A Bittersweet Goodbye

As my time in Costa Rica seems to be winding down, I can't help but reflect on what an incredible adventure these past four months have been, and how much I've learned about myself, my peers, my family, and the world in general. My spanish has improved, my hair is out of control, our group is as close as ever, and my mindset has been shifted.
I've made it four months with the contents of one suitcase, and really cannot remember one time I felt like I was missing something. That's right, it's possible to live with only enough stuff to fill a suitcase. This is something new for me. Life in Costa Rica is simple, relaxed, and carefree. I feel as though I am living a dream. Life in the states is so centered around working, earning money, and buying new things. I hope that in my return to the states I can remember that there are people living, happily living, with far less things than me.

I guess the biggest lesson I've learned in Costa Rica is that the world is full of beautiful places, but in the end, it doesn't matter where you are or what you have, what matters most in life is who you have to share it with. Our relationships are what make life such an adventure. I'm so happy about all the incredible people, my classmates and professors included, that I've met through this program. Costa Rica would not have been the experience that it was if it wasn't for the incredible staff that created so many opportunities for us. I hope that I, as well as my classmates, have properly expressed how grateful we are for everything they have done for us.
As excited as I am to return to hot showers, clothes dryers, and dishwashers, I'm gonna miss my tica mom, my little metal closet, my morning fruit and coffee, and the little old lady I walk past every morning who smiles at me with no teeth. I'm going to miss our weekends in the jungle, or at the beach. I'm going to miss my new friends, my commute to school, and the hot chocolate my mom makes with cheese. I am so grateful for how welcoming this country was to me, and the friends it gave me. I am grateful for the new friends I have returning to NAU with me, and I am grateful for the second family I have living here in this little house. I'm grateful for my life and every

passing moment, I'm grateful to have had something so wonderful it hurts to say goodbye, and also grateful to have a family so wonderful I can look forward to coming home.

C A R T A G O

Spent this past weekend in San Jose with my host family. Having downtime to spend with them is a nice change of pace in comparison to the constant traveling we were doing for a wile. Spent saturday with my girlfriends at an art festival in downtown and exploring the second hand stores. Sundays are the one day a week that my parents don't have to go to work at their business, so my host mom asked me if I'd like to spend the day with her.
She took me to a near by town called Cartago, which was actually the original capital of Costa Rica. Here we visited the ruins of a church that the people attempted to build many times, but was constantly being destroyed by earthquakes. The people finally gave up, and built the church in another spot. The ruins were incredible, tall, mysterious, and would be almost eerie if it weren't for the absolutely beautiful gardens and fountains that decorated the inside. Kids were running around laughing, the sun was shinning, and the sky was a magical color of blue. I felt small in the shadow of the ancient walls.
The next place we visited in Cartago was the Basilica. This was not just some church. For one, it was huge. And covered in statues of angels, marble white and painted beautifully. It was elegant and classic. Around the back hundreds of people were waiting in line with plastic water bottles shaped like the "virgin negrita." This church is the home of the negro virgin, which is something a little different in the Catholic religion. What the people were doing though was waiting to fill their bottles with holy water from the basilica. It was enchanting to witness their devotion. The inside of the Basilica was like something out of a movie. Elegant statues in every corner, high arching ceilings of stained wood, thousands of sets, a 10 foot golden cross up front, flowers, paintings, and a beautiful tile floor. I was humbled by it's beauty.
My host mom had made arroz con leche the night before and we ate some out of plastic cups in the park and she explained to me how once every year, on August 1st, milliones of people walk from their homes to the basilica to show the saints their devotion. My family has walked a few years in a row, and she told me from out house it takes 4-5 hours, however people walk from San Carlos, Guanacaste, places all over the country. Some people walk 2 or 3 weeks, leaving in July so they make it to the basilica in time. My mom explained to me how it's a safe and beautiful event, because the streets are closed to cars and all the police men patrol the path. She even said there are vendors that sell drinks and snacks along the way, and sometimes people willing to give you a foot massage, just to keep you motivated.
After our arroz con leche in the sunshine, we made our way back to San Jose. I spent the evening with my mom making arepas, a type of pancake from columbia. We talked about various things, and she promised me that if I ever found myself in Costa Rica again I always had a place to stay with them.
As my time here in Costa Rica is slowly approaching it's end, I'm realizing that the things that meant the most to me were not the nights I spent at the bars with my friends, they weren't the zip line tours or the days spent laying on a beach. As fabulous as all of these things were, the things that really touched my heart were the connections I made with my family here. The auga dulce my host mom makes for me when I'm cold, the cookies she sneaks in my backpack, the phone calls just to check in and make sure I'm okay. I feel so incredibly blessed to be welcomed and ultimatley included in this family. I can't help but tear up when I think about the goodbyes in the not so distant future.
All I can do is enjoy this time that I have now, and do my best to express my gratitude for the unconditional kindness I was blessed with these 4 months.

