Costa Rica Journal

San Jose, Costa Rica Spring 2005 Saturday, April 2 I am writing this in my temporary home in San Jose, Costa Rica but I still cannot believe that I am here! It has been a very long day but everything was worth it. Going through security at the airport and getting on that plane alone was absolutely the hardest thing that I have ever done, and I think it was even more difficult for Mom. The flight to Atlanta was uneventful, though my connecting flight was delayed considerably due to engine trouble, meaning I did not arrive in Costa Rica until around 7pm, as opposed to 2pm, as planned. We landed and I went through customs and such, praying that someone from CEA would still be there to pick me up, even though I was five hours late. To my surprise (and anxiety), there were what seemed like hundreds of taxi drivers, tourist agency representatives and the like all waiting to transport gringos somewhere. I eventually found a short, slightly shady looking guy with a CEA sign, who then tracked down someone else, who called someone, who said my ride was on its way. After at least 15-20 minutes of awkward silence, a guy pulled up in a plain, slightly dilapidated car and my luggage was stowed away in his trunk. The trip from the airport to San Jose was spotted with lots of car horns, sudden stops, and minor heart palpitations. Despite all of that, the only thing that I could think of the entire way there was that this guy could kidnap me and I would be forever lost on the Rich Coast. Thankfully, I arrived safely at Veritas University and Myrna (my host mom) was waiting for me. She hugged me right away, carried my luggage, and told me that she had been worried. We drove from Veritas to her home. I learned that Auto Bohíos, words that had been used to indicate my new address in Costa Rica, was actually a car dealership that is used as a landmark and not, in fact, a neighborhood. Our house is located in a neighborhood called Zapote, which is less than a 10 minute walk from the university so that relieved some of my initial stress.

Sunday, April 3 Day two in Costa Rica was definitely not a disappointment. Doña Myrna had plenty of fresh fruit and frescos prepared for us when we woke up. After that, my three fellow study abroad girls that I will be living with and I made our way to Veritas University to have our orientation for Cultural Experiences Abroad. CEA treated us to lunch at La casa de Doña Lena, where I mostly just had rice followed by delicious ice cream. What I couldn’t get over during the entire meal, though, is that it seemed as though anywhere I looked I could see beautiful mountains and volcanoes and lush green vegetation. After lunch, we went on a city tour of the historic places in downtown San José. The downtown area is much different from Zapote. It is extremely crowed, piropos are rampant, and it seems like everyone wants you to give them change, buy something, or stop long enough for them to pick your pocket. Despite how it might sound, though, the city seems like a great place and I want to spend time there in the next few weeks – probably after I feel more confident about my Spanish, have a little bit of color on my skin, and don’t have to stop everything and do math in my head in order to understand how much something costs.

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Jessica King

San Jose, Costa Rica Spring 2005

Wednesday, April 6 I took my placement test on Monday. The written portion went very well but I was so nervous during the oral part. Nonetheless, I was placed into Advanced Spanish I. The class meets every day for four hours, starting yesterday. My professor’s name is Juan José Ortega and he is from Cuba. He married a tica, though, and has lived here for over 10 years. I also started my elective, Tropical Ecology, yesterday. We meet twice weekly and also have two weekend excursions/labs in May, one to the rainforest and one to a beach area. Mamá Myrna’s cooking is still keeping me full and happy, although I am beginning to wonder how many different ways there actually are to make beans and rice. I’m sure that I will soon find out! Lunch is usually my favorite meal, perhaps because it’s the largest. Dinner is usually some type of leftovers from lunch with something new added, such as soup. I also enjoy all of the fresh fruits in the morning and the frescos throughout the day. I am beginning to learn more about Myrna and her family. She married her first boyfriend when she was 21. They had five sons and were married for over 20 years until his death, which I got the impression was accidental though I didn’t pry. All of her sons except Luis Diego, who lives with us, are grown and three are married with children. Myrna told us that he was her one and only husband and that she did not want to be with anyone else. Considering that she is only 57, she has been alone for quite a few years. Obviously, though, five sons have kept her busy. She also cared for her sick mother for a very long time until she passed away. That is what caused her to decide to host us students. She said she had nothing to do all day and was lonely. I’m glad that she’s opened her home to us!! From what I understand, we certainly have one of the best host families around.

