As I sit here at my work computer, I can't help but to reminisce my time spent in Costa Rica... time that simply was not long enough. The last few days were complete bliss as they were spent on the beach eating and drinking all day... what more could a girl want? We also got to go zip-lining, a little mountain climbing, white water tubing, and horse back riding, which I loved. I've been zip-lining a few times before so this time was a piece of cake... I even went a little crazy did it upside down a few times. Just writing about it is making wish I were back there living the dream.
Costa Rica is definitely a place I will visit again... I HAVE TO GO BACK! I feel like there's not many places one can fall in love with, but Costa Rica is one of them. I loved the culture and the spirit of the people there; their laid back attitude reminded me of home where the saying is "laissez les bons temps rouler", let the good times roll. That's probably why Costa Rica is one of the happiest places on Earth... because they have no worries, they run on tico time, and they always have beautiful scenery. I wouldn't mind living there, that's for sure!
The trip as a whole was definitely a once in a lifetime thing: I made friendships with people I would have otherwise never met, visited a country I've always dreamed of going, and learned new things about myself. The whole group kind of became a family during the 10 days we spent together. On the first day I probably only knew 3 people's names, and by the end of the trip I knew and loved every person there and was genuinely sad that I wouldn't be spending every day with them anymore. As sad as I was to leave the most beautiful country and my new friends, I was excited to go home to my family and Louisiana food. This was the longest I've ever been away from home with minimal communication to my family, and I would be lying if I said I didn't miss it. My 4 week trip to Africa in a few weeks will no doubt be challenging, but if it's anything like the experience in Costa Rica, it will be completely worth it!
I feel like I must be one of the luckiest people to have been given this opportunity and the means to take part in it. I will be forever grateful for Dr. Lanier, Gabby, and Fernando for becoming our mentors and "second parents" throughout this journey. I think I can speak for everyone when I say that without them, our time in Costa Rica would have been as fun and entertaining. As exhausted as I was during the last few days in San Jose, I am grateful that we had a packed schedule so that we were able to experience as much of Costa Rica as possible.
PURA VIDA!!!
My Costa Rica favorites:
Favorite food: pineapple
Favorite drink: caipirinha
Favorite song: Tacata
Favorite excursion: whitewater tubing
Friday, May 24, 2013
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Beach life
Yesterday was jam packed so I didn't get to blog… but it was full of speakers and lectures. We went down to the hotel meeting room early in the morning and had great lectures. The first speaker, Mr. Burgos, spoke to us about his and his son's business… TicoShopping.com. His business targets to American shoppers looking to buy Costa Rican goods online and spoke to us about important it is to understand other cultures in order to do business with them. The second speaker, Ms. Fendt, discussed the history of Costa Rica's economy and gave us an overview of why Costa Rican's are the happiest people in the world. She said that people's happiness depends on one's set range of emotions, circumstances, and factors under one's control. The third speaker, Ms. Nystrom, was my favorite speaker of the whole trip. She talked to us informally and on a personal level about the poverty in Costa Rica. She came to Costa Rica in the Peace Corp when she was younger and never went back home to the United Stated because she fell in love with the country, the people, and her mission to help others. Hearing her stories was eye-opening and humbling while giving everyone a different view of Costa Rica other than just a vacation paradise. The fourth speaker was a Dean from the University of Costa Rica and told us that the commonly used phrase in Cost Rica, "Pura Vida", was first used by Mexican comedians. However, it did not become successfully popular until the Costa Ricans starting using the phrase and is now the motto of Costa Ricans all over the country. The fifth and final speaker spoke to us about the African decent in Costa Rica.
After the last speaker, we had a toast to celebrate the end of the school portion of the trip and the beginning of the vacation portion. We headed to a restaurant, Jazz Cafe, where we ate, drank, and were merry.
Today we packed, loaded up the bus, and headed to the beach resort. thankfully the drive was easy and I was able to fit in a little nap before actually getting there. The temperature here is WAY hotter and humid than it was in San Jose… around 90 degrees, but we're at the beach so I'm not complaining. Also, since we're not in such an high altitude, i feel so much better than I did in San Jose; I didn't realize how bad i felt until I walked of the bus today and realized I didn't feel like I was going to hurl and actually had an appetite. The beach here is awesome; there are so many dogs running around the beach and coming up to you so naturally I'm in heaven. After a lot of beach time today and watching the sunset, we all went to dinner… what I'm most looking forward to tommorow: sleeping late!
