Geovanna...my new carro!

Here she is! Geovanna is a 1993 Geo Tracker 4x4, and I love her! I finally found a great used car to kick around in Costa Rica. The quad just doesn't do so well in the rainy season, so it was time to trade Rubi in for some bigger wheels and a rooftop. I wanted automatic because my manual skills are not all that, and I also wanted to be sure I got a 4x4 with air conditioning and a hard top. After 3 days of searching in Grecia (one of Costa Rica's used car capitols), Palmares, and San Ramon, I finally found this one. She's got everything I needed and the price was just right. Big thanks to my tico amigos Yerlin and Carlos and all of their family for helping me find and purchase the car. I can't express how valuable their contribution of time and energy was in this whole process. Without them I probably would've gotten the gringo treatment and the gringo price!!!

So THIS is the Rainy Season...

Really Rain? Really???

It's been raining so much lately I feel like I have barely seen the sun! There have been a few mornings of sunshine but the past week has been pretty crazy. For the past two days and nights it has rained constantly. I mean all day and all night, super hard and then a little bit lighter, with maybe a 20 minute pause here and there only to start pouring again, and it is still going...unbelievable! Apparently this is how it gets around the start of June, but hopefully it won't be so bad for too long. Normally in the rainy season, the mornings are somewhat sunny, and the rain doesn't come until the late afternoon or evening (just when I need to be in transit to my classes), but lately Mother Nature hasn't been following the rules! Now I am starting to understand why so many foreigners only live in Costa Rica during the dry season. This rain is no joke! Last year was such a light weight rainy season that I didn't realize what I was in for this time. Apparently I haven't seen anything yet, as everyone and their mothers keep warning me about the madness of October...

Ready for the rain

My friend Liz Gilbert, who has the same name as the author of one of my favorite books Eat, Pray, Love, came to visit this past weekend. She is another one of ALIARSE's volunteer English teachers who works here in Turrialba, and we met during our job orientation in January. She came on Thursday in the midst of a big rainstorm, actually the same night that an earthquake hit Costa Rica farther south down the pacific coast. Apparently my students felt the tremor while we were having class, but I didn't notice anything other than some papers falling off the desk. Hmmm. I kind of WANT to feel an earthquake just because I never have before, but I guess I should be careful what I wish for!

Liz drawing on Tiffany

Despite the rain, Liz and I had a great time here. She really loved this area and thought my whole set up with my family and the quad was great. She especially fell in love with my little sister Tiffany, as we spent some time one morning giving each other temporary tattoos with the yummy smelling markers I brought back from the States. Luckily, it wasn't raining too much during the daytime so we were able to go to the beach and visit the waterfall, which was in full force after so much rain. The hike up the river to the waterfall that is super easy in the dry season is finally getting kind of tricky again. I almost lost my flip flop twice!!! On Saturday, we did a tour of my favorite beach spots on the Santa Teresa side. Both nights that Liz was here we planned to go out for a few drinks, but every time we would get ready to go out, it would start pouring. One night we called a taxi, and the other night we used trash bag ponchos to stay somewhat dry on the quad. We felt quite accomplished as we managed to get out and have a blast regardless of the weather :)

Tiff & I with our new tattoos

This past week I also made my first attempts at crossing a river on the quad. All the rivers that were super low a few weeks ago are now way bigger, some of them flowing forcefully all the way out into the sea. But Rubi (my quad) is such a tough girl, I have to hand it to her, she really takes everything like a pro.

Rubi's new rain-proof box

I must admit the first time was pretty scary. The tiny river that I normally cross all the time with no problem had gotten so much bigger. I wasn't sure how deep it was in the center, and I stopped to ponder turning around and making a big loop up to Cobano. But after a moment I decided I could do it, so I put it in low gear and slowly crossed. We made it through! YAY Rubi! It was quite a rush, but I had an even scarier moment with Liz when we tried to cross a river at night and got stuck on a rock. The river wasn't that deep so it would have been no problem for the quad, except for the fact that I steered us onto a big rock and the tire got stuck. The scary part was that I had to reverse back into the river in order to get us unstuck! But like I said, Rubi handled it really well, and we were on our way in no time. Nevertheless, these rivers are only getting bigger, and with time the cut-through roads will be impassable. Yet another reason why a car will make much more sense: I'll be driving the long loop all the way up to Cobano and around, and even if I didn't mind getting a little wet, that's a long way to go on a quad. So the search for a car continues. I should have good news within a week or two.

