From: 17 de junio
I’ll admit it. It was difficult waking up this morning after being out at Mata e Caña last night. It’s a bar here in Monteverde. I am not used to being out so late, but it was really fun! I finally got to dance. : )
This morning the group went to the Extremo Canopy Tour. This is probably the twelfth time I’ve done the tour, and I still find it exciting. I don’t really get an adrenaline rush, but it’s still fun!
Today is my group’s last day in Monteverde, so they are finishing up classes and taking dance class tonight. Tomorrow we head out to Arenal and the hot springs that await me. Yay : )
All right, I’m trying to wrap up things in Groups Office so I can go hang out with Muni in her office.
Feliz Cumpleaños, Papá : )
Chao pescado,
Jessica Lynn
Monday, June 20, 2011
Friday, June 17, 2011
Free Morning!
From yesterday...June 16th.
You would not believe how excited we chaperones become when we read “Free Time in the Morning” on the itinerary. It actually adds a little bounce in our step.
This morning was riquísimo. I woke up around 5:30 and set off on a 10k (6 mile) run… A rather terrible 3 miles straight up the mountain to the Biological Reserve and then a relaxing 3 back down. I came back, made myself a cup of Monteverde coffee and started my laundry.
I moseyed into work around 9:00 and called home to talk to my mom for a while and catch up on life in the States. From there, I sought out Muni to get the keys to her house to go back and get us the rest of the key lime pie. She thought they were hidden outside of her house, so I walked there in hurry, but to no avail; the keys were not there and I could not get our pie. : ( Maybe later…
Free time was followed by cooking class with the group, and they made chimichangas. They were delicious!
I think the guys and I have secure another homemade dinner tonight, so things are looking good for dinner…that’s after I attend dance class with Jesús.
Happy dancing,
Jessica Lynn
You would not believe how excited we chaperones become when we read “Free Time in the Morning” on the itinerary. It actually adds a little bounce in our step.
This morning was riquísimo. I woke up around 5:30 and set off on a 10k (6 mile) run… A rather terrible 3 miles straight up the mountain to the Biological Reserve and then a relaxing 3 back down. I came back, made myself a cup of Monteverde coffee and started my laundry.
I moseyed into work around 9:00 and called home to talk to my mom for a while and catch up on life in the States. From there, I sought out Muni to get the keys to her house to go back and get us the rest of the key lime pie. She thought they were hidden outside of her house, so I walked there in hurry, but to no avail; the keys were not there and I could not get our pie. : ( Maybe later…
Free time was followed by cooking class with the group, and they made chimichangas. They were delicious!
I think the guys and I have secure another homemade dinner tonight, so things are looking good for dinner…that’s after I attend dance class with Jesús.
Happy dancing,
Jessica Lynn
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Waterfalls and Cookouts : )
Today the group hiked to San Luis Waterfall here in Monteverde. Despite all of my time spent here in Costa Rica, I have never made this hike. It was awesome! The hike took about 35 minutes to complete, and at the top was a beautiful waterfall. Naturally, I swam in its waters… Yes, it was cold. Did I try to climb up the side? Yes, I did that too. Mom, are you nervous yet? I’ll say ‘yes’ to that as well. : )
The hike down wasn’t too difficult, and I really enjoyed being out there. The trail had tree bridges and narrow pathways and you really had to watch your step. It was pretty cool. I’m looking forward to hiking more this summer here in Costa Rica and later in Alaska!
Oh, and I posted this to Facebook yesterday and meant every word of it:
I'm not sure who was behind the engineering of it, but putting the timed air freshener at eye level in the bathroom was a really really bad idea.
My head came out smelling like a weird combination of orchids and lilies (according the label). I started planning my bathroom trips around when I thought it might spray--which was every 12, 18 or 36 minutes.
Tonight we also had a BBQ at Muni’s house! It was amazing. The guys barbequed marinated chicken and made guacamole while we women made key lime pie for dessert. Julian, Jesús, Arelys, Muni, Adrian and I all hung out afterward just talking and relaxing. It’s been my favorite night thus far. I’ve missed Muni and Arelys : )
All right it’s late…going to try and sleep for more than two hours at a time!
The hike down wasn’t too difficult, and I really enjoyed being out there. The trail had tree bridges and narrow pathways and you really had to watch your step. It was pretty cool. I’m looking forward to hiking more this summer here in Costa Rica and later in Alaska!
