Mountain Marathon (Costa Rica Style)

Oh my goodness, what a run this morning! I woke up at 5 a.m. to go running at 5:30. (Before leaving, I heard Howler Monkeys. (Monkey sounds!) I ran from CPI up to the Monteverde Reserve. Let me emphasize up. It was a steady 22 minute climb from the bottom up to the reserve, and wow was it a killer. The climb was nearly relentless in its ascent and my foot was hurting pretty bad. Once up at the top, I looked around the reserve a little and began descending. While my foot hurt on the way up, I could not have predicted how bad it was going to hurt on the way down. Ouch. I can hardly walk now. De ninguna manera, la carrera fue fantástica! I am so glad I went. La naturaleza is beautiful on the run.

Vista de Monteverde al atardecer. Me encanta : )

For those of you that tuned into my blog last year, I am still a true believer in the adaptation of the dogs here in MV. They tend to be much shorter than most dogs. My theory last year was that they adapted shorter legs to decrease wind resistance and increase aerodynamics here on the mountain when the winds start to blow. Thus, most dogs in MV have really short legs to keep them low to the ground. Science teachers, correct me if I’m wrong.

Today was another busy day in the office with too few persons trying to accomplishing too many tasks. I really like the spirit of this office though with everyone helping each other to accomplish the montón of tasks in front of us. It makes everything more manageable and we have our share of laughs and conversations. It’s really a great place to work. I am continually amazed at one woman, Arelys, who somehow manages to keep every group’s information, itinerary, placements, food and housing organized and in order. She really is an incredible woman, and CPI is so fortunate to have her!

Meggie, Muni and I went for sushi last night in Santa Elena and in the middle of dinner, a transformer blew in town and the whole restaurant went dark. We finished our food by candle light. ¡Qué romántico! After dinner, Meggie and I visited the SuperCompro for provisions for the week. I bought cheerios and whole grain crackers. Initially, before embarking on this trip, I was concerned with eating too much. Now, I am almost concerned I am eating too little! I plan on living on Cheerios this week. Don’t tell my mom.

Anyway, tonight I plan on relaxing and making some calls to loved ones as long as the internet connection holds out. It’s really raining here right now, which means I’ll be nice and soggy by the time I reach my apartment. : )

Buenas noches amores,

Jessica Lynn

Mañana Oscura, Tarde Segura

¡Buenos días!

I arrived in Monteverde yesterday afternoon after lunch on the road and a van that wouldn’t start without a gentle push down a hill. It was eventful.

Once at the school, however, the students took their placement tests for Spanish and I gave them a brief introduction to Costa Rica and their homestays. I called it Homestay 101. I gave them all of the important information about how to work the showers, how much food they would be given and where to put their toilet paper. I kept it light and amusing and actually enjoyed the whole experience. Because Meggie had another group here at the same time and there was an emergency in Flamingo, I was enlisted to give my spellbinding orientation twice to the other group from a college in California. I used a lot of dry humor during my presentation but the groups seemed to laugh a lot and my boss enjoyed it too. I might have another job calling my name. : )

After we got everything squared away at the school, Meggie and I headed to our apartments next to CPI. I am staying in something similar to a matchbox with just enough room for a bed, small sink, and tiny bathroom. I love it! It’s really cozy and Meggie and Muni are just down the way. After settling in, Meggie and I went to Santa Elena for food and ran into a professional guide that she knows and his friend. We finished our food and headed to another establishment called Mata e Caña before calling it a night.



My room!

Today, my group when to the mariposario (butterfly farm) and had cooking class. I really enjoyed the mariposario today. I have never been there and the vegetation and butterflies were really intriguing. Currently, the students are in their Spanish classes and I’m working on uploading pictures to the CPI website.




Mariposa.


On a side note, the title ‘mañana oscura, tarde segura’ means “dark morning, certain afternoon.” It’s like saying a dark morning means it’s certainly going to rain in the afternoon. The phrase is kind of like “red skies in the morning, sailors take warning…”
Me gusta.

Ok, time to work. Chao for now!

Jessica Lynn

Aguaceros y Hambre

Bueno…

Hoy fue muy productivo por la mañana, pero en la tarde, yo no hice nada.

Today, I got up, ran, and headed to work at 9:00 with Sonia. Together we work for about 3.5 hours getting folders ready for groups and taking care of details. By 12:30 p.m. the U.S. soccer team was playing, we were done working, and we were hungry. We watched the first half of the game and then made soup for lunch before watching the second half. It is now 4:00 p.m. and I have been at school this entire time. I will probably be here until 7:30 or 8:00. Rock on.

Sounds uneventful, but we are in the midst of monsoon like rains and lightening that is getting uncomfortably close to our grupos office. Two minutes ago I thought about venturing across the street to the pulpería for a snack, but the rain somehow managed to upgrade itself from a torrential downpour to something one might experience if they simply filled a 5 gallon bucket of water and just dumped it over their head. It’s beautiful actually.

I have been mildly productive this afternoon in my quest to reserve hotel rooms for my family. I have some great ideas and options for them. Now, I just need to make the reservations.

Sonia and I have been watching the news for a while now trying to kill time. It’s mildly working, but my hunger is starting to kick in. Time to go in search of food and to get ready for my group to come in!

¡Buenas noches y buen viaje mañana!

