Church with the charismatic ribbon dancers

Its Sundays like these that make times go by fast in Costa Rica!


So this Sunday my friend Kennesha and I planned on going to her church and then making cookies afterwards. I was excited but then Kennesha told me that her church lasts 2 hours! What!?!?!? She was surprised that that was long for me, thats how her church is back home. I told her my church is like and hour and once you start going past that hour, its like hey... lets not push it... at least thats how I grew up. But I still wanted to go since I have been a heathen and not attended church in a while. I don't blame myself, I get dressed and then my host parents just decide not to go or say I can't go because they have an appointment afterwards or whatever, not a problem! So, we are walking to church and Kennesha notices that the crowds of people are not around... well church started an hour later than usual this week, ugh. So we decide to go buy the cookie mix at auto mercado (The upscale grocery store: its basically like Harris Teeter.... which I am in love with, plus there is air conditioning, for convenience while you shop). On the way to walking to the bus stop we heard people in a church singing and decided to do an impromptu church thing. We went in and sat down... it was a sauna, but whats an hour right? But then as I sat there my mind wondered... What if this lasts for more than an hour? Wow that girls shirt is pretty... What religion is this? I wondered what religion it was and then I saw the star of David. Now I have never been to a Jewish temple but I just don't think they lift their hands in the air and shout random things, and have people dancing all around. Then, there were like 8 girls dressed in these as I like to call them "mormon polygamy dresses"  with the star of David embroidered on them, and they were doing synchronized dances with ribbons. Kennesha said this stuff dates back to the 80's. So after sitting and sweating and trying to figure out the religion, I noticed they had been doing praise and worship for over an hour... if praise and worship is over an hour (and they looked like they were just starting to get into it) then how long is the sermon going to be. As I was thinking of how Kennesha was probably thinking this was so cool, she leaned over and said "Do you want to leave?" Girl read my mind. I said yes and just like that... we became church ditchers. Heathen x 5 + 20 = sinner. Haha, I mean, we couldn't even understand what they were saying. 


Afterwards we went to Auto Mercado for cookie mix and somehow I spent $25... I like being a girl, I can blame this shopping on the fact that I am a girl. muhahahaha. Kennesha and I returned to her house and made guacamole and chips (Whoever is reading this have it ready for me when I get home) and chocolate chip oatmeal cookies. Then we watched Gullivers Traveles (I recommend it). It was a wonderful way to spend my Sunday!

Las Malas lluvias!!!! And the penultima cooking class

So this one time, my friend came walked into her house after she had just been rained on... Her host mom told her to hurry up and take a shower! She said "las malas lluvias las malas lluvias" which means the bad rain! She said she was going to get sick! We all laughed at this because who doesn't love to run in a summer rain? I always used to run in the rain during the summer and never got sick, in fact... pure rain always feels so wonderful. I have yet to be caught in the rain in Costa Rica. Long after hearing about the malas lluvias our other friend told us she got caught in the rain and understands why it is bad now. She said she smelled like a sewer afterwards. Must be this city rain! We're all from the suburbs! 

So yesterday was our last cooking class as a small group... um yay! Next week it will be a joint class with all of the three classes. The last class was awesome! Chocolate fondue with strawberries and bananas for dessert... so delicious! Its bittersweet... mostly sweet. I loved my cooking class but who says it stops in Costa Rica? Thinking about having a cooking night with Michael where we pick a difficult recipe and cook it! We both love cooking, especially together... so the end of the cooking class is actually great, I get to look forward to continuing it! 

So the countdown is at 2 weeks and 2 days... I don't count the saturday I come back into that equation because I am counting down to that day! I know sitting in the airport will seem like forever but I have waited this long! 

Easter!!!

So guess what? Its no big deal around here, its like any other Sunday really. This makes me sad! I thought Costa Rica was a really Catholic area, but I haven't experienced much religion around here! I usually go to church with my host family but ever since their son was kicked out of the house, we haven't gone. Com'on, its Easter Sunday! People go to church on Easter! To me, its one of the most important days in Christian history. In Costa Rica, they focus on Good Friday... but isn't it the resurrection what was so incredible? For me, I did have the chance to realize that Easter isn't all chocolate bunny, deviled eggs, and my family throwing a big party... its about Christ and what he did for us on the cross and that he rose on the third day. It was sad sitting in my bed all day doing nothing, but then I think of what Jesus did for me and I realize that today was a really great day. 

Can we talk about something great?

So I returned from Bocas del Torro... my final trip while in Costa Rica... bittersweet some might say but for me, this is all sweet. The trip home was kind of like the trip going there... long, hot, sweaty, and full of listening to my ipod thinking about Michael. Am I excited about going home? YES! Its not that I don't like it here or anything but I love my life at home and I really can appreciate it now for what it is really worth. People! We have it so good in the USA! Sometimes Costa Rica can make me depressed just by seeing what people live like. While on the bus we drive by houses and people are just hanging out on their porch and just watch the people go by. Some people toilets in Panama are just a shack with a hole carved into it. Is it sad this makes me depressed? What if my life was like that? Its not, I was handed this wonderful life full of opportunity, happiness, amazing people, family... not that people don't have that here but lets be honest for a second, we have it so much better. I'm not saying i'm better, because i'm not, but what i'm saying is I can't believe how lucky I am for the gifted life I really have. I think back on people from my high school that said my house was a decent size... psh, my house is a mansion compared to the rest of the world... I don't think i'm going to forget that. Appreciation... i've learned it. 


Can we talk about how I have 3 weeks left here? Where did the time go? The next few weeks will probably go by even faster because I have exams and final projects to turn in. I have already completed some of my final projects so its the exams I have to study for, oh joy! I have $50 for the next few weeks... think it will last? I hope so...


