Manuel Antonio Maravilloso

This past weekend I finally got around to getting down to Manuel Antonio, which is somewhere where almost everyone else has been. I can say that I am so glad that I finally got around to being there. Manuel Antonio is a national park along the coastline with plenty of pretty beaches and wonderful animals. It is really a great place to go visit and all around pleasant, and I'm glad that I got to head down there with my good buddy Kyle.

We got there just in time for a late lunch , and we ate at the restaurant in front of our hostel that we were staying at. We spent a decent amount of time at this restaurant because we got to meet plenty of great people and eat some pretty good food as well. We spent the rest of that day down on the beach just walking around and watching the waves come in as it started to get dark. It was a good example of how calming it can be here to just hang out and enjoy just how fantastic it is here. We then headed back, at some food, and went to sleep. That night I was having a little bit of trouble sleeping, but at one point I suddenly realized why I might have had a problem. I heard this incessant noise that only can be described if you know the source...howler monkeys. Let me tell you, they are loud and all over the area. It isn't too uncommon to not be able to see them, but you will always be able to hear them. Finally, after a bit of their primal serenading, I fell asleep.

The next day we got up, ate some breakfast, and decided to head into the national park. Luckily our hostel was next door to the ticket office before heading into the park. There we payed for a guide to take us through the park with his equipment so that we could see everything possible. At first we were both a little reluctant with our guide because he seemed a little all over the place, but after a while he found out that we were students and he could speak Spanish with us. On top of that, when he discovered that I was taking a sustainable development class, he became a cornucopia of information and opinions to share with us about both the national park and the environment as a whole. While walking through the park our guide pointed out plants, insects, amphibians, both types of sloth, plenty of howler monkeys, and a thieving family of raccoon. He also had plenty to share about what kind of practices people can use to help be more sustainable and fit into our environment. After parting ways, Kyle and I wandered a bit more through the park to see all that we could see and went back to our hostel. We rested a bit, walked to the ATM, and then headed out for a late lunch in the afternoon. We sat at in a restaurant by the beach with our lunch while sharing a pitcher of sangria. It is just another one of those moments were we just felt overwhelmed by how great it was to be in Costa Rica. We headed over to the beach, watched the sun set, and went for a quick swim in the pool at our hostel as they began to project the movie "The Dictator" up on the wall (yeah, this place was pretty sweet). We hung out for a while there and then at the restaurant in front for another relaxed evening here in Costa Rica.

Finally, the next day, we just got up and headed to the beach. The surf wasn't that great, so we just hung out in the water for a while and got a surf board just for kicks. We passed the time in the sun and then grabbed our stuff and headed towards the bus station with a stop off in a great restaurant that has a massive plane in it! Lunch was so good, and of course we couldn't avoid the loud calls of the howler monkeys as I took in the view of the ocean. Finally, we were back on the bus leaving one of the prettiest places I have been to in Costa Rica. There is so much to be thankful for with weekends like this, and it really makes me begin to feel like I'm not quite ready to go back home. While in the city, I may be ready to go, but these weekends just make me want to stay forever. Pura vida.

Back in Black

We had such a great time at Playa Negra last time that we decided to go back! It was another great trip with a lot less bus problems. This time Kyle and I brought our friend Taylor along too. Weekends here are great because we make all of our food, and Kyle's friend owns where we stay so we get a sweet discount on nice rooms. We got there and immediately settled down to head to the beach. We got in the water a bit and watched the sun set as we waited with anticipation for the great day that the rising sun would bring us.

The next day we woke up and had a leisure morning while sipping coffee and eating huevos rancheros. We then headed to the beach with surf boards in hand. We probably surfed for 3 hours with another hour or so of body surfing after. The surf wasn't too bad at all, and we for sure enjoyed it. That night we had some spaghetti with meatballs. At some point in our great conversations on love, loss, and life we realized that the moon was practically a full one. So, we did the obvious thing of going body surfing by moonlight. At the very least, we didn't stand the danger of sun burn at night. We went down to the beach that was completely empty and took in the beautiful sight that is a beach lit by the moon.

The next morning we just got up, made some quick breakfast, and headed out. There isn't much to write about this weekend, and that is the beauty that made it such a great weekend. With only a couple of weekends left, it was really important for us to go out and just enjoy being in Costa Rica. Pura Vida.

Green Mountain

A couple of weekends ago, I finally made my way up to Monteverde, one of the largest areas of tourism in Costa Rica. If you think of Costa Rican ecotourism, you are thinking of this place. It is filled to the brim with flora and fauna galore.

Any trip to Monteverde using the bus system is a real adventure because you have two options for when you want to go. The buses leave at 2:30 in the afternoon or our choice of 6:30 A.M. which comes very early whenever it is time for you to head out. While it does end up being so early in the morning, it means that you have the ability to go somewhere for the afternoon once you get there. When we got there, we checked into our bed and breakfast for the weekend, grabbed some food, and headed to our canopy tour. This tour proved to be one of the more interesting and exciting of the three that I have been on since being in Costa Rica. The lines went through the actual tree tops of the forest rather than going above. It was also all around mystical due to the clouds hanging over the forest as we zipped through. This tour also had a really cool Tarzan swing which is really just a giant that you jump off of a high platform on (a la Tarzan complete with yelling).

The next day we work up, had a lazy breakfast and then headed towards the Monteverde Biological Reserve. There we had somebody highlight some trails on a map and we headed into the forest. We hiked around for 3 hours observing the beautiful forest, suspended bridges, and waterfalls. It was very nice to be able to escape into a forest that is so different from being in the busy city during the week.

That evening we had a night hike booked. This night hikes are important to go on because much of the animal life in the forest only is out at night. Luckily night in Costa Rica comes at about 5:30 P.M. so it isn't too hard on those of us trying to pack everything into a weekend. On this hike we saw some of the coolest things I have ever seen. Right when we started, there was a mother sloth and there baby just hanging out it a tree. I couldn't keep my eyes off of it. After walking for a bit longer, there was an animal called a coatimundi that is a relative of raccoon  it was super cool to say the least. We also ran across a tarantula, a raccoon, raccoon babies, snakes, and various insects. It was way cool. Even thought it was a little bit cold, you couldn't be upset being in such a cool place.

