Playa Hermosa

I think I'm going to get a new piercing today. In my ear, don't worry. I don't need any more facial piercings, and I'm not about to just get one done for the heck of it. I am trying to decide, though, between a conch piercing or an anti-tragus. I think they both look really awesome, so it probably just comes down to what will look best with my ear. I never really concern myself with the pain factor. It is what it is.

Anyway, this weekend I went with ten other friends to Jaco, and we stayed in a hostel right off Playa Hermosa beach. It was a really, really great time, and aside from some minor complications, it was extremely relaxing. Jaco is sort of a party town, and the beach is really dirty, so I was glad that we decided to spend our time at Playa Hermosa, which is only a few minutes away by taxi. There were hardly any people there, and the atmosphere was just very chill. Our hostel was pretty cool, too, although we had to fit seven people in a four person room, and then four people in a two person room. Everything worked out okay, but Ben had to sleep on the floor, and I felt bad about that! We are lucky he is such a gentleman all the time.

Basically, I spent Saturday just lying on the beach, reading, listening to music, tanning, and wading through the ocean when it got too hot. I was so glad that I had amazing friends to share it with. I think one of the highlights of the weekend was coming back to the beach at night, sitting under the stars with Laura, watching the waves crash, and drinking wine. Ben and Josh both joined us, and it was just really relaxing being able to sit there in that beauty, talking with good friends. The next day we did more of the same: tanning, ocean, reading, etc. However, we had to be out of our hostel by noon that day, so we took the bus to Jaco and spent the rest of our time there trying not to die in the intense heat. I'm pretty sure we sat at the bus station for three hours because there was nothing else to do that didn't involve sweating profusely and passing out. However, we were all together, and it was still a lot of fun. Now, the bus ride. The bus ride is supposed to take only two hours, but due to traffic (I think) it took about four. Quite frankly, it sucked. Laura and I got extremely bored, so we started playing the Bible game (think guess-who with Bible characters), and then Ben offered his seat to a woman who had been standing the entire way. I swear, that boy is just so very nice.

I'm sitting here at the kitchen table with Tita right now. She is studying for a test, and I am (obviously) writing this. I need to get up off my butt and go shower because I haven't showered in about three days. Cut me some slack: I was at the beach. I'm really, really happy that I don't have classes today, and tomorrow I start my advanced conversation class, so I'm hoping that it helps me a lot. I feel that my Spanish has already improved quite a bit since I have been here (a month already!), but I'm definitely not where I want to be. I think maybe today I need a date with my verb book...

Bad.

I just need to say this:

I have got it bad. 


...and when I say 'bad', I mean bad.

Improving and Curfews

I am starting to realize that I am better at Spanish than I feel like I am. I was with my friend Roberto today, and I decided that it would be good for him to practice his English because I know he knows a little bit, but we have never spoken in English before. His vocabulary is limited and he speaks slowly, but what he knows is really, really good! He claims that he can't speak in English at all, but that is so not true. He told me that the same is true for me with Spanish. I always say that I can't, and sometimes I even think I can't, but I am better than I think I am. I have only been here three weeks, and I already feel like I have improved a lot. It's a good feeling.

In other news, I have a curfew. Wow, it has been a long time...

Step It Up, Gringo Boys!

I think the title of this post practically says it all. I mean, I had been told that Latin boys are much more affectionate and warm, but I had no idea how cold and terrible gringo boys could seem in comparison. I don't think I will ever be able to go back to them, in all honesty. I feel like the Spanish language in itself is much more soothing, and I don't think it is only because I love the language. There is so much depth to it, so much warmth, and it seems to be constantly moving. While I feel that sometimes English is more direct and aggressive (which I like), it can also feel stagnant and metallic. Anyway, Latin Lovers take the cake.

Among three classes, I have one class with Ticos: Latin American Culture. We have only had one class so far (it only meets one day a week), so I am not sure yet if it will be difficult. It was a bit boring (really boring), so the guy next to me and I started passing notes. He said he was going to give me a bunch of Latin music for my bus ride to Arenal, so we exchanged phone numbers and decided to meet the following day after my morning class. He texted me later to see if I wanted to go out with him that night, and although it didn't end up working out for that day, we got together on Sunday. I was sort of expecting it to be more of a hangout time, but I was pleasantly surprised. It was most definitely a date.

He met my Papi (and Papi approves), and he took me to the movies (Los Pequeños Fockers), but before the movie started we just walked around the mall and talked. Now, let me just say here that I was extremely proud of myself for going on a date all in Spanish. I had been afraid that it was going to be awkward, that I wouldn't be able to understand what he was saying, and that I would just be silent and not say anything. That didn't happen at all! I was able to understand him really easily, and my conversation flowed really well. He told me that my accent is great and that I don't sound like most gringos when I talk (which made me feel better after that dude in the park told me I sucked). Roberto is actually from El Salvador, so his accent is different. I like it, though. He studies digital animation here at Veritas, and he already has a degree in communications. He is a buena nota.

