Taekwondo and action movies

This week has been my first week without a Spanish class during the day. I've been really enjoying sleeping in. Although, surprisingly, I can only bring myself to sleep in until 8 or 8:30. Here's to becoming an old woman.

In the mornings I've been studying Spanish during the time I would normally have class. Today I went to Veritas and read the newspaper. I learned a lot of new words. At this point I feel like vocab is my main hurdle. I'm pretty quick with the conjugations while I speak, but a lot of times I don't know good story-telling verbs. 

Last night, Kristi, our neighbor, our new roommate Miranda and I went to Taekwondo class. The taekwondo class was taught by Jose (Myrna's brother) in his living room. It was a really good class because he's a black belt and actually teaches taekwondo quite regularly. After the class Kristi and I went to a two for one movie night and saw the movie "Unkown" or "Desconocido" as they call it here. It was really entertaining. It was my favorite type of movie: action with a little bit of government conspiracy thrown in there so you have to think. Overall, it wasn't that great compared to the Bourne movies (it was set in Berlin) but it was the exact movie I was in the mood for. It wasn't too long either (always good when you've inherited the sitting abilities of Valery Cochran).

At 1 A.M last night I was sitting in bed reading and I felt my bed start shaking and it felt like we were on the verge of an earthquake. Turns out that it was just a tremor (second tremor in a week). So let's hope they stay small! I was surprised that my bed actually started shaking. I imagine that if it had happened in Seattle Kiro 7 eyewitness news would be all over it. 

OTHER BIG NEWS! On Monday I will be hanging out with none other than SARAH FREEMAN and possibly traveling with her. I'm really excited. Myrna invited her to eat over here which I think will be really fun. I'm hoping we can go to some museums because I haven't had a chance to go to many in San Jeezy. 

Tonight after dinner Miranda wanted to take pictures of her new surroundings so we all congregated in the living room. I was really full after eating 3.5 Maduros*, so I whispered to Myrna that I was really full and it was going to look like I got pregnant in Costa Rica. She started laughing at me then put her arm around my shoulder and put her other arm around my stomach so it was resting on my hip, covering my stomach (kind of like a prom picture). Then she said "there, now they can't see".

 Thanks Mama Myrna.

*Maduros are kind of like fried bananas although they're not really fried, they are cooked in the microwave. They have butter, sugar, and cinnamon on them. They are probably one of my favorite foods. It should be noted that eating 3.5 Maduros = 3.5 full bananas.

Tonight I'm at kind of a low point because I have a "menstruation migraine" as Val-pal dubbed it. I turned off all the lights in the room, put ear plugs in, and put a pillow over my head for about two hours. And showered by flashlight to avoid any exposure to light. Woo! Hopefully this is gone by this weekend.

Speaking of which, this weekend I'm going to our friends host family's cabin. I do not know what I'm getting in to. I'm sure there will be an interesting blog post next week.

T- 12 dias hasta que Mateo llegue a Costa Rica! Que emocion! 

Hitch-hiking and debit card eating machines

Este fin de semana fuimos a la playa Samara.

Samara is a very idyllic little town with a minimal tourist presence and a very laid back vibe. The travel group consisted of me, Jen, and five other people from our program. We divided into 3 groups and all stayed at different hostels. On the way to Samara, we missed the main bus stop and ended up in the next town over. It would have been a really long walk back to Samara, and there weren't many taxis around, so, naturally, we decided to hitch-hike back to Samara. This is a short video of the hitch-hiking in action:

Me and Jen stayed in a hostel called "Las Mariposas". The toilet was really dirty. Other than that, it was cute, and we met really cool people, but the toilet bowl was just really dirty. I attempted to clean it myself because it was bothering me so much. We powered through the first night without a fan in our upstairs room (I almost died), but we made sure to acquire a fan for the second night. I'm pretty sure it was about 95 degrees there... I can't handle that heat. 

Horse grazin outside our hostel.

On Saturday we rented bikes and headed to Playa Carillo. Playa Carrillo is supposed to be one of the prettiest beaches in Costa Rica, and it really was. It was a very long white sand beach lined with palm trees and no hotels or stores along it, just a small road. Obviously, there are plenty of pretty beaches, but this one felt particularly special because there was hardly anyone there. We didn't have to worry about constantly watching our stuff (although we kept it close by), and we could swim and play in the ocean to our hearts content. When I was lying on the beach I had one of those rare moments where my whole body just felt completely 100% relaxed. This relaxation continued until the ATM ate my debit card on Saturday evening. I didn't believe the tails I'd heard of ATM's just plain eating debit cards, but now I know they are true. 