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| San Jose from a nearby mountain |
Today we packed, loaded up the bus, and headed to the beach resort. thankfully the drive was easy and I was able to fit in a little nap before actually getting there. The temperature here is WAY hotter and humid than it was in San Jose… around 90 degrees, but we're at the beach so I'm not complaining. Also, since we're not in such an high altitude, i feel so much better than I did in San Jose; I didn't realize how bad i felt until I walked of the bus today and realized I didn't feel like I was going to hurl and actually had an appetite. The beach here is awesome; there are so many dogs running around the beach and coming up to you so naturally I'm in heaven. After a lot of beach time today and watching the sunset, we all went to dinner… what I'm most looking forward to tommorow: sleeping late!
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| Our first glimpse of the beach |
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| Macaws chillin' |
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| The resort |
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| Can't beat this view |
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
I'm Alive
Yesterday I didn't post because I died… thankfully, with the help of Mariem, Matt, and Austin, I resurrected today and was ready for adventures again!
We started off today by going to San Jose's central market where we walked around a bit and got to see a little bit of the Costa Rican culture. Thankfully, it was a beautiful day and the sun was shining so walking around was enjoyable. We eventually made our way to the Costa Rican Congress where we were given a tour and learned a little about the Costa Rican government. They have eight parties instead of just two, which I thought was pretty cool.
After that we went to lunch at a souvenir shop… I was thankful to have a burger since I had an allergic reaction to something mysterious yesterday. Then we went into the souvenir ship that was full of everything you could possibly imagine, I bought a couple of things for myself before we were scurried off to take a tour of the souvenir shops factory. It was crazy to see how all of the jewelry was handmade.
We then made our way to the bubble gum factory, my favorite part of the day. It smelt heavenly when we walked off the bus with all of the sugar in the air. We had to wear these silly hair nets, but it was funny. We were walked through the process of how bubble gum was made and packaged and then we were given a pack a gum! I won the award for biggest bubble blown… just kidding, that award doesn't exist but if it did I would've got it.
We then went to the hotel where we had a lecture on medical tourism. Turns out, alot of people come to Costa Rica to have different kinds of surgery since it's so much cheaper than it is in the US. Some medical insurance companies are even offering to start paying for it because it's even cheaper for them.
Right when the lecture ended we headed off to the bus for dinner. We had dinner at this place with a beautiful view of the city lights of San Jose.
Thats all folks.
We started off today by going to San Jose's central market where we walked around a bit and got to see a little bit of the Costa Rican culture. Thankfully, it was a beautiful day and the sun was shining so walking around was enjoyable. We eventually made our way to the Costa Rican Congress where we were given a tour and learned a little about the Costa Rican government. They have eight parties instead of just two, which I thought was pretty cool.
After that we went to lunch at a souvenir shop… I was thankful to have a burger since I had an allergic reaction to something mysterious yesterday. Then we went into the souvenir ship that was full of everything you could possibly imagine, I bought a couple of things for myself before we were scurried off to take a tour of the souvenir shops factory. It was crazy to see how all of the jewelry was handmade.
We then made our way to the bubble gum factory, my favorite part of the day. It smelt heavenly when we walked off the bus with all of the sugar in the air. We had to wear these silly hair nets, but it was funny. We were walked through the process of how bubble gum was made and packaged and then we were given a pack a gum! I won the award for biggest bubble blown… just kidding, that award doesn't exist but if it did I would've got it.
We then went to the hotel where we had a lecture on medical tourism. Turns out, alot of people come to Costa Rica to have different kinds of surgery since it's so much cheaper than it is in the US. Some medical insurance companies are even offering to start paying for it because it's even cheaper for them.
Right when the lecture ended we headed off to the bus for dinner. We had dinner at this place with a beautiful view of the city lights of San Jose.
Thats all folks.
Monday, May 13, 2013
Blog Blog Blog Blog
Today I come to my blog full wisdom; you can truly see the knowledge radiating from me. Just kidding, I'm just sunburnt from the minimal sun I got yesterday #whitegurlprobz. But we had several speakers come talk to us today about various things about Costa Rica including tourism, trade, and Central America.