So what does it mean when I get back? All my friends... I miss them! My family, wow do I miss them too. Michael... all I think about is running into his arms in the airport, then music will play. A song that you would hear at the end of a Disney movie is appropriate for this moment. Then everyone will smile and laugh with joy, just like the hobbits did with Gandalf at the end of The Lord of the Rings. Then I will go home and eat everything for like 2 straight weeks that doesn't have the words RICE or BEANS in its recipe... and i'll gain back all the weight I lost here. Life isn't good, its great. 


Semana Santa: It mean "Holy Week" which is why I had spring break this week. Today was Good Friday and everything was closed around here! I really can't complain, I feel like thats how it should be in the US... I mean Christ dying on the cross is a day that should be remembered. I'm just surprised everything closes down on Christmas... although another important day no doubt, but the ultimate sacrifice is a more memorable day to me... Just a thought really.


I'm thinking of starting a new blog when I get back... but i'm not sure what I want it to be about... not sure if anyone would read it. I just like writing down my thoughts...

More Bocas del Torro

Yesterday was awesome! We booked a tour for a catamaran sailboat and got the child's price for only $33! It was a tour that lasted from 930am to 430pm. We sailed around, hung out, read books, sang, snorkeled in two different locations and got foot long turkey sub sandwiches for lunch and it included a drink of choice! The tour guy was this german guy who was hilarious. We were on the tour with 5 other girls, it was so chill. But enough writing... pictures are more fun!

 Our apartment!

 We are making our own food instead of going out. I made Mickey pancakes! My favorite!

 Fulfilling race stereotypes... ghetto pose... white girl sorority pose

 These are the girls i'm with for Spring break 2011!

Linsey and I dancing

 Laying on the netting... while the boat was moving a dolphin swam right under me!

 Our german boat driver... Marcell the shell! haha

 Days like these make time go by so fast!

Some people i'm missing!!!

I hope I win

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Bocas del Toro!

     My host parents say that traveling a distance longer than 2 hours is not very common for ticos. Seriously? In my family 2 hours was the minimum travel time. So when I told them 4 hours to Hilton Head beach was not bad, I can now understand the surprised looks on their faces. With that being said, yesterday I really witnessed why many ticos do not like to travel far and it goes a little something like this...

     It was a 6 hour bus ride to get to Bocas del Toro, Panama. The country south to Costa Rica. This trip was going to be a little more independent than the Nicaragua one since we were on our own. I woke up at 7am and met up with friends at 730am. From there we walked to the bus that goes to the main city San Jose. Once we got to the last bus stop, we got out and took a taxi to our bus station. We got there and there was already a huge line. Once the bus arrived the chaos started. My friend Kennesha went up to the guy in charge and told them we pre bought our tickets. The guy led us to enter the bus in the middle door. As we started to get on the bus people yelled that we were skipping. Linsey told them to calm down and that we had pre bought out tickets. However, thats when people started flooding on the bus, ticket or no ticket. We had to save rows for all our friends to make sure everyone got on. It was craziness. We were supposed to leave at 9am and ended up leaving at 930am. The bus ride... was hot. As I may have said before, AC is rare. I'm glad I took pills because our seats were in the back of the bus. We of course ran into traffic... its simply unavoidable when you only have two lane roads! Can we start some sort of road expansion project? So we ended up arriving to the border at about 430pm. yeah, 7 hours. Then we had to wait to get a stamp out of Costa Rica. Then we had to walk across a bridge of wooden boards held together with nails... this was a trust God kind of bridge... if you know what I mean. Then we had to wait on another line to get bus tickets proving we would leave Panama in the next year. Then we had to get our passport stamped again, then we had to buy a $3 Bocas del Toro sticker for our passport for who knows what reason. Then, because we got there so late, we had to take a charter van to the water taxi place because it was 530pm and the last one was leaving at 630pm and we were still an hour away. That charter bus was $10. Then we had to take the water taxi for 20 minutes to get to the Bocas del Toro island. The water taxi was $6... it was $4 but that was before 6pm. You know you are an American when they can get away with ripping you off with everything! Finally we got to the island and were led to our apartment. Other students in our program went to a hostel but I definitely strongly encouraged my opinion towards renting some sort of condo apartment. Luckily my friend Kennesha was right there with me and found a great apartment which everyone is completely thankful for. Its only $30 more for each of us for the entire week. We get our own private bathroom with tons of towels, AC, a clean kitchen with utensils because we are making our own food! A nice bedroom and a pullout couch. There are 5 of us here so one person is sleeping on an air mattress. 


     Today we woke up to the sound of rain, which I love. We hung out, made pancakes, took pictures, and took 5 hours to get ready. We are going on tours the rest of the week but decided to get settled in for the time being. So far it has been tons of fun! Taco night tonight! I'll post pictures at the end of the week!

Last few weeks!!!

     Ok, it has definitely been a while, i'm sorry about that! However, its good, that just means I have been busy!


