Puerto Viejo Trip

I had the opportunity to go on a trip to Puerto Viejo, a beach close to the Caribbean in the Provence of Limon.

It was great to be able to get out of the city and see the beauty of Costa Rica.

On Saturday we took a trip to a national park to see the various animals. I was able to see many different types of animals. As I was walking past a creek, there was a crocodile sitting right in the water. I also was able to see a group of monkeys in the trees. They were jumping around and swinging over us, and began throwing almonds at us. Then I got the chance to go into the Caribbean ocean, it felt so amazing. As time progressed we ran into a heavy rain storm, so we all had to go back.

At Puerto Viejo, there was the rich and diverse culture of the Caribbean. Many of the people there played reggae music, and spoke much differently then the Costa Ricans in San Jose. Overall, it was great to experience the culture of Costa Rica at Puerto Viejo. 

 

My First Week

My first week in Costa Rica, here are some things I can share:

Living with a host family:

Living with my host family has been quite an experience. The person I live with speaks only Spanish. The first breakfast meal on July 3rd we talked and I really had a difficult time communicating. I would want to say something, but couldn’t put it in Spanish words. But day by day I am getting better, and learning about the culture of Costa Rica, especially the family life. We have coffee quite a lot, breakfast and dinner. On Sunday we had dinner together, and many of the relatives joined us. The first thing we had was bread and butter; I though that was all I was going to eat. But we talked for about thirty minutes and then the food was ready. The entire dinner time was around two hours; we spent time talking and playing games. Definitely the family time together is very important to Costa Ricans, whereas many Americans have a quick dinner without really talking to one another.

Classes:

My classes have been great! My Spanish class in the morning has only seven students in it. The first day we spent time introducing ourselves, talking for about an hour! The professor really likes to know about our life and also wants us to know about the culture in Costa Rica. Many of our assignments included researching an important world topic and reporting it to the class. Also,I have to interact with other Costa Ricans to better understand certain Costa Rican words and phrases.

Food:

The food has been amazing! The most famous dish is called Gallo pinto, (rice and beans). It is cooked a little different. I had a meal at a restaurant, called a ‘soda’, and it was delicious! It came with plantains, rice, beans, potatoes, and steak. These restaurants are throughout the whole city and it is where the real authentic food is.

Orientation Day

Gallo Pinto

Streets of San Jose