little overwhelming to be constantly yelled at by children who don't speak english. I felt bad that I couldn't understand their questions and listen to what they were saying but we did our best to communicate. I met a little girl named Celia who had one arm and burns all over, but she was very sweet and wanted to color with me. She kept saying something about my ojos, which are eyes, and I found out they were saying "beautiful eyes" over and over. I was sad to leave!

We didn't stay too long, maybe an hour or so just to get a feel for the place, and then headed off back the way we came. We got on both buses and headed back. On the way back, I noticed something that had been occurring every since I had gotten to San Jose: everyone was staring at me. People in Costa Rica aren't used to seeing someone with blonde hair and eyes that aren't brown so me, Arielle, and Emily (who looks similar to me) get stared at and hollered at a lot. We stopped so Emily could get an expresso and as we were standing there, something behind me went, "pss pss pss pss pss." I turn around and a man kept walking like nothing had happened. Sometimes, men in Costa Rica do that to a girl so they will turn around and look at them. It's so unlike the states!

We made it back the center at Maximo and Arielle and I talked and hung out. We met up with her roommate and headed over to Sweet Sensations, a fantastic cupcake shop that was started by a Maximo employee a year ago. I got a banana sundae cupcake, which was amazing (a banana cupcake with vanilla frosting, chocolate drizzled over it, topped off with a cherry). After that, the three of us headed over to a bar, where I was supposed to meet some other people. They weren't there so we parted ways and I was going to head back to Maximo. However, about a block later, I ran into the people I was supposed to meet! Linda and Richard, students from Waterloo, Canada, were eating chicken and rice at a little shop. I joined them and struggled to order food of my own. It was fun hearing about their sites. Richard is in healthcare so he told me about the underfunded hospital he works at. I enjoyed my food and then we all headed back to Maximo for salsa dancing class!

The class was a lot of fun! It had about twenty people participating and three teachers. The teachers were amazing, and most people didn't know what they were doing. We learned basic footwork for the first half and the second half we had to grab a partner. I was gone too long on the break to nab a partner so I got to dance with one of the male teachers. I was so glad because he knew exactly what he was doing. He led me all over the place, spinning me everywhere, and I had a great time. I'm definitely going back next Monday.

We headed back home on the bus at 8 and had a late dinner. We went to bed soon after. I hung out a bit with my roommates, chatted with them, and went to bed around 11:30. I'm ready for tomorrow! I can't wait to start officially working with the kids.

Mi Casa es Su Casa

Well, I made it to San Jose today! Dad and I arrived at the airport and were met by a very nice lady who didn't speak much english, but she was very helpful. We got picked up by a woman named Ingrid and she took me to the main office building. It was a beautiful facility, extremely clean, and we were met by a nice, perky girl from Alabama. She showed us around the facility and we quickly left to head over to my host family.

We dropped dad off at a nice hotel that's pretty close to the facility and then Ingrid took me to my host family. We arrived at a large house and I was met by my host mother Ivannia. She greeted me with hugs, and though she couldn't speak much english, she could understand pretty well. She was very sweet and showed me to my room. We walked past several bedrooms that had sets of bunk beds. We went outside and got to my room, which was it's own separate unit.

There are two bunk beds in here and a bathroom. I got settled and met my host dad, Diego, and a couple other people who are staying here. DeeDee speaks english and is from a small island (I can't remember which one, but it's not in the United States). Ivannia made me a simple meal for lunch, eggs and hot dogs, toast, and a glazed bread thing. It was very simple but very good.

I went in my room and took it easy, uploaded photos, etc. Diego and Ivannia came in to tell me they were going out to their mother's house and the supermarket and that I should make myself at home. Everyone was very kind. Some other people who are staying here had been at the beach for a few days and they also arrived back home. Everyone was very friendly and I was exhausted so I took a two hour nap.

After a while, Diego and Ivannia got back from the market and started cooking dinner. I really like Diego. He's very animated and speaks pretty good english. We watched the big Costa Rica vs Honduras soccer game together and that was a lot of fun. Dinner was delicious: beans, some sort of potato, salad, and a rice dish with peppers and ham. After that, a few other girls arrived back home who were also at the beach. They are staying in my room and they are super nice, from Virginia, and have made me feel very comfortable.

