South Georgia in the Summer

Those country songs aren't kidding when they sing about "driving' through Georgia in about July on a day hot enough to make the devil sigh..."

Just got back from a wonderful stay in Georgia (and on the beach nonetheless) :)

Adam and I did so much during my stay that it would be hard to recount everything, but here are a few pictures from the trip! It was wonderful seeing him, his family, learning about the "war between the states" by visiting historical sites, bumming on the beach and eating tons of great seafood!

Awesome wrap up to my summer adventures 2012. :)

Pura Vida,
Jeesica Lynn

Travel Recap

*This post was really overdue! I thought it had published about a week and a half ago…

Well apparently having your Sky Miles number printed on your boarding ticket gets you bumped up to the Sky Priority check-in line in Costa Rica. The gentleman checking my boarding pass looked it over and said, "muchacha, Ud. va por aquí con este numero." (Muchacha, you go over here with this number) and I headed to the Sky Priority lane ahead of about 20 other people. Guess who was número uno to check-in to Delta Flight 414 today? :)

Because I beat the morning rush by being at the airport at 4:30 a.m., I was also one of the first people through security and first people in the Cafe Britt shop wandering around looking for sweet treats to bring home to family and friends. :)

Finally I headed to Gate 2 and was pleasantly surprised to see that Juan Santamaria airport has fixed the bottleneck they usually cause by having a second security checkpoint immediately inside of the jetway. There, they check liquids, run the wand over you and perform a basic pat down. In the past, this caused a mess in the Jetway as everyone was trying to board. This year, the security checkpoint was backed up well before you ever get to the boarding gate. This way, you can go through it before you are even called to board. Good work, SJO, good work.

Of course, by being the first person to clear this checkpoint as well, I got to people watch for a while. Naturally, there was one U.S. gentleman who became rather indignant that the officials were going to confiscate his pointed, metal nail file. In a wild flurry of hand gestures indicating what the item was (like the Ticos have never seen one before...) he finally gave up and huffed off. It was amusing and I'm glad the Tico stood his ground. Sir, I do believe you can purchase another one for $0.99 at Walgreens back home.

Finally, to add to my in-flight perks, I was asleep when the complimentary snack cart came around, and I was parched, so I asked the attendant if I could still get my standard apple juice. She returned with the entire apple juice can and a handful of snacks. I think I'll sleep through the snack cart again next time... :)

Pictures below: Leaving Costa Rica, the rebel rouser wanting his nail file back, and my snacks :)

Pura Vida,
Jessica Lynn

Happy Heart

This summer FLEW by here in Costa Rica.

I can't even begin to count the memories, ups, downs, and over all gladness and gratefulness that I experienced. In has been yet another incredible summer!

My work here this year varied between managing my group group, and taking on supervisor/managerial duties. I was entrusted with a lot more responsibilities this year (and LOVED it). I truly enjoyed the supervisor end of things. I never thought I would be good at that kind of position, but as I realized quickly, I actually preferred that type of responsibility. I guided, trained and oversaw chaperones of groups for our department as well as met with professors/chaperones of groups coming in to discuss their own itineraries. It's amazing that I kept all of their itineraries straight in my head. Arelys has three times as many to keep straight...I wonder how she does it? :)

Why I'll always come back:
I tell people this is my summer home, and it's the truth. Costs Rica is a home to me now. I have very dear friends down here that I am ever excited to see and spend time with. There is Muni and her family, and then my boss, Jonle, and her family whom I adore. Some of my favorite memories from the summer involved those people and just spending time in the office or at their homes with them. I am ever grateful that they accept me back every year to work for CPI and mesh into their daily lives. My trips here wouldn't be the same without them. :)

I think the Dutch girl is very wrong in her conviction about not continuing to visit the same place and to see other places. She's not the first to say that and others question my travels as well saying, " Don't you want to get out and see other places?" The short answer is, yes, of course. And I will. I already do. I think the frustration in their line of questioning is that maybe they've never spent long enough somewhere or been outside the walls of their resort or even their own country to have built the bonds like I have. Anyone can visit a country and the see the people in it. I know the people in it.