The day started off with another great breakfast: fruit, cheese, eggs, and rice and beans. We waiting around for a while and eventually headed off to a meeting room where all of the lectures were held. We had the most amazing lunch: tomato basil soup, salad, potatoes, chicken and fish. Went back for more lectures. Dr. Lanier blessed us with a gift from God. No, not the body of Christ, but chocolate covered coffee beans. I probably had about 10, however I was still fishing during the last lectures. Some interesting facts that I learned today:
The day started off with another great breakfast: fruit, cheese, eggs, and rice and beans. We waiting around for a while and eventually headed off to a meeting room where all of the lectures were held. We had the most amazing lunch: tomato basil soup, salad, potatoes, chicken and fish. Went back for more lectures. Dr. Lanier blessed us with a gift from God. No, not the body of Christ, but chocolate covered coffee beans. I probably had about 10, however I was still fishing during the last lectures. Some interesting facts that I learned today:
- Ms. Gibson with CINDE
- Reasons why people should come to Costa Rica for business:
- Quality people.
- Business climate
- Political environment
- Over 80% of GDP is from trade activities with foreign countries
- Costa Rica exports 4,562 different products to 147 destination countries
- Costa Rica is moving from an agriculture economy to a manufacturing and service economy
- Costa Rica is the safest country to live and work out of
- Foreigners have the same rights and obligations as locals
- Mr. Morales lectured about Costa Rica- A Travel Destination
- Costa Rica travel products:
- Eco-tourm
- Cultural trousin- rural tourism
- Adventure tourism
- Sports tourism
- Leisure
- Educational
- Business.
- 60% of tourist in Costa Rica are from US
- US economy determines Costa Rica tourism
- Cannot have mutli destinations in central America because of difficultly of travel and driving.
- Mr. Beer talked about trade promotion management
- Sectors
- Agriculture
- Food
- Industrial
- Services
- Mr. Central America
- Central America is about the size of France
- Social and economic differences within the Central America countries make it difficult for them to unite
Here are some more pictures from the past few days:
(view from the hotel)
(just a pretty flower)
Sunday, May 12, 2013
"She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy"
So today was awesome! It started off pretty early and thankfully we had a full breakfast to start off the day. The fruit was amazing! I'm not a big watermelon fan, but the watermelon here is so sweet! and the pineapple was awesome too, as expected. I also had rice and beans, a traditional breakfast item here in Costa Rica… and surprisingly I actually liked it! Coffee was also amazing as expected; I will definitely be drinking it multiple times a day as we have jam packed itineraries and I expect I'll be exhausted by tomorrow.
At 7:00 we headed off to the rainforest where we would be white water rafting. The drive there was about two hours and full of beautiful scenery. San Jose did not have the scenery I was expecting at first as its full of buildings and not much wildlife, but the drive definitely started to get me excited because I knew I was about to see something special. We finally got to the rafting adventure center and got all strapped up in helmets and life jackets and was given instructions on what to do during the rafting tour. We finally got in the boat and was on our way down the river that was full of class III rapids. The first rapid we went down I swear I almost fell out, but it was so fun! At one point when the water was calm our whole raft jumped out and went for a swim for a minute or two, but we quickly had to jump back in the boat before we hit another rapid. We stopped for a break at the river bank for a little while and enjoyed some pineapple. We also got the chance to jump off a cliff (not too high) into the river… I jumped three times because I had so much fun doing it. The tour finally ended and we got to change into dry clothes and eat lunch. I tried pretty much everything they had, although I didn't like a lot of it. My favorite was some kind of squash and corn mix. Some of the other things I tried included a potato salad, cole slaw, a few different vegetable salads, fish, and noodles with sauce. After lunch we went explore around the grounds and found a butterfly garden, but quickly had to get back to the bus to get to our chocolate facility tour.