Finally, on our last day we had a bus leaving at 2:30 so we had the morning to burn. Kyle and I headed to a really cool coffee shop and decided to hang out for a while to just enjoy good coffee. It was phenomenal coffee straight from local growers. They played your regular playlists from the states as we read the newspaper and conversed over foreign politics and other super interesting topics. It was really refreshing to have something that reminded us a little bit of college life in the US. Afterwards we did some souvenir shopping and headed to a restaurant call the Tree House. This place was so cool because it had a tree in the middle that covered half of the seating on this second floor restaurant. The food was exceptional and a great way to end a fantastic weekend. It was truly remarkable. Pura Vida.

Photos courtesy of Kyle and myself.

Anderson-Lehman's Take On Costa Rica

So, I had been pretty excited to know that my parents were coming down to Costa Rica in order to show them around a bit and have a little taste of home. I got an even better weekend than that. When I went to the airport to meet my parents, I came around the corner to where they were waiting hoping to see a tall white man aka: my dad (tall white guys aren't too common here). Instead I saw a different one with blonde hair aka: my brother. Turns out that my parents were playing a bit of a game and surprising me with the whole family! I still don't think they realize how much better that made my life. So, completely stoked to have my family with me, we drove out to Heredia so that I could show them around town and grab some food. You have to understand that Heredia isn't really all that much to see, so we really just did some walking and at some food before heading off to the coast.

Readers, you have become accustomed by now to reading about how crazy riding buses can be here in Central America. Driving a car is much worse. While my dad drove us, I attemped to navigate; all in the dark. Costa Rica doesn't exactly like road signs that much, so this was a bit difficult. We found ourselves going the wrong way, making u-turns, on dirt roads (which isn't too strange here), and to top it off we paid a few extra tolls wandering around. We eventually got there, settled into our amazing rooms, and ordered some good ole fashioned room service. We ate, we laughed, and then ultimately all collapsed into bed after a long day.

In the morning, the kids woke up to mom and dad calling us trying to figure out what we were wanting to do. We decided on doing a "tranopy" tour for the morning. This tour is similar to any other canopy tour that they have in Costa Rica because you do all of the zip-lining, but you also take a tram ride up the mountain to observe the forest along with a tour of native plants and snakes. It was a great place to be as we zipped over the trees and looked out to the beautiful Pacific Ocean. After, we headed back to our hotel/resort for what would prove to be a great, relaxing afternoon at the pool. We hung out, order some food, swam around, and just enjoyed having the whole family together as iguanas crawled around trying to get some sun. To top it all off, there was a wedding going on at the beach there. After watching the beautiful sunset, we soon realized that they had set up fireworks on the beach as a part of said wedding. We headed back to our rooms, hung out a bit, and were suddenly drawn to our windows as fireworks began bursting over the bay. We then went down to the restaurant to eat some delicious food before heading back upstairs to talk some more and yet again find our way to some comfy beds.It was a great evening to cap off their whirlwind trip to Costa Rica as they headed back to the airport the next morning. I'm so glad that I got to see them all. It makes me excited for being home again with them in December. Pura Vida.

They go Gaga for..well...Gaga!

I'll keep this one short and sweet. Earlier in November a little music act was coming through Costa Rica, and here name is Lady Gaga. Okay, so maybe it was a huge deal with everybody freaking out. You have to understand that it is rare for Costa Rica to get big concerts to come through since the country is so little. The Born This Way Ball (name of the concert) took place in el Estadio Nacional in San Jose. We showed up in the early afternoon to wait in line to get the best spots possible. The girls that I went with had dressed up like Gaga in her videos, and I just tagged along for a concert I was still totally stoked for. We stood in this massive line where people were trying to sell you anything from a snack to unofficial merch. We made a couple of friends in line, and headed into the concert (okay, maybe we ran a little bit) to get a good spot. There isn't much I could describe past that time, because the rest was so crazy. Between the awesome opening acts, singing along to "I Believe in a Thing Called Love", and of course, Gaga; it was so cool. She sang all of her hits from her albums. Costa Rica loves her and I'm sure that she loves them back. I just have trouble describing it in words. Unreal. Pura Vida.

I'm Still Here, and So Was Thanksgiving

Hey there blogosphere...I know, you missed me. We have been separated for quite some time, and I have plenty of stories and photos to share. I apologize for not keeping you all updated; things just get busy sometimes. But to get you ready for all of my fun weekends: here is a lil' post on my Thanksgiving here in Costa Rica.

Sure, I have so many things to be thankful for this year. I'm safe, I have a great family, and I'm in Costa Rica. However, as Thanksgiving approached this year, I wasn't feeling so thankful about being Costa Rica away from family and tradition. I was worried that it would just pass me by like every other day here, but I was pretty wrong. Pura vida paused for a day, and Thanksgiving luckily found its way here.

A few weeks prior, we had all planned on gathering for Thanksgiving and bringing various traditional feast fixings. Our abroad program paid for the turkey (because it costs so much here) and we were to bring the rest. That sounds all fine and dandy, but I still wasn't convinced that the holiday would truly find us wandering gringos in Costa Rica. When they day finally came about, we all woke up and decided to have a very Costa Rican spin on a traditional facet of the holidays. Football; or in our case...the other kind. We were joined by other abroad student as well as some ticos as we enjoyed the warm sun and being outside. We even got the chance to throw around an American football as well! Later on in the day when I was hanging around the house, I got a message from my family back home to skype into some Thanksgiving good times. That might have been the best part of the day because I got to see everybody, see the food, laugh at jokes, enjoy seeing the Coryells shoved on a single couch (just another day with that great family), and showing them around my house on a tour. That conversation really got me in the mood. When I had to leave, I put on my long pants, a collared shirt, and headed off to Thanksgiving with optimistic apprehension. Lo, and behold, we get to the house that is hosting where it is filled up with my friends here dressed nicely, good traditional food, some family, and the occasional tica. For one night we weren't hustling around, we hugged eachother, enjoyed company and had a beautiful time. I don't know what I thought would happen. We all felt the same way about not being home, and that made us be one whole family for a night. I am truly blessed.

Stay tuned for updates on my past weeks. I'm so thankful for all of you who read this blog, because you act as a support for me being away from home.

Pura Vida.