     Can I please tell you about the weekend I went to Guanacaste? It is north of Costa Rica and all that I have really heard about it, was that it was hot there but the beaches were beautiful. The trip I went on last week was part of the culture study that I am in. Well, little did I know that this was the start of one of those weird trips that you don't really like but ends up being the most memorable type of thing...
     We kept asking our teacher Carlos Naranjo, what to bring... he said "you gringos (slang for americans... sometimes offensive) you always have to know every little detail!" Haha, yes we do! So I thought the bus trip was going to be 8 hours but he informed us it was only 5. We all showed up to leave at 6am but of course one person was late and we left at 7am... I didn't care, such is life in Costa Rica. Then, an hour out on the road and we get a flat. I'm that person that always saw cars with flats and said "oh, that sucks" and here was my bus, with a flat! 45 minutes later and we were out on the road again. I had no idea where we were, but we started going down some dirt path and then the bus stopped in the middle of no where, I thought "Oh great, the bus broke down again" but I was wrong, we had arrived out our destination! And our destination was what exactly? A place where they used to mine for gold, cool! No not cool, the life of a gold miner is kinda depressing. Before they knew about the effect it had on the lungs, at least one person would die a day. They still mine for gold for 24 hours twice a month and just hope by luck they find gold to profit on. I guess that means if  you don't find gold, you don't get to eat meat that month! Only rice and beans for you! Did I mention it was super hot? Then we hiked up some trail with huge steps and slippery dirt. As I said to myself "its always worth the climb, its always worth the climb" I got to the top and wondered where the beautiful view was. Everyone was like WOOOOW! But after you have climbed the largest mountain in North Carolina, the Great Wall of China, and Mt. San Jacinto in California, you just don't find many views that top it. Don't feel bad for me, i'm spoiled. But really, i'm serious, there was no view... I mean there was a mountain in the way of what was probably a great view. We kept traveling along the path which dead ended to a mine... I thought we had to go through it but no, we had to turn around and travel back. We went a different way and climbed down a very steep slippery hill on which I fell, but wasn't the only one! I was so happy to get on the bus! The next place we stopped at we learned how they made pottery. It was very cool, and nice to know the pottery I bought my mom and sister was homemade and not just imported from China. That night we stayed at a hotel which was interesting... Chinese owned, which made it more interesting. I was dead tired and passed out that night. Only to wake up to a 5 hour bus on the way home. We could have gone to the beach but it was hot, and it was going to be 14 more dollars for only a couple of hours... plus the beaches here don't have clear water. I'm going to Bocas del Torro for Spring break and leave tomorrow, they have clear water.


Oh and by the way, the serial killer that was running a hostel in Bocas del Torro was caught in Nicaragua... so I should be fine. AND I am not staying in a hostel, but an apartment with 4 other friends! Half of our meals for the week include the phrase "Just add water!" Haha, I think it will be a great time! 

One love, one heart, lets get together and feel alright

Why do people have to hate? 
Today in my business class of 5 people, i'm basically the only one who probably loves their country and is conservative... What can I say? I was raised that way and I agree with it! A lot of peoples views root from their parents... don't hate. I clearly stated I really didn't know a lot about politics because it is not my area of expertise, I just don't study it. I make my decisions around election time by seeing both sides of the candidates. That didn't stop one person from insulting me. Really girl? Using insult to fight your battles? Yeah, really convincing and educational! I really understand now and want to be liberal... NOT. I told the teacher I was done and didn't have anything more to say... This is the exact reason I hate politics. People hating other people based on their opinions. Why the hate? If everyone had the same view our country wouldn't exactly be a democracy. Appreciate the different opinions and appreciate the fact you were born in the United States... after all, you wouldn't have the opportunity to voice your opinion if you were born in a communist country now would you?


PEACE AND LOVE


Feels good to blog! And for the record, unlike most people in this program who are trying to find themselves or whatever... I AM PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!!!

Here comes the rain doo doo doo doo

You know, I am not the biggest fan of rain... but for the past few days it has been way to hot in Heredia. As some of my other blogs stated, I have had to lay on the floor in my bra and underwear just trying to stay cool. I don't even have a fan! So the past few days when it has been raining in the afternoons, I have welcomed it with arms wide open. The rain brings the cool air which is so refreshing, I can actually sleep with my blanket on me at night. Otherwise, it becomes a very long night. Hopefully it will stay. They say there is a lot of change of weather in this month when we convert to the wet winter season. I will probably get to see the end of it. 5 1/2 weeks and counting! I tried to book a flight for a week earlier but it was like $200 extra! AHHHH Don't think I didn't consider it! In the end, it will be a good thing to wait instead of spending money... thats what I keep telling myself at least.

Cosas en Costa Rica (Things in Costa Rica)

I don't know if its illegal for students studying abroad from the USA to buy pirated DVD's in the country they are studying in, so i'm going to just say I may or may not have bought some pirated DVDs. See, in Costa Rica, there are no copyright laws... Same thing with books... you can rent out a library book and then copy it, for super cheap! It's really Costa Rica's fault though! The books are sooooo expensive here! So anyway, the movies have copyright laws but for some reason, they can do it in Costa Rica. In the DVD copy store, the owner even has a license for copying DVD's and he has a sign that says "God blesses my business". Haha, sounds good to me! Or at least if I tell myself that. So I may or may not have bought 3 DVD's including the new Twilight movie, which I kinda want to see, "Love and Other Drugs", and the movie "Enamorándome de mi ex" which translates as "Falling in love with my Ex" which is actually the movie "It's complicated". So if I did buy these movies, it would be because I really miss watching movies and its not like there is a regular DVD store around here, much less a place to rent DVDs. Gosh, its likes asking us to buy pirated DVDs. Plus, I figure I payed enough to live in this country, I should reap some of the benefits... but this is only IF I bought pirated DVDs... just sayin. 


Today was fun... We (Me, Linsey, and Las Negritas {Kennesha and April}) ate at a Lebanese place, I really like Lebanese food! They give you these fried balls of who knows what for appetizer... It was similar to the Persian food except we got hummus. I don't really like hummus but it was bangin at this place! And I got a pita, I really miss pita, I love pita. So you put your hummus down, then some meat, then some vegetables and yum yum yum... but apparently you are not supposed to put them all together, but whatever, I'm American and I totally miss the whole burrito concept, so yeah. I know a burrito is Mexican but lets face it, its more Americanized then ever with places like Chipotle and Qdobas... who kinda make it better than the Mexicans... sad.