And about an hour ago, one final girl arrived and she is sleeping in my top bunk. Overall, an uneventful day, while also very relaxing. Tomorrow the real work begins. Orientation, I see my site, potentially salsa dancing lessons, it's all very exciting. I am happy I had a quiet day to adjust to a new place. I'm excited to see what's next!

The Secret Waterfall

Dad and I got to sleep in this morning a bit, which was nice.

At 8:30am, dad and I were picked up by Gustavo, who was going to be our guide for horseback riding. We set off down the beach to meet the horses, which were much smaller than the horses I am used to. We hopped on and set off falling Gustavo, who could speak very little english. We walked along the beach and the horses loved walking in and drinking the saltwater. We eventually headed up the path towards the town and walked along the roads.

After about 20 minutes, we were met by two men who were going to take us to a canopy tour, which involved zip line. Danny was the main guide and he got us all suited up and explained how to work all of the equipment. When going on a zip line, you hold on the the rope that holds you in with one hand, your other hand has a certain glove, which goes on the line, and that's your break, and your body sits in a chair position.

Once I was ready, Danny let me go and I sped down the zip line. As I looked around, I could see all around me. We were really high up in the trees and I could feel the wind in my face. The other guide caught me at the other platform and hooked me up to the tree. Dad followed and I watched him zoom across. It was a wonderful feeling of freedom and it was surprisingly comfortable. We had to belay down to another platform to get to the next zip line. Ever line was different and you could see different things. You could see the river, and bridges, and different trees, it was really quite fantastic.

After eight zip lines, Gustavo met us on the final platform. He lead us down to the river where our horses were tied up. We got back on and went along the river until we eventually got in and walked through the river. Some areas were so deep, they came up the horses stomach! I loved walking through the water on the horse. The slow and steady pace allowed for time to look all around the jungle. Although we didn't see much wildlife, it was really wonderful.

After who knows how long, maybe 45 minutes, we got off the horses and to go on foot. We climbed up the cliff along skinny paths, over huge roots. When we walked over the top of the cliff, we were excited to find a large hidden waterfall! Gustavo led us through the large slippery rocks, helping us out when needed. Eventually he signaled for us to take off our shoes. We followed him barefoot through the rocks and eventually he signaled for me to jump in. I had worn my swim suit so I took off my shirt and left my new leggings on. He climbed behind me and dove off a rock. The water felt cool on my skin, yet refreshing. After a while, dad appeared on the rocks in his underwear and eased himself into the water. Walking on rocks may be my cup of tea, for I like to feel exactly where I'm stepping. It's very difficult for my dad though, but he made it! I was so proud of him.

Eventually he stayed behind and Gustavo led me a bit further. Neither of us could speak much of each others language and that made for slower communication but we did our best. Gustavo is 23 and comes to the waterfall often with the horses. He and his friends like to skip rocks there. Most of the things he said to me, I couldn't understand. But certain things I was able to pick up on. We did handstands in the water and had water fights. We skipped rocks and made a man out of sand. It also started to rain, which made the swimming more exciting! It was really great to be around him, a lot of fun! I was able to eventually figure out one phrase he said to me, "tu eres bonita." I didn't know what to do except smile and respond, "gracias!"

We headed back towards my dad and made our way back to the horses. We had to go over the steep and narrow path again, through the vines, down the rocks, but we made it! The horses were waiting for us and we hopped back on and set out on the long road back to our hotel. Back through the river, up a steep hill, through the town, and eventually back to our hotel. We said goodbye to Gustavo, who wanted to know when we were returning to Drake Bay. I didn't know what to say, except we hope to come back someday.

Gustavo headed off with another group for a horseback ride and dad and I headed to lunch. We hung out the rest of the day, took it easy. We met up with the rest of the people who were staying at Jinetes de Osa and talked to them about their day, scuba diving and such. After dinner, I chatted with Ivan, our scuba diving instructor, for a good hour about languages, government, other places, previous guests at the hotel, it was really interesting.

We are sad to leave Drake Bay. Tomorrow morning we head off on an 8:45am flight. It will be a new adjustment going back to San Jose not only because I'm working, but because it's an actual city, a college town, and not a small town on the beach. I know it will be wonderful and I will love it, but it hurts me to leave new friends and a wonderful place behind. But at least I have my pictures and memories. I definitely plan on returning.

