$ Money $

Recently, actually two days ago, Costa Rica issued three updated bills to their currency (called colones). I really like the money here; the bills are colorful and have animals and plants that are native to Costa Rica. Could that get any better?
The exchange rate is roughly 500 colones to 1 dollar.

This is the smallest denomination. 

Value: $2

This is my favorite bill! I love the shark and starfish!

Value: $4

This is one of the newly issued bills. This is my second favorite. 

Value: $10

Another newly issued bill. Sloth!

Value: $20

Value: $40

The last of the new bills. I love the purple and the butterfly!

Value: $100

There was quite a bit of controversy regarding the 50 mil bill. Prior to it's release, the largest bill was 20 mil. The general public didn't see the need for a bill with a higher denomination because it wouldn't be practical for everyday interactions. The 50 mil bill is not dispensed from ATMs (they are available at the bank) and will mainly be used in larger business transactions.

I have a feeling that when I return to the U.S. I'm going to miss these bright, fun bills...

In addition to bills, there are also coins. 

(There is also a 500 colones coin)

Puerto Viejo de Talamanca

At 4:15 last Thursday morning I rolled out of bed to catch a bus with Tor and Gabrielle to Puerto Viejo in Limon. After 4 hours on the bus we arrived in paradise. The other people in our group met up with us Friday morning. There were nine of us total.

Puerto Viejo is by far the chillest place I have been to in Costa Rica. I mean, between the Rastafarian/ Caribe vibe, the friendly people, and the relaxed lifestyle how could it not be the most tranquilo (relaxed, calm, chill) place? 

We stayed at Rocking J's, a super cool hostel. Every thing from the ceiling to the floor was covered in funky/ artsy mosaic. The people there were fun to hang out with and it was also right on the beach. 

The front desk at Rocking J's

The beaches in Puerto Viejo are beautiful! We went to three different beaches during our stay. To get to Playa Manzanillo we rented town bikes for $3 and embarked on a mini Tour de France. The ten mile bike ride to the beach was fun, but I'll admit the ride back was a little tougher. It was well worth it though; the beach (similar to the others) had calm, clear, cool water and soft white sand. The weather was perfect and the beach breeze only added to that. Honestly, I think I've found my new favorite place in Costa Rica. 

One of the beautiful beaches

CRAB RACE! Rocking J's organized a crab race. For a dollar you could bet on the crab you thought would be victorious. Gabrielle and I were ready with our dollars in hand. Crab #5 was the underdog; he was missing a claw, but he was by far the biggest crab in the bunch. I knew he had potential. I put a dollar down on The Beast and Gabrielle randomly bet on #1. We agreed to spilt our winnings.
To win the race a crab has to cross the finish line three times. With little competition #5 stole the race! I collected the money we had won: a whooping three dollars each (the pot was split between us and another better). It was a lot of fun cheering on the crabs... winning wasn't bad either.

The Champion (and competitors)

You may have noticed that #2 is missing. He fell off the table and was half way eaten by the hostel dog. Sad day for crab #2.

BBQ at Zaida's!

Zaida, our group coordinator, invited the entire group and students from the English as a second language class she teaches over to her house for a barbecue on Saturday. 

I took on the challenge of grilling chicken and beef for around 25 people because no one else knew how. It was good grilling practice and I think I did a pretty good job (given the fact that everyone liked their meat). 

After everyone ate we chatted with the other students, danced around the living room, and played our own version of bilingual scrabble. It was a great time. 

Talking with the students who were learning English was really cool. The conversations would intermittently switch between Spanish and English. If a native English speaker was carrying on a conversation in Spanish and didn't know a word, somehow by mixing the two languages the word's meaning was figured out and everyone understood (and vice versa). The way the conversations unfolded was really interesting. Practicing Spanish and helping other people with their English was a neat experience and I walked away feeling like I had learned something new. 