One of our many iguana friends from this weekend. 

On Sunday morning, whilst eating breakfast, we met a couple who worked in the pharmaceutical industry. Specifically with a company who specialized in Women's health. I don't think they were involved with the evil kind of pharmaceutical companies though. The man was English although he hadn't lived in England for 12 years. His work schedule was as follows: work in the US (Boston I think?) for 2 weeks, then, every 3 weeks go to Costa Rica and repeat. I believe his girlfriend was a Tica. They were on the news the morning we met them, because they helped organize a rally for women's health, and everyone from the hostel gathered around to watch it. The man told us how he used to go to live in New Dehli, and about ten years ago he lived in Dubai. His tales of Dubai were especially interesting. For whatever reason, he was sent there during the summer, a time which is ungodly hot in that region of the world. He said it was usually about 120 degrees with 100% humidity. He told us an amusing/ fascinating story about a day when he decided to go for a "refreshing" swim on one of the beautiful beaches. It was another swelteringly hot summer day in Dubai, and he had a rental car so he decided to drive it on to the beach. So, he drove it on the beach, got out, and as soon as his TENNIS shoes hit the sand he could feel the excruciating heat through the soles. So he got back in his car, still determined to swim. He backed it up right to the edge of the water, and put his feet in. He immediately screamed in pain and jumped back in his car. The water, just like everything else, was scorching. 

Moral of the story: do not go swimming in Dubai in the middle of the summer. He also told us the only thing to do was to go to shopping malls. Or indoor skiing which they have now. It's probably much more intense than mini mountain though. 

That's all I can think of for now. I might come back and edit this post later. 

'Mantonio" REALLY GOOD WEEKEND!

So much to say and so little energy. I will try my best.

1. Friday- During class on Friday, all the Spanish classes had a fair. There were about 150 Spanish students and we all did skits and spoke Spanish. I dressed up as a tourist. My teacher found it really really hilarious. Normally I'm not very close with teachers because I'm intimidated by authority, but he's the first teacher I've really bonded with on a friendship level (besides Mrs. Liranzo). Anyhooters, I look forward to that class because he's so funny and thinks I'm funny and generally understands everyone in the class on a very human level.

Friday afternoon we headed to Manuel Antonio or "Mantonio" as nicknamed by our dear friend Tom (a very fitting nickname because it has a lot of gay tourists). We went in a group of 14 and stayed in one room. Going into it, I was positive I wouldn't get very much sleep because people would be up late going crazy, etc, etc. BUT it turns out they were all really cool so I wanted to stay up late with them and hang out.

On Friday night I had a ton of energy because I was really enjoying the company of everyone. Our hostel was a little far away from bars or nightlife, so a group of about 8 of us set out on an adventure to find a salsa bar. Along the way, we met two guys from Argentina who were staying at the hostel next door. They told us they were on the same mission, so they joined the pack. At a certain point, a lot of people decided they were really tired from their school week and turned around to go home. So, that left me with two girls from our group and the Argentineans. One of them, Brenda, is from El Salvador and the other one, Azul, is from Mexico. The Argentineans then suggested we go to the Carnival in Quepos (the next town over). So, we hopped in an unmarked cab (wouldn't suggest doing this although it is WAY cheaper) and went to the Carnival. It was really fun to hang out with foreigners. I also had a lot of fun because I was with people who spoke fluent Spanish and I felt really safe. They bargained with the vendors and I got a cheap pair of sunglasses and it was just great. It's funny to hear Argentineans speak because it's a little bit more like the Spanish accent. They say every "ll" as a "j", which was cool to hear in person. When we headed back to the hostel it was about 2 am, and just so everyone knows... I was the last one out (along with Brenda and Azul). That is a personal record so far on this trip, so I'm very proud of myself. It was a really good night.

2. Saturday. On Saturday we woke up early and headed to Manuel Antonio National Park. The park was cool, but at the same time a little weird. It's the biggest tourist attraction in Costa Rica. There were Americans at every turn which for me is less appealing. I like to feel like I'm in a different country. Also, the big attractions about the park are the animals and really pretty beaches. So the beach was really nice because it was calm, but there were so many people. There were also a ton of monkeys, but it was kind of sad because they're not really phased by people. For example, this was my proximity to the monkey:

A monkey.

