Wow, it´s been a while! Sorry I don´t write much and I'll apologize in advance for the length. Since I don't have a computer, I don't come to the cafes much to use it. I guess I've gotten used to not having access to a computer and cell phone constantly; I actually kinda like it, but of course I miss talking with my family and friends so much.
Last week was pretty uneventful except that I had a cold. Just a sore throat, runny nose, and lack of energy. That didn't keep me from doing anything though. Friday (21st) was probably the worst of the cold as I got really hoarse and almost lost my voice. Caroline, Rachel, Jessie, and I went to a mall after school. It was really nice and we really enjoyed looking around. We ate dinner at an Italian place and went to see Hairspray (the movie). So good! I loved it. It was in English with Spanish subtitles so we were able to fully enjoy it and read along with the subtitles.
Saturday, the 22nd, I went bungee jumping! I left around 8 a.m. with 4 other girls from LASP: Kylie, Amie, Ally, and Rachel (but not the one from LU). We rode a bus for about 45 minutes and ended up at Tropical Bungee. It was in the middle of a forrest so it was beautiful. We jumped off a bridge that ran over a creek. I volunteered to be the brave soul to go first in the group. As you know, I'm very adventurous and love the rush, but wow, when I was standing up on that bridge, it's a pretty intense feeling. You have a thing around the waist like you do during rock climbing, but the main hold is on the feet. So I'm standing on a little ledge looking down to the creek, rocks, and trees as the guide counts down, practically feeling nothing on my body to protect me, and knowing I have to jump! Of course I didn't hesitate because I love to take risks, so down I fell. I kinda lost my breath half the way down because you just don't feel anything attactched to you. Then you spring back up and get the closest experience to flying that you're ever going to get. So amazing. I have a video of it and of course there's pictures on facebook.
The rest of the night I just stayed home to rest up and relax. Sunday I went to church with my mom and her sisters and friends. Caroline and Jessie came too. We ate at a chinese restaurant afterward. I was a little nervous because I don't like chinese much anyway and chinese in Costa Rica? I got fried rice with shrimp and it was really good. Tasted like Pei Wei. Hung out with my moms family that afternoon, did some homework, and got ready for another busy week.
The biggest project of the week was a group project about TLC or CAFTA. My group was me, Rachel and Adam from LU, and 2 other girls, Jen and Sara. This was a 2 week assignment which consisted of interviewing people about their opinions, reading articles about it, going to hear speakers, etc. We had to come up with our position on it and what we thought best represented the needs of the marginalized. We said no, that it was better to not ratify TLC. We wrote a paper (in Spanish, thankfully Adam is from Venezuela) and had to do a 1-2 minute presentation in front of the class on Wednesday. Ours was the bomb! We did a full-fledged musical including singing and dancing. Songs inclueded country song She Said Yes (changed to we say yes), High School Musical song Stick to the Status Quo, Look Down from Les Miserables, Money Money Money, and the grand finale Seize the Day from the Newsies. We only did a little from each but it was amazing. Rachel's putting it on youtube.com so I'll let you know where you can find it.
Wednesday we also had a Biblical Reflection due. The theme this time was poverty. We were given several scriptures and a couple of articles to read to prompt our thinking. The title was The Poor You'll Always Have with You, because this is a famous verse when it comes to the poor, but the sad thing is many people use this as an excuse to not do much about poverty. Through the readings I realized how important our relationship to the marginalized is as Christians. I realized how much of a core value it is but how deeply understressed it is in the church. There were countless verses of people coming before God with sacrifice and praise but Him saying, this is meaningless because you aren't participating in justice in the world! One of the articles talked about how Jesus said you'll always have the poor because as Christians they should always be around us. In churches today there is an obvious distance from the poor. We want to help but prefer to do it at a distance (speaking generally of course). Such an eye opener and now I continue to struggle with what this means in my life and what to do with this. Two verses that got me the most are Isaiah 58:2 specifically but continuing throughout the chapter and Amos 5:21-24. I encourage you to read it, but prepare to feel a little uncomfortable.
Thursday we had praise and worship after class and then a group went to a mexican restaurant to celebrate Becky's birthday. Got a little lost on the way home as I was walking thinking I knew where I was going, but I just got a taxi and arrived safely back to the house. It was only like 7:15, not very late, so don't worry about me roaming around at night by myself!