Me and Margo manning the grill

Me and Gabrielle

Class #2: FL 2160

Every Tuesday at 1 pm I have my first class of the day: Gramática Española de Lenguas Modernas (Spanish Grammar of Modern Languages/ Fl 2160).
My professor is awesome. Marta is cool and in-touch with her students. On the first day she jokingly inquired about every one's beer consumption. I especially like how she makes the extra effort to check with the foreigners after class to make sure we understood everything (there are two other KU students in the class). She has spent many years teaching English as a second language, so I'm confident in her patience and teaching abilities.
This course is all about syntax and sentence structure: a lot of memorization. Sounds pretty boring, right? Fortunately my professor is a great lecturer: engaging and easy to understand. I sat attentively through her three hour long lecture... that says something. Oh, and the blister on my thumb from taking pages and pages of notes? That says something, too.
So far this is my favorite class.

Here's a picture of a butterfly that I took earlier this trip. 

(I like this picture and I like this class, so they get to go on the same blog page)

Ryan comes to Costa Rica!

Ryan and I at Playa Samara 

(This is a picture from the most awesome weekend ever)

Believe it or not, but that's a real photo of Ryan, my boyfriend, and I on the beach at Playa Samara in Costa Rica. Ryan, being the best boyfriend ever, pushed aside his doubts about coming to a country like Costa Rica and came to visit me last weekend! Even though it was a short visit I had a great time (Ryan did too). 

Ryan flew into San Jose Thursday afternoon. We ate dinner with my host moms. It was a great chance for Ryan to practice his Spanish phrases, which include "Gracias por invitarme" (Thank you for inviting me) and "Mi nombre es Ryan" (My name is Ryan). My moms really liked the flowers we brought them. Despite having to have me translate between English and Spanish, everyone enjoyed dinner and had a good time.
The next day we headed for the beach. About half way into our five hour long bus ride, the bus decided to break down. The way everything was handled was extremely different than what would have happened in the U.S.. I wasn't surprised by how everything played out, but I think it was a bit of a cultural shock for Ryan. He handled it well though and kept his cool. Eventually another bus came to get us and we made it to the beach later that night.
The rainy season is just now starting to really pick up. It rained quite a bit at the beach; it was sunny too. Unfortunately controlling the weather in Costa Rica is on the list of things I can't do. But we didn't let that stop us from playing in the waves, looking for shells, playing with Hermit crabs, and enjoying the beach! 
Above all, I had an amazing time! I'm so glad Ryan came all the way to Costa Rica to see me! 

First day of class: SO1133

I excitedly (and a little nervously) waited outside of my classroom in the social science building. I was twenty-something minutes early but other students were already gathering in the hallway. It was clear that many people already knew each other; there was a ton of cheek kissing (the traditional greeting). I sat and observed everything... I have so much to learn. By the time 9:56 am rolled around I was beginning to get a little worried about why no one had entered the class room (my class was scheduled to start at 10 am). Was this the right classroom? What if this isn't even the right building? Luckily people started to go in and take their seats soon afterward. I followed their lead.

The next big decision I was up against: where to sit. I had around 35 seats to choose from. I had been told that the bad students sit in the back... nope, don't want to sit there. There was a group of girls who clearly already had established a clique... keep looking. At the other side of the classroom there was a girl sitting by herself... looks good to me! Now that I had successfully established where I would be sitting for the next three hours of my life, all I could do was sit and wait for my professor to get there. 

Ten minutes after 10:00 am, my professor strolled through the door. I had heard that its not unusual for the professor to show up late. Decked out in plaid pants, flowy hair, big glasses, and a loose button down shirt, it looked like he had rolled fresh out of the 70's. He's one cool cat. He began speaking so quietly and softly; there's no way everyone heard what he said. Somehow I managed to catch some of what he was saying... attendance is important... this class is important... Welcome to Basic Sociology I (SO1133).

Once he was finished with his opening sermon, we broke into small groups of three to "get to know each other". I don't think he realizes how grateful I am for making us do this seemingly lame activity. I talked with two very nice girls. We talked about where we're from, our majors, and the like. I am thankful for their patience and kindness. We actually ended up swapping phone numbers at the end of class. 