View of the beach through the trees. 

After a day at the beach/ nat'l park on Saturday, we watched the sunset and had a barbecue at the hostel. 

It was really fun because everyone was interested in bonding rather than getting really drunk. Which for me is what makes these trips the best. So after hanging out for a bit, I decided to go to bed. I was settling down when my friend Azul came in on the shoulders of an extremely tall guy from Holland. It was funny at first, so I took a picture, but then it got really sketchy. 

 Azul said "okay put me down now", but he laughed it off and said, "no let's go to a bar". Then she said "no, no, I'm tired, just put me down" and he made a joke saying he had knee problems and couldn't let her down. Then he turned around and started leaving the room with her, and the started grabbing on the the top of the door frame and said "no, no, put me down!!". At this point, we became aware that the situation wasn't fun for her anymore. A few guys from our group went over and offered to help her down, but the Hollander started walking away. Then all  5 of us outside of our room started yelling at him to put her down. One of the guys started talking to him, saying "okay, dude, this is not cool, let her down." Then he started trying to walk away and Azul started yelling and a guy from our group grabbed on to her and we all started walking with them. THEN, he started running down the hill with her which got a little more dramatic. We collected a few more people from our group and started chasing after. FINALLY, about 100 meters up the hill, the guys in our group started getting more aggressive about the fact he needed to let her down. They stood there for a few minutes and negotiated with him and at last, he let her down. The whole time I really got the Russel Turner vibe from him. Like "I'll pretend to be cool and I'll pretend this isn't a big deal, but really, I'm super creepy". 

3. Sunday- Today we went to Manuel Antonio beach where we had another fun adventure. Jen and I were lying on the beach when all of a sudden we heard screams coming from the water. I saw a girl flailing because she had gotten caught in the riptide. NOTE: this exact same thing happened when we stopped at Manuel Antonio beach our first weekend here, except there were lifeguards. So all of a sudden, I saw a guy (Steve) from our group swim really quickly over to the girl and pulled her to shore. I'm pretty sure he completely 100% saved her life. Her family was around her, but apparently they were all crying and screaming because they didn't know how to swim very well. When the girl got on shore she passed out from exhaustion. This is a picture of  the scene that gathered around her. They are really into blatantly gawking here. 

The bus ride home was a brutal 5 hours and I saw two people throw up from motion sickness. But as usual all the discomforts that arise during such travels quickly disappear when I arrive home to the delicious food cooked by Mama Myrna. Overall, the good company this weekend made everything so much more fun. 

Also, fun fact: today, we were on a really cramped bus ride from the beach to the main bus station and people weren't scooting back. So I yelled from the front of the bus "Will you guys move back?!" then, when they didn't listen I yelled the same phrase in Spanish and a few seconds later they started moving. How fun! 

Clase de conversacion advanzada.

Mi clase de conversacion advanzada. 

Ropa tradicional de una turista estadounidense.

"Immersion" activity

Today I walked in to class a little late after the break, and all I heard my teacher say was "now write 10 questions using the vos format" (vos is a verb form used instead of "tu" in Central America). Anyway, I scribbled my 10 random questions and when everyone was done my teacher said "Bueno, vamos afuera para esta actividad". I realized then that our questions were intended for students of Veritas. So, my teacher picked up on the fact people were feeling particularly bashful about this activity, and he walked each of us individually to students and introduced us. I ended up being the last person to walk over to my student (I'll explain why this is weird later).

Ronulfo (my teacher) sat me down next a Tico named Javier. So I introduced myself and asked him if I could ask a few questions. I started asking my questions, not realizing the message I was sending. My questions built on themselves in a way I did not anticipate. The conversation went as follows:

1. What's your name?
2. Do you have a girlfriend?
3. Do you live in San Jose?
4. Have you eaten lunch yet?
5. If you had time, would you go to POPs icecream right now?
6. Do you like to dance?
7. What type of dance is your favorite?
8. Do you like Costa Rican women?
9. Do Machistas annoy you?
10. Are you going out tonight?

Okay so in the end, it looked like I asked my teacher to introduce me to Javier. It only became worse when I start asking him mildly provocative questions. And inquiring about his love life.