Jessica Lynn

Where The Sidewalk Ends

Today I got up at 6 a.m. to run. I like to play a game when I’m running called ‘The Sidewalk Game.’ It involves me figuring out where the next sidewalk begins when the one I am running on abruptly ends. It’s better than playing “Dodge the Crazy Tico Drivers” I suppose. I’ve found a nice quiet residential area to run in around here which is great, and considering the sun is up by five, I can get a good run in before work.

I spent the day in the office completing simple tasks until my boss and her family arrived. I was so excited to see them! The oldest son has grown so much! After a rather hectic afternoon, my boss and I finally sat down to go over the logistics of my group which arrives Saturday evening. I’m jumping right in. In the midst of everything though, I still had time for a pick up game of fútbol with two of the other chaperones and Diego. Diego and I won. : )

Finally, after returning to my homestay and eating dinner, Sonia (another chap.) and I sat for a while and just talked. It was a great way to unwind from the day. I have to go into work tomorrow for most of the day and help get folders ready for incoming groups and then around 4 p.m. I’ll start preparing for my group to arrive!

On a side note, I received my cell phone for Grupos yesterday and let me put it this way: I really upgraded from last year. This phone is a modern phone with modern applications and a color screen. It’s almost too much technology for me to handle after the dinosaur of a phone I received last year. Whoo!

Okay, I need to get ready for bed. I plan on multitasking tomorrow and watching the U.S. soccer game.

Heading to Monteverde Sunday!

Hasta Luego!

Jessica Lynn

Monkey Sounds

Rockin' my CPI gear.

Kely y Yessica take on Heredia.

I’ll give credit to my brother for the title of today’s entry. This has been his signature sign off for emails/text since I’ve been in CR. Ever since I ‘wowed’ my family with my rather accurate impression of a howler monkey, he’s been quick to remind me of my talent.

It takes a special person to witness my talent. It’s all the rage on jungle tours. Ask anybody.

Anyway, today was my first official day of work and I’m not sure exactly what I accomplished because most of my time was spent readjusting myself to the language and being reminded how much I really do still have to learn in the language! Oh boy.

Last night I got a full night’s sleep so I was awake by 5 a.m. I was at work by 7:30 and so began my day preparing for my group that comes in Saturday. I have almost everything ready to go which is a good feeling.

Tonight I met up with my good friend from college Kelli (pronounced Kee-lee if you’re our host mom in Spain) for dinner in Heredia. I was so excited to see her! We ate dinner at a soda and spent the better part of two hours catching up. It was a wonderful evening that I am so thankful to have shared with her. We probably could have stayed longer, but Tico buses don’t wait for Gringa Girls. Hopefully I can see her again before I leave. Anyway, it was a great way to finish out my day. Kelli has been living in Costa Rica for 10 months working in a school during the day and is looking to stay in Costa Rica for maybe another year—more incentive to return to CR for me. : )

My Spanish is improving, poco a poco. I have a long way to go, and I know this. It’s difficult to understand nearly everything you hear but not being able to reciprocate your thoughts verbally. Patience…

Tomorrow is the first game in the Copa del Mundo de Futbol (World Cup) at 6 a.m. CST featuring México y Sudáfrica. My host family is planning on waking up early, making gallo pinto and being ready for the game at 6 sharp. I just plan on waking up. I think I’ll wake up, run and then sit down for the game. I plan on watching the U.S. on Saturday though!

Ok, time to call it a night and get some sleep. Tomorrow my boss and her sons will be coming in to CPI. I am really looking forward to seeing them!

Nos vemos, mañana!

Jessica Lynn

Tommy Bahama

¡Un gran saludo a todos!

I’m back! In Costa Rica that is… I made the successful journey from the Midwest to the rainforest today. It feels good to be here.

The plane ride from Detroit to the ATL was exciting. I hadn’t experienced turbulence like that since Dad and I flew to Peru. The plane made violent dips in altitude and was jerked around for the last half of the flight; even the landing was shaky. That probably didn’t bode well for Tommy Bahama sitting two rows up from me who found it necessary to wear his sunglasses for the entire flight and then remove them every time he needed to locate a flight attendant. From the sights and aromas around me, it appeared that Mr. Bahama went big last night. Thankfully, the flight from Atlanta to San Jose was much calmer.

I arrived at SJO at 11:40 a.m. and waited for over an hour to get through immigration. Once out of immigration I passed through customs with no problems and proceeded to the airport exit where I met up with the CPI driver, Alexis. He took me to CPI where I met up with Mayi (my host-mom) and the rest of the CPI chaperones. I stayed at CPI for about an hour before heading to Mayi’s house for the remainder of today. My first group doesn’t come until Saturday evening so I have plenty of time to prepare for them. I’ll spend two weeks with this group in Monteverde and Flamingo before receiving a West Coast group for 21 days. After the West Coast group I’ll be finished. Amazing.

On a victorious note, my first meal down here was NOT rice and beans. : ) I can’t guarantee what I’ll get for dinner, but it’s a nice start.

Time for a siesta and then hopefully a run later on.

Chao for now!

Jessica Lynn

Ya vengo...

As of Saturday April 10, I am officially headed to Costa Rica for the summer!! I'll be arriving in San Jose on June 9 and returning to the U.S. on July 23. My work officially ends on July 17, so I'm spending an extra six days travelling on my own. I'm stoked!

Big news to go along with the plane ticket: I just bought a backpack big enough to fit a monkey, iguana and small dolphin in for when I return. My sister says she is approximately the size of a small dolphin, so I might just pack her instead. : )

Loving teaching and coaching. Looking forward to Costa Rica. : )

Chao Pescado,
Jessica