Privateers and Pirates in Panama

So we pulled into Portobelo under the cover of night; searching for a hostel called Captain Jacks. We are immediately sent up a road towards a hill where we see a beacon of hope in a lit pirate flag. After wandering up some stairs, we are greeted by a rag-tag group of English speakers in this beautiful restaurant/bar/yacht club/hostel. We immediately felt at home and excited for what was promised for the rest of the trip. After dropping our stuff in the dormitory there, we headed back upstairs to grab some food.

As you may have picked up, this isn't really your normal hostel. The menu is absolutely no exception. Jack has found a Vietnamese, French-trained chef that serves up the "best burgers in Central America" (pretty close) and authentic Vietnamese food. I know, right? That night we just sat around talking with the various captains of the sailboats sitting out in the port. The began to fill us in a bit about all of the folklore and history in the town of Portobelo.

Portobelo was once the main port for the Spanish empire in Latin America, and one-third of the world's gold passed through here. along with this you begin to have a whole lot of pirate and privateering action coming through. There were some big names that came through: Christopher Columbus, Sir Francis Drake, Captain Henry Morgan, and many more. There is a storied history of great raids on the town that made it like something straight out of a Pirates of the Caribbean movie. Metal detectors are actually illegal because there is still so much gold in the ground. Heck, Jack actually had a 25 lb cannon ball just sitting in his bar because they had just found it sitting around. There was literally history everywhere.

In the morning we woke up and finally saw the beautiful sight that is Portobelo. Oh my. We could not stop being excited to head into town because there are Spanish fortifications just sitting around in the middle of the town. It is actually a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and we could see why. There is the house where all the gold passed through, and now it is a museum with plenty of information. Then came the fortifications. They are all there complete with cannons still sitting in place. you just could feel the history there. I found myself looking into the opening of the port and imagining the tall ships pulling in with pirates waiting to attack them for all of their gold coming through. The whole time was spent trying to get in as much of the forts as we could. This place is absolutely amazing. At one point we had followed up this trail to an upper fortification that was used to observe the area (it had a moat!). When we were just running around up there, we could see the rain clouds coming in...not good. It began to rain and we had to navigate our way down this muddy trail to find a covered spot to hide from the rain. After all of our adventuring, it was time to head back to Jack's to hang out.

We returned to a nice shower and a kitchen ready to make us some burgers. We pulled out our computers and began to look at our pictures, listen to the rain, and reminisce about the amazing day and all that had happened here. The whole time Kyle was grinning from ear to ear because his dad had been there when he was younger, and as a consequence Kyle had grown up with bedtime stories of the Pirates and gold in Portobelo. And plus all three of us are history nuts and couldn't stop talking about everything we could think of involving this place. As the day waned, the boat captains began to wander in as well as some backpackers that were more our age. That place was hopping that night, and we had a chance to watch the final game of the World Series with a Giants fan from Australia. Too cool. Oh, and we might have lead a sing-along of "Piano Man" by Billy Joel at some point. That really did happen, and the whole night was just a great one.

The next day, we woke up, drank coffee, and just enjoyed being in Panama. That day we had to leave. Taylor wanted to take the bus back to Panama City, but Kyle and I took a sweet train that follows the canal. It was a great way to finally see the canal and just do something we both love, riding trains. I couldn't stop smiling most of the ride. It was a chance to just pause and think about how crazy the whole entire trip had been. I also could not help but think about how trains find there way in my life from people like my great-grandfather Getz to Walt Disney. I really like trains :). Back in Panama City, we went to a mall to eat in the food court and hang out in an arcade where I watched Taylor tear up the DDR machine as many have you have also seen in an earlier blog as a teaser.

Finally, we were at the terminal to take our 11 pm bus back to San Jose. As a final touch, we were able to pay it forward a bit for somebody who needed help. There was an English speaking woman who needed a translator, and we got to be that for her. It was a great experience to help another traveler that just needed some help. Then it was back to the land of pura vida. So cool.

We Just Wanna Work on a Pretty Boat Part 2

Stop #1

On day two we had planned on finding out how to get on a boat to go through the canal. We knew that we basically needed to find a certain yacht club and post on their bulletin board that we were interested. The only problem: we really had no clue where we were going. Taxi #1 took us all the way out to the first set of locks for the canal. Here, there is a visitor center/museum but nothing close to what we needed. Then Taxi #2 took us all the way out onto some islands that were full of pretty yachts. We wandered around taking pictures here because it was just so amazing to be out in a place like this. However, after talking around a lot and getting plenty of help, we realized that we weren't at the right spot. So, finally now that we knew where to go, Taxi #3 took us to the Balboa Yacht club (which in my head is a sort of promised land for our small group of wanderers).

Stop #2

Now that we were at the yacht club, we found the bulletin board and posted up our information. We then sat down in their restaurant, ate some great food, and waited. While we waited we were watching the news on the TV  The were showing images from all over Panama where people were rioting in the streets over the government trying to sell an area that Panamanians rely upon. So, we obviously decided to avoid the city for the evening. Thanks to the help of my wonderful mother, we were able to reserve a spot at a hotel outside of the city so that we were out of harms way. But really, who could've planned that happening. The ruining of plans continue.

This second morning was our waiting time. We had given out our information, and we were waiting to hear back from any possibility that we might be able to go work. So, basically we spent some time just in bed. At a certain point we decided to call it off on this side. We packed on up and headed to the bus terminal to head to the other side of the canal. Struggle bus warning.

We get to the bus terminal, which we had been to before. However, the bus system in Panama is totally different than that in Costa Rica. In Costa Rica, you just find a bus, walk on, and pay the driver. In Panama there is this system where you go through a turnstile to get out to the buses before getting on. We had no idea how to do this because you apparently needed a certain prepaid card to get through. Totally not knowing what to do, Taylor just help up a dollar, and they let us through and helped us onto the bus. We walked on without paying anyone else. So confused. We get on this bus and finally get moving. After about 30 minutes, a man begins to collect fares, and we had no idea what we needed to do. Just riding along on our struggle bus. We paid him and just wanted to get to Colon.

We finally arrived in Colon; the other side of the canal. Here, we needed to take a taxi to go anywhere because this side is a lil bit sketchy and was the center of all of the large riots. After a couple of taxis, confusion, and being ripped of by a taxi driver, we were at a yacht club 30 minutes outside of Colon. We just felt weird there, but began to ask around about line-handling in the canal. Eventually someone just told us that nobody was going through till November. So, there went all of our plans.

