agua de pipa

I miss school for one day, and everything changes on me. My class meets in a different room, we have a different teacher, and we've moved up a level to Advanced 4. Along with this level, comes a lot more homework, unfortunately.

I have nothing exciting to report on today, except a change in the weather. I actually didn't feel like I had just run a full marathon by the time I got to school this morning because there was a nice breeze for the majority of the walk. On the way home, I could definitely tell that the temperature had dropped. I probably looked silly in my shorts and tank top. Oh well!

The most interesting thing I did today was go to the market with Amanda and Lindsay during our lunch break. Amanda wanted "agua de pipa" which I had not tried yet. So we each got agua de pipa to go. What is agua de pipa you ask? Well, it is the juice inside a coconut. We asked for three aguas de pipa and one by one, the old man sat the coconut on his chopping block. Next, he gave it two strong hacks with his machete (yes, a real machete!). This left a hole just the right size to put a straw in. So we each left the market holding and drinking out of our coconuts. I don't usually walk down the sidewalk drinking out of a coconut, but it was definitely something worth trying!

A look inside el mercado (so fresh!)

Just drinking from our coco's... no big deal.

I ♥ Coffee

Yesterday, Saturday, Lindsay, Aggie, and I went to Cafe Britt. I guess the others in our group stayed out too late Friday night. They lost out because the three of us got to have all the fun! Before we even entered the plantation we were given samples of their iced coffee with canela y leche (cinnamon and milk). 

 I learned a lot about coffee; I had no idea what a complicated and long process it is. I won't recount all the details about how coffee is made, because to be honest, I don't remember! What I do remember, because it surprised me was that of the original bean, which they call the "cherry", only 20% of the weight is actually used in the coffee making process. Eighty percent of the layers protecting the good part of the bean are not needed, but are used in fertilizer. Apparently the reason why Costa Rican coffee is sooooo GOOD is because of how the nearby mountains make the soil more fertile.

Our tour concluded with a demonstration and then a play. Lindsay and I were chosen to help with the demonstration. We learned how to properly smell the coffee and how to cool it properly before drinking it, and also how to properly "slurp" it to taste it. He said we were too polite because he couldn't hear our "slurps!" As a reward for becoming coffee tasting experts, Lindsay and I received the "Coffee Picker" hats!


After our tour we had a yummy lunch at the restaurant there, which was of course followed by more coffee. Then at the gift shop there were samples of every type of coffee that is sold at Cafe Britt. Needless to say, I had WAY MORE than the recommended amount of coffee for a single day!

Today, Sunday, I was very perezoso (lazy); however, I did wake up at 9 to stream the Northland service (which was at 11 in the US). They always welcome the online viewers and today, "Morgan in Costa Rica" was among those named...that's me! It's pretty cool that I can be here in my Costa Rican family's home worshipping at the same time as others that I know.

We had a HUGE breakfast again, but what's new. I feel like every day I eat enough to feed a family of four... do I look that malnourished?! Mama Ticá really enjoys cooking, and she does an excellent job of doing so. This morning we had eggs topped with salsa, gallo pinto, platanos, 2 pieces of bread, watermelon, strawberries, a banana, and of course coffee! I was still full by the time dinner rolled around. Although I wish the portions weren't so massive, I have to admit that I will really miss the food here once I return to the states. ¡Que delicioso! 



As we were studiously working on reading "La Tala," Mama Tica brought us a mid-afternoon pick-me-up of coffee flavored helado (ice cream). That was the first time I have had ice cream in three weeks (since I left the US), and I savored every bite. Still having withdrawals from yesterday's extreme intake of coffee, Lindsay and I later went to buy iced mochas. Let's see how much sleep I get tonight...

After dinner tonight, Mama Tica, Lindsay, and I watched "The Roommate." Unfortunately it was in English, unlike the Orphanage which we watched yesterday, but we put on the Spanish subtitles. I have nothing to complain about when I see what a psycho roommate Sara had in the movie. Creeeeeper. Anyways, it was nice bonding time with Mama Tica, but I hope she doesn't have nightmares because of the movie!

Tomorrow begins week four, our last week of classes in Heredia, before we leave for Samara. Time is passing quickly!



The four stages in a coffee "nursery"

 

Baby coffee beans...how cute!





smell the coffee...

...then taste the coffee

 

New hats!



Candle light dinner

The end of my third week at Intercultura has come to an end. It was bittersweet today--I was happy that it was Friday and I got an A on my exam, but the time here is passing so quickly. Mayela has been our professor for the past two weeks, and I've enjoyed her class just as much as I enjoyed Monica's, but Mayela informed us that we will have a different teacher next week. It's good to switch, I guess, because each teacher has her own strengths and we can adjust to variances in pronunciation and accents.