Oh well!

El fin de semana pasado and LIFE

This weekend Jen and I took a romantic getaway for two to Jaco beach (we also went there last weekend). Jaco is the closest beach to San Jose. We decided last minute to book a hotel room. We had a lot of fun. It was really relaxing and stupendous. I put on SPF 55 but managed to collect several more freckles.

Also, I really love my conversation class. I think my conversation teacher makes up a lot of activities on the fly, but they're always really fun. On Tuesday, for example, we had one of our 10 minute oral presentations. He told us not to prepare, so everyone showed up to class ready for anything. It turns out, we were working on direction words like "aqui, aca, alli, ahi, alla" and words like "este, esta, esto, ese, esa, eso, aquel, aquellos, aquellas, etc". So, our teacher divided Veritas into nine parts (9 people in the class) and pretended he was an Asian tourist named Oochi-ming. It wasn't very politically correct, but it was really funny regardless. He pretended to be absolutely clueless about Costa Rica and all Spanish vocabulary, so we would stop at random places during the "tour" and he would point to very random objects and ask what the word was. It was definitely the most entertaining way to learn those words.

So class is going really well, but I'm being driven insane by our neighbor. Here's her deal: She went to Costa Rica last summer with CEA, but she decided to return for 6 months (Jan-July). I'm still not sure if she lived in Myrna's house when she went with CEA, but she lived here (Myrna's house) for the first three days that I was here, until Kristi (our other roommate) switched into our homestay. At that point, she moved into our neighbors upstairs apartment where she lives now. As of now, she's taking online classes with her university and does a lot of nothing all day. The issue is that she comes over to our house EVERYDAY ALL DAY to do a lot of her sitting around doing nothing. She also happens to be the biggest mooch in the history of the universe. She eats every meal of the day here, and Myrna cooks dinner for her everyday. We have a small house, so her presence is not something that can really be ignored. She occupies the same couch on the living room the entire day and does not move. Myrna was complaining to me and my other roommates about her, but I think she's too nice to say anything.

Anyway, she really bothers Myrna's brother Jose. I get the feeling Jose feels like Myrna is being taken advantage of and feels protective.

I think I'm going to say something to my neighbor very soon because I know she's stressing out Myrna. I don't know how to tactfully approach this. I think I'm so annoyed right now I couldn't possibly say anything nice. She is so aggravating. She's also really mean and not very smart, and very selfish. She doesn't lift a finger to help Myrna. She's just the biggest mooch ever. Okay. Done.

Moving on...

My roommate Kristi is a fantastic runner, and I've been really enjoying going on runs with her because she completely kicks my ass every time. We also have really good conversations. At first I thought she was immature, but I really admire her at this point. She's been working since she was 15 to pay for this trip, and has a really positive attitude about it. She also grew up in a big family so she's really good at going with the flow. I feel bad because I had a different impression of her at first, and to a certain extent I think she does have qualities that could become frustrating, but for the most part, I really enjoy her company.

Tonight at dinner Myrna started crying because she was telling us about a story her Aunt sent her. It was some form of chain mail (which is a little bit funny) about a father who had to work all day and night. He would leave the house when his kids were still asleep, and come home and they were still sleeping. Every night when he got home, he gave them a kiss on the forehead. Then, he would tie a knot on the corner of their blankets, so they knew he had checked on them. As Myrna was telling us about this story she really started crying. It wasn't just a few sniffles, she recovered quickly, but for a few seconds her head was buried in her hands and she was definitely crying. After she gained her composure she told us the story really hit home because after her husband died, she had to work long hours and would leave the house before her kids were awake and came home when they were asleep. During this time, she gave every single one of them a kiss on the forehead before she went to bed. It was a very touching moment.

Okay, that's all for now!

Also, JUDE: I can't stop reading thoughtcatalog. Jen and I have been reading it all night.

Add these to the list of ever-growing colloquialisms

http://travelated.com/10-phrases-you-wont-learn-in-spanish-class

Also, I hope I don't have a parasite, and I hope that yogurt solves all my problems.

Another thing: A gecko dropped down from the cieling when I was in the bathroom earlier.

Tomorrow I'm going to the beach on a romantic getaway with Yennifer.

Okay as for the previous spelling error that was on here, I wrote it right before I left in a huge hurry for the bus stop. I'm not that dumb!