With all plans out of the window we decided to go back to Colon to get on a bus to Portobelo: one of the coolest places ever, and something that Kyle grew up hearing stories of.

Hop on the "Struggle Bus" to Panama

So, the point of study abroad came around when I needed to leave the country in order to renew my tourist visa that I am on here in Costa Rica. So, my friends Kyle, Taylor, and I decided that we would try to go work on the Panama Canal on private boats on a whim. We hoped that we would be able to get one of those crazy study abroad experiences that you always here about. Let me start of by saying that we got to the same end, but with very different means. Let me give you a photo to sum up the mood of the trip:

We spent our time riding what we began to affectionately call the "struggle bus". Urban Dictionary defines it as : Used to metaphorically describe a difficult situation. To us, it was our transport experiences. Our 15 hour bus ride ended up leaving 2 hours late (aka: it left at 1 AM). Once we got to the border we realized that we hadn't purchased return tickets, and that the wouldn't let us enter Panama without them. So, we had to talk to some random guy to buy a ticket to come back when we were at the border. So you can kind of see how this trend began.

Once we finally arrived in Panama City, we took a taxi to the hotel we had booked for the night. However, they apparently didn't have a room with three beds like we had booked, so they drove us over to their other hotel that did have 3 beds. All that followed that night was fantastic. We walked out to the waterfront and walked as we were in awe of the skyline. And it was upon that skyline that I found a familiar sight that found us excited all of a sudden. Hard Rock Cafe. We walked all the way there so that we could enjoy a good American burger. Needless to say I was in heaven. I grabbed my mom a pin (as is customary in my family) that features one of the most exciting parts of Panama: they just have crazily decorated busses. Look at all of this bus nonsense, and it is just getting started.

If you want to see all of my photos, head on over to my Facebook account!

To the Land of the Shaka

A week ago, Kyle told me last minute that he was going to be heading out to some beach 30 minutes away from Tamarindo, so I said of course. You see, he has a friend that he life guards with who emptied out his bank account with his wife and moved down to Costa Rica to buy a small hotel. We hit up Brad, his friend, and he gave us a sweet deal to head down to Playa Negra.

Playa Negra is a beach that doesn't exactly have tourists year round, especially during the rainiest month of the year (October). The town there of Los Pargos has two stores and a smattering of restaurants and surf tour spots. The beach is know for its sick surf and beautiful sunsets. Everybody in the town is pretty darn cool as well as being from other countries. Living among the teague forests here it is just a bunch of surfers. Every time that someone drove by, they threw up the shaka and went on their way. When we got out there, we went out to the beach to try and catch the sunset. Boy, did we. This was a great start to a relaxed weekend. Kyle and I came back to make some stir fry that absolutely hit the spot since Costa Ricans apparently never eat very many veggies.

The next day was such a lazy morning. We woke up and just sat in our comfy beds. We sliced open some pineapple and just chilled out Costa Rican style. Eventually we figured that it would be a good idea to head down to enjoy the beach. After a quick run to the store, we got some surf boards and headed out. We got in a bit of surfing, but we weren't totally feeling it. However, we did get in some great body surfing. Not much more to it other than a pretty beach and tasty waves. We headed on back. Relaxed. Made some great pasta and went to sleep.

The next morning we just lounged around a bit more before heading back to where our bus back to San Jose was. When we showed up, the town square was filled with HORSES. There was a big event going on where people would ride horses down a lane and try to catch a metal ring with this small pen in their hand. Crazy. Seemed like a great day to just sleep on the bus back.

However, that wasn't meant to be. The bus that we got tickets for apparently didn't exist at the time we bought it for. Instead he had to wait another two hours till 5 to leave. Ten it was all right. Wrong. at about 8 o'clock our bus broke down. We waited outside of this random store until 11:30 pm to get another bus to take us to San Jose. We pulled in at 1:40 am, and I got back to Heredia at 2. Great weekend with a crazy end. Pura Vida, I guess.

Typical Tamarindo

So, this long-awaited post won't have all that much to it. You see, this was the final of our three planned excursions that I went on with my program. We headed out to the Nicoya Peninsula along the Pacific coast to a beach called Tamarindo. This beach is quite different from many of the other spots that we have wandered to because this place relies on tourism, and more specifically, Americans. This trip was supposed to be our first and nicest, but with the large earthquake that had happened nearby, we had postponed it to our fourth weekend in the country.

To get out to Tamarindo, it took a 6 hour bus ride, which had become pretty accustomed to us. After the long trek out, the bus pulled up to the nice 4-star hotel/resort that we were going to be staying at this weekend (La Diria). It came equipped with something like 3 pools, a full spa, lawn full of lounge chairs, and its own private beach access. Like any good college students, we immediately headed towards the beach to try to enjoy it as much as possible. After getting in some quality beach time, there was a dinner planned for us at the restaurant with typical food along with traditional dance from Guanacaste (the region we were in, and what many tourists associate as Tico culture). After that we headed out for a nice night on the town.

The next morning we woke up for some breakfast then headed onto a van that took us out to our canopy tour; this was a separate tour that we could sign up for. We got there and immediately headed out on a truck into the forest were we saw plenty of animals inculing howler monkeys. We ziplined and rappelled for quite some time and then headed in as it poured on all of us sitting down in the back of the truck. You can see the storm approaching in the video below that I have prepared to show you my adventure.

When we got back to the beach it was totally dry and the beach was yearning for some company. Obviously I headed down for some good ole' body surfing, because that is just what I've gotten used to doing I guess. After spending all afternoon in the water, I headed out with Kyle for an all you can eat sushi dinner (that was only $25 each). We got to just hang out for a while and chat as we watched people walking around town looking for a place to head while we enjoyed sushi. That night everyone just hung out in rooms becuase we had such long days.

The next day we slept in and headed back home to Heredia. It was a nice relaxed and much needed weekend for everyone.

What to look out for...

So, this coming weekend/week you can expect to see plenty of activity on the study abroad blog. Here's what is coming to a computer (smartphone or tablet) screen near you!

1. Finally, the post from Tamarindo that happened back in September
2. Last weeks exploits with Kyle at Playa Negra
3. And, the biggest news is the 4 post saga that are the adventures of Panama

I hope you are all doing well, and get excited to hear about the craziness that has been happening. Spoiler alert: it is off the fun charts. And, as a teaser for Panama, I will leave you with Taylor playing DDR in the mall.

