Dance Class and Heredia

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After classes on Wednesday, it was time for the Latin American dance class, where we learned the basic steps for salsa, merengue and cumbia. The instructor spoke only Spanish during the one-hour lesson. "Caderas" means "hips." She said that a lot. Other than that, it didn't really seem to matter what she said. We just watched and did what she did. Check out the pictures and video -- they speak for themselves.

Earlier, on Monday afternoon, we learned to use the public buses to go to the city of Heredia. Our guide, Johnny, said that it was just a large town, not a city, but it seemed like a city to most of us. Once in Heredia, we went to the enclosed market, which Johnny said was fast becoming a thing of the past in Costa Rica. There we saw all kinds of fruits and vegetables (some that were totally unfamiliar to us) and there were booths with meat, chicken, fish and dairy products. Johnny explained the uses of several of the lesser-known fruits, and he passed around samples of some seasonal fruits that we had never tried before. A few of the other vendors sold a variety of plants and herbs that are used for medicinal purposes, and we also saw booths with toys and games, candles, and just about anything for the house. After leaving the market, we went to the town square and saw the "fortin," which is a very important historical symbol for this region, and really for the entire country, as well as the colonial church in the central plaza of Heredia. Finally, we walked through part of the city to the university area, which is where la Universidad Nacional is located. It is one of the four public universities of Costa Rica. From there we got on another public bus to head back to San Joaquin. By that time, though, it was rush hour, so we were squeezed into the bus, most of us standing, in very close quarters. Johnny said that we would definitely be out of our comfort zone, and he was right. We don't have any pictures of that part because it was impossible to get the cameras out.

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Photos

Merengue!
Lauren and Elroy are partners for the merengue. Notice that they aren't even looking at their feet!

Hey, this is fun!
Almost everyone was hesitant to get started with the dance class, but it certainly looked like everyone had a good time.

You have to focus
Glaze, Reid, and Pete focus and follow the instructor's every move. Bailey appears to have lost her focus.

Move your "caderas"
"Just move your hips like this" (only in Spanish). "Yeah, right."

What do you mean?
"We ARE moving our hips!" (Katie and Reid)

Great partner
Anne Marie had the BEST partner!

Dancing like pros
Before you know it, everyone is ready for "Dancing With The Stars," except for the part about being a star. Here, Ashton and Crystal pair up for the salsa.

Public Buses
To get to Heredia, we had to learn to use the public bus system.

Try this!
Johnny bought some seasonal fruit and passed it around for everyone to try.

Not Sure About This
Johnny told us to smell it and then suck the juice out of it, but Pete and Crystal aren't quite sure about it.

Not bad at all
Lauren carefully followed instructions, then decided it's not bad at all.

Didn't try this one
Johnny explained that this fruit is the Costa Rican equivalent of Viagra, but he said that if we wanted to try it, we would have to do that on our own!

Exploring the Market
Crystal, Bailey and Lauren explored the market on their own for a while. Crystal took this picture.

. . . Something
Johnny explained . . . something . . . about the central plaza. Crystal, Bailey, and Elroy listened carefully, while Pete was off to take a picture of Heredia's city hall (in the background). Jennifer (from CPI) was eating . . . something

Symbol of Heredia
The group looks at the "fortin," an important symbol of Heredia that is recognized by all Costa Ricans.

Church at Night
Later in the week, Crystal took this nice shot of a church in Heredia at night.

Comments

[Susan Cason]

Great dance moves Anne Marie
Ok, that was hilarious! Anne Marie I am so glad that the Cotillion class I made you take paid off. You did great! Sorry guys, you looked like you would have rather been at a baseball game!! Seriously, that looked like fun!

[Dad]

Where are you in the dance video?
Dr. O, I didn't see you moving your hips in the video or were you using the camera? Have a good time. Love, Mom and Dad

[Lamar]

Salsa classes when you return..lol
Wepa!! Asi se baila!! Ya tenemos mas salseros...jajaja!! Dr. O I'll be looking forward to the salsa classes that I hear you're offering this fall...jajaja!! que se cuiden

[alfreda]

great site
Love the pictures. Looks like you guys are having a good time.