After eating we went shopping and to central park. We looked in clothing stores but wow, if I though clothes were expensive in the USA, I really had never visited Costa Rica before. Even the thrift stores that carried American clothes from the 90's are expensive... why? So after shopping we went to central park where they have people selling homemade things, a lot of jewelry. I bought some dragonfly earrings since I love dragonflies (The look, not the actual insect) and they were made out of wood and painted... $2! Ok, I guess SOME things are cheap around here.

Make your own pizza night!

So at my house in Charlotte, usually once a week my mom has a "make your own pizza night" so I was excited to find out we would be making pizzas in my cooking class! It was really fun because we made our own dough which tasted ah-mazing by the way. We also made our own sauce and had a plethora of toppings! To my sauce I added some garlic, basil, oregano, salt, and pepper... yeah, I know how to make good sauce. I don't want to toot my own horn, but I really think my pizza was the best. 2/3 of it was pineapple and bacon and 1/3 was fresh tomatoes and fresh basil and garlic, the 1/3 was the most delicious because the garlic combined with the homemade bread tasted fantastic. Just by reading this, you can tell I definitely love pizza... especially homemade pizza!

 The toppings!

 My sauce creation... yum

My pizza is in the middle :)

Life is still the same... even in other countries

     My title may have you interested, let me explain. Last night, from about 8-10pm when it is usually quiet in my house, there was some crazy things going on. My host brother Fabian, was pacing outside on the phone, my host mom's sister came over and was talking to Fabian about who knows what. Fabian was going back in forth in the house and my host mom was talking to him and he seemed annoyed... The language barrier still exists and when something is going on, it is hard to understand. I asked Fabian what was going on and he said "nosing hahaha" (nothing with his accent). 
     This morning, my host mom told me that Fabian didn't do something that he promised he would do (something serious) and they kicked him out of the house. I asked when he would be coming back and she told me she didn't know, basically when he figures things out. Then she told me he was probably moving to stay with his cousin in a town 2 hours away. I went and looked in his room and ALL of his things were gone. His bed, his posters, his dresser, his clothes! Everything! I can't believe it, he is actually gone. My host mom said they had to kick him out of the house because he will never learn if they didn't. As she told me this, she was crying, I felt so bad for her, I just sat there and talked to her. I really didn't know what to say.
     It's crazy how you can be in the same country but there will always be similar issues that go on with family. My host mom told me there are two things in life that are difficult. 
1. Marriage: it requires a lot of time, patience, and love 
2. Children: There is not always a right way to do things and even if your kids are all raised the same, they won't always turn out the same way

Feelin' Hot Hot Hot

I don't think I have ever felt so hot in my life. Yesterday, I thought I was going to have a heat stroke. I couldn't sweat because I guess it is too dry here. I had to lay on the glass tile floor in my underwear. I was still burning up and even felt light headed when I stood up. My host brother broke down some ice for me in the freezer so I could put it in my water bottle. I was very hydrated because all I did was drink ice water and go to the bathroom yesterday. I know TMI however I am blogging my experiences. So because I couldn't work on my homework with my hot computer, I drew pictures while laying on the floor. Then it started to rain outside which caused a power outage. Yesterday was just a weird day. I had to take a cold shower because there was no heat, but I was perfectly happy with that. My host family thought I was crazy but I enjoyed the cool water. 


By the way... can you guess what my host mom is holding?

Correct! Wow, how did you know that was a fruit???

Yes, the fruit looks like felt... which I ate

Arenal Volcano and Baldi Hot Springs

The Arenal Volcano!

     This past weekend (Friday/Saturday) I went on a trip to Arenal Volcano and Baldi Hot Springs. This tour was part of USAC (the study abroad affiliated program I am with, so it was included in the cost of studying abroad). We left Heredia at 9am on Friday Morning and the bus ride was about 3 hours. We arrived in La Fortuna de San Carlos (the town with the volcano) and had some lunch and then checked in to our hotel. Like my host family had said, it was hot and humid in this area... however, no comparison to the extreme hot and humid weather in Charlotte during the summer. Our group changed into our swim suits and we headed for the Baldi Hot Springs. This is another place where the volcano provides heat for the pools. Great, hot and humid weather and sitting in hot water. The night ended up cooling off a little so some of the pools were very nice. However, I did not go in the 156 degree pool. This hot spring resort was very nice. It is about $46 for a day ticket. Beer was about $5.50, i'm too cheap for that! There were probably 15 pools, and the big pool had 3 slides. One slide was pretty calm but the other two I heard could be dangerous. I heard last year a few students had to go to the hospital because of one... I didn't go down that one. I did enjoy watching other students go down it and then after emerging from the water, grabbing their heads in pain from hitting the water so hard. Someone said the slide takes you about 45 kph. I wish I had taken pictures but didn't want to leave my camera lying around. After the water park I was beat and went to bed before 10pm!

     The next morning we all woke up and ate breakfast and headed to the Arenal rainforest. It was a beautiful hike over bridges where we saw landscapes of the volcano, walked over Indiana Jones style bridges (ok they were constructed better, but they did have and Indian Jones one that still exists!), saw snakes and wildlife, and even a beautiful waterfall. I loved going on this hike because it reminds me of the hiking in the mountains of North Carolina. This was a different experience for a lot of the other students since most of them are from out west and they don't have trails like this with waterfalls and such. Here are a few pictures...

 I'm glad I have zoom! Just found out it's poisonous! 

 I guess the bridges were strong...

 Waterfall!

The Indiana Jones bridge... I stayed away 

Me in front of the volcano, we had an amazing view!