We were shown the traditional way of making chocolate, which is VERY traditional… not machinery or anything. To get to the demonstration site, we took a 20-30 minute hike through the rainforest which I loved! It was hot and humid and wet, but nothing could ruin my good mood in such a beautiful place. We had to cross a suspension bridge which was pretty scary because it was so wobbly, but when we finally crossed it we actually got to see monkeys playing in the trees! There were two baby monkeys playing and they were so cute! We got to see some other wildlife out there, but the monkeys were by far the highlight! We finally got to the demonstration site where they showed out where the cocoa beans come from and how they are fermented, roasted, and prepared to make chocolate. We got to try all kinds of chocolate, including chocolate powder and chocolate drink! It definitely tastes different from a Hershey's chocolate bar. We hiked all the way back to the gift shop where were gathered for a lecture on Ecotourism from our tour guide, Willie.
The Ecoturism lecture taught us about how the Costa Ricans are so involved in protecting their environment in order for the next generation to be able to enjoy it. It allows them to give back to the community, their environment, and their economy all while keeping their country beautiful and their wildlife safe.
After the long drive back, we finally got back to the hotel and had pizza and wine. Another day done!
Cant wait to see what else we'll get into in Costa Rica.
At 7:00 we headed off to the rainforest where we would be white water rafting. The drive there was about two hours and full of beautiful scenery. San Jose did not have the scenery I was expecting at first as its full of buildings and not much wildlife, but the drive definitely started to get me excited because I knew I was about to see something special. We finally got to the rafting adventure center and got all strapped up in helmets and life jackets and was given instructions on what to do during the rafting tour. We finally got in the boat and was on our way down the river that was full of class III rapids. The first rapid we went down I swear I almost fell out, but it was so fun! At one point when the water was calm our whole raft jumped out and went for a swim for a minute or two, but we quickly had to jump back in the boat before we hit another rapid. We stopped for a break at the river bank for a little while and enjoyed some pineapple. We also got the chance to jump off a cliff (not too high) into the river… I jumped three times because I had so much fun doing it. The tour finally ended and we got to change into dry clothes and eat lunch. I tried pretty much everything they had, although I didn't like a lot of it. My favorite was some kind of squash and corn mix. Some of the other things I tried included a potato salad, cole slaw, a few different vegetable salads, fish, and noodles with sauce. After lunch we went explore around the grounds and found a butterfly garden, but quickly had to get back to the bus to get to our chocolate facility tour.
We were shown the traditional way of making chocolate, which is VERY traditional… not machinery or anything. To get to the demonstration site, we took a 20-30 minute hike through the rainforest which I loved! It was hot and humid and wet, but nothing could ruin my good mood in such a beautiful place. We had to cross a suspension bridge which was pretty scary because it was so wobbly, but when we finally crossed it we actually got to see monkeys playing in the trees! There were two baby monkeys playing and they were so cute! We got to see some other wildlife out there, but the monkeys were by far the highlight! We finally got to the demonstration site where they showed out where the cocoa beans come from and how they are fermented, roasted, and prepared to make chocolate. We got to try all kinds of chocolate, including chocolate powder and chocolate drink! It definitely tastes different from a Hershey's chocolate bar. We hiked all the way back to the gift shop where were gathered for a lecture on Ecotourism from our tour guide, Willie.
The Ecoturism lecture taught us about how the Costa Ricans are so involved in protecting their environment in order for the next generation to be able to enjoy it. It allows them to give back to the community, their environment, and their economy all while keeping their country beautiful and their wildlife safe.
After the long drive back, we finally got back to the hotel and had pizza and wine. Another day done!
Cant wait to see what else we'll get into in Costa Rica.
Saturday, May 11, 2013
The Broccoli Village
Day one of this adventure is almost complete! The morning started out rough… I didn't get any decent sleep last night since I was so anxious and anticipating this journey, and jeeze, did 5:00 AM come fast. Shout out to my biffle Midori aka Dori aka Midorable for picking me up at 5:30 and bringing me to the airport! Best friend of month award goes to you, Dori! Thankfully the check in process was easy, as was security and the actual plane ride to Houston. We were supposed to have a 45 minute layover before heading to Costa Rica, but that didn't happen. Our plane was delayed due to maintenance issues… just what you want to hear before boarding it. But we made it. Once the pilot announced we were about to land I was like a little kid with my nose basically glued to the window looking down on the country I was about to land in. My first impression: "it's so green!" I feel like every other place from an airplane looks dull, but Costa Rica was vibrant! I swear, I thought I was looking down at a big broccoli village from up there; there were so many fluffy trees and bushes and gardens… well I'm sure they're not really fluffy, but they looked like it from the airplane.
