Category: January Blogs

Hola chicos!

This past weekend was one to remember. So much happened in such little time, but I’m super excited to share with you all about my travels to La Fortuna and Monteverde!

Friday (1/27)

We departed swiftly at 1PM to La Fortuna – a 4.5 hour bus ride riddled with several traffic jams. We arrived at the Baldi Hot Springs – an opulent resort filled with – you guessed it – hot springs that progressively got hotter as we hiked through the resort. I was extremely excited for the hot springs because of the waterslides they had there, and they sure didn’t disappoint. This slide in particular should not be legal…. everyone that went on it practically got thrown around in the slide and came out as if they were free-falling. I apologize for the size of the video, as I can’t seem to make it smaller. Nevertheless, enjoy this video of me on the waterslide:

This entire night, I felt like a kid in a candy shop. I couldn’t get enough of the waterslides, and I had so much fun bonding with my friends. Later on in the night, we found these over-the-top caves, where a little waterfall trickled in through the rocks and created a sauna-like experience. I felt so rejuvenated and relaxed as I sat in the hot springs sauna.

After our time at the hot springs, we departed to our hotel (it was too expensive for us to say the night haha!) and prepared for the following day.

Saturday (1/28)

After an early breakfast, we headed down to la Catarata de la Fortuna (La Fortuna waterfall), a mesmerizing sight to behold. We quickly learned that to get close to the waterfall, we had to trek down almost 500 steps (which also meant later trekking up the 500 steps). The steps were worth it though as the views were simply incredible.

I won’t lie – the hike up the 500 stairs was definitely not easy. I definitely rewarded myself with a smoothie after the hike as I was sweaty and tired. But the views were so stunning and it truly felt like I’d seen something from a movie.

After the waterfall, we had lunch and then took a boat ride across El lago Arenal (Arenal Lake), where we (luckily!) got to see the Arenal Volcano on full display. The boat ride was stunning with the views of the volcano and the surrounding rolling hills.

Once we crossed to the other side, we then had a 2.5 hour car ride through Tilarán, a district/area of land that was nestled in the mountainside. It was incredibly windy – a couple of wind gusts physically moved me – but the views were amazing and I was awestruck by the surrounding beauty of Costa Rica.

After making it to Monteverde, we spent the evening eating dinner and taking in the gorgeous sunset from our hotel. Again, the views from our hotel were unreal and incredible to take in.

I went to bed early that night to prepare myself for our final action-packed day of the weekend.

Sunday (1/29)

Today was the day I think we all were most excited about: ziplining in Costa Rica. I was SO excited to zipline in the woods, and it did not disappoint whatsoever.

After arriving and getting the safety training, we embarked on our zipline tour in Monteverde. The first several zips were shorter but in the middle of the woods. They definitely didn’t have much clearance, for if I stuck my legs out of the ball-like position I was in, I would’ve easily hit them on a tree.

After the small ziplines, I then did several ziplines that were incredibly long. One of the zips was the longest zipline in all of Central America, estimated to be over 1 mile long. It wasn’t until about halfway through the zip could I see the end point. Throughout the entire zipline, I saw the entire valley below as I zipped across the line. I couldn’t stop laughing as I watched the valleys pass below me. The photo below is the closest I could find to accurately showing what the views were like from this zip.

I then got to do the superman zipline – the one where I lay on my stomach as I zip across the valley. I was definitely trembling in fear, but I also had the best time too. I’m currently looking to see if I can find the superman photo of me – if I can find it, I’ll update the blog and put it here. For now, this is a good example of what I looked like doing the superman zipline:

After the ziplines were done, I got to my favorite activity of the entire trip: the Tarzan Swing. At this point in the zipline tour, my adrenaline was pumping and I was ready to take on any challenge before me. The video below is me experiencing the Tarzan Swing, and again, apologies for the size of the video:

My legs trembled for a solid 5 minutes after my jump, but I was beaming and felt so accomplished and satisfied that I did it. I wish I could’ve done it again. My next step is to (hopefully) find a place to bungee jump here in Costa Rica, as I am ready for my next adrenaline rush.

After our zipline tour, we headed back to San Jose and I recuperated from the busy but amazing weekend I’d just had.