There is something to be said for that, I think. :)

As I head back to the U.S. to embark on the next part of my travels, I will make my usual adjustments and forget that my toilet paper goes back in the toilet now and that "gracias" and "buenos días" will get funny looks from people.

Feliz verano a todos! Happy summer everyone.

Chaito,
Jessica Lynn

Delicacies

Here's a rundown, in no particular order, of some Costa Rican treats. These have been discovered by me and others along the way!

1. Chocolate milk from Dos Pinos and Jet bars--when Kristen came to visit a few years ago, while she was in the shower I ran out to get us a snack and this is what I ended up with. She's been getting a Jet bar from Costa Rica every year since... :)

2. Sesame nuggets!!!! Kristen can relate.

3. Coffee flavored ice cream in Monteverde

4. Costa Rican coffee... I'm a coffee snob these days.

5. Gallo Pinto--national dish of Costa Rica. Made with? You guessed it. Rice and beans. Me encanta!

6. "Trits" an ice cream invention that you're sure to love. Vanilla/chocolate swirl ice cream sandwiched between two crumbly cookies.

7. Imperial. Need I say more?

8. Homemade baked goods from a local panadería with dulce de leche. :)

9. Tamales made by the local church organization in Monteverde!

Vamos a la Playa!

I finally got to the beach.

It's been difficult to be working 50 meters from the beach and not be able to just go out and sit along it. Every day I see it and want to relax on it, just for an hour, nada más. So today, I did. :)

The only reason I managed it is because I finally took a lunch break. Most of my lunches this week have consisted of a run over to the minisuper to get an apple and come back to school. I was determined today would be different. Having taken care if absolutely everything on my list of things to do, I informed the front desk I was getting lunch today and then proceeded to go buy my apple and simply continue on the road leading to the beach. It was glorious. For an I hour I laid there in the white sands with no phone calls, questions, or wild goose hunts to locate someone. I'm not greedy so after the hour was up, I headed back to school--completely satisfied and a little more tan than before. :)

Now...if I could just convince myself that I should take lunch at that time every day, I'd be all set!

I did forget to mention that today was the perfect day for it because the sun was still shining and there wasn't a cloud in sight this afternoon!

Pura Vida,
Jessica Lynn

Hot Tamale

Holy Toledo, it's hot here today.

I walked to school today (25 minute walk) at 9:10 a.m. and was sweating like no other. Why did I pass up the free transportation? Well, I decided to go to the bank and pay my impuesta de salida (exit tax) today. It's so much easier to do before getting to the airport regardless of when you fly out. I always like to do it ahead of time and because I didn't have much going on this morning, I decided today might be a good day to take care of it. And it was...except for the heat. I should have taken a picture of my shirt by the time I got here!

I forgot to recap my weekend because Saturday was Pool Day and it was amazing! I started off the day relaxing with Jonle by the pool where she lives eating frozen watermelon (it was last day of the detox!). We waited there until Muni and Jonle's son arrived from Monteverde. It was so great seeing them both!!

From the pool (where I got sufficiently burnt :( ) we showered and headed to the mall MultiPlaza. This.place.is.huge. It has three levels and probably 300 stores. Muni wanted to do some baby shopping and I ended up buying a dress from Mango (a Spanish based company). I need to remember to shop there more...

We were at the mall for the better part of the day and were considering going to a movie at one point, but as the day wore on we all were too tired to manage it. We ended the day with dinner (remember the gnocchi picture?) and a stop at Price Smart where Muni and Jonle shopped and I stayed in the car with Jonle's son making up rhymes. It was hilarious! Her son is almost 9 and we were trying to create a Dr. Suess book of our own.  Given how crazy our rhymes were, I think we succeeded. : )

Finally around 9:30, we headed home and on Sunday morning I packed up and headed here to the beach!

Today I transfer back to the Central Valley at 2:00 p.m.!

The picture of the pool is actually from this morning while I was waiting for the bank to open.  Conveniently, the place where I'm staying has a wonderful pool area. : )


Arroz y frijoles,
Jessica Lynn

Eighties Cover Band Heartthrob

Out here on the beach this week...