Tiffany with Avocados from the tree in our yard

My favorite part of this time of the year is that the mangos are still abundant and the avocados are popping off! I've been eating avocado with almost every meal lately, and at least one mango a day. There are so many mangos still that people just give them away...que rico!

Ciao amigos!

Culture Shock USA

The Capital Building in Atlanta

I didn't think I'd been gone that long, but coming home definitely made me realize how much I've gotten used to life in Costa Rica. The first thing I noticed when I got off the plane was how tall some people were here! There were some black men in the airport that seemed like GIANTS! I mean basketball player tall. They don't make 'em like that in Costa Rica. I got home and took a hot shower...que rico! Not only was the water epically warm, but the soap was super luxurious, and the Q-tips actually had cotton on the ends! And when I went to blow my nose with a Kleenex (wait, there's another type of tissue besides TP?), I closed my eyes in enjoyment at how soft it was. Oh, the simple pleasures.

The first day home was the day my girlfriends were having a Moon Circle, which is like a spiritual gathering for females only, and my plan was to surprise them all when I showed up completely unannounced. So I got ready and cruised over in my Dad's car in an attempt to be uber incog. After a little confusion as to where I was going (slightly disoriented back in a car and back in Atlanta), I found my way to Bridget's house, parked outside, and quietly approached the house. I didn't see anyone around, so I slipped in through the front door and realized they were all out back starting the ritual sharing circle. I didn't want to interrupt, but Bridget must have seen a shadow moving inside the house because she came up to the side door, and to her surprise there I was in her kitchen with a bottle of Lizano in my hand! She couldn't quite process that I was actually standing there...and I was so excited about seeing all my girls that my heart was racing! We finally walked outside and everyone's mouths dropped open in shock! Waves of "Oh my God!" and "What are you doing here?" filled the air as I made my way to each of my friends for a big hug and an even bigger smile. What a fun way to start my trip home!

Girlfriends

My girlfriends are such special people in my life…they are nothing less than sisters to me! I have been super close with most of these ladies since college, and with friends like these, it never really feels like you've missed a beat. Sure, there is a lot of catching up to do, but it doesn't ever feel like I've been gone that long, and our relationships pick up right where we left off, full of love and laughter and plenty of girl talk. It was amazing to be around all of these beautiful women, and once again I felt extremely blessed by the life I've been given. We had a very exciting and emotional circle that day, followed by wine, snacks, and essential oil mixing to make sprays and perfumes. Oh, and some of the best food I've had in quite some time!!! Love you GA goddesses!

Sunday I enjoyed a delicious birthday dinner with my family and shared stories of life and travels. I love that my parents are so supportive of my adventures, and we are all really close. We pretty much talk about everything and I love that openness. Thanks Mom and Dad!

Dad and I at Nan's Thai Restaurant

Mom and Jason

The next few days in ATL involved the dreaded Visa paperwork. I literally spent all day Monday and Tuesday and part of the day on Wednesday running all over the city obtaining papers and certificates, getting things notarized and authenticated by the state, buying money orders and taking passport size photos. It was a bit of a headache, but I think it will be worth it once I get the Volunteer Visa. And I did get a chance to use my Spanish at the Vital Records Office when a Mexican guy needed some translating!

One thing I noticed while I was driving all over creation is the stress that traffic brings on...yuck. I hadn't felt that in a while and I didn't like it at all. In general the pace here in the city seems a lot faster, people are speeding around in their little bubble cars, and everywhere is too cold with A/C. Four days in, and I was already missing Costa Rica. Take me back to the simple life!!!

Traffic on Freedom Parkway, ATL

The week at home flew by as I stayed busy running errands and visiting with friends and family. It didn't really feel like a vacation in the relaxing sense of the word, but I did get in some great food and drinks with the people that I care about. I stocked up on the things I needed that I can't get down here or that are simply way cheaper in the States. But by the end of the week, I was super ready to get back to Costa Rica. When I got off the plane in San Jose I exhaled………ahhhhh, back to tranquilo ticolandia :)

I have a lot of work to do and classes to teach this week, so I'll leave you with that and write more next week. Again, great to see everyone at home and thanks for all the sweet birthday wishes! Ciao!!!

Mayo: My Favorite Month

(Editor's Note: This post was written on Thursday, April 29th.)

