Denial

I think I literally may have spent the past week in some form of denial with regards to the fact that, in only 7 short days, I will have reached the end of this amazing semester and will find myself back in the States. Don't get me wrong, I cannot wait to see you all and hear all about what has happened in the past 3 months in which I was absent. This morning just marked the first in-my-face reminder that I am leaving this beautiful mountain top very soon, and that I have no idea if or when I will come back to these people and places I have grown to love.

This morning, my lovely host grandma, Nidia, left for her home in Naranjo for the duration of Holy Week, or Semana Santa. Since I leave Monteverde for San José on Thursday, this meant that this morning was the last time I will possibly ever see this woman who has cared for me and made my life so much easier over these past 3 months. Ever is a very, very long time, ladies and gentleman. Yes, she loved the idea of feeding me as much as I could physically eat, that is true, but her loving charm made all of that worth it and then some. I will never forget the last words she said to me before I left the house last night. "Disfrute la vida, Allison." Enjoy your life. Don't worry, Tita, I will.

And the qualifier she added about how this could take the form of bringing home a boy on each arm? Yeah, that's pretty priceless.

Mi hermanito

My little brother is the cutest. End of story.

Rockin' my shades.

María Paula is unamused. But I sure am.

La Playa Loca

So this past weekend was spent on a trip to a beach, Playa Brasilito, on the Pacific side of Costa Rica. While I honestly expected the whole weekend to be extremely low-key and uneventful, a series of events beyond our control definitely made it a weekend adventure that I am note likely to soon forget.

The trip was officially set to begin on Friday at noon, when the private bus was scheduled to pick us up from the Institute. But noon turned into one, and one eventually turned into two, and still no bus. After some exasperated phone calls to the agency--all in Spanish, of course-- (exasperation is hard to express in a second language!) we were on our way. Until the bus blew out a tire in a tiny pueblo in the middle of nowhere. Another two hours and much swearing later, we were again in transit.

We arrived to our campsite after dark (ick) only to discover that our site was literally located next to a raw human sewage lagoon. Needless to say, we were not happy campers (haha, I'm so punny). Thankfully, we all managed to go to sleep and hope for the best in the morning.

And better it was! We spent the next two days at the nearby Playa Conchal, thus named because the "sand" is composed entirely of tiny little seashells! The water was warm, clear, and absolutely beautiful. And our adventure back to the beach at night (to skinny-dip, of course) revealed that the water was FILLED with glowing, bioluminescent algae, invisible during the day, that made the water appear to be filled with little glowing stars which would cling to your skin and hair as you moved.

While this picture isn't mine, as I didn't bring my camera along camping, this
is the beautiful Playa Conchal, complete with coral reef on the lower right!

While some of the poverty surrounding the big resorts was scary (hence the open sewage lagoons) and very eye-opening, I think I now finally understand just why it is that people love beaches so very much. Although I doubt the east coast of the states will ever quite be able to live up to this...

La Caminata

This Saturday marked the date for the Monteverde Friend's School's annual walkathon, or caminata, to raise funds for the school. The walk spans 13 kilometers from the school in Monteverde all of the way to a beautiful vista of the Arenal volcano in San Gerardo. The walk was long and definitely tiring, but thanks to great company, including my friends Maggie, Linn, and Melody, as well as my host family, made it all worth it. 

My little brother has the cutest backpack EVER.

Snoopy in real life.

And yes, there actually were treehouses.

The crew, sometime after Km 8.

Volcán Arenal.

Pretty pony chillin at the end of the walk.

The crew. We look pretty good for having just walked 13 Km...
Just saying.

El Día de Familias

This past Sunday, the Institute hosted a game day for all of us students and our host families. The day featured games, a lecture on natural medicine, coffee and homemade refreshments, a presentation of traditional dance by some of the students (myself included), an interpretive dance performance by some local community members and Eric (an Institute staff member), and a chance to talk about our homestay experiences in small groups. A great day overall... and here are some pictures of me with my host fam to prove it! Enjoy!

Technically difficulties involving the angle of the sun...but my
host dad managed to pose for this one, along with my host mom
and grandma.

The whole crew... minus my dad and brother.
Apparently Yorlenny couldn't resist the good ole bunny ears...

A small portion of the beautiful sunset we were lucky enough to see on the way home!

