The turtle laying its eggs!
Turtle Eggs
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Category Archives: Costa Rica
Week 2 Tamarindo
We went to Tamarindo the second week which is also on the Pacific side. We stayed in an adorable hostel and did some more surfing. Before we went our tica mama told us that there are mucho gringos in Tamarindo… she was very right. It was very Americanized with a bunch of American food, stores, and resorts. We saw parrots on the drive down and
got to watch a green turtle lay its eggs though and we saw a boa constrictor too! Koryn
Manuel Antonio
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The national park. Koryn
First Week in San Jose
Orientation was the day after arrived and then school was the following day. On orientation day we went and walked to a nearby cafe which was adorable… That was also my first experience trying to order food when I don’t know any Spanish. I also met a bunch of new people which is to be expected, however I found out that one of the students that I went to middle school and high school with was also studying abroad through a different school. That weekend we went to Manuel Antonio which is a beach on the Pacific side of Costa Rica. We did a tour of the national park there and saw tropical plants, bugs, and animals. We saw crocodiles, sloths, and raccoon like things. The raccoons were really funny because they (and the monkeys) will come out onto the beach and steal your things so someone has to be closely watching your things at all times. We also went surfing which is a ton of fun 🙂 Koryn
The Crocodiles 
Costa Rican Cuisine!
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The food is super delicious…. there are a ton of rice and beans though. Koryn
arrival in costa rica
I arrived in Costa Rica in the night time so when I looked out of the plane window I could see all of the twinkly lights in San Jose. It was beautiful! More and more Spanish was being used as well. The drive to the school from the airport was probably one of the most terrifying things I have ever experienced. When I met my tica mama I quickly realized that she spoke as much English as I did Spanish… which is close to none. It was frustrating not being able to communicate with her, especially because I knew that I need to learn Spanish rather than the other way around. However, she was very kind and was able to get major concepts across with a lot of charades. My roommate arrived later and was able to help translate a little. Koryn
This is my new home 🙂
Arrival blog
My homecoming was much less hectic than when I arrived in Costa Rica. I was able to understand people and my family was there for me :). It was a rough travel experience though (plane troubles and a 5 hour delay).
I do miss having the more laid back approach to life. People here are always so busy, and it drives me crazy. I also miss the learning process involved in speaking and listening. It is easy to understand and speak here, but it was a learning experience every time I spoke or listened in Costa Rica. I miss the people I met there as well, and the crazy adventures that we had on the weekends. On the other hand, it is nice being able to just sit around and talk with people here, without worrying about the mistakes I might be making. I love being surrounded by my friends again.
Megan
I miss these people so much. I met so many fantastic students and faculty while in Costa Rica, and they were all really genuinely good people. I am so sad to leave them all behind, but we are still connected through a phone call or a facebook message, so it’s not really goodbye, it’s until the next time!!
I am so happy to see all of their smiling faces again! My friends here have been an incredible support network for me, and they continue to make me feel so much better when they are here to talk with me. I can’t imagine my life without them!!
Coming Home Blog/Last Weekend in Costa Rica
Wow. I did not think that my homecoming would be so soon! It seems like I just got here! First things first, a run down of my last weekend in Costa Rica.
On Friday, my class went to El Museo de los Niños (The Children’s Museum) here in San Jose. It is a lot like OMSI where there are tons of things to touch and interact with, and it was SO much fun!! They had so many different themes, and it was broken down into different rooms. For our class, we had to focus on two different ones, so I chose to focus on the Ancient Egypt exhibit (I know, very surprising ;)) and an exhibit on Dr. Clodomiro Picado (the doctor who worked for years developing antivenins and worked with penicillin). It was absolutely incredible. Unfortunately, I didn’t have my camera with me, so the pictures will have to wait until my friend Jes comes over here to download them.
On Saturday, a bunch of the ladies here and I went to Cartago. Cartago is a smaller town here, but it is home to the Basilica de La Negrita, la Vírgen de los Angeles (Virgin of the Angels). She is the patroness of Costa Rica. It is absolutely incredible. I have never seen anything that comes even close to as beautiful as this basilica. It was an amazing experience. In the basilica, there is a natural spring that runs underground that is said to have healing powers, and people who have been healed send in little tokens to show their appreciation. There were thousands of the tokens under the church. It was overall a really humbling experience.
The Basilica. It is huge!!
- People crawl to the altar as a show of respect
- One of the stained glass pieces in the church. There were a ton and they were all so beautiful
- The Sanctuary. It is the most beautiful holy places I have ever seen
- The main altar. We didn’t want to disturb the people praying. But the artwork is so detailed and beautiful. It’s incredible.