There was a time when I used to be squeamish about bugs. I used to jump out of my seat if a beetle was flying too close. I would run out of the room and call someone in to come remove the spider or cockroach that was hanging out in my space. There was screaming and lots of goose bumps. As I got older, I got a little better about not freaking out over insects. I got to the point where I could take spiders outside in a glass jar and release them. And I got really good at killing cockroaches (I feel no remorse when it comes to those nasty suckers) when I lived in a cheap rental house in Athens that had a huge infestation. You could say my nerves had been shot down a good bit before, but nothing could of prepared me for what I would encounter in Costa Rica.

Did you know that there are over 300,000 species of insects in Costa Rica? Ok, I knew this place was biologically diverse and all, but out of the 500,000 species living in this tiny country, over 300,000 of them are insects! And I can tell you now from first hand experience, it's true: there are a plethora of bugs living here!

From giant grasshoppers and crickets the size of a Twix bar, to huge "garden" spiders living in my bedroom, I've encountered a good variety of Tico insectos.

Then one day along came the Abejones de Mayo, which are some kind of flying beetles that take over the land in the month of May, and they have already started showing up in the past few weeks of April.


These guys are really big and really annoying. The regular ones are about the size of a raspberry, but today I saw my first gigantor abejones, which are more or less the size of large strawberry. And apparently they get even bigger. They seem to be dizzy or drunk when they fly around, because they are always crashing into your head, or arm, or any other given body part. Sometimes they dive bomb into your flip flops, and sometimes you find that one has somehow made it underneath your shirt and is now stuck there. They don't bite, but they come like the plague, in multitudes. I was literally dodging them in my classroom tonight, and my friend Trinity keeps a frying pan handy so we can play 'swat the beetle' when they start swarming the outside light at night. I can't imagine how many there will be in May, if there are already so many now. At least once they roll over or land on their backs they're pretty much dead, since they have trouble flipping back over. It's kind of like the crabs in the roads; now there are loads of dead abejones laying on the floor everywhere you go. Nice. I wonder if anybody eats them...fried beetles? Or is that only in China?

In May, the rainy season officially begins in Costa Rica. It seems to have come early this year, as we've had hard rainfalls for 4 out of the past 5 days. I am quickly realizing that I was crazy for thinking I would be ok on an ATV in the rain. Sure, if I only had to go a few blocks or even 15 blocks, I could get a little wet, go home and dry off, and I'd be fine. But driving between towns on muddy roads in the pouring rain? It's insane! Not only do the raindrops peg you like little stinging bullets, it gets cold in the wind when you're getting wet AND you can hardly avoid splashing mud puddles on your legs. So everyone says you just need a good pair of rubber boots, a poncho, and some waterproof pants, but I'm thinking I just need a car!


I didn't listen to my Tica mom months ago when she told me I'd be better off buying an old car instead of a quad. I thought it would make more sense to have a newer quad that wouldn't have any mechanical problems, and since I don't know the first thing about mechanics I thought it would be silly to buy an old car that could have issues. Who wants to have a car that's always in the taller? But after seeing how intense this rainy season is going to be, I'm reconsidering my options. Rubi (the quad) is so much fun and I love her...but I could buy an old 4x4 for the same price, and then the rain wouldn't be such a struggle. This is the next 8 months of my life I'm talking about, May through December, which in this country means rain, rain, and more rain. I know it seems crazy to trade in my wheels so soon, and it will definitely be a hassle, but it will greatly improve the quality of my life for the rest of the year. Vale la pena? I think so. Suddenly an '89 Suzuki Sidekick has become my dream car...


My Tico friends will of course help me figure this all out. My mechanic uncle will check out the car and my lawyer friend will transfer the title. I may even have a friend offering to drive me to the Central Valley to find my perfect ride. Now the vision is set in place, time to create a new reality...carro manifesto! I'll keep you posted on my progress ;)

My Montezuma classes had their first exam this week, a "midterm" of sorts, and most of the students did good. It was exciting to see the wheels turning in their heads as they labored over the test for an hour. Then we played a game called "Crazy Dictation" which everybody loved. I forgot how much fun this game was and I'm excited to use it more often or create variations on it. I learned it in my Costa Rica TEFL course, and it's a race between pairs of students. One student reads a text to his partner who then has to run across the room and write down word for word what he has just heard. It's a great listening and writing exercise, and the element of speed and competition makes it a lot of fun. You can have a speed winner and a winner for correctness...but in the end everyone learns something and laughs a lot. Good stuff.