Visiting my Uncle

Sorry it has been so long since my last post!!!
So last Saturday, I met up with my uncle at the airport in San Jose. My uncle Will came to Costa Rica on a missions trip with my church with an organization called "Finish the Wall". They started working on a church about 10 years ago in the town of Esparza, they are still working on it to this day! So I caught a ride with the people from my church to this town. Its a cute little town full of people that seem very happy to have help. People would always say "Dios le bendiga" which means God bless you. The church they were working on is a Methodist church. It was really nice to hang out with my Uncle and people from my church. There was a lot of men in the group but Sally, a woman who I know from my church was there too! I caught up with my uncle which I seriously never get to do. The next day we went to church. These people really get into church! They were all raising their hands and yelling out random things. They sang songs that I knew the English version to! After lunch I hitched a ride back with the pastor of the church. Then I took a bus back to my town which ended up being a 2.5 hour bus ride. 1.5 hours longer than it should have been but dumb me couldn't figure out where to get off. My frustrations in Costa Rica make me cry :( Thank the Lord there was this nice old guy who told the bus driver to help me get off at the right stop.

The not so hot part of the trip: Sleeping on a noisy air mattress with no pillow while being freezing because the room was air conditioned... something i'm just not used to around here!

The nice part of the trip: Spending time with my uncle

The highlight of the trip: First of all, as you may have read from other blog posts about how amazing my boyfriend Michael is, well, yet again I have to share...

Out of my uncles book bag came a few things:
~From my mom I got some girl scout cookies (thin mints)
~From my Oma and Opa I got homemade Opa's special chocolate chip cookies
~From Michael:
A huge back of candy including dark chocolate dove eggs
Cadbury eggs (which I complained about missing this year since I wouldn't be in the U.S. for Easter
Lollipops (because when we went to Michigan I bought lollipops and Michael remembered I liked them
Snickers and butterfinger eggs
~Then another bag:
A bible bag with a smaller leather New American Bible which I had said I looked for at the store but couldn't find
A guide to.... well, something that relates to the bible
A ruler with the books of the bible on it
Bible tabs
A brand new watch (because my other was dirty)
Hair bands (because I complained about my hair being in the way one day when I was running)
A travel tooth brush with travel size toothpaste and floss bushes
And two wonderful love letters

Seriously? There is a guy out there who cares about me this much and I am dating him? I think I just may be the luckiest girl in the world.... just saying

Mi tio y yo (My uncle and I)

Fun facts on Friday! And some of my random thoughts...

~ The second day I was in Costa Rica, the main light in my room stopped working. I only told my host mom today that it stopped. The line to open the shades in my room was also broken, she told me it breaks all the time and to not be scared to tell her if it breaks... haha


~ The first two months I was in Costa Rica I was sick almost every day. Michael told me it had to be the water and I believed it most likely was but I didn't want to buy water everyday so I never proved if he was right or wrong. He bought me a special water bottle that filters water and now I use it all the time and have not had problems yet!


~ My uncle is coming to Costa Rica tomorrow on a mission trip with my church and I am meeting them at the airport and then traveling with them!


~ My host mom cleaned my room and stacked everything neatly together, remade my bed, and cleaned the floors of my room


~ My gym is closed the next few days... the gym was in the basement but since the expansion, they are moving everything to the newly completed upper level... hopefully there will be more than two treadmills now


~ I am counting down the weeks until I return! Sad I know but I really miss everyone... plus I just want the semester of school, papers, studying, and tests to end, I'm ready for summer!


~ they sell french fries at the taco bell here... no nachos!


~ My new favorite thing to eat is platano (plantain) chips (lemon and salt flavored) They are really good and not too terrible nutritionally 


~ I ran a 6k yesterday... even though I took some breaks in between I still think it counts! I ran 6.5k and .45 was walking... so technically I did run all of it... and the breaks were short


~ Today marks 4 months with my Michael... I really wish I was in North Carolina


~ Today my host mom made french toast for breakfast... she learned the recipe from another student... I feel like I have the best host family in all the students here!

Proud to be an American

USA!!!


This past week from March 4-13 I went back to the USA to refuel myself for the second half of my study abroad adventure in Costa Rica. When I got back to Costa Rica, it would mark the halfway point of the semester. I decided the second week into my study abroad adventure I had to go back home for a week because I just couldn't make it without seeing my family and Michael for the entire semester. The plane ride was the longest plane ride I have ever been on (4 hours) even though I went to China once and it took 13 hours. The last 30 minutes were endless and all I could think about was running into the arms of Michael and hugging him. I also couldn't wait to see my family. I went through customs and thought I was going to die, they were so slow. Finally after finding my bag I walked pushing my cart with my heavy suitcase full of souvenirs through the exit terminal of international flights. My eyes were smiling and my heart was pumping. I saw many people waiting at then end of the terminal and then I heard my sister shout "There she is". The sound of her voice brought peace to my pounding heart and I began to feel tears forming in my eyes. My cousin ran and hugged me as I looked at Michael. Still watching Michael I hugged my sister, then my mom who said "ok go hug Michael". Standing there so wonderfully with a vase of my favorite flowers in his hand, I finally I got to wrap my arms around him as he wrapped his around me. I couldn't believe I was actually feeling a hug from him, its like I was dreaming. I looked at his face but couldn't let go of him and kissed him as many times as I could. I couldn't let go of him for the rest of the night. If you thought the flowers from Michael were amazing, just wrap your mind around this. I needed to take shower and asked my sister if I could use her soap and shampoo. Michael said he had it taken care of. For me he had: Shampoo, conditioner, body wash, face lotion, body lotion, and chap stick. He had a new water bottle for me that had a filter in it to take back to Costa Rica since the water makes me sick. He had bought me gum and special droplets for your water to make you a better athlete. How do I deserve such a wonderful boyfriend? All the more reason wrap my arms around him for the rest of the trip. 