When in Panama...

Tourist visas in Costa Rica last 90 days, so in order for us to stay here until January, we were required to leave the country for 3 days. This past weekend we took a trip to Bocas del Toro, Panama. The plan originally was to take a bus from San Jose to Puerto Viejo, which is about 4 hours, spend the night, and then continue on to Bocas the next day. However, a bridge had collapsed on the highway we needed to take, and we were forced take an alternate route. The trip was supposed to be about 2 hours longer but ended up taking us about 12 hours in total. A car had crashed and the roads were completely backed up. We sat and waited for about 3 hours not moving at all, and when we finally started moving it was at a slow stop and go. We arrived at puerto viejo around midnight and spent what little time we had sleeping in hammocks. Early the next morning we headed towards the border. 

Crossing the border was quite the adventure in itself. We were told to bring our exiting flight itinerary, for it is necessary to leave and reenter the country. I had my flight information, but unfortunately it did not have my name printed o it anywhere, and the panama police were not about to let me in. This gave me a small little panic attack, but I was able to walk to an internet cafe and print out a new copy from my email. From the border we traveled in a van for about an hour and then a boat for another 45 minutes. Bocas and the surrounding islands were incredible. Upon arriving at Bocas we ate lunch and checked into a hostel.

 After this we decided to ride bikes to the beach with our group. Expecting a short 1, maybe 2 mile ride we did not think to bring water. The bike ride was beautiful, we rode through a thick rain forest, lots of low hanging vines and big green trees. We also passed some small communities and saw lots of little kids playing outside. It was pretty tranquila. After about an hour we were told we still had 6 km to go, which was pretty frightening seeing as we were already all exhausted. I kept going though, and perfected my no hands technique. After what seemed like forever we arrived at the beach. It was a white sand, clear blue water, paradise. The cold water felt amazing after being so hot and sweaty. After this we got back on our bikes and started the long ride home. After about 3 miles Jon’s chain snapped off and it was getting too dark to see how to fix it. We struggled with this for a solid 10 minutes, and by the time it was back on it had gotten so dark we couldn’t see 1 foot in front of our faces. The jungle that had been so enchanting in the daylight was now dark, loud, and full of god knows what and god knows who. I started to panic a little bit but knew my friend Tyler was close behind. That was, until, I said something and no response came. I yelled for Tyler but it was pretty clear at this point he was not behind me anymore, and I couldn’t see Jon in front either. This is where I got scared, but I knew I was not about to stop and wait in the pitch black Panamanian jungle, so I just took off and started yelling “Chicos??” until finally (probably 2 minutes but felt like 2 hours) ran into Jon, who looked pretty freaked out. We decided it was probably a good idea to stick together and ride at a slow and steady pace. Jon and I tried to make conversation but honestly we were both panicking so hard it was kind of difficult. This is where my energy started depleting. I needed water and my legs were completely exhausted. We kept going through and eventually came upon Donovan, Conner, and Karlos. I had never been so happy to see those boys. We decided that Tyler and the other girls were safe because they were with both of our adult male costa rican leaders, and that we shouldn’t sit around and wait for them. Every one of us wanted out of the jungle, so we kept going. We rode in a line and played marco polo to keep a judge on how far apart we were, because we literally couldn’t see a thing. We sang and joked and the attitude was generally positive, which kept me from panicking. Everything was going smoothly, except for when I fell in a ditch that i didn’t see at all but I didn’t get hurt or anything so we just kept going. The adrenaline was flowing at this point and I knew I was going to be okay. The feeling I had when I saw the city lights in the distance made the whole disaster so worth it. I was so happy to know we were getting out safe and in one piece. In the end I was incredibly proud of myself for pushing myself and riding the whole way. That is for sure a first in my life! The other group ended up walking their bikes back because Tyler’s tire had popped, (This is why he fell behind). I was just thankful we all made it out without getting robbed, raped, or attacked by jaguars! That night we chilled in the park, listened to the reggae band playing across the street from our hostel, and collapsed into bed. The next day had its own adventures. We woke up early and got on a boat taxi that took us to different islands. One was the most beautiful place I have ever been in my life, a national park, jungle, beach, paradise. We also went snorkeling (encountered some jelly fish but Pura Vida), visited an indigenous community, and saw dolphins. At the end of the tour we were sunburned but smiling. That evening us girls bought souvenirs and walked around town. We decided we wanted to go to sleep early because we had a long day of traveling ahead, but we’re roped into going out by Jon and Karlos. All of us took a boat taxi to a place called “Aqua Lounge.” It was a bar, on the ocean, and the whole thing was a dock with spaces where we could swim and swings that swung into the ocean. We swam and danced all night. It was literally so. much. fun.  When Jon came to find me to leave however, I tried to locate my shoes, and they were nowhere to be found! Jon’s pants had also been stolen, so we made the trek back looking a little worse for the wear. The reggae band across the street from out hostel was still playing music and so we all stopped in the park and danced under the stars.. A perfect end to a weekend full of adventures. 