I made sure on Monday that after the bus dropped me off at the apartments that I hustled back to the beach to watch the sunset. Given that it's the rainy season in Costa Rica, you can never be guaranteed a sunset due to rain or cloud cover in the evening. So when I saw that there wasn't a cloud in sight at 5:00 p.m. I made sure to get back to the beach!

Puesta del Sol: Playa Flamingo

As usual, the western sky didn't disappoint, and I hustled back to the apartments before dark (the road I live on gets really dangerous at night!) but not before stopping by the supermercado to check for Jet Bars for my sister and I...no luck. : (

 

 

Last night was spent at a restaurant called The Mariner in Flamingo with a group of students that I'm living in the residencies with. Added bonus: live music! And let me tell you, I wish I had a camera. The lead singer with his tattooed arms, cut-off button down shirt (that was only buttoned to his belly button), tight rocker jeans and long hair was rockin' out to the likes of Summer of '69, Highway to Hell, You Give Love a Bad Name, and any other popular eighties tune. He was driving the middle-aged women crazy. I witnessed moves never seen before from one woman in particular who was gyrating about as much as the lead singer. It was fabuloso.

 

 

Anyway, when I came home I crawled into bed and woke up early for a 6 miler up the mountain (yes, there are mountains on the coast line) with awesome ocean views!

 

 

Today I'm in the office doing small projects and helping out where I can. I'm about to make a lunch run through because I'm hungry for a salad. : )

 

 

Costa Rican Curiosity addition: Cuba Libre in a can. As if making a ron y coca were so difficult. Que asco... :(

All right, off to obtain my salad!

Pura vida,

Jessica Lynn

New Lodgings

People are curious creatures.

I am in a shared apartment and shared room here in Flamingo (oh, near da' beach, mon). Because of my set up I have new roommates for a few days. These are regular students and not CPI chaperones this week.

I am currently listening in on a conversation about a girl and her love for her hermit crabs.  Did you know that hermit crabs have personalities? And they can understand the vibrations of your voice so that they can recognize when you call them by name? I think it's a load of shiitake mushrooms, but she seems convinced...

The other roommate is another student who is convinced he will run with me tomorrow at 5 a.m.

Finally, there is the girl from Holland who informed me that she would never be like me and keep visiting the same country again and again because it's important to see other places. She didn't really give me time to talk about all of the places I've been, and I didn't really care to. Wasn't worth the fight... It only bothered me in the sense that somehow developing relationships and continuing to visit those people and places is wrong.

Anyway, I'm bunked up here until Thursday. Officially off the cleanse as of dinner last night when my boss and I decided to end it. I ordered gnocchi and it was delicious. : )

Trying to get plenty of grad work done before work tomorrow!

Pura Vida,
Jessica Lynn

Gnocchi for my first meal. Que rico! : )

Workin' Hard For My Money

This week has been loca! Somehow, I am busier without my own group than when I am in charge of one.  Maybe that’s because I’ve become the right-hand woman here in Heredia for the week. I’ve been more or less supervising the five different chaperones and their groups, meeting with chaperones from companies outside of CPI, running errands, proofreading things, sorting itineraries and who knows what else, all the while keeping up with grad school and munching on vegetables.

I actually like this position a lot. I meet a TON of people this way, build relations, smooth out bumps and work to ensure the success of our chaperones and the enjoyment of the students who come here!

I have also spent a little more time getting to know the chaperones in the apartment this week which has been fun!

Weekend plans: One more day of the cleanse! (Hermano, I don’t know how you maintain this for 3 weeks when you do it…). Pool day tomorrow (sábado) with my boss! Then on Sunday, I transfer out to the beach for 5 days—getting put up in an air conditioned apartment as well!

Life is not too hateful. : ) I’m finally going to get my Costa Rica tan…

Pura vida,

Jessica Lynn

Daily Delivery of Veggies and Rice : )

Rice Thief

I have a mystery to solve and it involves my brown rice rations for the week.

Normally, I wouldn't mind. But given my constant state of hunger and genuine love of brown rice, I am simply curious as to where it's been getting off to. My agua de pipa supply is also severely diminished, and I probably only drank half of it.