The next morning I woke up and headed over to Waffle slam with Michael. Waffle slam is a breakfast tradition my Grandpa has. My Grandpa and Grandma live in the house behind my aunt and uncle, which is also next door to my house. So every Saturday we walk over there and eat waffles topped with fruit, whipped cream, and bacon on the side while we drink coffee and talk about the week and our weekend plans. It was so great to see my whole family all at once. Afterwards, Michael went to a Knights of Columbus meeting while I went to the beautiful South Park Mall to visit one of my good friends Jaclyn. We at Chick-fil-A together (which I desperately needed) and then went and did some shopping around the mall. Jaclyn works at Vera Bradley so she was able to use her employee discount to buy me a few things, then I payed her back. She knew exactly what I wanted and the colors I love, that girl is amazing. After the mall I went back home and got ready to go out to eat with my parents sister and Michael. We went to a wing place where we enjoyed wings and Margaritas, it was so nice to have a margarita since I haven't been drinking is Costa Rica! We had such a great night!

 My sister and I!

I was so happy!

 On sunday, I woke up and it was raining. I actually can appreciate the rain now! Michael, my mom and I all went shopping for running clothes and nice asics shoes, which Michael recommended. Then, since our plans of exercising outside were ruined, we met my dad at the Y and all worked out together and then rushed home to shower and watch my cousin do gymnastics. She has improved so much! The Michael and I went to mass and I got to watch Michael sing in the choir! Michael and I returned to my house and had a delicious spaghetti dinner with my family and then we watched the movie "Fireproof". What an awesome movie, I recommend it to everyone! It was such a great day and I got to sleep in my wonderful bed which is so comfortable!

She is so talented! About to do a back handspring!

Monday was Michael's Day. Because he had made my Valentines Day so wonderful, I wanted to take him out to dinner. First we went on a run around my neighborhood and then got ready to go out to dinner. Out of four places he picked my favorite pizza place (Wolfman's Pizza) We enjoyed a huge salad and the pizza of the month! Then we went to Rita's Ice and got a "Michael's Creation" Blendini which was delicious! I was so happy to treat him to a date for a change since he has brought me on so many! 

Tuesday I went to IKEA with my mom and it was Fat Tuesday, I actually never knew about it. I didn't even know it was Mardi Gras was french for fat tuesday. But for Fat tuesday, I went to Michael's Choir concert and they had a little party. It was so nice to watch all the songs Michael had been working on since I had left. Afterwards we went to Chilis and ate some delicious food to celebrate the day! Tequila, chips and salsa, salad, turkey sandwich, Michael... what more could I ask for? 

 Singing wonderful praise songs!

Celebrating Mardi Gras

So while Michael was at work every day, I spent the days with my parents at the ice cream store. I miss eating lunch with them so it was nice to just hang out. Wednesday night Michael and I rushed to Panera and ate food with no meat since it was Ash Wednesday. We then went to mass and had ashes spread on our foreheads. I had always wanted to see this Ash Wednesday tradition so it was very interesting to watch. Afterwards, we unexpectedly ended up having a free night to hang out so we went back to my house and had a great time just talking with my parents.

Hanging out at the ice cream store! My mom looks great after loosing 20lb while I was gone!

I think I ate a little ice cream every day... I missed it so much!

Thursday was an awesome day! We had a wing off! A wing off is where two people make their own style of wings and then everyone judges them. Michael and I made wings using a special recipe from his second mom, Mrs. B. She also sent us the most amazing bleu cheese recipe I have ever tasted. The bleu cheese combined with the wings made my mouth have an orgasm! I never knew homemade wings could taste so good. The competitor, my cousin Grant ended up winning though... but we all know why he won :) What was awesome is that my friend Mikelyn came over to enjoy the wings and even brought her adorable son Eli who is so cute when he eats ice cream! After the wing off we went to Hickory Tavern, a bar/restaurant which has karaoke night on thursdays. My dad sang Johnny Cash and Michael and I went Glee style and sang "Total Eclipse of the Heart" and "Don't Stop Believing" Michael is an amazing karaoke singer, don't let him convince you otherwise. When we got back to my house Michael wanted to go on a cold winter walk around my neighborhood. He ended up bringing me to a bench and had a gift for me. An Irish Claddagh ring. I had never heard of this ring and he explained it was a promise ring which symbolized loyalty, friendship, and love. Was I dreaming... no, I'm wearing the ring right now so it was definitely a reality! 

 Mikelyn and me!

 Delicious!

 The Competitor!!! 

Mikelyn's Eli, so cute!

As the week was going by so fast, I started to get so sad! Time never flys like this! After spending the day with my family at the ice cream store, we came home and went on a walk around the neighborhood. When Michael got there we wanted to try out our kite that Michael had ordered off the internet since it was a windy day. Too bad the kite was damaged! We decided to go to Target to see if by chance they had any and they actually had a selection! We bought a turtle and flew it while the sun set... I know, its like another dream that really happened. After flying the kite we decided to go out to eat to one of our favorite Restaurants, Carrabas. However, we had to find something with no meat in it since it was friday! Success! We had  italian bread, delicious vegetable soup, and a salad with eggplant instead of meat. I have never had eggplant before and guess what? I liked it a lot!

 A quality kite for only $5!