Thursday, April 7 Last night a lot of us went to the Santana concert. I had no idea how much of a fan I was until I got there! We paid around $30 for floor seats and I was even able to buy a Santana shirt for $5. Santana dedicated “Change Your Evil Ways” to Bush, which made me feel slightly concerned for all of us gringos in the crowd, but no one even looked our way. I was excited to realize during the concert that I understood almost all of what was going on. Today, we came home after lunch to eat with Myrna and after that we were invited over by our neighbor, Rodolfo. Rodolfo is 84 and has lived by himself ever since his sister died. He was an extremely nice man and really seemed to enjoy talking to us. He gave us a full tour of his house and showed us some of his photo albums. He seems kind of lonely so we’re hoping to visit him again soon. Following that visit, Myrna took us all to the Centro comercial to buy postcards to mail home to everyone back home. On the way back, I tried to call Mom from the internet café but she didn’t answer… I’m starting to get homesick!

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Jessica King

San Jose, Costa Rica Spring 2005 Letter from José Thank you for coming to Costa Rica and making your stay a great blessing to this household. We hope that you truly enjoy your stay because we are willing to do anything to make you feel comfortable. Tu familia apreciamos tu compañía y cada momento que pasas con nosotros. Ten por seguro que tu siempre tendrás un lugar especial en nuestro hogar. José

Saturday, April 9 Today started at 7am – and by started, I mean we were at the bus and ready to go at that time. Our first stop was at Sarchí, where there is an awesome arts and crafts market and which is also home to the oxcarts that you see around Costa Rica. I bought a few souvenirs there, watched an artist at work, and enjoyed the experience. After that, we went to Zarcero and saw the church and park there, full of some very interestingly shaped shrubbery. Finally, we were on our way to Arenal. After some convincing, I was able to switch over to the hotel room with Pauline, Dawn, and Katie… those girls really help me maintain a small comfort zone during all of these adventures! As a group, we quickly went to Baldi Hot Springs, which is really like a resort with bodies of water heated by Arenal Volcano. After the relaxing water, we all went to dinner and then bed, in preparation for the next day.

Sunday, April 10 This morning started early with a breakfast of eggs, gallo pinto, and café con leche. Following that and a lot of convincing, it was off to the horses. We rode horses on our hour-long trek to La fortuna Waterfall and the horse was quite scary. Getting off of the horse was quite an ordeal and I ended up twisting my ankle. That is the condition that I was in when I began my descent down the 400+ natural steps to get to the bottom of the waterfall. When I got to the bottom, I discovered beautiful, clear water, which I was able to swim in. Unfortunately, we did not get to stay for very long. I was exhausted and almost soaking wet when it was time to climb back up the hundreds of steps. My ankle was aching and I had no energy at all. Eventually, I had to get back on the horse and we returned to the hotel. After a rushed lunch and finally getting a good view of Arenal Volcano when the clouds had cleared, we were off to Monteverde. Our jeep-boat-jeep tour turned into a bus-boat-van trip. We rode from hotel to Arenal Lake, which is man-made. After crossing that we set out on a horribly bumpy ride that lasted for about an hour and a half. We passed all kinds of little shacks and dilapidated buildings along the way – it was very humbling. At one point we even had to stop because a cow was nonchalantly standing in the middle of the road. Upon arrival, a group of us decided to go into “town”: a street with a row of stores. I found a few souvenirs to purchase before we had dinner at a local pizza place (yes, I came to Costa Rica to eat pizza).