Friday morning, yesterday, I went to the University of Costa Rica with Rose to interview someone for our big end of term papers/projects. We interviewed a guy named Andres who had spoken to our class. He is only 22 but is a city councilman for the district of Cartago. It was very interesting to talk with him and hear his prospective as a politician. It was also very cool to see a young person in such a powerful position striving to make a difference. His party is kinda known as the radical, young party. They advocate environmental issues and are very focused on the future and changing things, which is very refreshing compared to the usual older politicians stuck in their ways so to say.
I enjoyed being back in the college atmosphere for just a bit. I didn't realize how much I missed it until I was surrounded by so many people my age, so many fun shops and coffecitas, etc. I feel like there is just so much energy, so much idealogy, such a pivotal time as everyone is kinda seeking their own way to change the world. Latin American univeristies have more of this feel I feel like than North American because it is more uncommon to go to the university and people seem more focused, opposed to the typial party scene in the states. While there I bought some earrings and got this street vender to make me a ring ($1 baby!). 2 students approached Rose and I and asked if they could interview us for an English class. We gladly agreed, eager to return the favor since usually it is us who is asking to interview. We have projects all the time where we have to walk up to people on the street and engage them in conversation. It was fun to be on the other side.
Friday night we had Camino Espiritual, Spiritual Journey at LASP office. We all sat in a big circle, including all the profesors, and each had 3 minutes to tell about their spiritual journey. Luckily I was about halfway around so I had about an hour to think about what to say. I wasn't excited about this because it seemed so random and kinda awkward, but at the end of the night, after 4 hours of this, it was so cool to see how many walls are broken down and how much better you understand people after hearing a measely 3 minutes of their life. A teacher commented that just imagine in life if you took this time to get to know people, how differently you would view people and understand them. A good challenge. A common theme throughout the night was frustration with the church and how it often seems to be anything but a reflection of Christ. Through this frustration and hearing so many stories of struggles and basically how messed up the world is and how much it sucks, I definitely saw hope. Here is a group of 51 students all having around 20-22 years of age and with these frustrations some how holding on the faith. I saw the power in the room as I looked at 51 young people all desperate to follow God and make a difference in this world. A powerful, powerful night.
Currently I sit here on Saturday morning in downtown San Jose in an internet cafe. I'm about to meet up with friends for a Day o Fun! in the city. Tomorrow after church we're going to a soccer game which I am sooo excited about. It's crazy because it is really just flying by. One more week of ILE classes and then we're off to Nicaragua for 2 weeks. A week and a half of classes at LASP, Fall Break, a month of Advanced Language and Lit, a week and a half in Panama and then back to the states! So crazy! So if you're missing me a lot, just keep that in mind. It'll be here before we know it. So now let's just try to live in the moment and soak it up-I know I will! Love!
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Monday, September 17, 2007
Monday, September 17
Hello again. I'd liked to begin this blog by saying that I am so excited because I found Guarana in Costa Rica! It's not Antarctica but it'll do. Now back to an exciting update from CR...
Friday morning the whole group (51 students + about 10 staff members) traveled to Puerto Limon. We left around 9 in the morning and stopped within 30 minutes at a coffee plantation. Coffee is very important in the history of CR because it caused an economic boom that boasted the country's wealth and separated it from other Latinamerican countries. The country actually shared coffee wealth pretty evenly, with small upper and lower classes and a big middle class, but slowly the rich are getting richer and poor, poorer like so many other countries.
Traveling from San Jose is always an adventure, because the city sits in the valleys so to go anywhere else you have to travel through the mountains. Not so much fun in a bus, but luckily we had air conditioning. The next stop was for lunch which consisted of rice and beans (can you believe it) and other stuff. Later we stopped at a banana plantation, another importance in CR's history. It was interesting to watch the process. They told us that they grow bananas differently based on where they are going. For example, the US requires first class bananas and won't accept lower quality. Second quality bananas go to other countries or local vendors. The lowest quality bananas are used for baby food, flavoring, etc. The people usually work 6 days a week, 8-11 hours a day, for only $14-16. These jobs are often sought out though because work is few for many who will take anything they can get. The workers usually get out 2000 boxes a day. The ones we saw being boxed up would make it to Limon in a few days and to the states or wherever else in a week. So next time you eat a Del Monte banana, think of me because I could have possibly seen the banana being processed.