Conclusions

This trip made me fall in love with Costa Rica even more than I already had. I felt so happy and comfortable with my friends, and I truly got to enjoy some of the beauty Costa Rica has to offer. I feel incredibly blessed that I had the opportunity to visit both La Fortuna and Monteverde, and this trip will definitely be one I will not forget.

Next weekend, I will actually be heading down to Bocas del Toro in Panamá – a collection of seaside islands where I will get to snorkel and swim with dolphins. I will likely write my next blog after that trip. Until next time, ¡pura vida!

Hola chicos –

I’ve been incredibly busy touring around Costa Rica and finally had a few moments to actually sit down to write this blog entry. Since a couple weeks have passed, I will catch you all up on what happened two weeks, and then update you all my adventures of this last week!

Week #2: 1/15 – 1/22

Two weeks ago was my second full week in Costa Rica, and I started to feel more adjusted to my life here in Costa Rica. I’ve gotten more used to talking in Spanish everyday with my host family, know my way around the neighborhood/campus, and genuinely feel like I’ve made some friends here.

One aspect of life in Costa Rica that I’ve been adjusting to is having to be much more mindful of safety, particularly theft. Our program (and school) repeatedly emphasize that at night, we shouldn’t walk outside at all. They also tell us that we shouldn’t walk with computers (or any other valuables), and that we should limit the amount of cash we carry. One day during this past week, our office building was robbed overnight, where food and valuables were stolen. That same day I learned about the robbery,  I was approached by a man as I was leaving my homestay. He got uncomfortably close to me and began talking (and slurring) his words so that I couldn’t understand him. I quickly went back into the gates of my homestay, said I couldn’t speak Spanish, and he then left me alone.

To be clear: I’ve never felt unsafe at any point during my time here. Moreover, I have several resources to call if I feel unsafe at any point. However, my point in saying all of this is that it’s definitely taken me a little bit to adjust to the difference in safety. Back at St. Olaf, I could leave my laptop (and backpack) practically anywhere on campus for hours and return to find it exactly where I left it. Our mailboxes at school (that we share with another random student) don’t even have locks on them. As you can probably imagine, it’s taken me some time acclimating as I live in a bigger city.

And with all of that said, I’ve felt extremely lucky for the people and experiences I’ve had so far. My program advisors (Karla and Jessenia) are both delights to chat with. I’ve had several 1+ hour conversations with both of them, and they help me practice my Spanish.

I also love AIFS – the company that I chose to study abroad with – as they have been nothing but support during my time here. They also made sure to plan some well-thought-out excursions of the area, as I write about below.

Saturday (1/21/22)

Today, we had an all-day adventure visiting several different locations across Alajuela, one of the seven provinces in Costa Rica. Our first stop was Poás Volcano National Park – a beautiful place with lush forests, (supposedly) beautiful views and very, very, very sunny weather.

For reference, this is what we were hoping to see:

In all seriousness though, it was still wonderful walking through the National Park. While it was extremely foggy and we couldn’t actually see the volcano, the forests we trekked through were absolutely breathtaking. The fog and clouds made it seem like I was walking through an enchanted forest that’s always shown in cartoons.

As you can probably tell, I was completely enamored with the beauty of this forest and it more than made up for our inability to see the volcano. I already miss this National Park and might have to return back to experience this forest again (and to hopefully see the volcano!).

After visiting the National Park, we then visited a coffee plantation and saw a coffee farm! We learned about how coffee is made in Costa Rica got to see the machinery used to produce coffee. At the end, we even were able to try some freshly-made coffee… unsurprisingly, it was one of the most delicious coffee I’ve ever tasted.

We then continued our day-adventure visiting Grecia, a small town with a very historical building: the Church of la Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes. This church is made completely out of metal – one of the only ones in Central America. The metal was actually from Belgium and, as stories say, the pieces were meant to go to Chile, but wound up in Costa Rica instead.

From Grecia, we made our last stop in Sarchi, another small town that is known for its beautiful, ornate designs for ox carts.

We then visited an artisan factory, where they showed us how that ox cart was made:

After having some time to shop for souvenirs, we headed back to San Jose after a long but fun day traveling around.