This is our last weekend in Heredia, because next weekend we will be en route to Samara. Because of this, we are not taking a trip this weekend; just staying here and relaxing. This makes Mama Tica happy that we are staying here. So after our classes got out at 12:30, the rest of the day was ours. Rumor was that there was an artesan market in Heredia which is supposedly similar to the one in San Jose. Mama Tica had told us to go past Pops, but I couldnt remember if we were to turn at Pops or to keep going straight. Well Lindsay, Amanda, and I explored some parts of Heredia we hadn't seen before, since we usually don't go past Parque Central. We wandered and wandered and then we realized we had made a HUGE circle and were almost back to Intercultura. All of the "directions" we were given, had led us nowhere. I suggested we go back to Pops and take a right, and if it wasnt on that street, just call it quits. Well we found it. The things were handmade, for the majority, but I wouldn't consider it a "market." Let's just say we enjoyed the hunt more than the find!

We all came to where Lindsay and I live and decided to watch a movie on Lindsay's computer. We turned the lights of so we could see the screen better, you know the deal. Anyways, I started to get a bit warm, and when I looked up the fan appeared to be slowing to a halt. I tried to turn the light on without success. This was 4:30. On Wednesday the power came back quicker than I expected, but no such luck today. Mama Tica brought us a candle to our room. Time continued to pass. The sky grew darker and so did the house.

Obviously Mama Tica couldn't cook without power, so she had Chinese delivered to the house. (I don't know why, but I find it funny that I was eating Chinese food in Costa Rica!). We had a nice candle light dinner and after dinner we all headed into the living room, because the large windows allowed for slightly more light. Molly, the perro, ended up curling up against me and falling asleep, and both cats also joined us. Tonight was a neat experience, because we usually retreat to our room to do homework after dinner; however, tonight provided the opportunity for family bonding with my Costa Rican family. I really enjoyed the time spent together.

On the other hand, it is a bit disheartening to see how much we rely on electricity. The power didn't come back on until 7:30, and the first thing I did was turn on my laptop. Before it had even booted up, Mama Tica asked me if I had an internet connection.

It is times like tonight that make me realize where I need to place my values. So maybe I couldn't see everyone, but the darkness allowed for a time of conversation and bonding that we usually don't have after dinner. Why did our "family bonding time" end after the power came back on? I don't know, but I am thankful for the opportunity that arose out of the darkness (literally).

Gallo Pinto.

It's hard to believe tomorrow will be the end of my 3rd week here...my, how time flies!!
Our little Spanish class grew by one person this week, but she's only studying for a week, so we will be small again next week...

I have so many verbos in my head--we are working with conditional and imperfect subjunctive tenses this week, and I'm seeming to get it. (I'll find out tomorrow after the exam). I always enjoy class because we talk talk about interesting topics. For example, today we talked about different stereotypes, and yesterday we talked about the positives and negatives of emancipation. We also read the newspaper several times a week. (I never read the newspaper in English.)

My group's collage on stereotypes that we made today

I'm usually the quiet girl in the class, but since I've been at Intercultura, I have noticed that I have become less hesitant to speak up in class. I am definitely getting a lot of oral practice because of this. We are watching "Como agua para chocolate" this week, too. I've seen the movie before, but I like the story and the symbolism.

the Advanced 3 Spanish class with our professor, Mayela

Random side note: the director of the school was wearing a Flagler College t-shirt today, which I thought was pretty cool. So when he came to check in on our class today I made sure to say "me gusta su camiseta" (thank you Spanish 101)!

We also had another cooking class today with Janet. Last week we had planned to switch times of cooking class and literature class because we wanted to learn how to make gallo pinto. (Gallo pinto is a flavorful dish of beans and rice that is commonly eaten for breakfast) The plan was to make it and have it for lunch and then go to class.

The problem was that our whole class was freaking out because we had a test over three short stories today. Nobody wanted to cook, because they were too busy freaking out and studying. Janet was working in the kitchen and another Flagler student had gone in there to help. I figured there was no sense in freaking out over the short stories now, because if I don't know them by this point, it's too late. So I went in the kitchen and Janet asked me to watch and periodically stir the chopped onions and peppers. Well, long story short, I ended up cooking the entire dish Gallo Pinto! (okay so I had a little help from Janet, and it wasn't that complicated)

Our lovely cooking teacher, Janet

Just making some Gallo Pinto

Janet dished it up and we all sat around the table to enjoy. I have to say that it turned out quite well and was good brain food for the test. Plus, I have first hand experience cooking this dish so hopefully it will go as well when I try to cook it back in the states!

The finished product: Gallo Pinto with a side of platanos

Tomorrow begins our last weekend in Heredia...
Oh and I'm also feeling a ton better today, thank goodness. I'm not exactly sure what the doctor sold me, but I like to refer to it as the "miracle medicine" because I made a one day turn around!

La Luz

Right now, I am sitting at the dining room table with María Fernanda, who is the 14 year old granddaughter of Mama Ticá. We both have our laptops, because it is our only source of light. There's not much to do on a laptop, without internet, so I am typing today's blog entry into Word, with the hopes that I can upload it to the internet later.