Now, given that I live 4 other chaperones, I can narrow down in a hurry who might be taking my food. First, one chaperone never eats in the apartment, one chaperone just arrived yesterday morning and hasn't been eating the apartment, one chaperone eats with their assigned group mostly and another chaperone likes eggs...alot. But this last one does mostly eat at the apartment.

Up until now, there has been a general consensus that whatever is bought for us is communal and whatever you buy for yourself is yours (unless otherwise asked for). So the other night, one of the chaperones asked to simply try my agua de pipa, and I said, 'sure!' Apparently this meant open season. Last night I came home and had about a half a glass left. For a half gallon, this stuff is roughly $5. Not too thrilled, but I let it go. In this chaperone's fragile emotional state at the moment, I thought maybe the agua de pipa would help her out.

Then today, I'm sitting in our groups office working and I glance around the room and see a container with cucumber and what looks to be brown rice sitting on the desk on the other side of the room. Naturally, I investigate. Those aren't my cucumbers, but that's definitely my brown rice! How do I know this? No one eats rice at the apartment except me.  The container definitely came with the same person who's been snagging my coconut water all week too... Mystery solved.

Today I'm taking a West Coast chaperone to the megasuper and I plan on buying more coconut water. Before I leave, I will kindly ask the chaperone if she would like me to buy her own jug this time. : )

My rice ration for the day.

Contraband in the Gladware container...

Arroz y agua de pipa,
Jessica Lynn

Tico Air Quality

Each morning when I run, I am reminded of the poor air quality that Costa Rica sometimes has to offer, which at times, makes it difficult to breathe.  This is partly due to the unrefined exhaust leaving all of the vehicles here, but mostly on account of the ungodly amount of cologne that the Tico men seem to be wearing.

Happy 4th everyone...

¡Feliz día de independencia!

Pura vida,
Jessica Lynn

Feliz Cumpleaños Abuelito :)

Happy birthday, Grandpa :)

The family made homemade ice cream today in honor of him and his birthday!

Want to know how to bring me to tears almost instantly? Mention my grandpa, and let me begin to tell you the kind of man he was... :)

Pura Vida,
Jessica Lynn

I.Am.Hungry.

I thought about just leaving the blog with that title and nothing else...

Day one was yesterday for the 'cleanse'. Breakfast was herbal tea, lunch was water, dinner was bone broth (a treat!!) and dessert was agua de pipa (coconut water).

Today is looking similar...

So, I will admit that I cheated once yesterday.

Why? Mostly because I ran 9 miles in the morning and given my running background and understanding of fueling the body, I knew that couldn't possibly expend that much energy and only compensate with water and herbal tea for the day. I want to be healthy and I think the cleanse is a challenge, but not to the complete detriment of my body. So at 6:15 a.m. when I came back from my run, I ate a Luna Bar. Since then...nothing but liquids. My stomach was angry with me for the better part of the day. I would be too if I burned 1000 calories and only replenished it with 200. I'm sorry, panza, salvation is coming tomorrow in the form of leafy greens and brown rice. : )

On a positive note, I'm learning a lot of really great and healthy recipes to try back in the States (probably after Georgia though when I plan on housing all kinds of great seafood--including Adam's grilled shrimp).

Grilled shrimp awaiting me in the States

My boss sent me on a mission to walmart last night to get 'provisions' for this cleanse. The produce section of walmart has never looked so appealing as to when you can't touch any of it.

My amiga, Arelys, is pretty sure I'll disappear if I keep this up... : )

Ok, going to attempt some more grad work on an empty tummy--it proved difficult yesterday, but I'm not quite as hungry today!