Last week:

I can safely say now that I feel much more settled here in Costa Rica. I’ve developed (somewhat) a routine of having my daily breakfasts, heading to Veritas to take my classes, and have a more grounded sense of where I am and what I’m doing. I still am fascinated by my host family’s hospitality and genuine warmth that they’ve shown around me.

I will wrap up this blog entry here. I went to La Fortuna and Monteverde this past weekend, which will get it’s own entire blog entry and I have so much to share. I will hopefully post that blog entry within the next couple of days. Until next time, ¡pura vida!

Hola todos –

It’s Monday afternoon, and I write this blog entry back in San Jose after my incredible adventure at Manuel Antonio! This weekend was relaxing and exciting as we got to explore the national park. I’ll walk you all through my weekend:

Friday

We left my school and headed to Manuel Antonio National Park! Along the way, we stopped at a bridge where we saw (from below) crocodiles! Since it was mating season, there were a lot of them to see!

We then drove to our hotel, had dinner, and prepared for our big day!

Saturday

I think I uttered the phrase “That is so beautiful” at least 100 times during the day. To say Manuel Antonio National Park is beautiful is a severe understatement. The park was one of the prettiest places I’ve visited thus far in my life.

We first started the day with an early breakfast, and then went to the front entrance where we met with a naturalist from the area. He had special camera/binoculars, so we were able to see up close some animals:

And finally, my favorite photo that we captured at the end of the tour:

The tour was amazing and I was just in awe of the greenery everywhere:

After our tour, we had lunch and then explored the rest of the park. There were a couple of small hikes that we did that took us to the top of the hills in the park. The views from these hikes (at the observation decks) were breathtaking – I got emotional a couple of times because I was awestruck with wonder and disbelief. The pictures don’t do the views justice at all:

Again, I was just amazed at the natural beauty of the park and how we’d be in the middle of the forest, and then find ourselves overlooking pristine beaches.

After our hiking adventures, we proceeded to swim in the pristine oceans. I felt like a little kid as I caught the waves and laughed with my friends. We even saw some crabs on the shoreline.

That night, we went to dinner, then a bar, and just chatted away as we reflected on the amazing day we had.

Sunday:

We had breakfast this morning at the hotel. We had some visitors at breakfast who wanted a fair share of the food. The waitresses had to come over and spray them with water to try and deter them (spoiler alert: it didn’t). It honestly was quite comical to watch.

After breakfast, we then went into the ocean right next to our hotel. The waves were bigger than the day before which made swimming in the ocean that much more fun. The beach was also stunning to see – it felt like I was living in a postcard:

After our time at the beach, we left our hotel and departed back to San Jose.

Reflection:

This weekend was exactly what my body and soul needed. Culture shock was affecting me a lot last week, so being able to connect with nature, hang out with my new friends, and relax was rejuvenating. This trip made me even more excited for future excursions that I will embark on. Until next time, ¡chao!

Hola todos –

To say the past few days have been a whirlwind would be an understatement. I write this blog during the first morning where I have some downtime.

I left California at 11:50PM last Friday night and managed to get 2 hours of sleep. My body ached as I raced around the Charlotte airport at 8AM, trying to find a morsel of food before I left Charlotte for Costa Rica. Once landing here, I eventually made it to my host family’s house, and I immediately was greeted with the warmest smiles that I could’ve asked for.

I feel so blessed for my familia tica (aka Costa Rican family). I live with my mama tica, her son Elías and his partner Adriana, and their son, Nicolas. Everyday, my mama tica, Elías, or Adriana switch off cooking breakfast and dinner for me. They not only cook these meals, but clean up as well.

I’ve offered to help several times, but I’m always meant with “tranquilo Clay” (aka “don’t worry”). Their hospitality and kindness never fail to amaze me, and I feel very lucky to have them in my life. I always thank them profusely and try to help them in other ways. For example, I went with my mama tica to the store and helped her shop for some food. She’s 82 years old, so she had some difficulty carrying all of the groceries. I helped her carry everything and was able to practice my Spanish with her at the supermarket.