Oh, and I posted this to Facebook yesterday and meant every word of it:
I'm not sure who was behind the engineering of it, but putting the timed air freshener at eye level in the bathroom was a really really bad idea.
My head came out smelling like a weird combination of orchids and lilies (according the label). I started planning my bathroom trips around when I thought it might spray--which was every 12, 18 or 36 minutes.
Tonight we also had a BBQ at Muni’s house! It was amazing. The guys barbequed marinated chicken and made guacamole while we women made key lime pie for dessert. Julian, Jesús, Arelys, Muni, Adrian and I all hung out afterward just talking and relaxing. It’s been my favorite night thus far. I’ve missed Muni and Arelys : )
All right it’s late…going to try and sleep for more than two hours at a time!
Buenas noches,
Jessica Lynn
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Tico Cooking Attempt (And Success)
Master Chefs Jesus and Julian with their masterpiece Written yesterday (June 14)...
Last night we chaperones (Jesús, Julian and I) decided to cook an authentic Tico meal at their apartment. I’ll go ahead and admit that they did most of the cooking because I arrived late after staying late at work to help Muni.
When I arrived at their place, they were in the middle of creating a salad and preparing a pineapple and mange smoothie. While the smoothie was a huge success, the salad, well…not so much. It had all of the makings of a good salad: tomatoes, lettuce (I informed them later it was cabbage), avocado and olive oil, but by missing vinegar it was missing a lot. I tried to add a little pepper and splash of limón, but to no avail. The picture doesn’t do it justice. It looked much worse. Nevertheless, it was edible and we were hungry.
The guys did a great job with the food (although Digna who works at CPI had to cook the rice and beans for them). The guys made plantains, a smoothie with pineapple and mango, tortillas and pork. It was so good! Gracias, señoritos : )
After dinner, we sat together and watched How I Met Your Mother. Just hanging out was really nice and it meant less time listening to the wind make weird noises at my apartment! : )
Ok…buenas noches!
Jessica Lynn
When I arrived at their place, they were in the middle of creating a salad and preparing a pineapple and mange smoothie. While the smoothie was a huge success, the salad, well…not so much. It had all of the makings of a good salad: tomatoes, lettuce (I informed them later it was cabbage), avocado and olive oil, but by missing vinegar it was missing a lot. I tried to add a little pepper and splash of limón, but to no avail. The picture doesn’t do it justice. It looked much worse. Nevertheless, it was edible and we were hungry.
The guys did a great job with the food (although Digna who works at CPI had to cook the rice and beans for them). The guys made plantains, a smoothie with pineapple and mango, tortillas and pork. It was so good! Gracias, señoritos : )
After dinner, we sat together and watched How I Met Your Mother. Just hanging out was really nice and it meant less time listening to the wind make weird noises at my apartment! : )
Ok…buenas noches!
Jessica Lynn
Monday, June 13, 2011
And so it begins...
Written yesterday (June 12)...finally got to internet access today! My group arrived last night! They are lindísimos. I already like them. : )
We stayed at a beautiful hotel up on a mountainside. I woke up this morning and faced a dilemma on my morning run: do I run up the mountain and then back down, or run down and climb back up? I chose a little of both and proceeded to run laps up and down the mostly flat drive leading back to our hotel. I think the guard got tired of seeing me run past…
The group went on the Café Britt coffee tour today. It was not like I remembered. : ( It’s not nearly as entertaining this year and is completely different than last year. I hope it was only a fluke…
After the tour, we stopped by a mini festival at CPI that was celebrating the 20th anniversary of CPI! Afterward, we got on the road and headed off to Monteverde. Four hours later, we arrived!
I’m staying at the CPI residencies next to CPI. I have my own kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom in my own little apartment. It’s great! The only bothersome thing: apparently the boys took all of my food that Arelys bought for me to make dinner. They could have at least invited me over for food. : ) Guess it’s granola and fruit snacks tonight. It’s too late and too far to get something.
Another fun phrase: Fútbol americano es un deporte de animales jugado por caballeros; el fútbol es un deporte de caballeros jugado por animales.
American football is a sport for animals placed by gentleman; soccer is a sport for gentleman, placed by animals.