Corcovado National Park

4:30am. That's the time we had to wake up this morning.

We headed to Corcovado National Park, "the most biologically diverse place on the planet" as National Geographic calls it. We took an hour boat ride out to the park. The boat would slam down on the waves and lucky us, dad and I got to ride up front. On our way out, we saw false killer whales, which are actually a part of the dolphin family. They came up very close to the boat and they were traveling. It was lovely seeing them out in their true home instead of in a zoo.

False Killer Whales

When we arrived at the park, we walked across the rocky bottom and headed to the beach. We made sure to arrive early so we could see more wildlife. Later on in the day, more groups come to the park and scare away the animals. We headed right on the trail and soon into our hike, we saw a type of turkey, a curaçao, a male and a female. They walked right across the path and didn't seem bothered by us at all!

Male Curaçao

We also saw lots of different kinds of birds (blue heron, gold-throated heron, egret, and a violaceous trogan) and a black iguana basking in the sun. On our way through the rainforest, we saw huge spiders. They were probably about 3 inches long and extremely thick, bigger than any spider I had ever seen before. Their web is so strong that when our guide, Rolando, pushed on the web, it wouldn't break.

A bit later, we saw a group of peccary, wild pigs. They were following each other through the forest, probably headed towards the river. The trees in this park were enormous and healthy. Everything was so lush and alive, and felt so untouched. It was wonderful.

We headed out to the beach and walked along there. Hundreds of hermit crabs fled from us to safety. We also saw the elusive tapir tracks, which is the largest land mammal in Central America, getting to be up to 800 pounds. However, they are nocturnal so we didn't think we would see one. As we got towards one of the rivers in the park, we spotted a crocodile and a bull shark in the water, both on their way to the other river.

Crocodile Hiding

We headed back in towards the jungle and spotted an anteater up in the tree eating... well ants... and termites! Rolando could tell there was an anteater nearby because of the smell, which to me smelled like manure, while others thought it smelled sweeter. Agree to disagree. But they were wrong.

As we headed down the path, a camper up ahead quietly waved us over, mouthing that he had spotted a tapir walking through the jungle! As we slowly crept up, we saw the huge mammal walking through the jungle with fresh mud on it's back. The fact that we were able to not only spot it, but spot it awake in the daytime was quite remarkable. It also didn't seem to care we were there. We followed it for a while and one of the men on our tour with us, Marty, was able to come within 10 or 15 feet of the creature.

Tapir

We spotted some lovely birds and three species of monkeys on our hike: white-faced monkeys, spider monkeys, and squirrel monkeys, and we could hear the howler monkeys. Ironic, I know. We had lunch at the main ranger station and then headed back towards the boat.

Once we arrived back, Rolando told us that we had to quickly get in the boat because the tide had completely come in and the waves were strong. Lucky for dad and I, we got the front again, and this time, we paid the consequences. Right as we were about to take off, dad turned around to take a picture and Rolando yelled, "LOOK OUT, LOOK OUT!" I turn around just in time to see a massive wave headed straight towards the boat. It crashed up against the side and flowed into the boat, drenching us. "Sir, this is not the time to be taking pictures!" I sternly told dad to put his camera away. Once we got off the beach, the water was much calmer. Still a bit bumpy, but nothing compared to what we had just experienced.












When we arrived back at the shore near our hotel, right as we were about to get off the boat, we were greeted by yet another huge wave, right as we had just gotten dry. All in all, the day was definitely a success. We arrived back at 1:30 and took it easy the rest of the day.

It is so calm and peaceful here. I love sitting at the bar and talking to the bartender, talking to the other guests about their adventures, their work, their lives back home. The men who work at the hotel would love for me to come back and volunteer in Drake Bay. The other day, I was telling them about how I was volunteering in San Jose, and they responded, "you know, we need a volunteer here..." So tempted to take them up on the offer.


Tomorrow, dad and I have horseback riding and a canopy tour (which includes zip lining) to look forward to! Luckily, it's an 8:30 departure so we have a bit more time to sleep. So sad our adventure in Drake Bay is almost over, I've fallen in love with the area. I can't wait to come back.

A Stinging Sensation

Today was a day I will never forget.