Family was at the lake all week, and I wanted nothing more than to be there with them. Can't wait to get there when I get back. : )

Tengo hambre,
Jessica Lynn

The Drowning of My Camera

Where My Camera Currently Resides

My camera drowned yesterday from what appeared to be a leaky water bottle. I am quite baffled though, because the bottom of my bag was flooded with water, but very little was gone out of my water bottle. My camera is now quietly resting in a bed of rice, but chances are slim that it will resurrect itself and come back to life. Sigh…I happen to love my camera, so this is disappointing. To add insult to injury (and my novio reminded me), I am carrying two dry bags with me this year—which were otherwise occupying all of my other electronics. I can at least be thankful that my iPod and everything else didn’t go swimming as well. : )

Ironically, water is the only thing I’m supposed to consume today. I can flavor it with limón, herbal tea or agua de pipa (coconut water), but that’s about it. Detox day 1 is proving to be only mildly difficult right now, however, because I woke up at 5 a.m. to run, this could prove to be a long foodless day. Nuts. (Bad choice of wording; it made my stomach growl.)

Ran a nine-miler this morning and it was glorious. No Monteverde hills!! I also managed to avoid the ‘tico shuffle’ again by pretending to be asleep until our resident Tico chaperone here at the apartment had gone out for his exercise. I tried to warn him last night about how far I would be running today, but he seemed undeterred…

Heading off soon to meet up with a West Coast chaperone to run through her itinerary at the Holiday Inn and then take her grocery shopping. I will be buying lemons, tea, coconut water and brown rice (for day 3when I am allowed 1 cup a day). Wahoo!

Hanging out solita at the apartment today : )

Chao pescado,

Jessica Lynn

It All Goes Down Mañana

Peanut butter pie is in my belly, the cleanse starts tomorrow, I just ran back from lunch in Santa Elena with Muni and her family, and I've got a four hour bus trip back to Heredia ahead of me. It's lights out for me.

Buenas noches :)

CPI in a Nutshell

CPI Chaperone 2012- No make-up + "Costa Rica Hair" = My summer look : )

This is long overdue, but I might as well try. : ) Once a summer I like to give an overview of what I do here in Costa Rica and why I continue to return verano after verano.

Centro Panamericano de Idiomas (or CPI for short) is a language immersion school that teaches Spanish to students of any age and ability who want to come to Costa Rica and learn. The school is based on full language and cultural immersion so we have small class size (max. 4 to a class) and homestays with Tico families. We have three campuses throughout the country--Heredia in the Central Valley near the capital of San Jose, Monteverde in the mountains (my favorite!) and Flamingo on the beach. We have individual students, families, high schools, universities, grandparents, priests, nuns, children, international and local students all attending our school. I first came here with the University of Dayton in 2008 to earn Spanish study abroad credit after being in Spain the summer before.

At CPI, I work in the Groups Office. Any high school, university, community college or other group that comes to CPI goes through the Groups division. Each summer I am assigned numerous groups to 'chaperone.' Essentially, while the group is here, I am in charge of their itinerary and making sure that things go smoothly--checking on homestays, classes, meals, lodging, activities, transportation, volunteerships, etc. I am like a 'fill-in-the-blanks' person for the group. If they want to know what to bring for the day, where we are eating, what to wear, where class is, how long the drive is, and so on, I'm the person they come to. As a student, I had no idea how much work Muni, the UD chaperone, put in to make things seem seamless. All I ever saw was a perfectly run program. Having been on the other side for 4 years now, I know there is ton of prep, phone calls, questions, confirming and extra errands being run to make everything look effortless. In the last couple of seasons I've also helped train the new chaperones and give guidance throughout the summer. I've been doing this for a while. : )


On the contrary to what most believe when I say that I work for a language immersion school, I do not teach in the summer. In a way, it's wonderful. I love teaching Spanish in the States, but this is a completely different venue for me. It's all business and customer service and seeing that the customer (the students) have the best possible experience while they are here. It's also immensely rewarding knowing that I am helping to plant the seed in this person as global and worldly individual. What they do with it when they leave is up to them, but I've helped to plant it!

Another aspect of my journey down here every year is getting to see the friends I have come to know and adore down here. I love returning each year and getting to spend with them no matter how chaotic la temporada alta (high season) is. Outside of seeing familiar faces, I get to encounter so many new ones as well! One of the greatest benefits to this job is all of the people you meet--some good, some not-so-good. You make connections, build relationships, network, and make friends with people from all over the world. It's amazing the kind of unique individuals I have met and continue to meet while I am here.