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Jessica King

San Jose, Costa Rica Spring 2005 Monday, April 11 My wounded ankle turned into a swollen and painful mess last night because my luck is just that amazing. So, instead of getting to do the Sky Trek zipline through the cloud forest, I ended up on the boring Sky Walk with Tasha and Adriana, who are scared of heights. I did get a few cool pictures and also saw a quetzal bird. Right after that experience, we began our four hour drive back towards San José. I am amazed at how long it takes to get to and from places in such a small country…

Thursday, April 14 Yesterday the girls and I volunteered at a local community home after our Spanish class. The kids were absolutely adorable. We all played outside in the street for hours. I was labeled la gringa; Dawn was la negrita; Paulina was la china. When Pauline tried to explain that she is Vietnamese, one girl stopped, made sure she had our undivided attention, and then explained in all seriousness that Pauline is in fact from China because she has slanted eyes.

Saturday, April 16 Our group left right after Spanish class yesterday to start our five hour bus ride to Manuel Antonio park/beach. We had a small rest stop in a pueblo called Orotina where I discovered coconut popsicles – one more reason to love the tropics. A few miles later we stopped to see crocodiles at the side of the road. I took a few pictures of them lounging around in the sun, since I thought Jason would appreciate seeing them later. After that we drove across a few amazingly rickety bridges before getting to Quepos, to allow a few people to use the ATH (“A todas horas”, a.k.a. an ATM). When we finally arrived in Manuel Antonio, we settled into our hotel, Villabosques, ate dinner, and swam in the pool. This morning we got up early and toured Manuel Antonio National Park. We walked the trail and then eventually made it to the beach area and took in the beautiful view. We spent most of the day at the beach and, just before leaving, we were greeted by a band of monkeys who stole loose items, such as sunglasses and suntan lotion. They did at least pose for pictures before completely leaving with our belongings.

Sunday, April 24 Tortuga Island definitely holds the title as my favorite excursion thus far. We woke up at 5:30 a.m., loaded all of our gear, got some breakfast from a local soda and then headed for Puntarenas, which is primarily a port town. It was an hour and a half ride to the dock, followed by at least an hour wait for the other bus to arrive for us to board. When the boat was finally ready to leave, I found a spot on the upper level near the live band and enjoyed the sun, the ocean, and the view for the hour and a half ride. We arrived at the island and immediately went snorkeling. I did not feel particularly comfortable with the idea but almost the entire group was going and I wanted to be adventurous. It was entertaining and I saw a few schools of fish and also some very tropical, colorful fish.

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Jessica King

San Jose, Costa Rica Spring 2005 After snorkeling we were served lunch back at the island, which was a combination of delicious tilapia, potato salad, vegetables, and cake (not a particularly Costa Rican meal). I also met a stray cat that apparently lives on the island. Following lunch, we played on the beach until it was time to depart. As we left Tortuga Island, the sun was setting and everyone was exhausted. The bus ride from Puntarenas was long and boring and it was very late when we finally returned to Zapote but I had an amazing trip and would love to return to Tortuga Island, perhaps with family.

Thursday, May 5 Mamá Myrna, Jose, the girls and I all went to Abuelita Tita’s house today. We all piled into the car and took an adventurous drive through various barrios. When we arrived, we were greeted with lots of frescos, snacks, and a freshly baked cake. Tita lives by herself now that her husband died. As Mamá Myrna explained, she had only sons and, therefore, according to tradition, there is no daughter for her to live with. I thought that was interesting and sad and definitely a moment of cultural learning.

Saturday, May 7 I’m in the Caribbean! We arrived in Puerto Viejo yesterday evening and I am loving it here! This morning was the snorkeling trip at Cahuita National Park. Due to my lack of excitement about my previous snorkeling trip, I decided to ride out on the boat but forego the snorkeling adventure. Instead, Luis dared me to swim to shore while I waited. I convinced Reina to go with me and soon acquired at least a week worth of exercise. At the shore, we ate fresh fruit and drank coconut juice straight from the source. We walked a trail and simply enjoyed the scenery and the beach.