We got to Puerto Limon around 4 and checked into the hotel. I roomed with a girl named Rose and really enjoyed getting to know her better. That night we went around in groups and interviewed people about their thoughts on TLC or CAFTA (free trade agreement with the states). I went with Adam and Rachel, 2 fellow Lipscombers. Adam is from Venezuela so I really enjoyed being in his group. After talking with people we ate, walked around the city, and hung out some at the pier by the Pacific ocean. I really like the city of Limon. It is historically important for many reasons. It was the first place Columbus landed in Costa Rica. It is the main port of CR and 80% of the nation's wealth passes through. Sadly enough, the money usually does not return. Limon has the lowest educational rates along with high poverty and high unemployment. It has a strong Caribbean influence as many residents have roots back to Jamaica. Most people here speak Spanish and English, and the diversity here is unlike the rest of the country.
Saturday morning we had a couple of convocations. First was with Joycelyn Sawyer, a former teacher, representative to the National Assembly (CR's legislation), and ambassador to Jamaica. It was interesting to hear her perspective on the difficulty of working for the government and trying to create social change, especially to benefit the province of Limon. It was only in 1950 when Afro-costariccenses were given citizenship and allowed to freely travel and live outside of Limon. Many were brought to work on the railroad construction or in coffee and banana plantations. CR as a nation does not recognize their importance in the country, as is seen in the lack of assistence. She taught us that even though politics are usually corrupt, you have to work through it in order to create social change.
From there we traveled to an indigenous reserve for the Bri-Bri people. Gloria Mayorga talked to us about her people and the hardships they face trying to preserve their land, language, and culture. The government often takes their land away for tourist reasons or the land they have is often polluted or suffering the effects of globalization. It makes me happy that people still cling to their culture like that instead of conforming to the norm. Without indigenous groups, we would lose so much history, conservation, ecological help and a voice of how to live in harmony with God's creation.
Then we went to a beach, Playa Cahuita. It was a little cloudy but fun to relax and spend a day together on the beach. That night we had a private dinner at a restaurant and even had an afro-carribbean band play. We all really enjoyed the music and experiencing the culture. When we got back, our whole group of students decided to walk down to the pier. What a sight for everyone hanging out in the street to see a group of 50 americans. We probably looked like we were coming to take over the city.
In the morning we split into 3 groups and went to different churches. My group went to an anglican-episcopal church. It was interesting to note differences in traditions, but still sing a lot of the same songs and still worship God together. The service was in English, which was nice, but it was weird to hear and speak so much English! We hung out and had lunch with people from the church. They were so nice and I really enjoyed talking with them. It is sad because they know how little the government cares for them even though they need help the most. We returned that night and I talked with my mom about a lot of issues with Limon. It was interesting to see her perspective, which I think reflects many ticans' perspective of Limon. They think Limon's problems are because the drugs and crime and poverty. >Kind of like, it's their own fault. I feel like that's the easy road to take with poverty. They did it to themselves. But is that really the whole story? Do not issues like lower education, fewer jobs, and little funding play a role? How easy is it to blame them when maybe we should instead let ourselves feel some of the pain for a minute, for just a minute to picture ourselves in their shoes, and maybe, just maybe, feel the need to help them because maybe after all the blame does not belong to them alone.
I really enjoyed the city, the culture, the people, and mainly just feeling for the city of Limon. With TLC, the best answer seems to be no because it prevents bigger businesses and companies from coming in and taking advantage of CR's wealth. However, many people in Limon simply say, the rich will always be richer and the poor will always get poorer; we simply need jobs and any money. A different perspective for sure. Our latest project is working in groups to develop our position with TLC and turn in a paper and a presentation. The workload is not letting up, but I enjoy everything that I learn. I also borrowed The Irresstible Revolution from a friend Amy and am so excited to get to read that. It's getting late (7:15 haha) so I better head home and do some work so I can be bed before 11 and up by 6. I know reading this you're thinking, that's not Bethany at all, but it has become me in this culture. Everything is about an hour earlier. I slept till 8 today which is the most I've slept in since being here. Pura vida. (I don't know if I've mentioned that before but it means pure life and is the slogan here in CR. It can be used in any way possible. Try it sometime and think of me :)
Friday morning the whole group (51 students + about 10 staff members) traveled to Puerto Limon. We left around 9 in the morning and stopped within 30 minutes at a coffee plantation. Coffee is very important in the history of CR because it caused an economic boom that boasted the country's wealth and separated it from other Latinamerican countries. The country actually shared coffee wealth pretty evenly, with small upper and lower classes and a big middle class, but slowly the rich are getting richer and poor, poorer like so many other countries.