And while I love my familia tica and am so excited about my new adventure, culture shock has been hitting me pretty hard. Living in a new country with a new language, a new family, a new school, and new friends has not been the easiest feat. I oscillate between feeling joy and happiness with overwhelm and anxiety. So far, I’ve been feeling like the latter easily sneaks up on me like a cat pouncing on its prey, while the former I’ve had to actively pursue.

Just two days ago, I had a whole debacle with my Spanish class/professor. It my first time visiting the university, my first day of the semester, and my first class ever in Costa Rica. I was nervous because I didn’t know what I was doing and I second-guessing my Spanish skills (as I was placed in Advanced Spanish II). As I quickly learned upon arrival, the school has a floor specifically for international students, with signs showing where each class was taking place. I saw my class (and the classroom number), so I found my way to the class and met up with a few other students in the class. We stood next to the classroom, anxiously awaiting for class to start.

After 10 minutes of waiting with no one showing up, we realized we may have been at the wrong class. After scrambling for a few minutes, I then realized I had access to the course online and could see the course syllabus. I looked online and saw that the syllabus said the class was taking place in a different classroom. We then proceeded to search around, frantically looking for that classroom. We couldn’t find it, and upon going to back to the international floor where one of my resident directors was, we realized that the classroom he put in the syllabus didn’t exist.

Long story short, my resident advisor had to call him via his cell phone to ask where the class was. As it turns out, the classroom he ultimately was in was different than what posted online AND what he wrote in his own syllabus. Upon arriving 30 minutes late to class, our seemingly-frustrated professor then proceeded to speak to us at such a fast rate, as if we were all native speakers. I would say that I was able to understand ~30% of what he was saying. My heart was beating out of  my chest the entire class period.

When I decided to talk with him afterwards about having a tough time understanding what was happening in class, he continued to (still) speak at the same rate and tell me that I wasn’t at a high enough level to be in his class. He also did not offer any remorse or compassion for the confusion of classrooms that occurred at the beginning of the class period.

That class officially got removed from my schedule yesterday morning.

I tell the story above because it’s most obvious example of culture-shock-related situations that have arisen so far. Having attended St. Olaf for 2.5 years, I could never have imagined this type of situation happening there. To clarify – I know that miscommunications and cultural differences like these will occur while in CR, and I value learning about these cultural differences. However, this understanding doesn’t take away the feelings of uneasiness of adjusting acclimating to CR culture.

On a more positive note, I’m super excited for this weekend. My program group and I are heading to Manuel Antonio – a popular national park in Costa Rica that sits on the coast of the western pacific. It will be a fun weekend of hiking, swimming, and relaxing on the beech – a much needed rest from the chaos of the past several days. I will likely write my next blog after this trip. So, until next time, ¡adios!

 

Hola todos,

Wow – I can’t believe I leave for Costa Rica in two days. As nervous as I am leaving America for 4 months, I can’t begin to explain how excited I am to live and experience the country. I just learned a little bit more about my host family (and even got to see a little picture of them!), and their smiling, inviting faces have made my trip feel more “real” than ever before. They even love to sing and listen to music, so you can be sure I’ll be learning some Spanish songs with them :).

I’ve already begun preparing for my trip. I got my typhoid vaccine yesterday, which threw me into an unexpected episode of extreme tiredness (update: it luckily has subsided today).  I had to get a new suitcase because the one I brought home with me from Minnesota broke. I’m running to the dentist today since my 6-month check-up would have been while I was away. I had to notify the banks of my abroad so I don’t get fraudulent charges on my account. I had to order miscellaneous items (like a pair of hiking pants) because I won’t be able to have packages shipped to me once I arrive.

I mention all of these tasks above because I’ve already been humbled by how much preparation/work it takes when living internationally for an extended period of time. I think about the other expats like me and wonder what their experiences were like packing for their adventure. I also think about the millions of people forced to immigrate internationally for various reasons and how taxing that transition to their new country must have been.

To be frank, I write this journal entry both extremely excited and somewhat scared about what’s to come. I also feel this deep sense of gratitude that I have the privilege to study abroad at all. I want to specifically shoutout my parents and grandparents for helping me afford this trip and making it possible. And I also want to say thank you to whoever reads this for following along with me – your support and love means the world.

You can expect a blog update roughly once per week – it will greatly depend on how much free time I have once I get settled. Until next time, ¡adios!