- La Negrita. A replica of the statue of the patroness
- One of the cases of tokens that the healed send in. There were many of these cases
- One of the walls of cases
- A close up on some of the tokens
Kelsey at the spring below the church
After the Basilica, the girls and I went back home to collect our stuff and get ready for an incredible night. We traveled to a hostel in Barrio la California in San Jose which was absolutely gorgeous. We had a private dormitory to ourselves (which was awesome) and the hostel itself was really nice and clean. It had a pool, computer station, kitchen, and a bar/restaurant all inside the hostel area. It was phenomenal. We went to dinner in the hostel, then back to the room to get all dressed up for a dubstep concert (5 live DJs) that was happening in a bar right around the corner. The bar had a great atmosphere to sit around and shoot pool or talk, so that’s what we ended up doing all night. It was so much fun!
Kelsey and I dressed up for a night of great music 🙂
- Anne and Sky 🙂
Sunday was pretty much a hang out day, so that was a good end to our weekend :). We went and got breakfast at Spoon (a really nice little cafe that reminds all of us of Panera at home) then did all of the homework that we neglected through the rest of the weekend. Overall, very successful weekend :).
Now for the coming home portion of this. My interactions with the host culture here were a lot like I expected them to be. My host family was so supportive and friendly, and the people here are just as laid back as I believed they would be. The only exception being when they drive, and that’s just down right terrifying sometimes! I really did not meet anyone who was very rude, but some of the students that attend Veritas are a little bit stand offish. I think that comes from the fact we are not Costa Ricans and we are taking classes in their school. I always wondered why the exchange students at WOU would always cluster together, and many of them do not branch out, but now I understand completely. It is a really scary prospect to have to talk to someone that you don’t know in a language that you are learning or that isn’t native to you. I will definitely be trying to branch out once I get back to WOU because I understand just how awkward it can be.
I’m actually really nervous about coming home. I have been out of the loop with my friends, family, and school mates for 2 months, and I am curious how that will affect some of my relationships. I know that I have changed as a person since coming abroad and have a much better understanding who I am in relation to who I want to be. It has bettered me as a person and I know that I am not going to return the same person who left. I am excited to see all of my family though! I am grateful that we have almost an entire month to get back into the swing of an American lifestyle, and to accumulate our experiences and go through them (both alone and with other people). I am so happy to have had this opportunity. It has bettered me and changed me (Not to mention my Spanish is LOADS better!!).
5 more days <3
Hasta pronto!!
~Megan
Pre-Departure
It’s almost here! I leave for Costa Rica in one more week! I have no idea what Costa Rica will be like. I have heard from friends who have both studied there or visited that it was one of the greatest places that they had ever been to. I love the outdoors so I am excited about the feedback about the beautiful forests and exciting activities that are available.
I’m very excited but a little nervous about leaving because I know it will be a great experience but it also seems like a long time to be so far away from home, friends, and family. I also don’t speak much Spanish, so I am a little nervous to be going to a mostly Spanish speaking country.
Koryn
Costa Rica Fall 2012
Very excited for the new places to see, people to meet, and activities to partake in 🙂
La Basilica
The Basilica of “La Negrita”
This is my last weekend here in Costa Rica and I decided to take advantage of the last Saturday with a group of girlfriends. We went to visit Cartago in the morning. Cartago has a famous basilica that is the home to La Virgen de Los Angeles (Virgin of the Angels) or “La Negrita” (Little Black Girl), Costa Rica’s version of La Virgen de Guadalupe from Mexico. The Basilica was built around a little black statue of the Virgin Mary holding baby Jesus where she was said to be found by a young mulatta (A person of African and European descent) centuries ago.
The Basilica was the most fantastic church I’d ever seen with many ornate details. Depictions of Saints, the crucifixion, and the Virgin were in every stained glass window. There were several altars to pray at where elegantly dressed statues of Jesus and the Virgin Mary looked down on the faithful. People crawled from the front entrance of the church to the altar at the back to pray.
On the lower level of the church in the basement is where the statue of La Negrita is. It is very short stout statue, black and round, and placed on a rock. Also in the basement were dozens of metal charms and objects sent to the church. These charms, amulets, and objects represent things that people wish to be improved in their lives but could not make it to the Basilica in person to be blessed. There are hundreds of small charms of body parts, and small objects in the form of houses, cars, and airplanes. Personal items include work hats, medals, toys, and jewelry.
Even further down below the church is a stream where people can touch and collect the holy water. The holy water is said to be able to cure ailments. I put some on my forehead and stomach, and Megan collected a bottle of it so we could share it with our family and friends back home.
Overall, it was one of the most enlightening and culturally relevant experiences I have had in Costa Rica. I felt very appreciative to see and experience one of the most important places in Costa Rica and Central America.[slideshow]
Kelsey