Traveling from San Jose is always an adventure, because the city sits in the valleys so to go anywhere else you have to travel through the mountains. Not so much fun in a bus, but luckily we had air conditioning. The next stop was for lunch which consisted of rice and beans (can you believe it) and other stuff. Later we stopped at a banana plantation, another importance in CR's history. It was interesting to watch the process. They told us that they grow bananas differently based on where they are going. For example, the US requires first class bananas and won't accept lower quality. Second quality bananas go to other countries or local vendors. The lowest quality bananas are used for baby food, flavoring, etc. The people usually work 6 days a week, 8-11 hours a day, for only $14-16. These jobs are often sought out though because work is few for many who will take anything they can get. The workers usually get out 2000 boxes a day. The ones we saw being boxed up would make it to Limon in a few days and to the states or wherever else in a week. So next time you eat a Del Monte banana, think of me because I could have possibly seen the banana being processed.
We got to Puerto Limon around 4 and checked into the hotel. I roomed with a girl named Rose and really enjoyed getting to know her better. That night we went around in groups and interviewed people about their thoughts on TLC or CAFTA (free trade agreement with the states). I went with Adam and Rachel, 2 fellow Lipscombers. Adam is from Venezuela so I really enjoyed being in his group. After talking with people we ate, walked around the city, and hung out some at the pier by the Pacific ocean. I really like the city of Limon. It is historically important for many reasons. It was the first place Columbus landed in Costa Rica. It is the main port of CR and 80% of the nation's wealth passes through. Sadly enough, the money usually does not return. Limon has the lowest educational rates along with high poverty and high unemployment. It has a strong Caribbean influence as many residents have roots back to Jamaica. Most people here speak Spanish and English, and the diversity here is unlike the rest of the country.
Saturday morning we had a couple of convocations. First was with Joycelyn Sawyer, a former teacher, representative to the National Assembly (CR's legislation), and ambassador to Jamaica. It was interesting to hear her perspective on the difficulty of working for the government and trying to create social change, especially to benefit the province of Limon. It was only in 1950 when Afro-costariccenses were given citizenship and allowed to freely travel and live outside of Limon. Many were brought to work on the railroad construction or in coffee and banana plantations. CR as a nation does not recognize their importance in the country, as is seen in the lack of assistence. She taught us that even though politics are usually corrupt, you have to work through it in order to create social change.
From there we traveled to an indigenous reserve for the Bri-Bri people. Gloria Mayorga talked to us about her people and the hardships they face trying to preserve their land, language, and culture. The government often takes their land away for tourist reasons or the land they have is often polluted or suffering the effects of globalization. It makes me happy that people still cling to their culture like that instead of conforming to the norm. Without indigenous groups, we would lose so much history, conservation, ecological help and a voice of how to live in harmony with God's creation.
Then we went to a beach, Playa Cahuita. It was a little cloudy but fun to relax and spend a day together on the beach. That night we had a private dinner at a restaurant and even had an afro-carribbean band play. We all really enjoyed the music and experiencing the culture. When we got back, our whole group of students decided to walk down to the pier. What a sight for everyone hanging out in the street to see a group of 50 americans. We probably looked like we were coming to take over the city.
In the morning we split into 3 groups and went to different churches. My group went to an anglican-episcopal church. It was interesting to note differences in traditions, but still sing a lot of the same songs and still worship God together. The service was in English, which was nice, but it was weird to hear and speak so much English! We hung out and had lunch with people from the church. They were so nice and I really enjoyed talking with them. It is sad because they know how little the government cares for them even though they need help the most. We returned that night and I talked with my mom about a lot of issues with Limon. It was interesting to see her perspective, which I think reflects many ticans' perspective of Limon. They think Limon's problems are because the drugs and crime and poverty. >Kind of like, it's their own fault. I feel like that's the easy road to take with poverty. They did it to themselves. But is that really the whole story? Do not issues like lower education, fewer jobs, and little funding play a role? How easy is it to blame them when maybe we should instead let ourselves feel some of the pain for a minute, for just a minute to picture ourselves in their shoes, and maybe, just maybe, feel the need to help them because maybe after all the blame does not belong to them alone.