Turtle flying in the sky

Saturday was probably the most wonderful and sad day at the same time. It was the last day I would spend in Charlotte until I returned. We of course went to waffle slam and I ate an extra half a waffle... why not? I would be missing 8 more Saturday waffle slams. After that, Michael and I went shopping for a picnic. We bought another kite, cheese and crackers, wine, fruit, stuff for turkey sandwiches and borrowed a picnic basket from my grandpa. We went to Francis Beatty Park, a park about 15 minutes from my house in Matthews. I thought it would be a great place to go since it had a small lake. Michael and I drove to the park with the windows down listening to classical music. When we got there we displayed our picnic out with all our food and our kites. We used the new Dayton Flyers blanket I got Michael. We sat, drank wine, at food, and talked the whole time. I had never been on a real picnic before and it was the best one I have ever had. Michael and I flew kites too! The wind was great on the lake!

 How perfect!

How perfect again! Claddagh ring!

After the most wonderful day in the park, we went back to my house to enjoy my last dinner in Charlotte. We went walking on the trail in my neighborhood, launched my cousin Grants rocket, played frisbee and learned about throwing disc golfs, we enjoyed shish kabobs from the grill, sang a little, and played a game of scrabble... which Grant won, since when did he get smarter than me? After everyone was gone and I was in my room packing I hugged Michael and cried, I didn't want to leave and I know now that I won't be doing any long trips alone in the future. 

The ones with the frisbee talent 

 Shish kabobs! 

Rocket launching preparation! 

Sunday morning I woke up depressed and Michael took me out to breakfast. I didn't want to look at him because I knew I would just cry some more. We waited in the airport as long as we could until I had to go. Michael waited with me in the security line and watched me go through security until I had to find my terminal. The entire flight I still wanted to cry... but luckily a nice guy sat next to me and talked about his fishing trip he was about to go on. I kept repeating to myself, 8 weeks and then forever. I'm in Costa Rica for 8 more weeks and will try my best to make the most of it. Its hard when you leave your family and the person you love for such a long time. But I have learned to appreciate the USA so much more and I know I won't forget it. Studying abroad has so far allowed me to learn a lot about myself and about life outside the USA and for that I am grateful. I am still dreaming of the day that I return home though!

Yum Yum Yum

Mr. Grill
So every day for the past 3 weeks I have walked past this little restaurant called Mr. Grill. It is a Persian food place and always smells so amazing! The format is shish kabobs of meat and then you can choose salad or rice or pita bread with it. They even have a hookah you can rent, so interesting. It looks like a small bar with bar stools that were carved out of trees. So finally I decided to try this place tonight! It was so delicious, I got chicken with pita bread. It was very similar to a gyro. It came with lettuce, onions, tomato, and some kind of white Persian sauce. Sooo delicious! 

My Week long trip to Nicaragua and Northern Costa Rica

Day One
This trip I went on was not included in our program, we had to pay an extra $500 but in my opinion it was worth it! Our trip consisted of 40 students from my program. We had to be at the bus near the school at 5am on Monday February 21st. The bus ride took about 8 hours. The distance would have taken about 3 hours in the US but in Costa Rica there are one way roads and the roads are usually passing through mountains so they take a while. I always have to take carsick pills because the roads are so curvy. We arrived at the Nicaragua border and decided it looked somewhat unofficial but interesting at the same time. While we waited for our passports to be checked we were bombarded by people selling their Nicaragua memorabilia or as I like to call it "dust collector stuff".
This is what the border looks like:

Finally we arrived in Granada, Nicaragua. We stayed at La Alhambra Hotel for two nights. The room was about $90 each night. The hotel was very nice, probably the nicest in the city since it was in the middle of the city. Even though the hotel was probably 5 stars for Nicaragua, i'm going to have to give it 3 stars. So the street was very nice however, it smelled like poop because of the horse drawn carriages. After lunch, we walked around and looked in some of the local churches and scoped out a place to eat dinner. Then we got to ride in a horse drawn carriage for a tour around the city. Afterwards, we hung out at the hotel, grabbed some dinner (Mexican) which was probably the best Mexican I have had here and it was alright. 

 Hotel Lobby

 Front entrance of hotel

 Central Park

 Cathedral that played music like I was in heaven

 Restaurant Row

 View of church

 Another Church

 Horse drawn Carriage

$2.50 Margarita!

Day two

The second day we woke up and ate breakfast at the hotel. Then we went on a boat tour and learned about islands that you can purchase and put a home on! The islands were formed from the Volcano so they are small islands, enough for a house and a pool. Some of the islands were a little bigger. Your own island and a house on top will cost about 300k. Its an ok idea. Living in Nicaragua would get kind of old to me because you don't have all the amenities of the USA! So yes, it is cheaper, but for a good reason! 

 My boat crew!

This could be yours! No Harris Teeter!

After our boat tour, we headed to Masaya Volcano National Park. We climbed a bunch of stairs to get to the top and it was worth it! The view of the volcano from the top was amazing! It was so windy and the smell of sulfer was bothering everyone. The sulfer taste stayed in my mouth practically all day, yuck! Nevertheless, it was awesome.

Sulfer City!

After Masaya Volcano, we went to the Masaya market which has the best prices for souvenirs! Sooo I bought all my souvenirs there, including a wooden cutting board which I have wanted for soooo long! The prices were great and I could always bargain. I got better at bargaining as the day went on. Everyone and their brother wanted to sell us hammock. A lot of the stuff they sold was unpractical, at least for me, so it was hard to pick stuff out. 

A lady selling hot cocoa mix... what am I supposed to do with that?

After the market and the long day we headed back to the hotel and went out to a Mediterranean style dinner... I'm not sure how it was Mediterranean because it was chicken and mash potatoes but ok. It was fun though because there were men and women doing traditional dances for a show which I definitely enjoyed!

Enjoying dinner on vacation!

Day three

On day three, we woke up and headed out of Granada for San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua. San Juan del Sur is near the border of Nicaragua and it is a beach town. We arrived at our hotel, the Royal Chateau about $55 a night. If this hotel were a 5 star, I would probably give it a 3 1/2 star rating. I liked it because it was very open.