Sunday, May 8 Limón really is a province apart from the other six in Costa Rica. Africans first settled in the area when the railroad was being built. Ever since, it has been the most diverse region of the country – full of rastas, Bob Marley addicts, and Caribbean cuisine. Today, we went to an iguana farm. As the name would suggest, we saw lots of iguanas and then took an impromptu walk through the rain forest. Because no one properly prepared me for the occasion, my attire was not exactly appropriate. In the end, I saw a poison dart frog, fell, and momentarily lost a flip flop in a stream.

Wednesday, May 11 Today was our class trip with the Cultural Heritage group. We all went downtown to learn about Costa Rica’s Legislative Assembly. The governing body is housed in a place called the Blue Castle (El castillo azul). We went on a guided tour of the building and even sat in the boardroom. I learned so much about

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Jessica King

San Jose, Costa Rica Spring 2005 Costa Rican politics, which I never thought I would be particularly interested in but that I know cannot stop thinking about.

Friday, May 27 It is so difficult to keep this journal updated. I am trying to enjoy every moment that I have here and keep the memories in my mind… sometimes that makes it hard to put them on paper. Last Friday I went on a class trip to Doka Estate, which is one of the largest coffee plantations in Costa Rica. I learned so much and, aside from the monstrous bugs, it was an awesome trip. Costa Rican coffee cannot compete in quantity with other coffee-growing countries so they compete in quality. The coffee is absolutely amazing but, sadly, the vast majority of it is for export and Costa Ricans don’t even get to enjoy it. I learned that Starbucks buys 60% of the second and third class coffee that Doka has and none of the first class coffee. Meanwhile, the harvesters get paid $1 for every 25 pound basket that they fill with coffee beans. Go figure. On Tuesday we took another class trip to Cartago. We stopped at the Ruins of Cartago on the way there and took pictures and enjoyed the beautiful garden. We made it to La iglesia del virgen de los angeles, patron saint of Costa Rica. The church was beautiful and full of baroque architecture. We saw the area where all of the ofrendas are kept and the power that people place on those objects is astounding. Luis Diego had a choir performance at school on Tuesday night. Dawn and I got all dressed up and went with Mamá Myrna to cheer him on. Everything was in English, given the nature of his school, and I felt bad for Myrna because she didn’t understand anything that was being said. Nonetheless, she was absolutely beaming with pride. I love Mamá Myrna – her maternal love reminds me of Mom. Yesterday was my last day of my Cultural Heritage class. I was rushing at the last second to get all of my essays finished but I’m excited about the end product: we all got a book with our bound essays to keep. In celebration of our last day, we took a mini-trip to the Children’s Museum. The building, which looks a lot like a castle, used to be a prison. We had a lot of fun but unfortunately did not get to stay for very long.

Friday, June 17 My Costa Rican trip is quickly coming to a close, as I currently have eight days remaining in the tropics. I am a mixture of emotions, most of which I don’t understand and definitely was not expecting. A part of me is counting down the second until I am back in the States, back in Cincinnati. I miss my mom, Brittnie and Alex, my house, UC, English, fast food, the norm. I want to hug my mom and tell her all of my stories that probably won’t be funny or make any sense to her. I want to show everyone my pictures and feel proud of what I have accomplished. I want to hang out in the Honors Office, give a campus tour, and buy my class ring. I want to go back to everything that has always been waiting on me. As if all of that nostalgia isn’t enough, a completely new part of me has developed in the last three months. I am not the same person that cried in the airport when I realized I was doing this all by myself.

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Jessica King

San Jose, Costa Rica Spring 2005 I am not the girl with the empty love for Latin America – I now know that I love this region, its people, and cultures. I have a new family and two amazing best friends. I have tested my personal boundaries time and again and have faced some of my deepest scars, in the most unexpected ways. My life has changed forever and that thought is intimidating and thrilling, all at the same time. The future is a mystery but I am ready for whatever it holds for me.

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Jessica King