It's the rainy season, so every afternoon it rains. Sunny in the morning, and rainy in the afternoon. I'm used to it by now and I always have my rain jacket in my mochilla (backpack). I think this is by far the worst storm we have had since I have been here. Before the rain even came, we lost power. My guess is that it will take a while before it comes back on... maybe even tomorrow. The rain is muy fuerte y muy ruidosa. (very strong and loud). I love storms like this though, except when my homework requires use of the internet. I wish I was tired, because this would be perfect napping weather!

In other news, I haven't been so good at keeping up with my blog lately. We went on our weekend trip and I didn't bring my computer because I didn't think the hotel would have internet. Well it did, but we were at the most relaxing place I've ever been, so it was nice to be completely unplugged-- no phone and no computer. I didn't even bring my alarm clock on this trip, and let me tell you, it is a glorious feeling to wake up to the sound of waves crashing outside your window. Anywho, I started getting sick during the trip, and was hoping it was just a sore throat. Unfortunately it only got worse...yesterday and today were probably the worst of it, but Mama Ticá has been taking good care of me. God bless her!

Today I went to the pharmacy to get some meds for my gripe. The pharmacies here are different, because you only have to buy what you need. For example, if I only need one bandaid, I can buy just one and not waste money on buying an entire box. The Costa Ricans are really nice. The pharmacist and doctor were very patient, helpful, and kind. And props to me, because they didn't speak English.

It seems that our group is falling apart. I'm sick with who knows what, another girl is getting tested for a kidney infection, and two people came back from our beach weekend with a strange rash (they think they got stung by a jelly fish). Then during literature class this afternoon, I break out with 2 bumps identical to the rash of those who think they were stung by a jelly fish. I don't know how to explain that, because I certainly didn't get stung by a jellyfish sitting in class...

Oh and as María Fernanda and I are sitting here in the dark, Mama Ticá comes in and turns on the lights. haha, the power is back! Guess I no longer have an excuse for not doing my homework!

¡Hasta mañana!

♥Morgancita

Heaven on Earth. (5/27-5/29)

We took our Friday exam and left class an hour and a half early. We boarded the bus around 11 am to begin our five hour journey to a place that will now be my "heaven on earth." Our destination: Montezuma Beach, which began as a small fishing town and has now turned into a touristy beach location. In order to get to Montezuma Beach, we had a 3 hour ride on the bus, then a one hour trip on the ferry (our bus came too!), and finally another hour drive to reach the one-road town.

Yes, it is literally a one-road town.

Two other schools came with Flagler, so we were PACKED into three busses. The busses pulled up to a hotel so we all got out. It looked fun and beachy; however, the Flagler students were told to get back on the bus because we wouldn't be staying there. The bus took a beaten dirt path that led to our hotel: right on the beach! It was a small place, with a large view! I still can't get over how beautiful the view was from the second story balcony. Below, were three hammocks (which I grew to love by the end of the weekend) and palm trees galore. The aquamarine water was crashing over and into the large rocks in the water.




The view from my room.  (just imagine waking up to the sound of those waves!)

Amanda and me with sand between our toes.

Oh, hey! Just an iguana chilling in the tree.



At night, I enjoyed relaxing in the hammock; just listening to the sound of the waves and writing in my journal.

Saturday we had planned to have a beach day, but as we were stuffing our faces with gallo pinto, platanos, eggs, fruit, yogurt, bread, granola, etc. (yes, this was all for breakfast), the sky let loose. We didn't expect so much rain so early. Once it calmed down a bit, we laced up our tennis shoes and headed to the cataratas. To be honest, I wasn't completely thrilled to be going to see more waterfalls, because I'd already seen those at La Paz. And we were told to wear bathing suits under our clothes, and I wasn't in the swimming kind of mood; however, I'm in Costa Rica and I'd much rather go out and explore than stay in the hotel room.

Well, let me tell you, I am so glad I went to these cataratas, because they were completely different from the ones at La Paz. We had to hike (or at least it felt like a hike to me) and then walk only on rocks at some points. The rocks were slippery and some demanded that we jump from one rock to the next. Needless to say, there were several people who slipped onto their bottoms, but I was not one of them. By the time we reached the waterfall, I was ready to jump right in...I had worked up quite a sweat to get there. The water was the perfect temperature. We were able to jump from rocks into the water, but considering that I have a fear of heights, I did not participate in this activity.

"el grupo de Flagler" after swimming

After about an hour of swimming beneath the waterfall, we headed towards another one. Since I considered my first trek to the waterfall a "hike," I will classify this next one as "rock climbing." Watch your steps, and travel between tree branches--hold onto one, let go, and quickly grab the next one. I kept looking at how high we were and thinking if I took one wrong step, I would find myself tumbling down the side of the mountain, bumping from tree to tree on my way down. Finally, after risking my life, we reached our destination, which was the top of the waterfall we had previously been swimming beneath. Here the water had literally pooled into the form of a "pool" where we could swim. On our walk back to the hotel, it starting raining again. So it didn't turn out to be a beach day as planned, but it was quite possibly better than a beach day. It's not everyday that I swim beneath waterfalls!