My Academic Future Found Me Here

A few weeks ago, I received an email from DU detailing how exactly registration looked for all of us who are abroad. It was a bit of a wake up call that I needed to finally confront what my future was going to look like at my university. So, this week I have spent a decent amount of time looking up various classes to take across all that I'm studying. The hardest part was when I was looking through my prospective Psychology classes. That's when it hit me that there is obviously a very thin line of what I want to study. I was drawn to the developmental and clinical classes available, but the rest of them seemed less-than-interesting to me. So, in calssic Sam Anderson-Lehman fashion, I'm changing my studies up a bit. You see, as soon as I looked at my future course load as well as course offerings in the Spanish department, I find myself drawn much more towards studying that. So, I'm gonna announce it here that I'm going to upgrade to a Spanish major and continue my Psychology studies as a minor. 

Now, why do I even bother putting something like this on my "going on Costa Rican adventures" blog. You see, it points back to what kind of adventures are going to happen when you leave something you're comfortable with. I remember back to Pioneer Passage (DU Convocation) when a speaker told us about coming to the table of knowledge without bringing our own sandwich. The idea stuck with me and came back when I was here in Costa Rica. The was that my classes worked out, I don't really have a clear focus of studies here. There isn't anything dictating how I am viewing the table of knowledge that has been set before me. To put this in simple terms; I have been bitten by the culture of the Spanish speaking world. So, this week I was forced to face my future, and make some important decisions. I know that they are the right ones. How do I know? I have never felt so confident about an academic decision since I switched to GWST. Now, off I go to discover even more abotu what is being offered to me here in Costa Rica.

Being a Lazy Mon

So, this past weekend I went out to Puerto Viejo on the Caribbean Coast. It is by far the most interesting place that I have been since arriving here in Costa Rica.

We found a really nice hostel to stay at for our two nights there. The Cabins & Hostel Yucca was a really cool spot. it wasn't anything too fancy, but it was a great place to be. We stayed in a 12 bed (6 bunks) dorm room along with another group who is teaching English in Liberia (that's Costa Rica, but more on them later). Along with that space to sleep we also had access to a community kitchen equipped with free coffee, so I don't think anyone can complain about that. To bring it to a whole other level, the hostel even had a few dogs and some cats that would hang around. Truly made it a comfortable to place to find yourself. However, the best part might have been that we were just a mere 30 meters away from the beautiful Caribbean Sea.

The first day that we were there was spent with half of the time on the bus out, but once we got there the fun began. We went straight to the beach. The beaches on this side of the country are just so fun. The sand on that side of the country is much larger and made from shells, it looks really cool. Also, the water is super clear. Along with that, there are rock reefs all along the coast that make for nice and tranquilo beaches. You can sit down on the sand under the water without worry of being attacked by waves. If that isn't relaxed enough for you, there is a woman that offers massages from a popup tent on the beach. So, we spent our whole afternoon on the beach as the sun set and we went back to our hostel. Afterwards we headed out to a sweet soda (which is a greasy spoon here in Costa Rica). The food was amazing, and so inexpensive. That night we enjoyed the night life that is offered in Puerto Viejo which is full of colorful characters and offers of various drugs and goods to generate the "local economy".

After a great sleep, I woke up early in the morning and headed to the small beach right outside of our hostel. I set up my good ole' ENO hammock on a couple of palm trees. I spent the next three hours drifting in and out of sleep like the waves that kept coming into the beach and drawing the water back out. Occasionally I would even find myself with one of the dogs coming up beside me for a little bit of TLC. Obviously, after a relaxed morning like that, there was only one thing that I could do...go to the beach and relax more. That is pretty much the story of the daylight. Hanging out at the beach and wandering around the the town of Puerto Viejo. That night, we made some pasta in the kitchen the almost all of the group decided to stay in for the night. However, I wasn't tired, so I decided to hang out with the other group of students at our hostel. This eclectic group hails from Germany, Australia, Holland, and the USA. They were great conversation, and we found ourselves sharing all about our different cultures and personal opinions surrounding them. All-around it was truly insightful. Outside of that, we wandered the town stopping at any place that looked like it would be a good time. We only were out for a while but we enjoyed each other's company for sure.

Sunday morning came, and everyone was getting ready to leave. I took the morning to hang out at the hostel and just relax. The other group (including Kyle) was going to be coming in that night, and I decided that I was going to spend one more night in this crazy town. After the rest of my group from Heredia left, I packed up and headed down to Rocking J's hostel. This place is the thing of legends among Central American backpackers. It is covered in paintings and mosaics done by its various part-time inhabitants. there are tents and hammocks for accommodations among with the usual small cabinas and some specialized suites. I got to my hammock (for $7) a night, put my stuff in a locker, and I headed off to Cocles. Cocles is a beautiful beach that is a short walk in the woods from J's. The beach is long and sports some beautiful sights, people, and waves. I went to go hang out there for a while among those who had heard about the greatest beach in the Puerto Viejo area. There was an enjoyable mix of locals, vacationing Ticos, and soul-searching gringos out on their journey to Latina nirvana.

After returning from the beach, I took a short nap in my hammock and was stirred awake by a familiar voice. I heard Kyle talking and I immediately started to heckle him for waking me up. I was reunited with the group that I had become accustomed to traveling with and Kyle treated me to some wings at the restaurant in Rocking J's (which were soooo good). Soon after we walked into town to find some good seafood. We ate at a local spot and enjoyed some delicious fettuccine de mariscos. It was your typical bowl of great seafood broth, assorted sea creatures, and some pasta. We then headed across the street for an evening of live music at the local watering hole called "Lazy Mon". The music was fun and the company was even better. Perhaps the most vivid memory of the evening goes to a fire show that was performs. A group of 4 male fire dances with various flaming props performed to a bangin' dubstep mix. Who would've thought that I would find myself at a beach bar watching a fire show to dubstep. Pura vida, mae. There is nothing else that can be said about it. After a long and comfortable nights sleep in the hammock (my favorite way to spend a night), I woke up talked with some people and took my leave back to Heredia.

My Weekend for Others

So, as I continue to put off writing my blog post about my trip to Tamarindo that was a week ago, I decided I would fill you all in on what happened this weekend. This weekend was passed through volunteering and a charity 5K for cancer research. Now I present to you: my weekend devoted to others *insert appropriate music here*.