In Santa Teresa I gave the students a take home exam to do during the next week when I will be out of the country on my visa run. I had to cancel classes for a week so I could go get another stamp on the old passport, so I figured it was a perfect time to give them an open book, do-at-home test. I was happy to see that two of my students got together the very next night for a couple of hours to work on the test when I ran into them at a friend's house. "Teacher, Teacher...is this right? What about this one?" I was happy to give them some clues and see that most of their answers were spot on.

May is also my birthday month, so this time I decided to go home for my visa run. I really wanted to see my family and my friends, so I figured I'd treat myself to a trip to the ATL. I honestly didn't feel like going to Nicaragua again, and this way I can try to gather all the necessary paperwork to apply for a volunteer visa here in Costa Rica. With the help of ALIARSE, I should be able to get at least a 6 month visa (hopefully longer), which means no more annoying visa runs for most of the year. It's going to be a bit of a headache going around to the government offices in Atlanta, but it should be worth it if I can get the visa. Hopefully it won't take up too much of my time at home. I really want to relax and spend some QT with my loved ones :) So far plans include a birthday dinner with the family on Sunday night at one of my favorite Thai restaurants in da A, Nan's, and on Saturday (the day I get home), it just so happens that around 10 of my best girlfriends are getting together for a women's gathering called a Moon Circle. I didn't plan this, but how perfect...I will get to see them all at the same time in one central locale. And the best part is no one knows that I'm coming! I'm going to surprise them all when I breeze in out of nowhere...YAY! Que grand sopresa!

Hasta la proxima...

More about Mangos...

Que calor!

All I can say about the heat is that it's absolutely insane right now...the only time I am NOT SWEATING is when I'm in the shower or just after I get out. Pretty much every other time of day or night I am sweating. It's super attractive. The only positive thing I can think of to say here is maybe I'm losing a little water weight in the process:)

Mangos!!!



The mangos are in full bloom! I ate 3 mangos yesterday and 2 today and I've had fresco de mango (mango juice basically) a few times this week too! They are so delicious! And who knew there were so many different types of mangos? My friends Yerlin and Carlos have 3 different mango trees in their yard! There are little yellow ones called papa mangos (potato mangos), red and orange ones, purple ones, and big green guys called mangas (the wife of the mango according to my joker pops) that you eat when they're a little bit hard, with an optional dash of salt. I heart mango season. Next up? Avocados!!!

Froggie!



Here's a pic of one of the many frogs you might see around here at night. They're not that pretty but they're big and slimy. Funny little creatures, I had to literally move this guy out of the way of my quad the other night upon coming home.

Little Sistas...



Who doesn't love little girls...these are my 2 favorites, Tiffany and Maria, my little sisters in Cabuya and Delicias. <3



Castillos de Arena...



The annual Castillos de Arena event happened last weekend in Manzanillo (a lovely beach just up the coast from Santa Teresa). It was basically a competition of building the best sand sculptures. A big alligator won first place (pic above). There were tons of people out on what is normally a pretty secluded beach, lots of families, music, local food, and dancing close to the beach. Pura Vida!

Vista de Olas...



I finally made it to Vista de Olas, a beautiful hotel and restaurant in Mal Pais with an infinity pool overlooking the coastline. You have to spend a certain amount to hang out there and it's a little pricey, so I needed an excuse to go. Friend's birthday party? Perfect. What a beautiful place to watch the sunset, with delicious cocktails and good looking bartenders...I will definitely be back for the next special occasion!

Classes...

Teaching is going great. I am really enjoying being a teacher...this could be my calling. It's a lot of fun and even like the planning part of it. Attendance has dropped a little bit since the beginning but the students that are still coming seem dedicated and overall I still have good size groups. I am really starting to see their progress which is encouraging. I do have a few that are still struggling with the basics, mainly because they've missed class or they aren't studying at home at all, so I am trying to emphasize the importance of doing your homework and participating in class. I mean if you don't take notes how the hell are you going to remember anything? I'm also trying to incorporate a greater variety of activities into my classes and use more speaking and listening exercises. We finally did some music activities and they were so much fun! I did "Hello, Goodbye" by the Beatles for the beginners, "Free Falling" (Tom Petty) for the high beginners, and "Norwegian Wood" (Beatles again) for the intermediate class. They were all singing in English by the end of the lesson!

Here's the high school in Santa Teresa where I teach, this mural was recently painted and says "This high school is for those who deserve it." Or something to that effect.



I also had two private lesson students in the past two weeks which is great...easy work plus a little extra dinero. And there is a possibility that I might start teaching some basic English classes to the employees at one of the hotels in Montezuma, which would be fabulous. I don't want to overload myself with work, but I would do it during the week and still have my weekends free, plus I could recycle the lesson plans that I've already used in my other classes so the planning would be minimal. Fingers crossed!