The trip home was fairly uneventful in comparison to the rest of the weekend. Made it home with about 30 mosquito bites, cuts on my legs, and one too many stories to tell. 

Pura Vida

Un fin de Semana en Monteverde

Hola!

This past weekend all of my classmates and I traveled to a place called Monteverde in the cloud forrest of Costa Rica. The drive was about 4 hours but a good time. The last road we took was rocky and pretty twisty/turn-ey, however the trek was most certainly worth it. We stayed in absolutely beautiful Cabinas with a spectacular view of the forest and a glimpse of the Pacific Ocean when the clouds lifted. It wasn't cold, but it was cooler than it has been here in San Jose, which was a nice break from the hot and sticky beaches. Out cabins had a shared kitchen where we cooked all of our meals.

On Our first day in Monteverde, we rode horses with a local farmer for about 2 1/2 hours through the cloud forest. It was enchanting! Although I haven't been on a horse since I was 8 years old, I really enjoyed myself. We ran our horses through roads and rivers and think forest. Midway we stopped at the owners farm where we were served hot coffee and cheese empanadas. Mmmm. We rode the rest of the way as the sun was setting and it was quite the picturesque evening. That night we drank, played guitar, sang, and appreciated the beauty that surrounded us. I am so thankful for the people I am here with and how excited about life they are. It makes me so incredibly happy that they share my passion for adventure, nature, and exploring the world. Every one of us is equally grateful for this opportunity which makes for a super positive group dynamic, and I couldn't ask for anything better. That night we followed two of our classmate (in the dark mind you) through the rainforest where they had found a tarzan vine we could swing on. Now this was a pretty legit tarzan vine and the swing was quite the thrill. I wasn't sure I could do it but ended up going multiple times. I'm pretty sure that there are very few people who could say their saturday night was cooler than mine.

The following day we went on a canopy/zip-line tour through the cloud forest. Sporting helmets, harnesses, and chunky gloves we ziped through the tree tops and saw monkeys, birds, and other animals alone the way. At one point we repelled down a tree about 40 feet and then swang on another tarzan vine (although this was bigger than the one we found it was a tad more secure seeing as we were strapped in). The canopy tour was thrilling and relaxing at the same time. After this the chicos all decided to go bungee jumping and us girls got to watch. The boys tried to convince me to join but my fears got the best of me. However I later learned that I don't meet the minimum weight requirement (115 lbs), so even if I wan't to jump they wouldn't have let me. Watching the boys jump was sufficiently thrilling, and I had no regrets at the end of the day. We ended the day by making tacos and piña coladas, playing music, and dancing under the stars.

Our last day in Monteverde we visited a Quaker farm and a Quaker school. The Quakers were the first to move to Monteverde, and they cleared a lot of the land that is now different shops and houses. The Quakers immigrated to Costa Rica because they do not believe in war, and didn't want to be forced into the army during World War 2. They live a simple life, taking care of a farm, making cheese, and running a school. The school is open to students of all religions, but run with Quaker ideals. I really appreciate the ideals the Quakers have, for they believe in peace, equality, fairness, etc. However, they are not about pushing their religion on other people, because they want people to come to the decision to practice Quakerism on their own. The school was magnificent. A majestic wooden building, charming classrooms, surrounded by the beautiful forest and mountains. I really wouldn't have minded staying there for a few days. Or forever.