Mi hermanita

So, after receiving a request for more pictures of my Tico family and professors, I will begin with this post, with the few pictures that I already have on my computer of my host sister. Out of all of my family, I probably interact the most with her, as she always wants to practice her English and I always want to practice my Spanish. 

She really is adorable. Sometimes she is trying, like any 8-year-old, but overall she is super tranquilla, and I look forward to seeing her smiling face after school every day, and will miss her so much when I leave. 

Introducing, the lovely María Paula....

Meet the Spongebob silly band. O Bob Esponja, en español.
María loves her silly bands. 

Hence the fact that more than one picture features them...

Making me look ridiculous is one of María's absolute favorite
things these days. But she is cute enough to pull it off. And
leaves me cute little notes and pictures to make up for it.

Imma miss her so much! Although I think she might be happy to
have her room back when I leave... : ]

Nuestro grupo

Aquí está un foto de todo el grupo de Mt. Holyoke y Goucher.

Literally some of my favorite people ever. I don't even wanna think about having to miss them all.

Top row: Deonny, Pati, Debbie, Natasha, me (left to right)
Bottom row: Rachel, Molly, Linn, Yu-Li, Ahdi, Jacqueline, Sofía, Carol, Cristina, Calli
Sprawled in the front: Our fearless leader, Anibal

Cerro Plano (the most ironically named village in the world)

Essentially meaning "flat hill," Cerro Plano is sort of a contradiction for those of us who must hike up the mountain to the Institute each morning. While the village itself is actually relatively flat, the vicious hill that proceeds it kind of leaves me feeling as if the name itself is mocking me, as I trudge, sweating and breathless, through it's "flat" main street.

Nonetheless, Cerro Plano does grant us some beautiful views of the Gulf of Nicoya (especially at sunset) and is where the hotel in which my host mom works, Hotel Santa Lucía, is located.

The Gulf of Nicoya (aka the Pacific Ocean) at sunset.
What did I tell you... lindísima, verdad?

Natasha traipsing down the hill of death.

Papito (the dog who follows me everywhere) and his friend
having a tender moment in the safest place ever... the middle of the road.

Coolest idea ever... this hotel built a fence/retaining wall from
cement and recycled glass bottles!

The view of the main road as it runs through Cerro Plano.

View of an adorable little farm from the main road.
These people have the best view in the world from
their front porches.

The end of Cerro Plano is marked by the place where the pavement
ends. Kinda like "where the sidewalk ends," only a hell of a lot dustier.

The view of the mountain tops that are home to the Elfin Forest.
CANNOT WAIT to go explore it!

Monteverde (one word)

"Where does it go when it leaves us, the memory of beautiful, strange things?"

Quoted from one of my absolute favorite authors, the lovely Barbara Kingsolver, my initial reaction to this quote was to panic. What memories will I lose when I leave my new home in Monteverde in almost exactly one month? Who and what will I no longer remember sometime down the road?

However, after the initial panic, I have come to terms with the fact that not all phases of life, no matter how wonderful, will not last forever. Thus, I commit myself to documenting all I can, not just for you guys, but for myself.

Here's to all of the beautiful, strange things I never wish to forget.

Let me begin with the lovely community of Monteverde (one word, as opposed to the whole municipality, which is seperated into two words: Monte Verde. Confusing, I know), where the institute in which we study is located... stay tuned for photos of the neighboring Cerro Plano, and my hometown, Santa Elena!

The entrance to the BEAUTIFUL house of my Spanish professor,
Cristina, as well as the gallery of her artist husband, Marco. The two
of them met the first day she moved to Costa Rica from Spain.

Monteverde is filled with eco-tourism attractions, such
as the Monteverde waterfall. Not as grand as the San Luis
Waterfall, but falling water is always awesome nonetheless.

Not as random as it seems, since the arrow is pointing towards
the bat gallery, where all of Monteverde's numerous bat species
can be viewed at close proximity.

The road to Monteverde, as it passes the world's best pizza place,
Tramonti, and leads you right toward the delicious Stella's bakery.

Owned by the same lady who owns Stella's, Meg's stables was the same stable that took me on the beautiful, albeit intense, ride to the San Luis waterfall our first week in Monteverde.

The plaza in which CASEM, the local women's cooperative,
is located.

STELLA'S!

Heath, one of the dog's who used to follow us, so named because
she looks sort of like Heath Ledger as the Joker when you look
at her straight on.

The final stretch of our daily walk to the Institute, just past
the entrance to the Bosque Eterno de Los Niños.

