Blogs from Tamarindo, Guanacaste, Costa Rica, Central America Caribbean

We had a couple of days to relax in a really nice 5-star beach resort on the Pacific side of Costa Rica. The sun is hot (80 - 100 degrees F), and we have a nice sandy beach and surf to play in. The second day is really windy, so we had to get off the beach as we were beiong sandblasted. But, the resort has a very nice pool, and by afternoon we are sunburned and hot anyway, so we head indoors to the air conditioning. The food is fantastic - there are so many deserts we couldn't try them all in 2 days! Sunsets across the water are beautiful both nights. Steve took a time lapse photo showing the surf and the moon shining on the ocean.... read more

It was a very uneventful week. Class on Monday and Tuesday went as planned, and then after class on Tuesday I went to volunteer at the elementary school like I do every week. That’s a pretty big waste of time. Pretty much every week, the teacher doesn’t plan an activity, looks for one online while his students are there, and then leaves to print and make copies, leaving me alone with wild and crazy children. Then, he comes back at the end of class, like “Sorry, looks like we are out of time again.” What a joke. Wednesday I stayed in and did homework all day since I wanted to be able to travel this weekend. Thursday I went to class and then went to buy everything I needed to make my Halloween costume. I got ... read more

Friday September 17, 2010: It is Friday! I’m on my 20 minutes break between grammar and language practice right now, and I don’t normally spend it on the computer but I am in such a good mood after talking with my grammar professor that I had to get my thoughts down on paper. My professor L.G. used to teach at the school I will be spending a month at (CPI in Playa Flamingo) and informed me that it has a much bigger facility, a pool, and a very great staff. She named 3 or 4 other teachers here at my school in Tamarindo that used to work at CPI. It struck me as odd that they would all leave if it were such a good school, but then again they also live in Villareal which is ... read more

Thursday September 16th: After a lousy night’s sleep (the rest of the group decided to go swim last night and I said no way José, I need my sleep yet I was awoken during their 4 am return) I had class at 8 and spent my break running into town to get my shuttle to Monteverde straightened out. Thanks to Michelle at CR Paradise for having it all ready for me when I got there! After break was language practice which consisted of conversing with my professor Marietta about how she spent her day off, and the gossip of her and her friends. Apparently one of her friends is in the middle of a love triangle of sorts and has two boyfriends, one for the day and one at night, whom she lives with and who ... read more

Wednesday September 15, 2010: Today was independence day as I noted earlier, however I didn’t do much to experience the parades and parties I fantasized about. Getting to Villareal by 8 am was not practical and instead I utilized the day to sleep in until 10 am and relax on the beach with my fellow students. After a nice (but fairly expensive) breakfast with 3 of the German students at an Italian café, I watched a half of the Real Madrid game and then went to the travel agency to book myself on a catamaran cruise tomorrow afternoon, and to order my shuttle for Sunday’s trip to Monteverde. After that it was off to the beach for 4 hours of sun and fun. We played volleyball for the majority of the time, with a few breaks ... read more

Monday night and Tuesday: Monday night was very interesting to say the least. After the US Open was delayed for rain again, we went to the pescador, a little restaurant on the beach, for our welcome drink. Since there are only a few students here now, we all went (but only us news ones got a free drink!). There are currently 8 students and 2 interns, and one of the intern’s friends. 11 people, 8 of whom take class regularly. A month (or two) ago, the school had 80 students a week! Wow, it really is low season. Back to the evening, we had our welcome drink, got a pitch from the lady who runs the local travel agency, and ate some chips and guac. Then my friend Dustin and I headed to Sharky’s (the sports ... read more

September 13, 2010 Weekend: The past weekend was very relaxing, and reminded me a lot of my recent trip to Dahab and past visits to Mexico. With the town a little sleepy due to the rainy season, there was not a whole lot to be doing. I spent the majority of my weekend in front of a TV watching football. Saturday was college football, and the local sports bar, Sharky’s, has direct TV and 5 screens! I never realized how amazing watching 5 games at a time could be. It was great to see the Huskies demolish Syracuse, and that quarterback from Michigan is making quite a name for himself. Sunday was NFL day, and what a surprise it was to see the Seattle Seahawks score 20+ unanswered points and absolutely stun everyone by beating the ... read more

Arrival in Tamarindo: Upon landing in Liberia after a very comfortable 3 hour ride from Miami (our 200 seat plane had 30 passengers, so I took row 9 to myself and sprawled out for the majority of the flight) I was disappointed not to be greeted by a name-placard-wielding Tico. However after using a taxi driver’s cell phone to call my school I was told to take a cab and the school would foot the bill. After an hour of moderate driving (compared to Cairo nothing will ever seem bad, however Costa Rica is a bit scarier than driving in the United States) I arrived to my school in Playa Tamarindo. I was greeted by friendly staff and shown to my room, the bottom bunk in a 3 person room, which shares a bathroom and kitchen/living ... read more