I really enjoyed the city, the culture, the people, and mainly just feeling for the city of Limon. With TLC, the best answer seems to be no because it prevents bigger businesses and companies from coming in and taking advantage of CR's wealth. However, many people in Limon simply say, the rich will always be richer and the poor will always get poorer; we simply need jobs and any money. A different perspective for sure. Our latest project is working in groups to develop our position with TLC and turn in a paper and a presentation. The workload is not letting up, but I enjoy everything that I learn. I also borrowed The Irresstible Revolution from a friend Amy and am so excited to get to read that. It's getting late (7:15 haha) so I better head home and do some work so I can be bed before 11 and up by 6. I know reading this you're thinking, that's not Bethany at all, but it has become me in this culture. Everything is about an hour earlier. I slept till 8 today which is the most I've slept in since being here. Pura vida. (I don't know if I've mentioned that before but it means pure life and is the slogan here in CR. It can be used in any way possible. Try it sometime and think of me :)
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Thursday, September 13
This week has been pretty normal. Nothing too exciting, just settling into the routine of things here. Monday and Wednesday morning we had Latin American Studies class, and we had grammar and conversation every afternoon. I had my first grammar test Monday and my first conversation test is today. I realized that I haven't really described the city of San Jose. It's big and pretty dirty. The city itself isn't pretty but it's surrounded by gorgeous mountains. Everywhere we have class and usually go is pretty safe. I realized this last weekend when we left from the Coca Cola terminal which is in a different part of town. Sketchy! I'm thankful we travel through safe districts and not that one.
Monday morning President Rodrigo Carazo spoke to us. That's right an actual president of Costa Rica (1978-1982) came to our class. He was a really nice old man. It's interesting because they told us that he's not a very popular president to the people because during his time the economy dropped and many people weren't able to buy things they were used to buying. He kept many hospitals and schools from being closed, but no one knows this about him. They only know they lacked getting what they wanted. So that was neat to hear from an actual president.
My brain is so overwhelmed with new information. It's really neat to not only study language and history and what not, but to be a part of it and see it as I learn about it. For instance I had been reading about large plantation owners, the rich ones who employ the lowly poor farmers. Driving to Manuel Antonio last week I saw several farmers out in the field with their old-school hand tools. Very cool to experience it as well as learn it.
We've had to do lots of readings that give very different perspectives of things than my North American perspective. One of the things I wanted from this experience was to gain a new worldview; well, that is already being developed. I'm not a political person at all and have never been able to keep up with things. Here they are challenging us to learn all this history and perspectives. They told us that you need to be informed in order to make a difference in the world. I am learning that there is a lot that goes on that I am blind and deaf too, but that I should be standing up and fighting for. Just a warning that I will probably have a lot of different thoughts and perspectives when I return to the states. And I'm saying this after only 2 weeks! There is a joke that our teachers at LASP are brainwashing us to hate America. This is not true at all, but they are opening our eyes to what we're doing and how it is affecting the rest of the world. It's so cool to see things from a different perspective and realize how something that can seem so crazy from one perspective can suddenly make sense in another. I'm sure I'm not making sense right now, but all that to say that I am developing a Latin American perspective on things and I feel like I've learned more during my 2 weeks here than in the past 3 years of college! I love it.
Two specific examples that demonstrate. We've talked a lot about Christopher Columbus and the discovery of America. We often celebrate it, but in reality the conquistadors killed and took over the land and lives of thousands of people, destroying cultures and people groups. Not only did it hurt people then, but it continues to hurt the lives of many Latin Americans. They are free of foreign governments, but they often continued to be ruled by trade and transnational corporations. We've also been discussing the high cost of low prices. I am a bargain shopper as everyone knows, and I love my deals. I have never questioned how the prices are so low. How can things come from another country but only cost a dollar? The answer is cheap labor and poor living conditions. Ouch. It's a lot of things like this that are being presented to us and continue to swim around in my head. What am I going to do with this new wealth of knowledge? Am I going to continue to contribute or fight against the problem? I will continue to struggle through issues like that and many more throughout the semester, so if you're jealous of me going to the beach and volcanoes and such, remember I am doing a lot of work too.
That's all for now. I'll have to update after the weekend because we're going to Limon as a group. It's on the Carribean coast and is known for its poverty and racial diversity. We'll get some time on the beach, but it's of course an educational trip. Gotta love those. Until next time....