Baile típica de Costa Rica

This year, 2011, marks the 3^rd year of the Goucher/Mt. Holyoke collaborative program here in beautiful Monteverde. Thus, professors from both schools arrived this week in order to do an assessment of the program, consider future changes and additions, etc. Thus, some members of our group, including yours truly, decided to learn a typical Costa Rican dance, complete with full traditional regalia, in honor of their visit. The first dance was more choreographed, while the second (complete with video, which will be here soon) is called “El Toro” and is much more informal and mostly just for funzies. Note the “bulls,” aka the people not in costume, who were kind enough to get in the spirit and help us out. Enjoy!

The first of our dances (I'm in the pink and blue).

We possibly took enough pictures to put prom to shame...

Us with our lovely professors/guests!

Spring Break 2011

Before I share with you a little bit of my spring break adventures, I first must confront a strange, nearly terrifying reality—it is already March.

I absolutely cannot wrap my mind around the fact that this amazing semester is now officially more than halfway over. With only six weeks left, I know that I am not yet ready to face my return to the States. While all of you reading this back home should know that I love and miss you all dearly, I cannot fathom what life will be like without all of these new people, customs, and places that I have come to love on par with my homeland. While I feel the pull of home, friends, and family back in the U.S. of A., I cannot help but feel that I need more time.

BUT, on a lighter note… let’s talk about Guanacaste and Nicaragua!

The first morning of our trip involved a visit to the San Vicente artisan village, where our anthropology professor has done some of his studies. We actually got the chance to watch one of the potters construct a beautiful piece. He made it look so easy. 

The final product!

I officially understand why people in other
cultures worship these cows. I am destined to be a crazy cow lady one day.

The first nights/days of our spring break were spent camping in the dry forest of the Santa Rosa National Park in Guanacaste, the province that spans Costa Rica’s Pacific coast. The forest is beautiful in its austerity, but the absolute dryness and the penetrating heat take some getting used to. As Jacqueline so eloquently described our accommodations, “The ground is not soft.” However, considering that we saw several spider and capuchin monkey troops, and were wakened by the deafening roar of howler monkeys each morning, I am willing to let those things slide. Except for having to shower with a scorpion one morning. That I may never get over.

View of the inner "patio" of La Casona National Monument in
the Santa Rosa National Park. This plantation once owned most of
the northern Guanacaste province.

The building in the park now is not the original, but a remake, since
the original was burned down by disgruntled poachers in the early '90's.

This is a picture of a picture (unfortunately), but I was lucky enough
to see a real baby spider monkey clinging to its mom up in the trees.

Beautiful vista of the dry forest and nearby volcanoes.

ANT EATER!

The second two nights of our trip were spent of a beautiful beach in Cuajiniquil, a pueblo close to the Nicaraguan border. Intensely hot during the day, the sea breeze felt wonderful at night. Yet, while the water was beautiful, I was unfortunately the first of our group to discover that the water was filled with stinging jellyfish. I was also the first and only one to discover just what it feels like to have a giant acacia thorn stick in your foot. Yay. On a less painful note, we also got the chance to go snorkeling on a reef off of the coast, which was surprisingly amazing, considering my fears of deep, dark water and not being able to breathe. Hooray for overcoming fears!

Acacia thorns. I was lucky enough to get one of these bad boys
stuck in my foot. SO.MUCH.BLOOD.

Jenaro, Pati's son and possibly the cutest thing ever.

The islands located within the Cuanjiniquil bay are composed of ocean floor that raised as tectonic plates shifted. Not to mention the fact that they look awesome.

The view from my tent. Yes, this is real life.

After four nights of pretty rustic camping, and all of my encounters with sunburn, thorns, insects, and jelly fish, I could not wait to spend our two days and nights in the BEAUTIFUL colonial city of Granada in Nicaragua. Despite the negative connotation attached to all things “Nica” in Costa Rica, I absolutely fell in love with the city. While other areas of the country, such as nearby Masaya, suffer far more filth and poverty, Granada was relatively affluent, clean, and SO brightly colored. 

The patio of our hotel.

One of Granada's beautiful old Catholic churches.

The architecture is all built in the colonial style. Love it.

Not to mention the colors! You would probably be shot
for painting your house bright pink back in the states.

Chickens, for my mother. : )

Horse-drawn carts could be seen everywhere, and for
all uses, from tours to hauling goods to market.

View from the city's central park.

Another view along the side of the central park.