One of my favorite aspects of this experience is getting to see how many other options the world has; as opposed to the traditional american standards. Who says I need a lot of money to succeed and be happy? Who says you need to go to a traditional high school? My eyes are being opened and I am learning that I don't have to live any certain way. I have options. I could go live in the cloud forest and teach english if I wanted. All in all, it was a wonderful experience and I am so grateful that we got to go.

This weekend we are traveling to Bocas del Toro, Panama. Can't wait for the adventures ahead!

Nos Vemos!

Una Vida Bonita!

Buenas días amigos,

One of my absolute favorite spanish vocabulary words I've picked up here in Costa Rica is "tranquila" which means "Calm", and here they use it how us americans would use, "It's all good" or "no worries." "Oh hey sorry I forgot to call you" "Tranqula mai." I love it! Tranquila is also a great way to describe my lifestyle here. Very laid back and very go-with-the-flow. It is hard to be in a bad mood surrounded by such happy and genuine people.

The people of Costa Rica, and America Latina in general, live life a little differently that we do in the United States. For one, their family unit is extremely close and the most important thing really. In the United States it's normal for kids to move out of the house when they turn 18, or when they are leaving for college. It's almost looked down upon to live with your parents past the age of 20. Here in central America, things run a little differently. Kids here live with their parents basically until they get married or move out of the country. 22, 25, even 30 year olds are still living with their parents, going to school, and working at the same time. This is the norm. When trying to explain to my parents that I am from Oregon but go to school in Arizona, I was met with extreme confusion. Why would I possibly go to school so far away from home? My host mom always asks me if I miss my family, and I don't really know how to explain to her that even if I was in the States, I would be at school in Flagstaff and it would be the same amount of time until I saw my parents and brother again.

This topic is hitting me pretty close to home this week because my 22 year old host twins have both announced plans to move out in October. Juan has been planning his move to West Virginia for about a year, so his parents were not surprised when he bought a plane ticket. Juan has a girlfriend living their and they plan to get married in December. Diego, on the other hand, out of the blue announced that he would be leaving for Canada at the end of October. Whenever this topic is brought up around my host mom, she is reduced to tears. The thought of any child leaving their home for the first time is always hard for a mother, but imagine both of your sons announcing they we're moving to different countries in a month! The tight-knit nature of this family is incredible, and it kinda breaks my heart to think that the boys will be leaving soon. It is kinda nice having two older brothers to hang out with everyday. My heart goes out to my host mom, because I know that their move will be very, very hard on her. I can only hope to do my best to comfort her and be here for her for the duration of my stay.

I feel so blessed to have been invited and excepted into this family, especially when the family unit is such an important part of their culture. What a beautiful thing it is to have such a strong support system at all times. If anything it gives me a chance to really appreciate my own family, and also makes me nostalgic for the time I lived at home, and the times I spent with my parents in the past. Although I am not permanently living in another country and will be returning home for the holidays, which is something I am really looking forward too.

What I'm really trying to get at in this entry is that in the United States, a lot of the time, we put other things before our families. We choose to go to schools in different towns and states, we choose to travel, we choose to work long hours and skip out on family time. We are all guilty. We are told to live our lives, and part of that is leaving your family and learning things for yourself. But maybe, just maybe, the people here have got something right. Maybe our families should be our number one, because in reality, when you take away the materialistic, they are all we have. I'm not saying it's a bad thing to leave your family and make the most out of your life, because if I hadn't done so, I don't think I ever would have appreciated what I had. All I know is, when I return home, I will be making room in my schedule for some much needed family time.

..

Buenas Dias!

I've heard before that Costa Rica is one of the happiest places on earth. And although I have been very few places in my life time, I can't say I'd disagree. People here are (for the most part) friendly, outgoing, and happy to talk with you. Whether it's the host mom of one of my amigos or the ice cream lady, everyone is generally willing to help you with your spanish and speak english as well. It's almost a little to easy to get by without speaking spanish fluently.