So, I won't bore you with my first two days of the weekend (Thursday and Friday). They are mostly spent wandering around the area and trying to find things to do and such. Saturday, however, was the Global Day of Service being put on by the system that my university here is a part of. We went down to a green space that had grown over and had only a path running through the middle. The day before, a group had started working on it, and we were supposed to finish. We planned on clearing the tall grass and planting a decent number of trees. The work was hard and involved a lot of being bent over. There was a crew with weed trimmers, and we would pick up all of the grass after. This was just way difficult because there was so much, and we kept running out of bags to put it trimmings in. We probably filled up 40 bags of grass. Crazy. We planted a few trees as well. Definitely put a dent in the work, but there is a lot to be done. The project ran late and destroyed my afternoon plans. When it comes to community service you just can't quite plan things out though.

You can tell we were very serious the whole time

So Much Pink

 And now we come to what I really enjoyed this weekend. Me and some of the girls from the group registered to run a 5K for cancer research. It was really like any race for the cure type of thing. With over 30,000 people there in San Jose, it was really a sight to be seen. It is always great to see that many people coming together for a great cause. On top of that the running was great. The course took you down the main street of San Jose, around the large park, and into el Estadio Nacional (national stadium). Really great run, and I didn't do too terribly. Mix in some great friends to make a winning recipe. It also helps that afterwards they had free powerade, bananas, peanuts, and massages. Pura vida mae.

Before

During

After

Pride. Politics. Pioneers.

As I continue to wait on the arrival of photos from this previous weekend (canopy tour in Tamarindo), I figured I would post up here how This whole Presidential Debate thing went down from abroad. I'm not going to get into politics; just my experience.

So, for those of you who may not be aware, the University of Denver hosted the first Presidential Debate tonight. It was such a huge deal for everyone in the Pioneer community. We got a chance to show ourselves off as well as associate ourselves with something as prestigious as the office of the President of the United States. And, of course, I spent this amazing event watching from a tube television, within a house, in Costa Rica. My day started off as usual; eating breakfast and watching Buen Dia with my host mom. Then, all of a sudden, I see a shot of the beautiful Ritchie Center, and my face lit up like the lights at Barton Lacrosse Stadium. I couldn't control myself as I began to point and explain that they were showing my university where the debate would be that night. Truly an exciting day. The rest of my day was filled with exciting photos of activities that were happening on campus, and they all culminated as I watched the debate live.

I feel like I should feel like I missed out, but I think that the whole focus wasn't on the event (as I console myself for not seeing the Lumineers). The energy could be felt through social media. There was a definite buzz that I felt, and that is what make the University of Denver such a magnificent place. As Pioneers, we push forward and get excited about bright futures. The debate was just that. It brings us the future the DU community. The future of the school. The future of the country. And, the future of our lives.

#WeAreDENVER

Pura Vida.

Playa Dominical

Alright, so this is a wee bit late. I'm gonna tell you though, it's been preeeetty busy down here in paradise. Two weekends ago, my program went on a trip to a beautiful beach on the southern Pacific coast called Dominical. Now, many of you have probably never hear of this place because it is absolutely tiny; in the best way possible. Just as with the last trip, I will post a video of stolen pictures below :).

The trip started off as any other trip as we loaded onto the bus and headed on our way bright and early in the morning. We had a packed Friday that involved traveling to Dominical with a stop at Marino Ballena National Park. This national park was beautiful. It is a massive beach that leads to a natural formation of lava rocks that looks like a whale's tail. And, ironically, this is also a location of where humpback whales come to mate. It was a gorgeous view and coastline that is not far from a beach where they shot some of the movie Apacalypto. After a brilliant walk and a hint of rain, our tour guides found us some coconuts so that we could sample the fresh stuff that we never get on the main land.

Our resort was pretty darn cool as well. When we got there, it was raining, but we never let that stop us. We immediately headed to the pool to hang out before our dinner time. The group really has gotten into a good habit of always  meeting up poolside whenever we are at these resorts, and in true form we were almost all there. The water was nice, and as we headed back to our cabanas, we were all realizing that we were living the life here in Costa Rica. Pura vida.

The next day was spent on the beach. All. Day. Long. The day was spent talking with friends and making new ones. We played plenty of soccer on land as well as body surfed on some fantastic waves. As I had mentioned we made some new friends; ticos to be precise  They (the lifeguards) invited us back to the beach that night for a bonfire and a chance to just chill out on the beach. You really don't get too many chances like that, so we jumped on it. Truly a great end to the day.

Now, I realize that I haven't said much about the weekend, but there really wasn't much to it. Dominical was just one of those places where you could forget everything and just have a good time. That's really what everyone there was doing. When in Rome, I guess....err...Costa Rica.

A mess of a mes

Well hello there, blog...sure has been a while. Now, those of you who read this are probably hoping for updates on my exciting adventures to the beach for the past two weekends. This will not be that post. As some of you may know, today marks the day that I have been living in Heredia for a whole month. And it is with this in mind that I have decided to give you a solid introspective of what it has meant to me thus far.

Studying abroad hasn't been exactly what I had planned. It started with a rocky end to a fantastic summer, and then off I went to Costa Rica. Well blog, I know that study abroad is supposed to be about studying, but I'm beginning to feel that this is so much more than that. For the avid reader, they know that I didn't exactly have the easiest time with my course choices. Heck, it was downright dreadful. So I should probably take a note from that. Maybe that isn't what I should sweat about. So here's to focusing on my life.

In the past month, there have been specific moments that have opened me up and jumbled things up in my life. One of these was a conversation that I had with my good friend, Kyle. For maybe the first time we just talked about who we are. Truly was a challenging experience for me. Second was the release of the new Mumford and Sons album. Even though it seems as though this is something quite superficial; I find myself challenged more than ever listening to that album. It challenges my heart to think about my past and promises made to me. I have a different experience every time that I hear those tracks. Finally, was the death of the Ponds on Doctor Who. Yet again, I'm just rolling with the strange things. Just the way that I had fallen so in love with those characters, and then have them taken away in such a great moment left me thinking. And then that moment happened. You know; that moment when you hear a quote that cuts to your core. "You must never travel alone." boom. I don't 100% know what that is meaning to me right now, but here I am traveling in Costa Rica. I must always know that I'm not alone, yet I must also continue looking for companions in the forms of friends, family and otherwise (the puppies here help).