I believe we are going to go out again on Thursday, and he wants to take me to Castro's (a club in San Pedro) and teach me to salsa dance. I am really excited for that, but I know I will most likely be no good at the dancing. I have a yoga class tonight. I feel like I'm gaining weight and being lazy (not active at all), so I think it will be good for me to do something physical and relaxing at the same time. Of course, it will mean being at school for eleven straight hours on Thursdays, but I think it will give me something to look forward to when I am sitting in my three hour long Latin American Culture class.

Advice for the day (for gringas back home): Say, "See ya!" to those poopy gringo boys and find a Latino.

Playa Tamarindo

I haven't blogged for several days because there has been so much happening that I am not sure where to start with it. I guess I will just jump right in, so if this post is jumbled or confusing, I apologize!

Our ISA group went to Tamarindo Beach this weekend, which is definitely a very touristy spot here in Costa Rica (I've heard it called Tama-gringo). Our hotel was extremely nice (it was a four or five star resort), and we had a lot of fun. Saturday, I went out on a boat with some others from the program, and we had a blast. It was definitely worth every dollar I spent on it. There was a very sexy bartender and tour guide that went with us, and he also served as our personal DJ. We sipped strawberry daiquiris, danced, and sunbathed on the deck. After awhile, we arrived at a sort of private beach where we were able to snorkel. I couldn't see anything and I kept scraping my knees on the rocks, but it was a good experience to have. On the way back, we followed some humpback whales that we had seen flipping out of the water. It was absolutely breathtaking to see these huge animals, with their gigantic tails surfacing, spouting water, and jumping out of the ocean. Apparently it is pretty rare to see something like that, and the guys on the boat hadn't seen it before.

In other news, I got moved up to the High Advanced level for my Spanish classes which is something I was really, really glad about. In truth, I was pretty ticked off that I only placed into the Advanced 1 level at first; I feel I am better than that. The Advanced 2 is a much better fit. Instead of structured grammatical lessons, we spend most of our time simply conversing with one another in order to gain better comprehension and speaking skills. Granted, there is a lot of homework, but I can deal with simply having to read stories and fill in verb tenses.

I have been very frustrated with my ability to speak Spanish and understand what my friends are saying to each other when we go out together. However, I went out to lunch with a couple of friends today, and I found I could actually understand a lot of what they were talking about and I was able to carry on a conversation with Shamu on the way back to classes. Sometimes I really feel like I suck, but then I think about how when people who don't normally speak English try to speak it to me, I don't mind their mistakes; I am just glad that they are trying. I keep having to think that it is the same with my Tico friends. I hope that they don't mind my mistakes and my speed. I hope that it simply makes them happy that I am attempting to speak in their native tongue, and for the most part, succeeding. Sofy and I have both agreed that I do pretty well during the day, but it gets tougher for me at night when I get tired. I tend to start tuning stuff out. I can honestly say that my brain hurts after a long day of speaking Spanish!

It is a good thing that I have started eating pork again, because they eat a lot of it here! Shamu took the liberty of ordering my pizza for me today, and it ended up being ham and mushroom, which was okay by me. I'm still not a huge fan of ham, but it's all good. Sometimes you just have to make sacrifices when the amazing Hawaiian pizza with fresh pineapple and coconut also has ham. It is really nice that one of my host sisters is studying at culinary school: she is always cooking amazing things. She made cookies yesterday and today. Oh, and the coffee here is absolutely out of this world. Ire's boyfriend, Daniel, took us out to coffee, and I had a mocha at McDonalds, and it was the absolute best thing ever (and that is coming from a barista)!

One more thing: I'd like to get mail, please. Or emails. Or facebook messages. However, physical mail would be exciting. I love being here, but sometimes I feel like I am out of the loop when it comes to what is going on at home. It's going to be weird trying to acclimate to my own culture again...

I'm starting to feel like everyone is playing a game that I don't know how to play. The game is called Spanish.

Las Fiestas en Zapote

I will probably never again like the Nebraska State Fair very much (not that I did before). The fiestas in Zapote are much more awesome, especially when you have amazing Tico friends with which to experience them. My friends Shamu (his real name is Alfredo, but he really likes Shamu so we call him that...or something) and Ana (one of my host sisters) talked me into riding the Tagada with them. I've never seen a ride like it before, and honestly, I don't really see the point of it. I guess the only reason that it's fun is because it hurts and everyone laughs. It's this circle shaped ride, and everybody sits on it around the edges (and there are also people that stand in the middle) and has to hang on for dear life while it bounces and jolts and tilts and spins. There are no seatbelts, and I was extremely afraid I was going to fall, but I didn't. However, I have a wonderful bruise on my forearm and shoulder. I loved it, though.