Que mas...

Last night we went to an Argentinian party and danced to a live latin band. I have to say my dancing skills have gotten way better and I love it...so much fun! Give me a couple beers and put on some latin music and I'm ready to twirl! It rained on the way home and I got my first taste of driving the quad in the rain. I really need to find some rubber boots and a poncho. The mud could get ugly...kinda like my get up will be for rainy weather :)

Love Love Love from Costa Rica...<3

Lluvia! Lluvia! Lluvia!

The first rains of the rainy season are finally here! It has sprinkled a few times, and last night we got our second hard rain. I wouldn't say it was a downpour, but it definitely wet everything pretty well. So refreshing! Everything felt a little bit cooler and cleaner today, and the dust was barely an issue in the roads! Aside from the mosquitos that are already starting to bite (actually I think all the bites on my legs are from zancudos, which are like mini-mosquitos you can barely see), I actually think I'm going to like this season even better. It's cooler, there are less tourists, and it's not like it's raining all the time. The idea that in the rainy season the rain never stops is quite the exageration. In fact on the Nicoya Peninsula, we are almost always blessed with sunshiny mornings, and the rain doesn't come till the late afternoon or evening. Usually it pours for a few hours and then stops, so it may slightly interrupt your day, but it's not the end of the world. I'm excited - things are going to feel more like the Costa Rica I first encountered when I arrived last summer.

Cangrejo, pobrecito!

One thing that came as a total surprise was how many crabs there are everywhere! With the start of the rains they are really coming out of the woodwork. These are the tajilaran, and they are so pretty with their orange and purple shells! Right now there are a million of them crossing the roads around here. Apparently they come down from higher ground to lay their eggs on the beach. But the horrible thing is a lot of them are getting killed by crossing the road! It is literally impossible not to kill some of them if you're a driver here. I've been driving really carefully and trying to turn and swerve to avoid them, but when there are so many it's quite difficult. I feel so bad...and the streets are starting to be covered with dead crabbies! Plus my friends keep saying that it's going to get a lot worse. What a crazy part of life here...and of course it's totally normal to them. There were even some crabs crawling in our living room tonight, and my family wasn't phased at all.

Surfer in Santa Teresa

Last weekend there was a surf competition in Santa Teresa. It was supposedly a pretty big deal, and apparently people were coming from all over Costa Rica, but it didn't seem quite as big as everyone had built it up to be. Still it was a good crowd and lots of excitement in the air. The surfers were really good and I enjoyed watching them ride the big waves that were rolling in on Saturday. I guess they planned it around a big swell because it looked kinda scary out there! We sat under the Red Bull tent and enjoyed some ice cold Pilsens while counting how many amazingly hot bodies were passing by. It was a dreamy day, followed by a crazy night at D&N's noche de electronica (not my favorite music, but a fun crowd of people in town for the surf competition made for a pretty wild party). My friend Trinity now has an apartment over in Santa Teresa so I've been able to hang out over there a little bit more and spend the night with her which is fabulous. It's been fun spending more time on that side of things. It's a whole different world compared to Montezuma.

Trinity & I @ Surf Competition

Classes have been going well. I finally was able to locate some small speakers for my iPod, so I was able to incorporate some music into my lessons so far this week and the students seemed to really like it! I thought it was a really fun way to do a listening exercise, and I definitely want to keep using music and other listening activities in lessons to come. This week I did the Beatles' "Hello, Goodbye" with the very beginner classes, and Tom Petty's "Free Falling" with the high beginners. I think I am going to do "Norwegian Wood" (also the Beatles) for the intermediate class. I've been compiling playlists of other songs to use, but it's difficult to find stuff that is super clear and uses simple verb tenses. For the beginners it needs to be pretty basic English...no complex tenses or too much slang. But as we advance, things could get pretty fun with music lessons. Suggestions are welcome!

Lastly I'm honored to announce that I've been asked to work on developing an EFL curriculum for the program that I'm working with here in Costa Rica (ALIARSE). The CREST program is fairly new, with only a year and 3 months under its belt, and so far there hasn't been any kind of set curriculum or syllabus for the volunteers to follow. My students really want to know what level they are completing, and they need that in order to feel like they are accomplishing something and moving up to the next level with their English studies. So we are going to create a basic outline of topics and grammar points that need to be covered in each level. I believe this will help both the students and the volunteers - it will give the volunteers something to follow, and it won't be too detailed that it inhibits the creativity of each volunteer. We will still be able to create unique lesson plans in order to teach each of the concepts covered in the curriculum. It will however serve to normalize the teaching that is happening across the country, so that our students in every pueblo will be graduating with specific sets of English language skills. I'm very excited to be a part of developing this curriculum, and I hope it really helps to improve our program.

