Janice

Church was interesting. It´s beautiful inside, with chandeliers and frescoes on the wall. It is not like the traditional Catholic environment. A random street dog ran back and forth through the church a couple of times…only in Costa Rica. Yes, they took the sacrament and the priest gave the homily. We even knelt to pray. But it was also mixed with a more laid-back contemporary feel. The music was amazing. They played classical and acoustic guitars. I loved listening to their songs, because it was bright and uplifting. It mad me smile. Sadly, the only part I could join in was the “Alleluias.” I felt like Mr. Bean. Jaja, not really. It was almost comical, when the family squeezed into the row. It was the dad, the mom, me, Mati, and Jorge (su novio). In a ... read more

People have to understand that I have some serious moist problems. This entire weekend I was moist! And by “moist problems” I mean, I have profound objections to feeling moist, especially for long periods of time. Good thing I´m probably in the moistest country in the world at this time! This weekend was crazy. Guanacaste has extremely bumpy terrain. We were bouncing in our tour bus all the way to the beach. And can you imagine how that would be like if you had to go to the bathroom? I had just that problem. Despite my discomfort, I would say this was one of my favorite weekends. Sunset at the beach, geysers, mudbaths, pushing the bus up and down muddy hills…yep, that was this weekend. It started raining…hard…when we were in the rainforest of the Volcán ... read more

Thanks for all your comments, guys! I really appreciate it, and it make me happy hearing from all of you. Don´t forget to type in your name, because I don´t know who they´re from sometimes!... read more

I think Sundays are really neat here. They reserve it as a day to do nothing but relax and spend the day with the family. Way of life here greatly contrasts the U.S., because in the Estados, one individual´s lifestyle can very much differ from another individual´s. There is great diversity in values, beliefs, and ideology. Here, people are individualistic also, but very similar in certain aspects of lifestyle. The society is very conservative, and there agreed-upon ideals of propriety. A kiss on the cheek. Respect for the elderly… When I went to the bank, I was puzzled in regard to the lines. Why was one man going before another, when clearly the other man had been standing there longer and was first in line? To satisfy my curiosity, I politely asked the man in ... read more

It seems I have been here forever! I´ve been learning so much; not just about the language. About the people, culture, and life in general. Honestly, sometimes I feel discriminated against. People here are certainly aware of differences, and understandably so. Pretty much, the majority of the people here are mestizos, a mixture of European and Indigenous blood. They are not used to other people. I do not look like them fa sho, and neither do my other compañeros. They yell out at me or honk the horn. Sometimes I just have to smile and laugh at the things they say. For example, they say China Bonita! Or the bus driver told me, China, se durmio, se durmio, y se durmio. That´s when I was sick, and I slept the whole four hour bus ride. And ... read more

I´m having difficulties speaking English now because my brain is mixed up from all the Spanish. Today I ran, and I saw the mountains. They´re so beautiful. A ferocious little dog growled at me and tried to bite at my legs, attempting to protect his family´s territory. He was barely the size of a bunny. I was surprised, because one of the neighbors thought I was a Tica (that´s what Costa Ricans are called). Here, they say “adios” when people pass by, instead of “hola.” Not like the U.S. Everyone here knows each other. I drink coffee everyday, and I like it. I rarely did back at home. I like it because it doesn´t have the same jittery effect. They have this little contraption where there´s a bag over the mug, and they pour hot water ... read more