Sunday we planned to go to Isla de la Tortuga (Turtle Island). (There aren't turtles swimming out around Turtle Island, but the Island is actually in the shape of a turtle!) The dark sky did not look promising, but I knew we had an hour ride in front of us, and the sky had to clear up, it just had to. They pulled the boats right up to the shore in front of our hotel. As soon as it was Flagler's turn to load the boat it started to sprinkle. Then the sprinkle turned into a downpour and we all ran for cover. We waited and waited for the sky to lighten up and the rain to lessen so that we could load the boats.

With our boats approaching, the sky did not look too promising...

It was an hour boat ride from our hotel to Isla de la Tortuga and we were getting brushed with rain drops and wind, but with each passing wave, the sky became more clear. By the time we reached Isla de la Tortuga, the sky was mostly clear (not sunny, but no dark clouds were in sight). The island had a white sandy shore which was lined with tall palms; however, our boat did not let us off at the island. Instead, it headed toward a large rock further out in the water. We were given our gear and there was no choice but to jump right in. I'm not a huge fan of swimming, but snorkeling and swimming with a school of brightly colored blue and yellow fish, is something that I will do. I found it quite relaxing to just float and drift with the fish. I don't know my species of fish, so I won't even begin to try and name them, but I saw many beautiful fish and coral too!

After snorkeling, the boat took us to the island. I placed my towel atop the sparkling white sand and began to work on my tan. The sun was still mostly hidden, but I could feel its warmth drying my wet skin. I never fall asleep while at the beach, but I was so relaxed today that I inadvertedly took a siesta. We had lunch, and then returned to our towels. By this time, the sun was out and at full force!


Approaching Isla de la Tortuga



The view from my towel...



Pura Vida

It was hard to say goodbye to my new-found paradise, and even harder to go back to classes on Monday morning. Although the weather could have been a bit more cooperative at times, our trip to Montezuma Beach and Isla de la Tortuga couldn't have been any more relaxing.








Field Trip!

I should probably be studying for my exam tomorrow, or sleeping. I'd prefer to be doing the latter; however, this will be the last time I will update my blog until Sunday. Tomorrow we are leaving class early and then heading to Montezuma Beach and Isla de las Tortugas. Beach weekend!! Pray for sunshine! I'm not exactly sure what are plans are aside from snorkeling and hopefully getting nice and tan.

Today was a great day! Instead of having class at 8:30, we met our professor at 8 am. Our class, and several others went on a field trip to the capital city of San Jose for the day. I enjoyed learning about the culture and the history of Costa Rica. We took a train to San Jose, so first we saw the historic Estacion de Ferrocarril del Costa Rica, which was established in 1908. Then we ventured to Parque Nacional, where we saw the bronze monument which commemorates Costa Rican freedom and Central America's battles against the American invader William Walker.

Next we walked to El Museo Nacional de San Jose. After buying tickets, you first enter the museum by walking through a butterfly garden. (I didn't think it even came close to the one at La Paz) We found out that before it was a museum, the building was used as a jail. I found that a bit unsettling. We saw A LOT at el museo and I took wayyyy too many pictures. I enjoyed the museum because I got to see some of the artifacts which I have learned about in Latin American Studies classes. It's cool to put two and two together! The museo also had a "bella vista" (beautiful view) of the city.

After the Museo Nacional de San Jose, we walked to el Mercado de Artensania y Pintura. I enjoyed this a lot because everything was hand-made. Unfortunately we only had 15 minutes to spend in the Mercado, but there were so many beautiful items to look at. I entered with the intention of just walking straight through without buying anything. Ha! That definitely didn't happen. I am a sucker for shoes, purses, and headbands. I didn't make it very far before buying a beautiful pair of handmade sandals. Then I encountered some headbands and I tried to walk by the purses, but I just couldn't do it! Good thing my Daddy taught me how to bargain, because I got some pretty good prices, especially when bargaining with the hombres! haha. So maybe I didn't make it out of the Mercado without buying anything, but a) I was supporting Artesans b) I went to the Mall yesterday and bought NADA (nothing) and c) I was making up for the shopping that we were unable to do last year in Mexico.

Next we had a short visit at el Teatro Nacional, before venturing to the bus station. I very much prefer the streets in San Jose to those in Heredia. San Jose actually has stop lights and CROSSWALKS! Woah! I actually didn't fear for my life while crossing streets today. On our way to the bus station, we stopped at Libreria Lehmann. I love books and they had a large selection. Our professor was kind enough to take the time to recommend good books for myself and one other student. Although I am not yet finished with Laura Esquivel's "Malinche," I am looking forward to starting Alfredo Aguilar's "El amor es eterno mientras dura."