Monday morning President Rodrigo Carazo spoke to us. That's right an actual president of Costa Rica (1978-1982) came to our class. He was a really nice old man. It's interesting because they told us that he's not a very popular president to the people because during his time the economy dropped and many people weren't able to buy things they were used to buying. He kept many hospitals and schools from being closed, but no one knows this about him. They only know they lacked getting what they wanted. So that was neat to hear from an actual president.
My brain is so overwhelmed with new information. It's really neat to not only study language and history and what not, but to be a part of it and see it as I learn about it. For instance I had been reading about large plantation owners, the rich ones who employ the lowly poor farmers. Driving to Manuel Antonio last week I saw several farmers out in the field with their old-school hand tools. Very cool to experience it as well as learn it.
We've had to do lots of readings that give very different perspectives of things than my North American perspective. One of the things I wanted from this experience was to gain a new worldview; well, that is already being developed. I'm not a political person at all and have never been able to keep up with things. Here they are challenging us to learn all this history and perspectives. They told us that you need to be informed in order to make a difference in the world. I am learning that there is a lot that goes on that I am blind and deaf too, but that I should be standing up and fighting for. Just a warning that I will probably have a lot of different thoughts and perspectives when I return to the states. And I'm saying this after only 2 weeks! There is a joke that our teachers at LASP are brainwashing us to hate America. This is not true at all, but they are opening our eyes to what we're doing and how it is affecting the rest of the world. It's so cool to see things from a different perspective and realize how something that can seem so crazy from one perspective can suddenly make sense in another. I'm sure I'm not making sense right now, but all that to say that I am developing a Latin American perspective on things and I feel like I've learned more during my 2 weeks here than in the past 3 years of college! I love it.
Two specific examples that demonstrate. We've talked a lot about Christopher Columbus and the discovery of America. We often celebrate it, but in reality the conquistadors killed and took over the land and lives of thousands of people, destroying cultures and people groups. Not only did it hurt people then, but it continues to hurt the lives of many Latin Americans. They are free of foreign governments, but they often continued to be ruled by trade and transnational corporations. We've also been discussing the high cost of low prices. I am a bargain shopper as everyone knows, and I love my deals. I have never questioned how the prices are so low. How can things come from another country but only cost a dollar? The answer is cheap labor and poor living conditions. Ouch. It's a lot of things like this that are being presented to us and continue to swim around in my head. What am I going to do with this new wealth of knowledge? Am I going to continue to contribute or fight against the problem? I will continue to struggle through issues like that and many more throughout the semester, so if you're jealous of me going to the beach and volcanoes and such, remember I am doing a lot of work too.
That's all for now. I'll have to update after the weekend because we're going to Limon as a group. It's on the Carribean coast and is known for its poverty and racial diversity. We'll get some time on the beach, but it's of course an educational trip. Gotta love those. Until next time....
Saturday, September 8, 2007
September 1-8
Well, it´s been over a week so I apologize and say in advance that this may be a long one. So here´s what I´ve been up to....
Friday we had orientation the whole day at the LASP office. It was a bit overwhelming getting the syllabus and realizing, oh yeah, I am here to study. For my Advanced Language and Literature concentration I have to complete all written work in Spanish, including the 7-10 page research paper due at the end of October(ahh!!!). My basic schedule is Latin American Studies class 2 days a week from 8-12, ILE grammar and conversation class M-F 1-4, and the other times usually consist of getting around town and studying.
Last week was spent hanging out with my family and just doing whatever they did. Friday night I went with Fabiola to basically a high school dance. It was pretty fun, but I went home a little early and hung out with mom watching her favorite telenovela, or soap opera. Saturday morning we went to the equivalent of a farmer´s market except much bigger. It was a lot of fun especially learning all the new words for new fruits and veggies I saw. Bananas and carrots were like a foot long. It was a fun little day. That night I went with Fabiola and Vanessa and friends to a Spanish rock concert at the school. It was fun and I felt a little at home since I think of rock music as American.
Sunday I went with mom to church at Oasis de Esperanza (Oasis of Hope). It was such a neat experience. They sang several contemporary Christian songs in Spanish so it was easy for me to sing along. It´s a really big church, full of enthusiasm and passion. I really liked it and the coolest part is worshipping God in a new language. I always feel that my vocabulary is too small to praise God, and it´s cool to have another language´s vocabulary to use. After church I went with my mom and 2 of her sisters to the mall and window shopped. That night we just hung out and did homework. LOTS OF HOMEWORK!