A few days ago while running I was reflecting back on the last four summers of working for CPI (I actually think it was an attempt to block out how bad my keister was hurting from the hill I was running, but I digress...). Each summer seems to have had a theme:

2009: Newbie; Muni, Meggie, and Gerry : ) My first summer working and where some of my greatest friendships and bonds were made; JAJA (some of the West Coast Chaperones and I had an awesome time together!)

2010: Heartache; Another story for another time, but my summer was scathed. In the most beautiful part of it, my family came to visit and see what I do!!

2011: Healing, growth, and love. A rediscory of self and why I love coming back here, speaking Spanish and being with good people.

2012: I'm getting old... Just kidding. : ) Great moments with great friends and that ridiculous cleanse that my boss talked me into. : )

I'm leaving Monteverde this afternoon and probably won't be back until next year. : ( Thus, in order to get to hang out with Muni more (and enjoy my last day before the cleanse), we are headed into town to get Peanut Butter Pie at Morphos. I.Can't.Wait. : )

Paz, amor and Peanut Butter Pie,

Jessica Lynn

I Should Know Better

Sometimes I agree to things that I know I shouldn't.

Last night would be the example. I agreed to do a one week 'detox' with my boss starting next week. I'm already hungry just looking at the program. Days 1 and 2 I am limited to liquids--water, coconut water and herbal tea. Yeehaw. By days 3-7 I am allowed to consume fruits and veggies and 1 cup of brown rice throughout the entire day. Oh Lord, I'm going to morir. I'll keep you posted as to when this all goes down. Until then, I'm eating extra... : )

Me, while I'm still healthy, happy, and not hungry. : )

On the morning run today, there were no attack-dog sightings, but I did get to watch two monkeys frolic around the tree tops where I was running. I watched them play until I realized that frolicking meant getting frisky at 5:30 in the morning, so I continued on my way...

To be noted: Up until today I was pretty sure I'd climbed every last hill in Monteverde on my morning runs. I stand corrected, and I am never running that route again. Worst. Climb. Ever.

Headed out to the Trapiche tour soon! It's a sugarcane processing tour and we get to make our own candy at the end!

Pura Vida,
Jessica Lynn

Costa Rican Curiosities

First of all, I love Monteverde. : ) I don't love that the same dog that attacked me a few weeks ago showed up on my running route today...

Secondly...When the street name where you live is called Calle Viquez (pronouned-- kai-yay veek-ez) and you pronounce it (kah-lay vick-ers) no one is going to be able to help you locate your home when you're lost...

It's been pretty busy for me around here, starting with a bus trip yesterday morning from Heredia to Monteverde to meet back up with my group and get them into their classes. They spent the weekend in Manuel Antonio and I spent the weekend receiving new groups to CPI (Georgia Southern and IRSC <--my groups from last year!).

Anyway, here are a few pictures from the last few days to give you an idea of where I've been and what I've been up to!

Some curiosities as of late...

 Monkey business...just chilling on the way to Monteverde yesterday.

Tico Mowing Method 

You've got to really want to make that phone call.

Looks dangerous.

Oh Costa Rica... : )

Chao pescado,
Jessica

Mom, I'm Alive

First and foremost: Mom, I'm alive.

It's been difficult writing this year. I blame it on Grad classes. I don't go out and my evenings are spent reading chapters upon chapters to keep up with the condensed summer courses I'm in. I've got four courses in total--2 down, 2 to go!

As of Wednesday since I last wrote, I've been to an investment company called CINDE, the U.S. Embassy, and to La Carpio to help build bunk beds for families that need them. Saturday was spent working, holding a meeting with chaperones from a group called Overland, and training our own CPI chaperones about the upcoming West Coast groups. I also read four chapters and completed two modules while 10 loud chaperones seeming had a party inside of the apartment. I sat outside and tried to be productive... : )

This year has been such a different year as a chaperone. I don't know if it's that I feel old (I'm definitely not the oldest), I'm uninterested in all of the 'extracurricular' activities that everyone seems to participate in or that I am type of person that gets mildly stress about school work and makes sure things are done 5 days before they have to be. As it stands, I'm very tranquila this year. I've never been loca, but I would go out in previous years and hang out with the chaperones. This year, I don't have much desire.