After the 45 minute bus ride back to Heredia, it was nearly time for our Flagler class to begin at 1:30. At 2:30, we had our second cooking class and learned to make empanadas de piña (pineapple). I had mentioned last week that I wasn't feeling my best one day. My tummy also hurt this morning after breakfast. I put two and two together, and realized that both days I had eaten pineapple for breakfast. It must be too acidic for me. So I couldn't eat any of the pineapple empanadas, but that didn't mean I couldn't help make them. It was a fun process to roll the dough and press the edges around. The aroma filled the kitchen and everyone wanted to eat them as soon as they came out of the oven. We requested to make Gallo Pinto in our cooking class next week, which will be muy deliciosa!
 




Train Station




Statue in Parque Nacional







El Museo Nacional de Costa Rica





La Bella Vista from el museo internacional







Inside el mercado





very focused on making my empanada



The finished product (first batch)












I will update you on our weekend trip sometime Sunday. Thanks for reading!

♥ Morgancita

  

"no te metas a mi facebook"

In response to yesterday's interviews about tv, our class went to have a debate with a lower level class. I was asked to summarize yesterday's article for both classes (why am I always the one to get called on?!) We debated whether social media, in particular facebook, has a postive or negative influence. We were each assigned different roles, such as student, parent, consumer,etc. I was assigned the role of psychologist, so I was "en contra de" (against) facebook. Although I have a facebook account, it is definitely something I could live without. I like it because it allows me to keep in touch with those who I met in Mexico last summer, for example.

Before beginning the debate, we watched a segment of a telenovela (soap opera), watched the four most popular commercials from 2010, and then watched a music video on youtube. It is called "No te metas a mi facebook" and I found it hillarious! It's pathetic that the negativities the song points out are actually true.

Tomorrow my class is going on a field trip to San Jose por tren (by train). We will either be visiting the University or will be going to museos. I hope we go to the museums. At least I will have something more exciting to comment about tomorrow!

Random information of the day: In the United States, drivers flash their lights for the person in front of them to speed up. I've seen several flashings of headlights on my way to and from school and when I complained to my professor about how many honks I get, she informed me that when a male driver flashes his lights at a pedestrian, this is representative of winking. Que interesante.

Other random sidenotes: Our teacher returned our written homework from last night today, and mine had a sparkly sticker on it. This probably means nothing to any of you, but I was excited and thought "Oh, she gives out stickers just like Dr. Davis!!" A little nostalgia of Flagler, I guess you could say.

I am becoming a regular at Cosechas. Their batidos (smoothies) are the best!!  I wonder if they could open a franchise in St. Augustine??

Also, we got a new student in our class today. So instead of three, there are now four of us. Wow, such a HUGE class. haha. So now, I am no longer the only female in the class, not that that really bothered me much when I was the only girl.

¡Hasta mañana!

transportación pública

Mi clase de español fue divertido esta mañana.  With four hours, we did plenty.  Lots of practice with the subjunctive.  For oral practice, the two boys were given a story called Momo, and I was given the Spanish version of Hans Christian Andersen's "The Emperor's New Clothes."  We then had to summarize the stories and we discussed major themes.  After that my professor asked me to read a newspaper article called "Madre Tigre o Madre Elephant" (Mother Tiger or Mother Elephant).  http://www.nacion.com/2011-02-12/Opinion/Foro/Opinion2681329.aspx  This article discussed different cultures, but focused on comparing the Chinese mothers to American mothers.  In China, the mother will put the child in every class possible: music lessons, language study.  Amy Chua, a Chinese mother, doesn't let her children watch any tv at all, spend the night at friends' houses, or participate in theatre.  They instead must focus on their studies.  It is the Chinese mother's expectation that her children be the best at everything, except for sports and theatre.  Obviously, it's a bit different in the United States.  At least for me, I know I was allowed to make my own decisions.  I took flute lessons, but my parents didn't force me to do this, this was something that I wanted to do.  I spent the night at friends' houses beginning in Kindergarten, and I often had lead roles in the school plays.  I am also very focused on my studies, but this is not because my parents pressure me to excel in school, because they certainly do not pressure me.  It is my own intrinsic motivation.

This article led to a discussion about television, especially with children of young ages.  We were each asked to write 5 questions and then went around the school to interview the Ticos.  I ended up interviewing 4 people, 2 adults, and 2 college-aged people.  The responses were interesting.  One of my questions was "Could you live without tv?"  Both of the adults said absolutely yes.  Also, both preferred to read because it challenged the mind, whereas the students that I interviewed said they were unable to live without tv, and preferred to watch tv instead of read, because it is much easier.

After classes today, the chicas wanted to go to the mall.  It is not within walking distance, so we had our first experiences with public transportation.  We got directions to the bus station and knew we needed to be on the bus from Heredia to San Jose.  I don't have much experience using public transportation, but taking the bus was much easier than I expected, and it was quite inexpensive too (about 80 cents).  We took a taxi back to Heredia, so that we would not be dropped off at some random bus stop and get lost in the city...I've already done that once, and I don't want to do it again.  Since there were several of us, we didn't all live in the same houses.  We asked to go towards el Colegio Samuel San Suez (or something like that) because they don't really use addresses here.  The taxi driver stopped at one of the girl's houses first, and my roommate and I were planning to have him take us back to the Colegio since we knew how to walk from there, but then as he made a turn to get back to the Colegio, I took a long shot and began to give the driver directions to our house.  Success!  For the girl who has no sense of directions, I was able to direct a taxi driver, and I am quite proud of myself!