Tonight we are beach Royalty

 Our Room

Chairs for chillaxing

After checking out the hotel, we headed for the beach. The beach was beautiful and not crowded at all. There was a ton of space. In the distance on top of the mountain was a statue of San Juan (Saint John) which was cool to see. I thought it was going to be a Jesus statue like in Rio de Janeiro but no, I have to go to Brazil to see that statue. The sun was very strong on this beach, so I decided to wear sun screen.

 Having fun on the beach

 All the space you want right here!

After checking out the beach we headed to lunch and then soaked up the sun! We met back at our hotel to go on another boat tour, which was more amazing than the other boat tour. This boat tour was called the sunset boat tour! The boat that we got in played music so we all danced and listened to music. The boats kicked up the speed and we sailed with hundreds of dolphins jumping by the sides of our boats. It was so beautiful. It reminded me of the scene in the movie Titanic where the dolphins jumped at the bow of the ship. Sooo amazing!

 I am the captain!

 My Crew

I swam with him in Mexico once!

After sailing with the dolphins, we docked near a beach and everyone jumped out of the boat and swam around. I didn't get out because one, I like my hair dry, and two, I can't see in this water, which freaks me out. After about 20 minutes of swimming, everyone got back in the boat and we headed back. The driver took his time to ensure that we saw the sun set on the ocean. I have never seen the sun set on the ocean so I was amazed at how beautiful it was! When the sun goes down, it gets chilly and the water was spraying on me so I used my towel to defend myself from getting wet and cold! It was so much fun, a truly wonderful boat tour!

 Hanging out in the water!

 The sun setting on the ocean

Me, scared of water

After the boat tour, we went out to eat at a restaurant on the beach where I got a Mango Daiquiri! Finally! I love things with mango. After dinner, we went to get dessert at an ice cream store. My ice cream was called a pinnochio... it had M&M eyes, and a long cracker nose, so delicious! 

Day 4

On day four, we left Nicaragua and headed back into Costa Rica. When we got to Costa Rica, we headed to our hotel which was up some dirt road mountain place, secluded from civilization. We checked in to Buena Vista Lodge. It ran around $80 a night and I'm pretty sure all the activities we did here were extra. We arrived and checked into our room. The rooms were very nice, I would say 4 out of 5 stars. The one thing I think they could improve on is the fact that their main walkway/road from the rooms to the restaurant, internet cafe, and gift shop, always smelled like poop because of the horses since it was their main walkway. Maybe establish a different walkway for horses and people. 

 For those who have been to Peaks of Otter, this was very similar

Right outside our room

After settling in and eating lunch, it was time for our first adventure! We road horses for about 30 minutes that took us down to the spa area. The horses were nice when they were walking slowly but when they stated galloping I felt like I was going to fall off! So the horses brought us to a spa and mud bath. I'll explain the process using pictures. 

 On the horse, woohoo

 We went up and down steep hills

 Beautiful view of Costa Rica while horseback riding 

 Step one: Sit in steam room for 5 minutes 

 Step two: Cover your body in mud

 The mud basin, the mud was nice and warm!

 Step three: let the clay dry on your skin then wash it off

 Pathway to the pools!

 Step four: enjoy 5 pools with 5 different temperatures! 

The temperature of the pools ranged from 74-106 degrees

The cool thing about this spa, is the heat from the pool comes from the volcano. The water was also chlorine free! The spa was so wonderful, its definitely a place where honeymooners would go so I was embarrassed by my fellow students when they decided to disturb the peace and play marco polo in the water... immature. After relaxing in the pool, we went and ate dinner. The meals here were awesome! They were buffet style which I normally hate but the buffet had delicious food! We ate all our meals here for two days and the meals were about $10 a person, but i'm sure we got a better deal since we were in a group. 

Day five

On day five, we woke up and ate breakfast and then headed for our second canopy tour in Costa Rica. This one was probably not as good as the first one. The first one had 15 lines and this on only 10 and the view was not as great. Plus it was harder to hook our harnesses every time because they lacked man power and step stools. So if you do consider doing a canopy tour in Costa Rica, the one from Los Sueños Resort is your best option. Nevertheless, this one was still equally fun. 

 Purple sunglasses and purple helmet, i'm so matchy matchy, especially with a forrest green shirt

 Waiting on a bridge way above the ground

Big trees in Costa Rica make great zip lines possible!

After the zip line tour, I chilled by the pool for a while and worked on my burn. I have gotten a little bit darker in Costa Rica but i'm not trying to fry myself to death. The pool was wonderful. They have a swim up bar but it looked like it was still under construction. I got kind of bored so I decided to climb a tree. 

 Very relaxing!

My sister calls me baboon so why not act like one

After I went swimming and tree climbing I took a shower so I could get ready for the sunset. This place has a sunset bar where you can order drinks and watch the sun set over the rolling hills in Costa Rica. The second sunset I saw in Costa Rica and on this trip. It was so beautiful, I wished I was with my family and Michael! 

 Side view with tree made fence 

 View from the bar

 Perfect for two lovers!

 Us watching in amazement

 "if you like piña coladas" yum yum!

 My favorite picture I took

The sun setting

Panoramic view!

Watching the sun set was wonderful. Afterward we went and enjoyed our last dinner at this relaxing resort. I slept so peacefully here! I even fell asleep to the rain! 

The next morning we woke up, ate breakfast and hung out till 12 noon where we departed back to Heredia. The drive was supposed to be 5 hours but because of road construction, it took 7.5 hours, sooo long! I listened to music and watched movies so it turned out to be ok. I was definitely happy to get back, especially since I am going to return to the US for 9 days on Friday. Yay, I'm so happy!

Some people just party too hard...