No me entiende mal. Don't misunderstand me. I love being here as always. : ) It's been my summer home for five years, but something is different. Outside of Muni, Meggie, Arelys, Jonle and her family, I am missing connections. Granted, I am probably not making them like I should be because I'm absorbed in school work, but my family is enjoying time at our new lake house in Lake Cumberland all summer, and I have a flight to Georgia in mid-July that I'm not-so-patiently waiting to be on. :)

But life is good, and I'm making the best of it while I'm here! I love speaking Spanish all the time. :)

Fun colored house in La Carpio where we delivered the bunkbed. :) 

As close of a picture as I could get of the Embassy--see the guard? I got "No, no Tico" to my picture taking.

Time to head in to CPI and help out with the groups coming in today. My group is out at Manuel Antonio this weekend, and I am meeting up with them in Monteverde tomorrow! Can't wait to be back there. : )

Off for the day!

Chaito,
Jessica Lynn

Tico Shuffle

Today I ran with a Tico.

Well, run is a relative term. I ran. He shuffled. I never broke a sweat.

This particular Tico is one of the chaperones staying at the chaperone apartment right now, and I actually tried to sneak out this morning without him hearing me. My fear? The Tico Shuffle.

I've witnessed the Tico Shuffle too many times on my morning runs, and prayed I would never have to participate. My fears came true today.

The Tico Shuffle, as I've termed it, consists of arms up high (think alligator arms), straight back, butt out and knees barely off the ground, shuffling a grueling 10 minute mile pace. I don't run fast, but Lord help me.

Convinced that he ran alot, we covered around 8k. When we finished he asked, "Don't you sweat?" And my excuse followed that I was dehydrated...

The following is my best representation of the stance involved for running. It's as awkward and uncomfortable as it looks.

Well anyway, I just got my assignments for the next four days it looks like it's going to be really busy! However, I get to go the embassy tomorrow and I'm really looking forward to that experience!

Today, I even painted my own ox cart wheel for the first time. The painters leading the class had to pick the best one at the end...it was actually mine. However, because they didn't want to choose the guide, they chose one of the students. No lying here...they actually told me this. : ) I'll take it for only having 30 minutes to complete mine...

Finally headed home for the night--pretty pooped on this end. Hasta luego amigos!

Pura vida,
Jessica Lynn

Busy as an Abeja

Since I picked up my group on Saturday I have been nothing but in a hurry. We stayed in a beautiful hotel called La Condesa on Saturday and then Sunday was mass at a local church, walking tour of San Jose (including the National Theater and National Museum), meeting the host families and then home for the night.

Monday included a visit to AMCHAM (Amercian-Costa Rican Chamber of Commerce), a walking tour of San Joaquin and Spanish class. The group that I have is specifically international business students, so we spend a lot time touring businesses.  This is actually pretty neat because I'm learning a lot and most places I have never been before!


On Sunday night Muni was in Heredia and came by the apartment!! Meggie, Muni and I all snuggled up on the sofacama for 30 minutes and just talked before Muni had to go get her group. I miss us girls just hanging out together. : )

Speaking of chaperones, it's a full house at the apartment right now, but we're all having fun. It's pretty great to be working with a couple of students from my Georgia Southern group this year!!

That's pretty much all for now...Cafe Britt today!

Oh, Monday officially kicked off my sister and I's marathon training...woof.

Chao pescado,
Jessica Lynn

Sittin' in el trafico

I'm currently on my way back to the Central Valley and while I can't actually publish this until I get back, this 'blogger' app on my iPod is pretty great--allowing me to pass some time with sitting in traffic with 3 hours still left in my trip. Listening to The Avett Brothers with Spanish techno in the background...

While on the way down the mountain today I tried to get a picture of the road that we took.

Family: people still actually use the road that we used to get to MV. I thought for sure we were some of the last to venture along that thing... I stand corrected because today we went down it in a 30 passenger bus...

Anyway, tomorrow I get my first group and work really begins!