Another thing I've observed about Costa Rica, it seems as though there is always some reason to celebrate. Monday, September 9th is "Día de los niños", or "Childrens day". This monday my classmates and I were excused from out daily classes and given the opportunity to volunteer at a local elementary school. The school was going all out in celebration. We helped assemble a trampoline, scoop ice cream and jello, blow up balloons, (lots of balloons), and escort scared kids through the fairly frightening haunted house they had set up in one class room. It was a very cool day for us, because not only did we learn some interesting new spanish vocabulary, we also learned a little bit about what it would be like to grow up in Costa Rica. The school was adorable, bright blue and open air, all the classroom doors opening up to a courtyard. Out back was a metal playground and a decent size field. The kids at this school were characters to say the least. They didn't really grasp the fact that we don't speak spanish fluently, but I actually really enjoyed it. They would talk and talk and ask me all sorts of questions! My favorite had to be the little boy who asked me if I watched the Costa Rica vs USA soccer game, (I had, and that is a whole different story in itself!). He preceded to mock me and tell my why Costa Rica is much better at soccer, and asked if I wanted to play soccer against him. I am very excited because I get to return to this school once a week for the remainder of the semester to assist in english classes. I absolutely love working with children. Two of my girlfriends here in Costa Rica are studying to be teachers, and when I work with these kids, I feel as though I could see myself doing something like that in the future, too. But I have the rest of this semester to contemplate I suppose.

Another holiday I got to spend in Costa Rica was this past sunday, La Día de la Independencía, Costa Rica's very own fourth of July. Although there were no fireworks or hotdogs, Costa Rica knows how to do independence day right. On friday we learned how to make "falores" which are kinda of like lanterns that kids make for a big parade at night. Generally kids make houses, but they also make more creative ones too. One saturday, I went with my friend Erika and her host family to their daughter's elementary school for their big independence day performance and celebration. Here they sang multiple songs about Costa Rica and preformed cultural dances. All of the girls wore traditional costa rican dresses, and let me tell you, I would have LOVED to dress up like that when I was in grade school. All the kids carried around their falores and we saw some pretty creative ones! We saw a parrot, big flowers, and a lot of red white and blue ones. Towards the end of the performance a group of sweaty and panting kids ran in the gym carrying a torch, and they were followed by five 6/7 foot tall men with huge creepy devil masks on, well 4 were devils, and one was a coyote. These masked figures were followed by a latin band that proceeded to play dance music. At this point I started to feel like I was hallucinating or something because there were six foot devils dancing around a catholic school with nuns and a bunch of terrified screaming children. It was a very interesting cultural experience to say the least. Although I must say, being a kid in Costa Rica doesn't seem half bad.

Everyday in Costa Rica has been an adventure in itself. I am going into my fourth week here, and although the honeymoon phase has seemed to have passed, I am still excited and grateful for every day I get to spend in the country.

Hasta luego,

Kaysie

My Daily Life in Costa Rica

Hola!

Today marks my 16th day in Costa Rica, and although I still kind of feel like I am on vacation, I am starting to get used to the way of life here in Latin America. Right off the bat there we're a few things that threw me off, like the constant parade of honks and cat calls us girls get when we walk down the street, the rice and beans I eat for breakfeast, and the shower that knows only too temperatures: scalding hot or almost freezing. However these small inconvienences are absoluely nothing in comparison to the experiences and adventures I have already taken part in.

My first weekend we traveled to Manuel Antonio, a small town on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica. In Manuel Antonio I stayed with a group of my friends at a hostel for backpackers. Withen 10 minutes I met someone from Oregon who plays ultimate frisbee with one of my high school friends. To say that it's a small world is an understatement. That night as we we{re eating dinner rain poored down. We lost light for a solid 4-5 hours but that gave us time to drink pina coladas and hang out in the candle light. We ended the night with a midnight swim in our Hostel's little pool. The next day we explored Manuel Antonio nacional park. Here we found spiders the size of my hand, monkeys that threw stricks at us, racoons that stole one of our friends loaf's a bread right out of his backpack, an assortment of lizards, and at the end of the hike, a beautiful sandy beach. We all left the playa with red noses and salty swimsuits, but it was pretty close to perfect. The rest of the weekend was fun, although I was happy to return to my host family and my cute little room on sunday. If everyweekend in Costa Rica even comes close to the first, I never want this semeseter to end!

While the weekends are fun and adventure-filled, my school week is far from boreing. Monday through friday I have spanish class from 8:20 am - 12 pm, which comes with quite the homework load. After that we usually eat lunch somewhere close to campus, and after return for discussion class, dance class, cooking class, or futbol. Yes, they keep us pretty busy. Even when I,m at my house it is not really a time to relax. When home I talk with my two 21 year old host brothers, my host mom, and my host dad. I am trying to learn to communicate with them as much as possible, and it{s already getting a little easier! My host mom told me I was improving yesterday, which was a pretty good feeling for me.

All in all I know already this experience is going to teach me so many things, aside from the new language. Niether words in english or spanish can not even come close to describe how I am feeling. I am so grateful for this experience and can not wait for all that is to come!