We stayed at a beautiful hotel up on a mountainside. I woke up this morning and faced a dilemma on my morning run: do I run up the mountain and then back down, or run down and climb back up? I chose a little of both and proceeded to run laps up and down the mostly flat drive leading back to our hotel. I think the guard got tired of seeing me run past…
The group went on the Café Britt coffee tour today. It was not like I remembered. : ( It’s not nearly as entertaining this year and is completely different than last year. I hope it was only a fluke…
After the tour, we stopped by a mini festival at CPI that was celebrating the 20th anniversary of CPI! Afterward, we got on the road and headed off to Monteverde. Four hours later, we arrived!
I’m staying at the CPI residencies next to CPI. I have my own kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom in my own little apartment. It’s great! The only bothersome thing: apparently the boys took all of my food that Arelys bought for me to make dinner. They could have at least invited me over for food. : ) Guess it’s granola and fruit snacks tonight. It’s too late and too far to get something.
Another fun phrase: Fútbol americano es un deporte de animales jugado por caballeros; el fútbol es un deporte de caballeros jugado por animales.
American football is a sport for animals placed by gentleman; soccer is a sport for gentleman, placed by animals.
Cafe y Amor,
Jessica Lynn
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Even Costa Rica has a Wal-Mart
It's here.
Danimals!
Monteverde Brand yogurt.
In case you’re wondering, the Wal-Mart here is almost exactly like the ones we are accustomed to back home. They have the same brands (see the Danimals picture) intermixed with Costa Rican brands (see the Monteverde Brand picture). The store has it all—from food to household appliances to a vision center. All at the lowest prices of course.
And true to Wal-Mart tradition, the demographic remains about the same as the U.S.—in case you were wondering that too.
I am still making my usual adjustments down here (i.e. forgetting that the toilet paper goes in the trash can, not the toilet).
Two of the chaperones and I met up and went to Longhorns last night for fun. It was really nice to just hangout and relax. I’ll be meeting up with them again in Monteverde!
It’s time to have my last dinner with my host family. : ( I’m really sad to leave them. Mayi and her family are the best host family one could have, and I am truly going to miss staying here this summer. It’s a good thing I will still see her at work in Heredia!
Café Britt tomorrow followed by a transfer to Monteverde. Pura Vida. : )
Amor,
Jessica Lynn
Learned another phrase: Pueblo pequeño, Infierno grande. (Small town, big hell.) Not necessarily true, but fun to say anyway : )
Friday, June 10, 2011
Braids and Bad Karaoke
Well, you can only check your email so much in one day, and I’ve exceeded the limit.
The morning was busy with printing things for my group and getting things ready for this morning. However, all of that ended around 10:30. I’ve gotten a montón done for grad, so I’m happy about that. I won’t speak too unkindly of being bored because I’m sure I will eat my words in a week. : )
Last night was fun at the house. Jesús (the chaperone who is staying at the same place as me) and I hung out on our second floor patio listening to really terrible karaoke being sung from about 3 blocks down. That’s right, three blocks…that should give you a good idea of how loud they must have been singing. And it still sounded bad from three blocks away. : )
After that, I started reading a book and listening to Jesús crack up laughing at youtube videos in the next room over.
Tomorrow I get my first group! I’ll pick them up in the evening and we’ll leave for Monteverde in the morning after a Café Britt tour. Pura Vida.
I learned a couple of new Costaricanismos today: Guilas= children or women; Guilerio=a lot of kids, or a lot of women
The morning was busy with printing things for my group and getting things ready for this morning. However, all of that ended around 10:30. I’ve gotten a montón done for grad, so I’m happy about that. I won’t speak too unkindly of being bored because I’m sure I will eat my words in a week. : )
Last night was fun at the house. Jesús (the chaperone who is staying at the same place as me) and I hung out on our second floor patio listening to really terrible karaoke being sung from about 3 blocks down. That’s right, three blocks…that should give you a good idea of how loud they must have been singing. And it still sounded bad from three blocks away. : )
After that, I started reading a book and listening to Jesús crack up laughing at youtube videos in the next room over.
Tomorrow I get my first group! I’ll pick them up in the evening and we’ll leave for Monteverde in the morning after a Café Britt tour. Pura Vida.
I learned a couple of new Costaricanismos today: Guilas= children or women; Guilerio=a lot of kids, or a lot of women
Meggie y yo!
Trensas! (Braids)
Mucho amor,
Jessica Lynn
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