Monday was the first day of riding the bus by myself. I was a little late, but I didn´t get lost so I was very proud of myself. I woke up around 6:30, left at 7:30, classes started at 8 and ended at 12, took a cab to ILE, ate lunch, had classes till 4, took a bus to San Jose, took a bus to Moravia my neighborhood, and arrived home around 6. What a full day! Homework, dinner, shower, and bedtime around 10-1030. I know it´s early but I am so tired by the end of the day! The sun comes up bright and early through my windows at 5:30 so I usually wake up then anyways.
Tuesday I didn´t have class at LASP so I just went to San Jose for a while then on to classes. Wednesday we had class at LASP and had a speaker who talked about TLC (or CAFTA in English) the Free Trade Agreement in the states. It´s a big deal that´s being voted on in October, so I´ll be here to witness a historical moment for Costa Rica. It´s really interesting. Basically the US is trying to impose its neoliberal policies on Costa Rica which tend to make the rich richer and poor poorer. It´s debateable, but the statistics back that view. This is in contrast with Costa Rica´s socialist government which historically has had pretty equal population. It´s a fight to hold on to old ways, or step into the new way many governments tend to be moving. This is just one of the many interesting topics that will be dealt with this semester. I´m not a very political person (really I´ve never paid attention) but here they are really throwing stuff out there and making you think about it. It´ll be an interesting semester, but I like the challenge and new viewpoints.
Wednesday and Thursday were pretty normal. Friday everyone was talking about weekend plans. We all want to take advantage of being in Costa Rica! Jessie, Caroline, Rachel, and I bought bus tickets for Saturday morning at shady Coca Cola terminal. Glad we don´t go to that part of town much. Caroline spent the night and we were up at 5 Saturday. A taxi picked us up at 6, we went and got Rachel and Jessie, made it to the terminal, and got on the bus headed for Quepas on the Pacific coast. It was a $4, 4 hour busride that took us to the beach! Manuel Antonio is a natural park like 10 minutes from Quepas. We spent the day there swimming and hiking. It was absolutely beautiful! We saw monkeys, huge lizards (like 2 foot), and other wildlife just hanging out. The park was everything you think of when you think of Costa Rica. Now we are at a hostel overlooking the beach and trees and beauty. We´re taking an early bus back to San Jose tomorrow to go to church and do homework. So here´s the rundown: $4 bus, $7 park ticket, $12 night at hostel, which equals a $25 weekend getaway to the beach! Priceless.
Costa Rica is such a cool country because you have mountains, beach, rainforest, volcanoes, everything! I love it. San Jose is a pretty dirty city but it is surrounded by mountains which make it beautiful. Homework has started to sink in and take its toll, but I still love this experience. The weather here is crazy. Sunny in the morning, rainy in the afternoon-night, 7 days a week. Although it didn´t rain at the beach today, Praise God! I´m getting used to the routine here and making my way around town. I love being immersed in the language and it is so comforting to have Caroline, Rachel, and Jessie to share this experience with.
I´m trying to think of a funny story to tell because I have laughed so much, but most of the stories are had to be there. We did have a scary experience on the bus this morning. We crossed 2 bridges where we had maybe 6 inches on either side of the bus. It wasn´t a concrete bridge either; it was like boards across and the bus shaked over every one. They weren´t very high off ground, but the crocidiles in the water did not make us feel any safer. At least we lived to tell about it and look forward to crossing them again in the morning on the way back! Pray for us.
Well, guess I better get back to my sunset on the Pacific ocean...love!
Friday we had orientation the whole day at the LASP office. It was a bit overwhelming getting the syllabus and realizing, oh yeah, I am here to study. For my Advanced Language and Literature concentration I have to complete all written work in Spanish, including the 7-10 page research paper due at the end of October(ahh!!!). My basic schedule is Latin American Studies class 2 days a week from 8-12, ILE grammar and conversation class M-F 1-4, and the other times usually consist of getting around town and studying.