I could probably write for a while considering we're not moving, but I'm going to try and brush up on my bird names and facts. :)

**quick update: it's been over 2 hours...sitting in traffic takes on a whole new meaning when there is one road, one lane and no side streets or exit ramps. Whoa.

Hasta pronto,
Jessica Lynn

Short News, Long Pants

Today has been rather uneventful and slow. Other than a quick ice cream run during lunch, I've stayed pretty stationary and worked a lot. A couple of noteworthy items:

1. There are still bubbles in the fountain.
2. Grad school classes are done...for a week. Whoo!
3. I celebrated last night about grad school by going to bed early--what have I become?!
4. Headed to Muni's tonight to cook dinner with her--can't wait.
5. I am apparently noticeably uncomfortable around babies.
6. My lunch choices are also a topic of conversation here in Costa Rica, just like the states.
7. I think I brought my sister's pants to Costa Rica...they are much longer than I remember.

The following conversation ensued with my sister this afternoon in my quest to figure out what got into the length of my pants:

Pretty sure I already know the answer, but she'll put my mind at ease when she gets back from the lake.

Off to Muni's to make dinner!

Que le vaya bien,

Jessica Lynn

Mr. Bubbles and Dog Attacks

Correction from yesterday's blog: In regards to the picture of Calvin the Parrot back in Georgia: she is an African Grey Parrot.

^(Guess who gave me that little nugget?) : )

Secondly, I returned to the apartment last night to find this: Who's the wise guy that put Mr. Bubbles in the community fountain?!

Also last night my sister informed me that she got the job she wanted at Cincinnati Children's Hospital in their physical therapy department. I'm incredibly excited for her!! Even if it means no more free yagoot... : )

And then in other news...I finally had to use the pepper spray that my dad once bought me to keep me safe. It's a normal precaution for me to carry it when I run, mostly for dogs, but possibly humans too. Today, I had to take down Kujo.

The dog came after me when I was running early this morning and attacked me from behind, so I never saw it coming. The dog was probably 80-90 pounds, and I had noticed it two nights before because he seemed aggressive and had made me nervous. He kept lunging at me and pawing and scratching and biting despite my best efforts to fend him off.

Here's the kicker: It wasn't even a Monteverde Dog!!
(I have a theory on the stature of Monteverde dogs: short and stocky for aerodynamics due to living on a mountainside with all the wind.)

The horrified mama tica and her child watching from across the street just kept saying, "He's just playing! No es nada." The dog wasn't just playing and I all I could think was, "I ain't playin'!" And with that, one good shot of pepper spray to the muzzle backed him off and sent him whimpering away. Whew...dodged a bullet there.

Thankfully, the injuries sustained were simply some long scratches and nothing more. I was pretty fortunate that where I was bitten didn't indicate any puncture wounds.

On the bright side: Pepper spray does work. : )

Pura vida mae,

Jessica Lynn

The Naming of Birds

The office today has kept me preoccupied, and I was given a rather frustrating task of reorganizing an itinerary for a group. Reorganizing wasn't frustrating, but whatever program this particular school used to create it was immensely frustrating. On top of that, it was cold in here today! My only saving grace... Café. : )

However, since the office is winding down a little, I've now concentrated my efforts on learning bird names. Notice I am currently at 100% accuracy. : )

Can you correctly identify the bird?

Why, you might ask, would I care to learn seemingly every bird species know to man? Is it because I'm in a part of the world with hundreds of different species of birds? Is it because I've decided to expand my ave knowledge and better myself?

Not exactly. It's because every time I am asked to identify a bird flying high above or perched in a tree or on a collision course for the car by my novio, I fail. Miserably. (Besides common birds, I can now sort of identify a Red Tail Hawk and Turkey Vulture.) So, in an effort to help me out and increase my confidence, he suggested the app: Birds!

Never saw this coming: I'm now addicted. Gracias, novio. : )

While I've gotten really good at naming the birds on screen, I've yet to put it all into practical application. I can assure you that I will be quizzed when I get to Georgia this summer. I'll keep you posted on the confidence level, because right now, I'm feeling pretty good!

Pájaros en la cabeza,

 

Jessica Lynn

Oh, and this is Calvin. He's some sort of parrot.