So that's where I am. Heredia, Costa Rica. Slightly lost. I'm just trying to not travel alone. So here's to two and a half more months here in paradise. The planned excursions are over, and my future is in front of me: completely open.

Water: -falls, -slides, -falling-from-sky

So this weekend was the first excursion of three that I will be going on with ISA while I am here in Costa Rica. This time we were at Arenal which is one of the large volcanoes here. We stayed at a fantastic resort called Los Lagos that came with all of the great amenities expected here: pool, awesome slides (like the best ever), hot springs, butterfly garden, crocodiles, fish everywhere, frog collection, zip-line, horses, hiking, and of course there was a buffet. So, join me as I talk you through my weekend in a multimedia blog post...YEAH! This time around, you will find the pictures in a short video at the end (I borrowed most of them).

On friday morning, our Heredia crew met at our university where a bus full of students from the San Pedro program. Then, we began the 4 hour drive out to La Fortuna and Arenal Volcano. Once we got to the resort, all that was on our minds was the pool/hot springs and food. We were on complete sensory overload for sure. There was so much there, and the resort was big enough on the side of a hill that you take a free bus everywhere. It was here that we discovered the slide. There was this crazy slide there that we probably went on like 50 times (or so it felt). It was just constant fun. There were in total three slides at the resort; including one that went into the hot springs. These were definitely highlights of the resort.

Saturday morning was designated towards optional tours. I signed up to go canyoning, and it was probably one of the coolest experiences I have ever had. Canyoning is an activity where you rappel cliffs and hike in canyons. In this case it would mean rappelling down water falls and hiking through a tropical rain forest with friends. The day started at 7:20 when we scurried onto a bus that, after picking up some others, went to a dirt road in the middle of nowhere. Here, we boarded into the backs of trucks outfitted with benches and tarp roofs to protect from the rain that was steadily falling. These trucks dropped us off in some ranch-like area where we got all of our gear on. Then...we walked. Suddenly, finding ourselves in a more forested environment, there was a wooden platform with cables. We were at the first drop. A 120ft rappel alongside a beautiful water fall. With our hearts beating out of our chests, we all took turns getting hooked up, testing our ropes (and ourselves), and dropping this great distance into a tropical rain forest. We spent the morning hiking and having 3 other rappels. Truly breathtaking, and pictures could never do it justice. This was followed by a great Tico lunch, coffee, and cookies. Outstanding. The afternoon was then spent from the comfort of the pools and springs as rain was falling. That evening was followed by the buffet and more pool time.

At the falls with Kyle, my good friend from DU

Sunday was our final day, and we spent it going to the La Fortuna waterfall. It is a pretty good hike down some stairs to get there, and it is well worth it. There are two falls that are large and impressive in the way that they fit into the lush landscape here. We were not able to swim in the falls, but seeing them was enough for this traveler. This ended our trip, but it sure was interesting. Outside of the amazing things I have already told you about, the weekend was filled with heavy rain, crazy lightning, thunder setting off car alarms, an earthquake, and no good views of the Volcano. Pura vida I guess!

The day that makes every other one look better...

Today started like pretty much every other day that I have been here. I wake up. Eat me some gallo pinto and fruit. Drink my coffee. Leave to go do something.

Every Tuesday we have a weekly program where we do all of the housekeeping for the week as well as planning for our excursion this weekend (which is Arenal Volcano). So, that was super exciting as we planned for our excursion, but there was a distinct moment where I began to worry. Ania (the program director) said that I needed to talk to her after the meeting. When we got back to the office, she informed me that there was an issue with my course schedule. I won't get into details about it all, but it pretty much meant that there would be a big rocking in the way that my course work was going to look like while I am here. After plenty of stress, venting to Youval (who is in Israel), chatting with Kyle, and most importantly, calling my mom; I decided to not take any psych classes here and register in a soccer class.

[Attention: This is where the silver lining is found]
That class is outstanding. It is a whole class that is devoted to learning about the history, rules, and playing of soccer. So pretty much it is PE for grown ups in Costa Rica :). I think it will be a great chance to talk with local students, and also there are a couple of people from the US there as well which is fun. So, after our class we got to hang out, play soccer, and chat; which was much needed after my stressful morning.

Finally, I had one final aftershock of this very rough day. I head a large gust of wind outside that made the power go out. Just a little reminder to not take all of it for granted. Here's to a great hump day tomorrow. Ciao!

Founts: of water and of knowledge.

Well, the title actually says it all. Today I went swimming in a spring-fed pool and had class. Since I am a lucky duck and don't have classes on Monday mornings (or during the day for that matter), I got to go swimming with a great group of people at this place called Ojo de Agua. This is a place with sports fields, assorted courts for tennis and basketball, as well as pools everywhere along with a lake. The cool thing is that it is all fed by a natural spring. That also, means that it is super cold; which can be nice when you are in a tropical climate. We were able to take public buses there (which means it costs less that 3 dollars to get there and only about 2 to get in) and the place was empty because it was a weekday. Truly a relaxing experience there. Afterwards, I returned home and began to prepare myself for my first class with Ticos. My impression of the class: hopefully I will get the swing of things. Pura vida. Time to work hard this week before heading off to Arenal for the weekend.

Unplanned Weekend

So this past weekend was supposed to be spent on an excursion to the beautiful beach at Tamarindo here on the Atlantic coast of Costa Rica. However, due to a certain event (see massive 7.6 earthquake on the coast), this trip has been postponed for just a lil' while. So what does that leave little ole' me to do...I don't know! It was just one of those plan-it-as-you-go weekends that comes with traveling. It was a weekend filled with sports and plenty of being outside. Thursday is when my weekend starts, and that makes things pretty darn interesting because, well...it's a Thursday. The day was speant being as relaxed as possible. It included frisbee at ULatina and watching the DNC here on my computer.

Anna, Chelsea, and I

And so, I come to Friday. Oh, glorious Friday. Friday was a big day here in Costa Rica because the Ticos were playing Mexico as part of the qualifiers for the World Cup in 2016. The intensity and national pride was definitely all over the place. I went down to San Jose with my friends Anna and Chelsea so that they could see the city a bit and get a feel. Just so you know, San Jose is very hectic, loud, and just all around crazy. With the added need to dodge people attempting to sell you anything with red/white/blue (the national colors) it was an adventure. We found ourselves in the beautiful park that is situated between the city and the stadium where we could relax for a while before heading back towards Heredia. That night we went out to a local bar to cheer on the Ticos to a disappointing loss, but at least it was all exciting.