"Paseo de las flores," the mall that we went to

Only a "gringa" would take a picture of a mall in Costa Rica!

Mission Paloma.

Currently, my roomate and I can't stop laughing. We have caused some chaos tonight, but I'll begin with this morning, or rather, last night:
Mamá Tica has two cats, one of which likes to spend time in our room. Her name is Angie and I posted a picture of her last night. Anyways, on the way to school this morning, I started telling my roomie about my dream. I usually can't remember my dreams, but for some reason, this dream was very vivid. In my "dream" I remember Angie jumping on my bed and visiting with me for a while. Then she proceeded to paw her way to open the curtains and then make her way outside...however, the windows here are quite different. They are more similar to shutters, and each piece of glass has, at most, 4 inches between the next piece of glass. Outside of this window, there is metal work that criss-crosses and covers the window. Anywho I vividly remember her going into the curtains and not coming back. I knew this had to be a dream because I thought it physically impossible for the cat to manuever herself through the glass panes and metal squares. In my dream I sat up, and wondered what I should do... should I go outside and bring her back in? I was awake and sitting up at this point, but I layed back down, deciding that her escape was most certainly a dream.

Well, as I was working on my homework tonight, Angie, once again came to visit me on my bed. She began to paw at the curtains, which I had already closed. I crept behind her, and sure enough, my roomate and I watched her slide through the glass panes and twist her body throught the metal squares. We laughed so hard...did that really just happen? It sure did, and I was quite pleased to be a witness to Angie's escape because it reassured me that I don't have weird dreams and that no estoy loca!

The other excitement of the night refers back to the title of this blog...la paloma. My roomate and I are trying our darndest to only speak in Spanish while we are in our room. The story goes like this: I'm studiously conjugating verbos when a semi-large moth flies around me. I swat at it, and I'm less than successful. "Bicho grando," yo grité. It lands on the curtains. Perfect, I can get my flip flop and kill this sucker. My roomate looks at me, a little puzzled. "¡Voy a matarlo! I quickly respond. Slightly kinder to bugs than me, she puts a halt to my plan to smash the bug. "Lo vamos a rescuar" she says. Well if she wants to save it, fine by me, I just want it out of my sight. She grabs a napkin and slowly goes in for the attack. I'm sure you can predict what happens next...it flies and we both scream like the girls that we are.

Mamá Tica and her granddaughter are standing in our doorway within and instant. "¿Qué está pasando, chicas?" she asks. I explain the "bicho grande" that we are tratando de captuar. "Oh es solamente una paloma" Mamá Tica informs us. (paloma is Spanish for moth) At this point the paloma is chilling behind my headboard, so we move my bed, carefully capture it, take it outside, and set it free en la calle. Mission Paloma accomplished!

In other news, I am now in my second week of school. Apparently Intercultura likes to switch things up, because today the majority of the classes were assigned a different room and a different teacher than last week. Oh and they also changed our schedule. Last week, we had our Flagler class in the mornings and then had Spanish class from 1:30 to 5:30. Now, we have Spanish from 8:30 to 12:30 and then Flagler class starts at 1:45. Aside from waking up earlier (and sleeping through my alarm this morning) I like this schedule better because the day finishes much earlier, which gives us time to spend in the city or do whatever without rushing home for a 6 pm dinner.

With only myself and one other student today, class was very intimate. I was disappointed when I found out I wouldn't have the same teacher as I had last week, but I am happy with this teacher as well. She has three kids and is very motherly. Her accent is a bit easier to understand and with such a small class we get to have a lot of oral practice as well as written practice.

We are making plans for a trip this weekend, so I will keep ya'll updated when I know more details!

¡Hasta mañana!

♥ Morgancita

relajación

Today's blog entry probably won't be too exciting to read, because I didn't do anything too exciting.  I got to wake up without an alarm, which was exciting for me.  Somehow, I still managed to wake up at 9, but that is much better than yesterday's 6 am and tomorrow's 6:30 am. 

Mamá Tica told us last night that she had to leave in the morning to visit her father, but she would still make breakfast for us.  I think she is working too hard for us.  After my shower, I wandered into the kitchen to find our breakfast, which were first covered with an extra plate and then a towel to keep everything warm.  When I removed the towel and plate, my eyes almost popped out of my head.  I must appear emaciated in her eyes, because she sure doesn't hold back when filling our plates.  As if the Gallo Pinto (beans and rice), eggs, plátanos,vwatermelon, banana, and coffee weren't enough, she also left out bread and crackers!

Anyone want to share?!

