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...
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