“Ready to Go?”

Last night, I was on my way to a friend’s uncle’s house that we were dog-sitting at for the weekend. It’s a close drive from campus and a place we’d stayed at numerous times before. That is to say, it’s familiar; we know it, we know the area, we’re comfortable (relatively, it is still a bachelor’s pad after all). I was leaving a friend’s performance at school, on my way to meet the friend who was just leaving work, when I decided to stop at a gas station on the way to clean some of the winter salt off the windshield. During all this time, being the busy college student that I am, I was talking on the phone with my brother and catching up about his latest girl crush. As I’m squeegee-ing off the first half of the windshield, hearing about how this girl’s favorite color is green and she’s interested in traveling, the guy on the other side of the pump looks over and asks if I’m “Ready to go?”

Hey, Long Time No See

So it’s been a long while since I’ve posted anything, and that stems mostly from a very busy schedule and a list of priorities that don’t include blogging. However, they fortunately still include traveling.

Since my last post, I’ve finished out my semester in Costa Rica with some crazy last hurrahs, including a visit from a college and questionable tattoo artist; I’ve returned to the states, only to leave again for Canada (just for a night); an old friend from Switzerland came and visited me and I made my best efforts to show her around as much of my New England as I could; I’ve gone winter hiking, fed seagulls in the winter, taken care of mundane real life things like dentist appointments and bank accounts; I’ve flown to Colorado, driven across Nebraska, stayed in a town of 40-something people in Missouri, and have finally arrived back in Iowa to readjust back to “normal” academic life at university. It’s been a world-wind (in more than one sense of the word) but I’m finally a bit settled and am hoping to finally get on somewhat consistent schedule and share some of my travel stories from the last year, including the forever ago summer European travels and more localized traveling around the USA.

I hope you’re excited about what’s to come because I’m excited to share my stories (and my pictures)!

Volcanoes and Ziplining

Volcan Arenal has to be one my more favorite places in Costa Rica so far. I recently went there, along with Monteverde, as one of my program excursions. Although traveling in a large group can be annoying and certainly creates a more touristy vibe, this was one trip I was ok with being a tourist.

We left San Jose Friday early afternoon for a very long, very bumpy bus ride up to Volcan Arenal. For those of the faint of stomach, take precautions because although I’m not typically easily carsick, my stomach was rolling the last couple of hours of this trip. That being said, the views are amazing.

Running in Costa Rica

Yesterday I made my first trip to Walmart since being in Costa Rica. The purpose was to pick up registration stuff for today’s race, which I’ll go to in a minute, but I couldn’t resist going in and buying a few items. Unfortunately, Walmarts do not maintain their budget low prices here, although apparently it is the best option to get things like shampoo and conditioner (which still aren’t cheap). Fortunately, they operate like little Coscos here with free samples all around. In just five minutes, I was greeted with a sample of beer, given a mini cone of granola/cereal, got two mini cookies, and a cup of tea, with honey. If that’s not fancy I don’t know what is. 

The Low Point on the Roller Coaster

When I first studied abroad, there was a man named Allen at orientation who told my group about the emotional roller coaster of studying abroad. He used a marker to draw a graph on the white board behind him, exaggerating (?) and simplifying the ups and downs that were to come in the following year. There was a slight dip when we first got there and all our doubts and insecurities rushed at us, but then as we got our footing, the line soared up to a sweet high as we embraced independence and all the new culture around us. The next low would come as the newness began to fade and reality set in, and there would be a deep low around the holidays. It seemed a bit dramatic and also amusing to see Allen’s arm swoop up and down across the board, summarizing our exchange year, all our crazy experiences and lessons to come, into this simple chart of ups and downs, but looking back, it’s the most accurate way I know to describe exchange.

Costa Rican Bucket List

Ok, so I’m a bit late in publishing this, but this post reminded me that I hadn’t finished my bucket list for Costa Rica yet.I find them to be really helpful in keeping me in track in case I ever get to a point where I feel bored with a country, or overwhelmed. They’re just  a good outline to make sure I come away from my trip having down things. So, without further ado, here is my bucket list for Costa Rica:

A Visit to the Old Port

Recently I visited the popular Puerto Viejo on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica. Located in the province of Limone, the town has a relaxed, local, very Caribbean feel to it. I’m told by my Tico mom that the entire province of Limone has its own unique culture compared to the rest of Costa Rica: the climate is hotter and more humid, the people are darker, the food is different, the music is different; una cultura todo differente. While I don’t think I was fooled into thinking I was in another country, the beach life there is certainly more laid back than my experience on the Pacific side (which is currently only at Tamarindo).

First Month Mark and Foreign Finds

As I’m coming to the end of my first month in Costa Rica, my first intensive Spanish language class is wrapping up, I’m preparing for my second month and getting ready to start all my “elective” courses. Two new girls who moved into our home after having an unfortunate (unsanitary) experience in their old house have joined the two girls and I already living here, and yet another one is expected to arrive for the 12-week program on Sunday. That puts the household at three Ticos and six gringos, and one suspicious other who may or may not be a Romanian vampire living in the ceiling. It’s still a toss-up at this point based on recent evidence of lights turning on when they shouldn’t and pictures flying off walls with no visible provocation. But as I said, the cause remains to be determined (by others at least). It’s been a busy time.

Costa Rica has become an increasingly expensive country in recent years as the country has become relatively safer and better known as a hotspot for Western tourists. One of the things that makes it so expensive is the need for many imports to support this small country, especially with products that suit the tastes of increasing tourists.

It’s Getting Hot in Tamarindo

This past weekend I went on my first trip outside of San Jose to Tamarindo (or as my Tico dad refers to it, Tamagringo). First and foremost, the heat and humidity there are so much more intense than they are in San Jose. Everywhere I walked I went with my own personal rainstorm of sweat. For the price of the trip ($130 for transportation, two nights at a hotel, and a not so great and very slow complimentary breakfast), I was a little underwhelmed. However, there were certain advantages to going with a large private group, such as being able to rent out an entire hotel, ride in a comfortable air-conditioned bus that makes bathroom stops and makes sure you’re on the bus when it leaves, and having a kind of tour guide to show us the best places.

Dancing Out of My Comfort Zone

One of the advantages to studying abroad versus just traveling abroad is that it often comes with university perks. Such as dance classes. After being made fun of by a ridiculously white Danish friend for my lack of rhythm, I promised her I’d take dance classes when I came to Costa Rica. After putting off the twice weekly dance classes both times last week, I finally mustered up the courage to go today.