Beachy Pictures

 The view this morning from the hotel room...

 Playa Negra

 Puerto Viejo

 The wave took me by surprise!

Puerto Viejo

Sorry I haven't updated in a while! Not a whole lot to report thus far. Still getting into the routine of things around San Jose. This past weekend I stayed in town reading in the sun, walking around in the sun (you should see my sunburn...just from being outside for one hour at 8 in the morning I got FRIED) and just feeling out the city avoiding the buses! I tell you, everyone would be completely surprised by my knowledge of public transportation within this huge city of San Jose and how to get from one side to another! Honestly, I have already spent more  time on buses than I ever imagined. But what can you do when its the fastest and easiest way to get around!

A really nice aspect of volunteering with Maximo Nivel in Costa Rica is the the opportunity to travel. They are so encouraging to see the country outside of the city. So that is exactly what I am doing right now. This morning I left for the Caribbean Coast, Puerto Viejo, to relax on the beach. The beach is called "Playa Negra" which means black beach because the sand is black. It is a very nice location, quiet and very relaxed with Jamaican cool attitude and the "Pura Vida" (literally meaning pure life) saying in mind. Today I walked around the town center and looked at all the shops. Tomorrow I plan on sitting my butt in the sand and reading for a majority of the day. They do have dolphin watching and snorkeling available here too so who knows what will happen!

When I return to San Jose I may look into switching my volunteer project half way through to the turtle conservation project.  Costa Rica has a HUGE population of turtles that depend on the coasts to safely lay their eggs during the seasons and a volunteer project I could do is to help protect the eggs from poachers, animals and other hazards. It is in a more remote part of the country but I would be living on the beach and it would be something I never could probably see otherwise....So we will see!

Costa Rica is really proving to be a beautiful country and there is always something to see or look at. I have a lot more of the country to see but I also have more time to do it in!

Weekend #1

Hola!
#1. I survived my first earthquake! Last night around 4 AM I was awoken by a rumbling and shaking. At first I thought it was someone climbing on my bed but then realized everything was shaking not just me. It ended up only lasting a short minute but still was something to experience!
#2. It is SO hot on the coast! Margaret *my house mate* and I traveled to Tortuguero Costa Rica which is on the Caribbean. Its famous for the huge amount of turtles that lay their eggs on the beaches each year. Nearly 1000 turtles come to shore each night! It was really nice to see and great to get out of the city and see nature! The only way to get to this destination is by boat so we took a two hour boat ride through the forest before landing at our lodge. I saw many animals...mostly birds and reptiles but we did see Monkeys and Caimans (baby alligators). In fact at the lodge where we stayed Monkeys came up to the restaurant when dinner and lunch was served!
#3. In the next week or two I plan on going to the pacific side of the coast and see the pretty places there!
#4. The kids at the project site are doing so well. We taught the days of the week, months of the year and some body parts last week and today as we reviewed them they really knew it in English! It is really rewarding to be able to teach them things! I taught them "head, shoulder, knees and toes" today and they LOVED the singing and actions...they kept saying faster, faster!


Here are some pictures from this past weekend...

 The Mountains on the way to Tortuguero

 Monkey's coming down from the trees at lunch time

 The Caribbean Sea

Can you spot the lizard! ISH!

Pictures

the view from my street

 my room

 the kitchen and Garson before dinner

 my house-- i live upstairs but the kitchen and dining room are on the first floor

 at the project site- Ben and some kiddies

The kids love to jump rope!

Adjusting!

I am on day 4 and already so tired from the little chicos at my project site. The kids are so wonderfully smart and beautiful but are trying their hardest to test me and see what they can get away with in class. Its hard to say no to these little ones! I had great success today teaching the kids the days of the week in English and tomorrow we will do the months of the year! Its all very basic but so much for them to take in in a short span of time. I love asking them one word they learned at the end of our sessions! Its a great feeling to see them proudly saying English words! Today was also soup kitchen day at the site where all the local kids can come and eat regardless of if they are in school or not. Its a great day for them but so sad to know that this may be their only  meal for the day. 

Later today I plan on going to the grocery store for some snacks and odds and ends. The food is always home cooked and good but its hard to keep eating rice and beans every meal. I am craving potato chips and chocolate so I will splurge and get some to keep in my room!

I am trying to decide what to do this weekend....so many options here!! A woman asked if I would be interested in traveling somewhere with her so she doesn't have to go alone so we may take a bus up to Monteverde Cloud Forest *http://www.monteverdeinfo.com/*. It looks beautiful. Otherwise a hike in the mountains in San Jose would be nice or even figuring out how to get to Walmart from my house stay may be a task!! In a few weekends I think I will go to the beach in Manuel Antonio. Its a little bit a further but so nice and warm there!

Of course I'll keep you posted on everything!! And I took pictures I just need to locate my usb drive in my suitcase in order to upload them! SOON I PROMISE!

Here....!

I am here in Costa Rica and having mixed feelings which is to be expected. The first day was hard to say the least. Traveling alone was an experience in the first place but add the unknown territory and I was a mess. After passing through customs I walked out the airport doors and found a crowd of screaming Spanish people calling names and holding signs. Add the persistent taxi drivers looking for riders and it was enough to make any American overwhelmed. I instantly felt lost and confused but luckily a police officer who spoke English saw that I needed help and helped me look for my ride. Nearly 45 minutes of standing outside the airport I was picked up by the correct taxi driver. This first experience rocked me a bit and I was getting to be very apprehensive. The driver told me I would be staying with a host family who doesn't speak much English....by this point I was freaking out. Once I arrived at host family I promptly lied down in my room and tried to nap. Soon thereafter a young girl came into my room who said she was my roommate. Sophie is her name, she is 18 and from Canada so we started talking and both felt the same way about the new adventure here in Costa Rica. At 6pm we were called down for dinner of rice and chicken. It was a quiet meal since there wasn't much communication going on between us travelers and the family. Hopefully my Spanish picks up so I can talk Marina and her family more easily. I was in bed by 7pm...what a first day. By that time the way I felt was that it could only get better here.


Bringing me to today...
Day 2
I rode my first city bus today and am still shocked at how the transportation works here. Cars are VERY expensive here so buses are the main way of getting around. EVERYONE takes buses. I jump on a bus labeled *Cedros* to get to the main part of town and from there go to downtown San Jose and for another bus labeled *Carpiso*. Its a confusing system but I think I will get it down easily after a few days. Bus fare has to be paid in colones NOT dollars so I have to make sure I have colones with me at all times. A bus one way is 210 colones which equals 42cents. It will roughly take me about 850 colones or $1.50 to travel to and from my volunteer site each day. 
I am teaching English in a town located nearly one and half hours away from my host family by bus. It is a VERY poverty stricken neighborhood. The kids I'll be teaching don't go to school mainly because their families can't afford the daily bus fare. They come to the local church for English lessons in morning which is when I'll be there. The ages will span from 2-14! I have been warned that the younger ones with little English knowledge are quite a handful. I'll be able to report more about that after tomorrow...my first official day teaching.


So far I am excited to be seeing this country but still wary of everything. Hopefully things settle down for me in a few days. 
I'll post pictures ASAP!!