My plan was to write this entry before I left for the turtle place. After I was packed and ready to go to the bus, I sorted through my pictures and started writing. As soon as my fingers hit the keys, my ride arrived (over 30 minutes early!). So, now I am writing it from my bunk at Playa Cameronal. I have no idea when I am going to be able to post this, and I’m actually feeling a little overwhelmed (in a good way). But, I definitely don’t want to forget what happens on this trip, and the blog has been a good way to sort out my thoughts. So, here we go. After my week at the language school, I was definitely ready to go out and see some of Costa Rica. Fortunately, an ... read more

After such a smooth travel day, things got a little “shakier” on my first night. There was an earthquake! I was so tired that, although I woke up, I convinced myself that I was dreaming. It wasn’t until the morning that I learned that there was quite a large earthquake (magnitude 5.6, whatever that means) on the border of Costa Rica and Panama. For me, this was very remarkable, as I have only experienced one before, but for my host family it was much less remarkable. However, it did give us something to talk about over the rice and beans, cheese, mango, papaya, and pineapple of our breakfast. The earthquake also provided excellent ice-breaking material on my first day of language school. After small talk and coffee, I had a verbal test to assess my level ... read more

After the amazing adventure that I had with the penguins in South Africa, I have been counting down the days until I could stretch my travel wings again. In 4 hours, I'll be headed to the international terminal of the airport again. This time, I'm exploring Central America. I have NO idea if I'll be able to blog again. I hope so, because I had a ton of fun with it last year. But, if I can get a solid internet connection, here's what I'll be talking about: A week of intensive Spanish courses at the Costa Rican Language Academy, while staying with a host family... http://www.spanishandmore.com/ 2 weeks of sea turtle conservation at Proyecto Buena Vista in Playa Samara http://www.goeco.org/area/volunteer-in-central-america/costa-rica/sea-turtle-conservation 5 days of fun in the sun with my family, in a beach house, because ... read more

I seriously can’t believe how time is playing tricks on my mind during this trip. Time is zooming by so fast, but I feel like I have been here forever. I feel like I have just blinked since my last post, and it’s already been over 10 days. I am about halfway through my time at Sanccob… When I think about how I have only 3 weeks left, I feel a sense of sadness that everything is coming to an end so soon. But, then I remind myself that I have only been there for 3 weeks – and it feels like soooo much longer than that. I know that leaving will feel bittersweet. Going “day by day” during this post seems silly, since many of those days have been “work” days at Sanccob. I could ... read more

Even though I am bone tired, I am determined to see this travel blog thing through, and since it has been three days since my last post I am dangerously close to falling out of the habit, so here we go! Since my last post, I have now had 2 days off and one day back at work. My first day off was pretty relaxed. I went grocery shopping, which I seem to do fairly often. I did a more major shop this time, but there’s only so much you can carry when you have a 15-minute walk home. I also got organized, cleaning my little corner of the Aviva house. I had to do things like put away laundry, which we send out (40 rands for 5 kilo). I also talked with my parents a ... read more