Hasta lluego, que dios te accompaña!

Costa Rican Slang: Pachuco y Tiquismos

I've been here for around eight and a half months now in Costa Rica and my Spanish has improved tremendously. I can pretty much communicate with anyone in any given situation sin problema.

Playa Samara, siempre tranquila

Still I don't feel like I'm fluent, and I really want to continue my study of the language - especially more vocabulary and the complex verb tenses (subjunctive and perfect tenses). I do study occasionally at home when I have the time - I'll sit down and open up the dictionary or check out verb conjugations I've been meaning to look at. But hanging out with the locals has made one thing for sure - I've learned a ton of Tico Slang, or Pachuco as they call it here. It's a lot of fun to use, and it definitely makes me feel like less of a foreigner, but this stuff is puro tico, which means most of it only functions here in Costa Rica, so if I go traveling to other Latin countries, I'll be back to square one with the word on the street...

Below is a list of some of my favorite and most popular Tiquismos. This is mostly for those of you who speak Spanish, or people who are coming here or living here now. The only one I can't seem to figure out is why the men say "Adios!" when a pretty girl passes by. It's like saying goodbye when you mean to say hello...don't you want to invite the girl to come talk to you? Or are you just sending her on her way? Maybe boys are just stupid;)

Al chile? - Seriously?

Qué me dice? - What do you say? or What's up?

Que es la vara? - What's the deal?

Solo bueno! - Only good! or It's all good!

Póngale! - Hurry up!

Buena nota - A “cool” person

Nada que ver! - Nothing to see! or No big deal!

Zaguate - A womanizer (literally a mutt or a street dog)

Pura vara! - Lies!

Un pichazo - A large blow or a huge hit of something

Que dicha! - How great!

Por dicha - Fortunately

Profe - A teacher

Blanco - A cigarette

Chinga - A cigarette butt

Jetón - Liar

Me presta una teja? - Lend me a buck?

Que vacilón! - How fun!

Viejo verde - A dirty old man

Zarpe - The last drink or one for the road

Como amaneció? - How did you wake up or how do you feel this morning?

Jueeeeee...puta! - daaaaaaamn! or son of a bitch! (comes from hijo de puta or hijueputa)

Upe! – Hello, is there someone there? Anybody home?

Que despiche! - What a mess! or What a good time!

Que quería, galleta María? - What do you want, a cookie?

Meter yucas - To tell lies

Media naranja - Your better half, or perfect mate

Estar puros dieces – To feel great (literally to be at pure tens)

Agarrar el mensaje - To get the hint or idea

Clavo - A problem (literally a nail)

No se monte! - Don’t mess with me!

Tumba la vara! - Stop bothering me!

Hay gente para todo – There is a fool for everything

Vaya busca brete! - Go get a job!

+++

View from Punta Islita

In other news, Semana Santa provided a nice week of vacation, with perhaps a little too much guaro (that's the Costa Rican National Liquor, but the word is also used to refer to any form of alcohol in general). The trip to Samara was wonderful - a stunning drive (on the QUAD!) through country roads with beautiful ocean views and stops at secluded beaches. It was great to see my good friends there and the fiestas civicas were in full effect when we arrived - rodeos every night, amusement rides, street style tico food, and a mix of fun music ranging from musica ranchera (traditional Guanacasteco) to salsa and merengue, and of course a good bit of reggae and reggaeton...gotta love it!

Fiestas Civicas, Samara 2010

Back in Montezuma and Mal Pais, the full moon party/live reggae night at D&N (aka Tabu) last Monday was a blast! I spent the next three days recuperating, reorganizing, and planning for my April classes. It felt great to actually not leave Cabuya for a few days...super tranquilo! I took solo walks along the beach and cleared my head a bit after what felt like a month of non-stop action and fun. Now it feels good to be starting back with classes, although it seems attendance may be dropping a bit (I was warned many times about this). Finally found some speakers for my iPod (they were actually only ten bucks!) so I will be incorporating some music and listening activities soon.

Marisol & I at the Rodeo















Amigos Ticos in Samara
















Happy April everybody!