I will be posting most of my updates under the "lugares" tab! So make sure you check out all the amazing places we visit there! Image galleries of all my adventures included! See everyone somewhere amazing soon!
*Costa Rica es un lugar muy diverso. Yo ve la ciudad San Jose, y las playas de Puerto Viejo y Montezuma. Yo vivo en Costa Rica por tres semanas, y se ha ganado mi corazon. La gente son muy agredables y les gusta comer mucho arroz y frijoles. Me encanta Costa Rica.* Costa Rica truly is a place so diverse that finding words to describe it becomes difficult. I have seen the city of San Jose and the beaches of Puerto Viego and Montezuma since my arrival in Costa Rica. City life is 100% different than relaxing in the beach towns. Here in the city the cars come so close together and drive so quickly that it is a wonder to me every day how I have not yet seen an accident. The pedestrians just walk into the middle of the road, and wait for the opposite traffic to break so they can continue to meander through the streets. I am afraid for my life every time I have to cross the street, but the locals are not bothered by the fast paced driving one bit. I have to try my hardest not to run as fast as I can every time I cross the street to avoid looking like a total tourist. In contrast, the beach town of Montezuma is so sleepy that it was already 12 pm when we finally had our breakfast this past weekend. The farmers market hosted a variety of fruits and vegetables, and the sodas (small restaurants) shaded us from the burning sun. We hiked back to our hostel worn out from a day playing in the waves, then laughed and talked over a family style dinner. Nothing but the sand and the ocean awaits us on our weekends, and so I have become very accustomed to going at the laid back speed of the surfers. I have lived in Costa Rica for three weeks, and it has already stolen my heart. The fast paced city life and the sleepy beach towns both suit me perfectly. I find myself feeling incandescently happy wherever I travel in this new country, and I am very grateful to have been able to see so much of it thus far. The people of Costa Rica always have a smile (or a cat call) to offer. They are incredibly happy to help, offering up a “mucho gusto” (my pleasure) when I am in need. Most of the people here are also very patient with learners of Spanish, or know a few English words themselves (except the college boys who laughed at me when I talked to them). They love to cook and to eat, especially rice and beans, which makes me very excited. Things typical to the United States are very different here, ketchup is not ketchup as I used to know it. We have all had to let go of the ordinary things we are used to. To me, these differences are the charm of experiencing a new culture, and I am better because I have learned to let go of expectations and simply be content with the present moment, exactly the way it is. Because the way it is, is the way it was meant to be, and with that, I am perfectly content. My new home in Santa Marta, San Pedro, San Jose, Costa RicaJust the casual view from our hostel window. Yes, there were monkeys in those trees.
“Seat backs and tray tables up” the flight attendant’s voice over the intercom wakes me from my nap. Nerves cascade through my body as I slide the window shade up, and I am immediately overwhelmed by the sight below. Rolling green hills sprawl out in all directions, and there is no spot where plant life does not reside. In the valleys there are small collections of red roofed houses half hidden under jungle foliage. Twisted roads rise and fall with the mountains, guiding small vehicles from town to town. In this moment, peering across these new lands and flying further from the places I know, I am blissfully happy that I made the decision to leave my home to seek adventure. Come with me on my journey through 3 months in this incredible country I now call home, there is an adventure around each corner! And every day is a great day to be living in Costa Rica.
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