After breakfast I decided to sit out on the patio to do my homework.  The weather was simply too nice to stay inside and work!  I skyped, I took a little siesta, and did a little more homework.  Tonight, I was able to stream Northland's service online.  It is so wonderful that they have live coverage for people like me who are unable to attend in person.  The music was good, as always, and I enjoyed the sermon, too.

Basically after that, we ate dinner.  (More food?!?!) and I skyped with Kelsey (hola Kelsey!)  My roomie and I decided to watch a movie on her computer through netflix.  We spent probably 45 minutes trying to choose a good movie.  Finally we picked one, and after clicking play, Netflix informed us that licensing restricts them from playing movies outside of the United States.  Ughh.  I had the same problem yesterday when I had a failed attempt to listen to music on Pandora.  Apparently they don't play music out of the US, either.  Darn IP address that gives my location away! 

So basically that's the end of my not-so-exciting day.  But you know what, it's nice to occassionally have a day to be lazy and do next to nothing.  I'll be back in the swing of things once school starts back tomorrow.  It is hard to believe that I have now been here 8 days and 7 nights!  This first week went fairly fast, but I feel like I've learned a lot already.  Only 4 more weeks left in Costa Rica :(

Random photo of the day:  Sweet Angie stealing my bed

La Paz

Espero que todos tuvieran un buen día. Estoy en Costa Rica y por eso pienso que necesito hablar y escribir en español todo el tiempo. También estoy empezando pensar en español, especialmente después de la clase y cuando estoy comiendo con mi familia. Es muy importante que yo practique hablar tan mucho como sea posible. Estoy aprendiendo mucho gramática y quiero aplicarla. Obviamente, cuando regresar a los EEUU, tendré hablar en inglés.  ¡No quiero olvidar nada!

If you were unable to comprehend the previous, no te preocupes! Although it was Saturday today, I did not sleep in. My alarm went off at 6 am, and I hit snooze until 6:30 when I finally forced myself out of the bed and into the shower. Poor Mamá Tica, she woke up so early to make us breakfast and then went back to bed. We were a bit slow this morning and ending up running the majority of the way to Intercultura to arrive by 8 am. We were the second people to arrive.

Finally we headed off to La Paz, which means peace. Mamá Tica told us that in 2009, an earthquake with the magnitude of 6.4 destroyed much of La Paz park and the surrounding area. Lucky for us, it has now reopened.
I thought I was over my fear of heights until we started winding up the roads leading to La Paz. In order to avoid pot holes, our bus driver would steer the bus so close to the edge of the road that lacked guard rails, that I thought we would just tumble down the side of the mountain. Obviously we arrived safely, or else I wouldn't be writing this blog tonight.

There was so much to see at La Paz! I spent a lot of time in the butterfly garden and finally one landed on my hand, and I carried him (or her) around for quite some time. Unfortunately, I couldn't take it home with me. We saw beautiful loros (parrots) and a variety of birds. Amongst the birds I encountered an albino squirrel. ¡Que raro! Next we went to visit the toucans, all of which were so beautiful. We saw some ranos (froggies) in a variety of sizes and colors. I obviously stood outside while the rest of the group passed through the snake exhibit. Eeek!

I kept waiting and waiting for the felines silvestres...yes, I like cats, a lot! The smaller "gatos" looked like the rare breed that I pet sat for last summer. (of course the name has slipped my mind) The jaguars were magnificent! Their markings were extraordinary and so perfect! If it was legal, I would have a jaguar as a pet, or maybe a lion, but I have fat Jack, who is about the size of a baby lion...

Next we went down steps, steps, and even more steps to find the catarates (waterfalls). It was so exciting to be winding through the dense greenery of the forrest and hear the waterfalls before being able to see them. I'm not sure I've ever seen a waterfall before, but I stood in awe of this wonderful creation. We ended up seeing three waterfalls today, one of which was so close that you could stick your hand over the railing and catch water in your hand!

Visiting La Paz was a wonderful experience for my first Saturday in Costa Rica. On our way back, our bus driver suggested he take us to an artisan workshop and store. On our way in, we could see people working on various projects, and before the bus parked we passed a warehouse piled to the top with lumber. There was a giftshop and a restaurant at this place. In the giftshop, the majority of the items were handcrafted from wood. The artisans are very talented and how wonderful it is that they can share their gift with anyone who passes through.

I had to have some coffee at the restaurant, I was so tired being up so early. I think in an earlier blog, I mentioned that I thought the coffee here was quite strong and that I missed my amarretto creamer from the US. Well, I retract that statement, because in less than a week, I have grown to love the coffee here. I no longer add sugar, and each day I add less and less creamer. It is so good, I believe I could drink it black. As I'm getting dressed each morning, I can smell the aroma wafting through house. I look forward to breakfast each morning (even though it's wayyyyy too much food) because I know Mamá Tica will already have our coffee cups filled to the brim!