San Jose

A beautiful church near Heredia

Saturday was directed with one purpose: walk towards that tall mountain. So I, along with three others, began walking up and out of our city towards the mountains. I'm gonna keep this story short for you since it is full of inside jokes and healthy portion of complaining. All in all, it was a 4.5 hour trip that tested our wits as we were able to see the beauty that is the transportation infrastructure of the country as well as the beautiful plants. And I would remiss to not mention all that is gained by simply spending half of your day in the company of good friends. We celebrated by going to our favorite coffee spot and feeling absolutely spent, and afterwards, I went to eat a .5 meter pizza with my housemate Will (since he is from Chicago, we were both pretty stoked to be getting some).

For my Sunday, I woke up to a message explaining what I would be doing that day from Chelsea (that has become how I operate with my free time). Her host brother took a group of us out to a field to play soccer for a couple of hours as we decompressed and enjoyed the national sport. It was fun because there was plenty of mixing between English and Spanish because while we had some locals as well as our group, we all knew both. Quite a fun time here.

So that is what happened. All killer and no filler; if that is still a thing. It wasn't what was planned but I wouldn't have it any other way. Pura vida. No complaints.

San Jose, Sports, and Sipping

I have no pictures to post today, so don't freak out. What I will say, is that today was a great day to be around here. It started out like all other days of the week with breakfast and Buen Dia on the tv. We had our weekly meeting for my study abroad program where we talked about this coming weekend and the excursion we are going on to Tamarindo on the Northern Atlantic coast of Costa Rica. That excitement was followed by getting student IDs which is admittedly not as exciting.
After all that needed to be done at the university was over, I traveled down to San Jose with my new friends here Will and Leslie. After a quick adventure and some solid Costa Rican lunch, we hopped on the bus back to Heredia. You should be privy to knowing that we had hoped to be back in time to play some futbol with the rest of the students in our program. As our luck would have it, they were walking by as we came off of the bus and we never broke stride. After our trek to get a ball and arrive at the field we set up, met some new Tico friends, and began to play as the normal afternoon rain began. We played through rain barefoot as we were soaked to the bone while having a great time full of skill, slips, and Spanish. After that we all went our separate ways as we returned home to try to stop our bodies from getting too upset at the abuse we put them through. A small group of us then decided to head out for coffee and fruit juice (very common here) to decompress and have a good time. It was a great finish to a crazy day. And now, I look forward to tomorrow when I finally have my first class here in Costa Rica. Pura Vida!

Takin' it to the Streets

Today was pretty straight forward. I woke up. Ate breakfast (which consisted of fruit and a ham and cheese sandwich). Went to the university. Short tour of the city. Find stuff to do.

Yesterday we had aimlessly wandered in a group, but today the people with the ISA office actually walked us around and took us to some cool spots. We stopped by the church in the town center and the market as our two main stops. We got to try some of the typical food which was crazy good. Fresh fruits and so on. Afterwards, me and my housemate wandered the massive mall that is across the street and ate at the spot in our university. While we were there, the girls from another college were playing against girls from ULatina, so we got some entertainment to go along with our lunch (complete with orange and carrot juice).

Not much to speak of...tune in next post!

This is what my day was like...

Groups of Gratuitous Gringos

Today was kind of the first day of this whole program. This morning I walked to the university with my Tica mom (Lilliam) and my housemate Will (they call him Guillermo). We had an orientations session down in San Jose with the other abroad programs that ISA hosts in Costa Rica. There we got to hear more in detail what to be expecting throughout the program as well as the usual type of talk about staying safe and using common sense here. While there I was reunited with a strange man named Kyle (by strange, I mean that he is one of the guys that I live with back in Denver). After it all was done, we came back to Heredia and returned to our houses for a bit before a group of us went out to see Heredia a bit more. Now, in case you were wondering, walking around the town of Heredia with 9 people on a Sunday is quite a site...especially when we are a bunch of gringos. If you ever get the chance, I would advise you to go in a much smaller group. Also, when 6 of those people are girls from the US, the cat calls never cease, and boy that was that a sight to be seen. However, it was nice to finally get a feel of the place that I will be calling home for almost 4 months. It really is different than any other place I have been, and that is really exciting and terrifying. I can hope that this is going to become a place that I love to be. Pura vida.

Well...I'm here

I think the title says it...I'm here in Heredia, Costa Rica now, and it is a wee bit different here (who knew?). Today was a fun adventure. It started off with me leaving my house all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed with my luggage (that is all red by some weird twist of fate).

Okay, that's a pretty terrible angle

Obligatory photo in front of the gate in Houston

My mom went to the airport since she was headed out to the great state of Colorado. We said our goodbyes in front of the gate as I was about to board.

My mom and I waiting

After a plane ride (that wasn't really all too long) I found myself in a different country. I'm not sure if everyone realized this, but they speak a different language here! I know, what a shocker. The whole speaking a new language has been interesting for sure. It is such a big change from being in a classroom where you can say something in English, and the professor will know exactly what you are saying. Here..well you just look a little stupid.
The family that I'm living with is really nice. I can tell that this is going to go well as soon as I get into the swing of things. Well, I'll leave you with a few pictures of what I am calling home now for three and half months.

Harry Potter has nothing on me

The nice wood pen they gave me

Crunch Time

Well, here I am within the final 24 hours in the United States. As per the last post I wrote: still haven't packed. Quite frankly, after a summer full of packing up and going to camp, packing for anything seems like a piece of cake. Let's see how this day goes. Hopefully it doesn't go too late with me packing, and I would hope that there is only small number of things that I need to get (like a host family gift that I have no idea what to get). Here goes nothing.

Pura Vida

Wait, You Are Supposed to Pack?

Well, I'm about four days from heading out, and I'm finally starting to seriously think about packing. However, I'm still in my summer camp mode which means that I just pack the day before....I mean, look at what I'm doing right now; sitting on the couch. On top of that, I really just couldn't feel more relaxed about it all. Here it goes. First big step towards my study abroad. Packing. Oh look, the TV...I can pack later.