After an early morning wake up of 6am and a nice breakfast, a group of about twenty of us went out on a boat and took an hour ride to Caño Island to go scuba diving and snorkeling. On our way out to the island, we were lucky enough to see dolphins and humpback whales. There was a mother feeding her baby and once the baby was finished, it jumped out of the water! "That baby is no more than a week old," our guide told us. It was incredible.

Once we arrived near the island, our instructor, Ivan, talked to us about scuba diving. Now scuba diving is a new thing for my dad and I, so we decided to do the discovery course on diving, which basically means a teaser session on scuba diving to make you love it so much, you want to get certified and do it over and over. And that's exactly what happened. We were the only ones doing the discovery course, so we had Ivan all to ourselves. Ivan talked about the different equipment; the regulator, oxygen tank, weight belts, and masks. He showed us how to empty out our mask underwater in case water got in it. You didn't even have to come up to the service! He showed us the same thing with the regulator in case it filled with water. It was really interesting. He showed us all these different hand signals so we could communicate underwater. Then, he suited us up and we fell backwards off the boat into the water.

When I hit the water, I came up to the surface and panicked a bit. I wasn't used to being in the water while having something to breath through. "Swim to the buoy!" Ivan called to us. When I flipped over and put my face in the water, it was magical. Beautiful fish of all different colors were swimming everywhere. We got to the buoy and we grabbed the rope that went all the way to the bottom. Ivan had us slowly go underwater so the pressure wouldn't hurt our ears. Every meter, we had to clear our ears by holding our nose and blowing, just like in an airplane. At first, my right ear wouldn't clear, no matter how hard I blew. Eventually though, it cleared and the pressure and pain released and I felt so comfortable. We then let go of the rope once we got to our ideal depth, between 45-50 ft.

We followed Ivan and every 30 seconds or so, he would turn around and make sure we were okay. After giving the a-okay symbol, he would turn back around and lead us further and further through the water. I was surprised at how easy and comfortable I was. I felt like I was floating through another land. The water was pretty clear and the temperature fluctuated between warm and cold often. We saw white tipped reef sharks, parrotfish, sting rays, moray eels, and so many others. The underwater camera I bought with my grandmother just a month before was absolutely perfect for the dive.

Sting Ray

Moray Eel

After 45 minutes or so, we slowly surfaced. We headed back to the boat and took all of our equipment off before climbing back in. Dad and I sat there for a bit, stunned, and then could not stop talking about what we had just experienced. We had both loved it. Dad wished he had been able to see better since his eyesight is so bad and you can't wear glasses under the water but it was so wonderful. I had noticed that sometimes when I was in the water, my skin would itch. I thought it was from the saltwater, but when I looked down, my skin had broken out. "Those are jellyfish stings!" I had a huge sting on my arm, and lots of little ones all over my leg. They didn't hurt, they were just another part of the experience.

Jellyfish Sting

We then headed to a nice beach and took a break. After a half hour, we swam back to the boat and headed to another part of the island to do a different dive. This time, it was much easier. We geared up, fell off the boat and headed for the buoy. This site was called "the shipwreck". We headed down the rope, releasing pressure as we went and then set off following Ivan. We saw lots of the same things. However, this time there were huge schools of fish, pufferfish, and a sea star! It was lovely and calming and I loved how the whole experience wasn't frightening at all. You were just hanging out with all the animals in their home.

White Tipped Reef Sharks

Sea Star

After 45 minutes, we started to surface. I wanted to stay down there forever. Ivan flipped over on his back, took out his regulator, and started creating air rings. They were really neat and stayed perfect in the water. We came back up to the surface and climbed back in the boat after taking off all the equipment. I had even more jellyfish stings all over my legs but I didn't care. It was all too incredible.

Ivan's Air Bubble Rings

We headed back the island and showered off. We had a great lunch (ham with onions, salad, rice, beans, and ice cream) and then went back to our room. We were maybe going to try and do something else before it got dark at 5:30pm, but dad and I conked out in our beds until dinner time. I didn't realize how tired I was until I sat on my bed. Dinner was also delicious (a zucchini soup, fish, mashed potatoes, steamed veggies, and dulce de leche cake) and we met some new people.

Dad and I have to go to bed early since our call time tomorrow is 5am for our tour of the Corcovado National Park! Adam, we are doing this for you. I don't know how it could top today, but everything has been so incredible, I can't wait to see what's next.