Despite my professor's wordy tendencies, interesting choice of style, and and quiet voice, he seems like a pretty cool guy. I've heard he's pretty "gringo friendly", and I'm getting that vibe too. He doesn't like to give bad grades and it seems like he has good intentions. I mean he basically helped me meet new classmates. There's only 16 of us. We have two tests and small skits that make up our final grade. Oh, and of course, attendance. I think I'm going to really like this class. 

I'm actually doing it! 

Day at the park

To enjoy our last free day before semester classes start a group of us went to the park to play and relax (classes start tomorrow). We went to Parque Sabana. This park is HUGE! If you weren't one of the many people playing a pick-up soccer game, you could paddle boat around the lake for a while. And if that wasn't your thing, there were ponies and horses you could rent. We chose to play with the frisbee Jess brought in one of the open grassy spaces; this park seriously has everything. After we had played frisbee for a decent amount of time, we decided to relax and get a granizado. Granizados are the Costa Rican version of a snow cone. It consists of shaved ice, flavored syrup, powered milk, and condensed milk to top it all off. At first it sounded a little strange, but it was actually really good! The guys joined a pick up soccer game while the girls chilled in the shade. According to one of the guys, Tico soccer players don't like to pass as much as he was used to in the U.S.. I think they still had fun.
Because we had worked up an appetite playing in the park, we went to a well known soda. Soda are comparable to little diners/ cafes. I had a traditional plate of tacos and cabbage salad. The tacos here aren't folded in half like we do in the states. Instead they roll the tortilla up with meat inside and they cook (possibly fry) it. And they eat the cabbage salad with mayonnaise and ketchup for dressing. It's surprisingly good.

A few ways to be a Tico at the park on Sundays:
1. Play a pick up soccer game with 10 of your closest friends (and by friends I mean strangers).
2. Buy snacks from the vendors who keep walking by yelling about the treat they are selling.
3. Bring your kids. ALL of your kids.
4. Attempt to entertain your kids by buying them they cheap toys from the vendors.
5. Roller blade/ skate around the track. (I admired this)
6. Pick from one of the 900 possible activities and do it with enthusiasm.
7. Have an awesome day doing whatever you do at the park.

The park

Granizado 

(Yum!)

Romería a la Virgen de Los Ángeles

Every year in Costa Rica around 2.5 million people participate in a religious pilgrimage to the Basílica (basilica) de Los Ángeles in the city of Cartago.
Why Cartago? Well on August 2nd, 1635 an image of Nuestra Señora de los Ángles (Virgen de los Ángeles) appeared there. "La Negrita" or "The Little Black One" is a 6-inch tall representation of the Virgin Mary that was found by an indigenous girl on a rock on this day in Cartago. Following that event a huge basilica was constructed and now millions of people make the pilgrimage to Cartago every year during the week of August 2nd to thank La Negrita for her miracles and receive healing. That's the brief history behind the pilgrimage: the Romería de la Virgen de Los Ángeles.

Yesterday six of us decided to make the pilgrimage from San Jose to Cartago. The 13 mile walk we embarked on was worth the experience. We didn't need directions to figure out where to go; all we had to do was follow the crowds of people in from of us. The masses of people took up an entire traffic lane. There were people of all ages walking side by side. Most people wore walking shoes for the trek, but we did see people with nothing more than tape on the soles of their feet. Vendors selling fruit, Popsicles, and water lined the streets. Trash cans separating recyclables from organics and trash were placed along the roadside as well. Occasionally we had to walk through groups of people holding out their jars asking for change for their causes. When we weren't walking by change collectors or venders, we were usually passing people selling the numerous rosaries strung out on their arms. My favorite thing we passed might have been the Jesús Cristo rendition of the Macarena that was blaring from the speakers of a church group.
Aside from all of the extras associated with the walk, the most amazing aspect of the whole thing was that this huge group of people were all walking together united by the same religious drive.
After the walk I was exhausted; my body hurt. We celebrated the completion of our pilgrimage by enjoying hamburgers and nachos at a local restaurant. We took a bus back to San Jose, walked another mile to San Pedro, and went to home to sleep.

The Basilica at Cartago lit up at night.

(This is exactly how the basilica looked when we arrived)

The Group