Last week was spent hanging out with my family and just doing whatever they did. Friday night I went with Fabiola to basically a high school dance. It was pretty fun, but I went home a little early and hung out with mom watching her favorite telenovela, or soap opera. Saturday morning we went to the equivalent of a farmer´s market except much bigger. It was a lot of fun especially learning all the new words for new fruits and veggies I saw. Bananas and carrots were like a foot long. It was a fun little day. That night I went with Fabiola and Vanessa and friends to a Spanish rock concert at the school. It was fun and I felt a little at home since I think of rock music as American.
Sunday I went with mom to church at Oasis de Esperanza (Oasis of Hope). It was such a neat experience. They sang several contemporary Christian songs in Spanish so it was easy for me to sing along. It´s a really big church, full of enthusiasm and passion. I really liked it and the coolest part is worshipping God in a new language. I always feel that my vocabulary is too small to praise God, and it´s cool to have another language´s vocabulary to use. After church I went with my mom and 2 of her sisters to the mall and window shopped. That night we just hung out and did homework. LOTS OF HOMEWORK!
Monday was the first day of riding the bus by myself. I was a little late, but I didn´t get lost so I was very proud of myself. I woke up around 6:30, left at 7:30, classes started at 8 and ended at 12, took a cab to ILE, ate lunch, had classes till 4, took a bus to San Jose, took a bus to Moravia my neighborhood, and arrived home around 6. What a full day! Homework, dinner, shower, and bedtime around 10-1030. I know it´s early but I am so tired by the end of the day! The sun comes up bright and early through my windows at 5:30 so I usually wake up then anyways.
Tuesday I didn´t have class at LASP so I just went to San Jose for a while then on to classes. Wednesday we had class at LASP and had a speaker who talked about TLC (or CAFTA in English) the Free Trade Agreement in the states. It´s a big deal that´s being voted on in October, so I´ll be here to witness a historical moment for Costa Rica. It´s really interesting. Basically the US is trying to impose its neoliberal policies on Costa Rica which tend to make the rich richer and poor poorer. It´s debateable, but the statistics back that view. This is in contrast with Costa Rica´s socialist government which historically has had pretty equal population. It´s a fight to hold on to old ways, or step into the new way many governments tend to be moving. This is just one of the many interesting topics that will be dealt with this semester. I´m not a very political person (really I´ve never paid attention) but here they are really throwing stuff out there and making you think about it. It´ll be an interesting semester, but I like the challenge and new viewpoints.
Wednesday and Thursday were pretty normal. Friday everyone was talking about weekend plans. We all want to take advantage of being in Costa Rica! Jessie, Caroline, Rachel, and I bought bus tickets for Saturday morning at shady Coca Cola terminal. Glad we don´t go to that part of town much. Caroline spent the night and we were up at 5 Saturday. A taxi picked us up at 6, we went and got Rachel and Jessie, made it to the terminal, and got on the bus headed for Quepas on the Pacific coast. It was a $4, 4 hour busride that took us to the beach! Manuel Antonio is a natural park like 10 minutes from Quepas. We spent the day there swimming and hiking. It was absolutely beautiful! We saw monkeys, huge lizards (like 2 foot), and other wildlife just hanging out. The park was everything you think of when you think of Costa Rica. Now we are at a hostel overlooking the beach and trees and beauty. We´re taking an early bus back to San Jose tomorrow to go to church and do homework. So here´s the rundown: $4 bus, $7 park ticket, $12 night at hostel, which equals a $25 weekend getaway to the beach! Priceless.
Costa Rica is such a cool country because you have mountains, beach, rainforest, volcanoes, everything! I love it. San Jose is a pretty dirty city but it is surrounded by mountains which make it beautiful. Homework has started to sink in and take its toll, but I still love this experience. The weather here is crazy. Sunny in the morning, rainy in the afternoon-night, 7 days a week. Although it didn´t rain at the beach today, Praise God! I´m getting used to the routine here and making my way around town. I love being immersed in the language and it is so comforting to have Caroline, Rachel, and Jessie to share this experience with.
I´m trying to think of a funny story to tell because I have laughed so much, but most of the stories are had to be there. We did have a scary experience on the bus this morning. We crossed 2 bridges where we had maybe 6 inches on either side of the bus. It wasn´t a concrete bridge either; it was like boards across and the bus shaked over every one. They weren´t very high off ground, but the crocidiles in the water did not make us feel any safer. At least we lived to tell about it and look forward to crossing them again in the morning on the way back! Pray for us.
Well, guess I better get back to my sunset on the Pacific ocean...love!
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