After going through immigration and customs, we were finally ready to head back to the hotel. We were picked up and packed into this little car. On the way to the hotel, I was able to see a little bit of what Costa Rica is like. So far, very rainy. No complaints, there… I love the rain, however, I would like to see what it's like on a sunny day. The forecast for the next few days is full of rain since the rainy season JUST started, but we'll see how the weather looks for the rest of the trip. Also, the money is SO confusing. I might just stick to what I know for the most of the time and use my credit card and US dollars. When I go to pay for something, I have no idea what it's going to translate into US dollars… I truly am a foreigner in this county which something I have never felt before, and I don't mind that at all. I'm going to learn so many new things!
San Jose is very different from what I've always imagined Costa Rica being like. Of course, we all imagine Costa Rica as beautiful jungles and beaches… but San Jose is very different from that expectation. There's tons of cars and traffic and people… nice people. However, there was a bus of people staring HARD at us at a stop light… that was weird. San Jose kind of reminds me of Cozumel Mexico, but prettier and cleaner. And the people here BEAUTIFUL.
I didn't take any pictures today, but expect some soon!
San Jose is very different from what I've always imagined Costa Rica being like. Of course, we all imagine Costa Rica as beautiful jungles and beaches… but San Jose is very different from that expectation. There's tons of cars and traffic and people… nice people. However, there was a bus of people staring HARD at us at a stop light… that was weird. San Jose kind of reminds me of Cozumel Mexico, but prettier and cleaner. And the people here BEAUTIFUL.
I didn't take any pictures today, but expect some soon!
Friday, May 10, 2013
Is This Real Life?
Now that the stress of finals has FINALLY passed, I have started to pack for Costa Rica… keyword: started. I have my clothes all over my floor trying to decide what I need to bring and what needs to stay at home. It still hasn't really hit me that tomorrow I'll be in Costa Rica… a place I've wanted to go for so long. It just doesn't seem real; am I really going to be in a different country in less than 24 hours? Yes, yes I am. Everyone keeps telling me its the happiest, most beautiful place in the world: paradise. I'm so ready to finally see for myself what this country is about. I want to see the people, their culture, their food, the jungles, the beaches… everything. If you know me, you know how much I want to travel in life and this is just the start of it! I swear, I must be one of the luckiest people in the world to have this opportunity… travel to a exotic country for 10 days AND get class credit for it?! I'm downsies! I'm definitely going to soak in everything while I'm in Costa Rica and savor every minute of it.
Some of the things that my class will be doing in Costa Rica include touring a chocolate factory, a bubble gum factory, and a coffee factory. I've heard the coffee is incredible, so I'm really excited to try it and find out what all the hype is about. I also heard the pineapple is to die for, and I love pineapple… so much that my instant message screen name at one point in middle school was "PiNeApPlEcHiK9261"… that's embarrassing to admit, but whatever. We're also going white water rafting and tubing and zip-lining. I'm SO pumped for that. I've never been white water rafting so it'll definitely be an adventure; however, I have zip-lined through the jungle in Honduras before, and I loved it so I'm really excited to do it again in Costa Rica.
In t minus 12 hours I'll be on a plane to the happiest place in the world, and I couldn't be happier about that.
Until tomorrow...
Some of the things that my class will be doing in Costa Rica include touring a chocolate factory, a bubble gum factory, and a coffee factory. I've heard the coffee is incredible, so I'm really excited to try it and find out what all the hype is about. I also heard the pineapple is to die for, and I love pineapple… so much that my instant message screen name at one point in middle school was "PiNeApPlEcHiK9261"… that's embarrassing to admit, but whatever. We're also going white water rafting and tubing and zip-lining. I'm SO pumped for that. I've never been white water rafting so it'll definitely be an adventure; however, I have zip-lined through the jungle in Honduras before, and I loved it so I'm really excited to do it again in Costa Rica.
In t minus 12 hours I'll be on a plane to the happiest place in the world, and I couldn't be happier about that.
Until tomorrow...
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