After the fiestas, some of us went to the other Sofia's house and played cards and other games. There is one called Frutas (fruits), and everyone chooses a fruit for their name. One person starts and says, "Manzana, manzana llamando al aguacate, aguacate (Apple, apple calling avocado, avocado)". The catch is that you can't show your teeth when you say it, and neither can anyone else. The first person to laugh or talk with their teeth showing is the loser. I think we all about peed ourselves. There was also a game we played with cards in which whenever anyone lays a Jack, everyone has to say, "Buenas noches, caballero!". We all decided that it wasn't very fair that I have to say it in Spanish since I can't say it as fast as them, so we changed it to, "Good night, knight!"...which sounds pretty funny when you say it super fast in a large group. :)

I start school stuff tomorrow morning at eight thirty. That's a sick time to start school when you've been sleeping in until ten or eleven every morning for the past week. Anyway, it should be fun. The university is super, super close to my house, so I can walk there whenever I need to in, like, five minutes. I'm starting to figure out where things are in San Jose now, which is really nice. Only sort of, though. I'm still get pretty disoriented, but I can at least recognize where we are going when we're driving and things like that.

I've been dreaming a lot in Spanish, and it's getting really weird. I used to have dreams that had parts in Spanish, but now the majority is. I wake up thinking about it, and I'll remember it in Spanish, and it's sort of a shock. It's like, "Wait. That's not English." I'm learning a lot of the slang, and my comprehension gets better every day. I was afraid that hanging out with my friends in a big group tonight was going to be awkward because I thought they would talk amongst themselves and that I would just stand by trying to listen and not saying anything. At first that was what happened, but then it got better and I started to be able to understand most things. I still make a ton of mistakes, and I always feel really stupid speaking Spanish because I'm still so slow (Shamu makes fun of me), but they all assure me that I'm doing really well and it's really fluid, so I guess that's good. Anyway, I think that Sofy and I are going to go to bed now because I have to be up early.

Buenas noches a todos!

The Beginning...

So, I was going to start a brand new blog for my time spent in Costa Rica this semester, but I have decided that I am just going to use the one I started a couple years ago (mainly because I'm lazy). I apologize in advance for any spelling or grammar mistakes that I might make; I am trying to become really fluent with my Spanish, and I am not using much English. When I do speak English, I've noticed that it takes on a Latin accent. I think it's because humans tend to imitate the sounds they hear, and I haven't been hearing anyone speaking English with an American accent except on the Rose parade.

I hear that people get frustrated when they are immersed in another culture, but I always thought that it would be because they are frustrated that everything is different and not the same as what they are used to. I'm finding that that is not really the problem with me. The problem is that I am more frustrated with myself for not knowing the culture very well yet and for not being able to understand what is going on. For example, I went with some friends to the theater tonight to see a play. The play was called Chico Loco (Crazy Boy), and I could tell that the actor was really, really talented, but it was extremely frustrating because I couldn't understand a single word. Seriously. He talked so fast; I don't think I have ever heard someone move their mouth like that before. Not surprisingly, I was really confused. Ericka kept leaning over to explain to me what was going on, but it all seemed like a lot of yelling to me, and I sort of felt like a failure. When my friends and family talk to me in Spanish, I have no problem understanding. However, when they talk amongst themselves, I have no idea what's going on half the time.

I love my family. They are absolutely the best, and I have settled right in. Sofy and I are sharing a room, and it's green and just perfect for the two of us. We have a dog, Tamarindo, two cats whom we call Blanquito and Rayalito (very original), and a parrot named Periquito (also original, ha). For the New Year, we gathered at the house of Mequi, Sofy's grandmother, with the extended family and we had a late dinner together, set off fireworks, read some passages from Jeremiah, talked about the coming year, prayed, toasted each other with tinto de verano (wine and 7-up), lit off fireworks, and then watched the neighbors fight in the street (which was sort of scary since one guy is legit crazy and had a gun and the police had to be called). I'm sure it was much better than watching Snooki being dropped in the ball.

It is really great getting to see all of my friends here. It has been one and half years since I have seen them, and it's just really nice to be able to hug them again. Ericka and I are planning to have a sleepover, and tomorrow, I think we are all going to go back to Zapote for the fiestas. The best way I know how to explain the fiestas is that it is somewhat like the state fair, only there are many more people, and I think it is a lot more wild. It's a lot of fun, and I love all the music. Speaking of music, we listened to Stevie Wonder today while cleaning the house, and it was great. Papi (my host dad) also likes the Black Eyed Peas, which I think is pretty awesome (even though I'm not a huge fan).

I'm very tired (it's eleven o'clock), and we are going to church tomorrow, so I should go to bed. I'm enjoying having the Huskers snuggie that Vanessa and Rose gave me here (I use it every night), and I'm also glad that Quinn let me bring Jake. I'm not too homesick yet, but we'll see how that is in a week or two...