There are no plans for tomorrow, so I am looking forward to waking up without an alarm and relaxing a bit. Oh yeah, there's this thing called tarea, but I'll get to that later. I think that is all for now. Thanks for reading, and congratulations if you made it to this last sentence.
¡ Buenas noches!

Terremoto.

So today started out like any other day.  It's Friday the 13th, but no big deal, nothing bad will happen, right?  I'm not supersticious or anything.  I went to class this morning, came back home during lunch break to finish working on my presentation for my Spanish class.  I didn't feel too well today, I think the heat is getting to me. Then I went back to Intercultura for Spanish class.  My Spanish teacher gave me some cookies to eat and said the sugar would help me feel better...apparently she was right!  You all should know the routine by now.

During class, the sky let loose again.  More thunder and lightning.  Lots and lots of rain.  We were giving presentations today and when it was my turn, the rain was so loud I felt like I was yelling at the class!!
We had our first exam today.  It was a lot longer than I expected, but I did well.  It was really hard to focus while taking the exam though because the rain on the tin roof and the thunder were so loud. While she was grading them she let us have a break. 

After our break we went over our exams and then she said we were going to play a game.  She started writing on the board and it was a game I used to play with my Spanish tutor freshman year.  There are a bunch of different categories such as name, city, fruit, color, etc.  The teacher will give you a letter and the players have about 30 seconds to fill in each category with words that start with that letter. 

Our first letter was "f" and I was thinking of words.  Then the table started moving back and forth and I was wondering who was shaking it.  It passed through my mind, "is this an earthquake?"  "No, that wouldn't happen."  Then I looked at the walls and they were moving too! Then I looked at my teacher and I could tell by her expression that this was not good.  It all happened so fast that I don't remember what she said but we all started running.  We were upstairs so we were just following the crowd trying to get downstairs as quick as possible.  We hurried into what I guess is their safe spot for when earthquakes happen.  Needless to say, it was quite chaotic, because the entire student body was in this small area.  Our professor came over to the 3 of us who are in her class to console us.  Were we okay? Are we scared? Honestly I was fine at the time, really just shocked about what had just occured.

The director of the school came out and gave us the green light to go back in.  I think classes were cancelled for the rest of the day.  (The quake happened at 4:50 and school is set to end at 5:30)  My classmates and I started heading back in, but my professor wouldn't let us go back in.  She was worried about an aftershock, especially since we didn't know where the epicenter was.  Finally we went back upstairs to our classroom.  The paper I had been working on was on the floor across the room, my water bottle was tipped over, things had definitely shifted around. 

I know I definitely had angels watching over me today! 

Patacones

So I was unable to update my blog yesterday because the site was down for maintenance. (I guess that's what I get for choosing to blog instead of preparing for my first oral presentation.) But this is what I wrote yesterday:

We had class this morning at 9, and immediately after class, we had a cooking class with Janet! We learned to make patacones, which Janet described as a "hamburguesa." Obviosuly it was wasn't made from meat though. In short, first we made plátanos. Take a plátano and spread frijoles negros (black beans) on top, then spread guacamole on this and add another plátano on top. I regret that all of you who are reading this were not at this cooking class, because the the Patacones were simply wonderful!! ¡Qué rico!

After cooking class, we had 2 and 1/2 hours before Spanish class, so we did some window shopping. With more time to spare, a few of us went bought batistas ("smoothies") and went to relax in Parque Central. (Central Park) Then the sky started to get darker and darker. You know what comes next: rain! But luckily, we made it back to Intercultura before the sky opened up. We've been lucky so far since it is the rainy season here and today is the first day that it really rained. Not too long after Spanish class started, the sky opened up. Thunder, lightning, the whole "shabang." I really enjoyed the sound of the rain on the tin roof! Luckily, it lightened up to a drizzle by the time class let out.

Class went well again. I feel like I am learning so much! It's not like I've never seen what we are talking about--we've all learned it, but I guess it never stuck. Our professor is reinforcing everything she teaches, and this is really helping. Already we can see the improvements in our work. Each night we have had some type of writing assignment, and she checks it the first time by circling the errors in a green pen. Then as a group, we correct each person's paper one at a time. My first paper was basically all green and each day, I have less and less green circles! Makes me feel good to see improvement so quickly. Tomorrow we have our first exam and will also be giving oral presentations. I will present about la historia of la prensa escrita. (The history of the printing press.) ¡Qué aburrido! And the funny thing is that it is now 10:30 in Costa Rica and I have yet to begin any form of preparation for my presentation. I must remember that I am studying abroad, and I'm not on vacation!

I am surrounded by so much Spanish here and it's great! I've been skyping and my first thought is to talk in Spanish. Several times today and yesterday, while skyping, I would answer questions or start explaining things in Spanish. I'm also keeping a journal to document this trip. It started out in Spanish, and now my entries start in English but by the time I finish, they are in Spanish. Probably by my last week here, my entries will all be in Spanish. (Maybe I'll start writing my blog in Spanish too...)

¡Hasta mañana!