didn't have a camera by my side this time...

...hoped that i would see the world through both my eyes.

I spent this past weekend visiting my soon-to-be new home, La Fortuna. My advisors family owns a organic chicken farm close to Arenal and they invited me along for a relaxing weekend. We drove through La Fortuna and we stopped to meet my new family. They own 8 cabinas and have a small farm. My father is a farmer and my mother runs the lodges. My little brother is 12 years old...it will be strange living with a little brother, haha. My mother seems very kind and it was obvious she was expecting me to know more Spanish, but, alas...tranquila...it will all work out!

We then proceeded to their finca (farm) where it was extremely cloudy and rainy the whole weekend. If you drive only 20 minutes away you are in dry heat. The weather in Costa Rica is so interesting. I went on a walk saturday morning and at times felt like I was walking through farmland in Ireland. It was actually kind of magical the way the clouds moved through the land and continuously exposed and covered different hills and forests. It's so incredibly green here. And the way the light plays off of the different plants and landscapes is breathtaking. Even though it's man-made, Lake Arenal is gorgeous. From the farm, when the clouds cleared, you could see the lake and the volcano. This is all so unreal to me!

After a weekend of sleep, reading and eating delicious arroz con leche (and struggling through conversations in Spanish) we drove back through Guanacaste. La Fortuna is north of San Jose and Guanacaste is even farther north. The farther north you go the more dry the land becomes. The type of plants change, there is less forest, and a lot of watermelon. I kind of felt like I was in Holyoke with all the farmland and golden brown grass. I only took one photo the entire trip as to avoid being too touristy amongst my patient companions. From the alto you can also see hundreds of wind turbines atop a far off hill. I thought this was such a gorgeous view. 

Things continue to go well! I got a valentine's day letter from my grandma in the mail today and it made my life complete! If you read this grandma thank you so much for being the greatest grandma in the world. I miss you too! 

I have one more week of Spanish class and then we leave for our research for the next two months. This week we are cooking traditional meals, performing dramatizations we prepare the script for and have an exam friday. I'm planning on going to the National Museum tomorrow, to a movie wednesday and out dancing after the movie!

Guanacaste wind farm

limon y sal

We took a field trip to the mountains (San Gerardo de Rivas) the weekend before last. It was a weekend of nature loving! We stopped at an organic coffee farm and helped dry the coffee and pick beans (I guess they weren't really beans yet).  It's an incredible process and as we were told, it is much better for the environment and people as it requires little to no water. 

We also went on several hikes and talked with a volcanologist about conservation efforts in the country. Costa Rica really is a beautiful country and it's efforts to move towards more eco-friendly living and industrial practices is quite noble.

 

movin' and dryin' some coffee 

A large group of us spent last weekend on the beaches of Cahuita. It was only a four hour drive from San Jose by bus. It's a relatively tourist driven area, but the beaches and natural

 reserve and beautiful. We hiked out to one beach that was basically perfect. The water was clear in comparison to other parts of the coast and there was no one there but myself and two friends. I fell asleep on my towel and woke up with a developing death burn, but within only two hours we saw a sloth, over ten monkeys and an extremely poisonous yellow snake. There were trails of leaf-cutter ants everywhere, which was a National Geographic worthy viewing experience!  

Cahuita...not my photo, but I'm almost positive I took this exact one :)

I'm spending this weekend (I leave tomorrow morning at 8:30 a.m.) at my advisors organic chicken farm in La Fortuna. I also get to meet my next host family. As far as I know they own a small farm (with horses!) and an 8 room lodge for tourists. Living in La Fortuna and in a place connected to what I'm studying (Tourism) will be very valuable to my research. This weekend is just an introduction to the site. I'm going to take lots of photos and mark up a map to make sure I understand the area before I start my research. I'm so excited! 

I'm going to a ballet this evening at the National Theater in San Jose and then out dancing at a disco-tech of sorts. Then packing and venturing to the north!

I have started to collect looks

In the words of Mike Doughty...."ahh looks, aww man."

Just like the character "Drew" in Elizabethtown I have started a new hobby. I am a collector of the "you have no idea what I'm saying right now, do you?" look.  There are many varieties of this complicated face maneuver, however there are several guidelines that one must follow in order to achieve the correct perception of those of which this look is directed towards:

• It's essential that the owner of said look is speaking Spanish, otherwise this hobby would not exist. 
• The eyes most be open wide, as if one is attempting to communicate telepathically what is not understood orally. 
• In addition, and quite naturally, the eyebrows will raise high above the said open eyes. On some occasions, however, the eyebrows may position themselves closer to the eyes. This variety of said look is unique to my collection. 
• Said eyebrows must also move closer together, creating a overall feel of sympathy and concern. 
• The mouth must remain slightly open. Perhaps the audience is unaware that there is any sound being made at all.
• It is important to be aware that use of this look on a consistent basis can create wrinkles on one's forehead.

It is possible that as the semester progresses my hobby will consequently cease. However, if it is to continue I will have a wonderful and diverse collection by the end of the four months. 

Tranquila! No Preocupada!

La Fortuna: What I have to look forward too...

I arrived in San Jose, Costa Rica 4 days ago. The director of the program picked myself and two other students up from the airport in the morning and then took us to ACM building where our host mother's met us later in the morning. I met my family and spent the weekend with them. I have two brothers; both  are busy with work, school, their girlfriends, and the not so occasional cerveza. My host mother is so lovely! She loves to garden and has the most adorable little white poodle. I slept quite a bit during the weekend in some attempt to offset how overwhelmed I've been. I have enjoyed everything I've done so far, but am very uncomfortable with my language abilities. I feel so bad that my family has to work hard to help me understand the most basic of concepts. 

On sunday I went to the super market and appliance store with my host mother. She is taking gardening classes so we've been buying lots of plants for the front of the house. The plants here are so beautiful! This afternoon she put white and red rocks all around the flowers in the front of the house. Es muy linda! We also bought paint for the outside of the house on Sunday, but as far as I can understand she had to return it because it won't work during the rainy season.

We started Spanish class today and the ACM and met our ascensoras (advisors). The classes will be very helpful and truly are total immersion. I am learning a lot but am so frustrated that I don't know more. Everyone keeps telling me that after a month I'll be shocked that I know so much. I can only get better I suppose.

My advisor, Roberto Castillo, is a cultural geographer. He is very interested in the meaning behind landscape and specifically how tourism alters and effects that meaning. We talked for over an hour today and didn't really settle on a research topic. La Fortuna and the surrounding area is such an interesting landscape. There are so many aspects to study. He sent me some articles and I'm hoping they help me to narrow my topic. It's difficult when you are not studying tangible things like plants ad insects. Especially when you are working in another language!

Everything has been great! I am enjoying this experience even though it has honestly been the greatest challenge I've ever had to face. I think that it is very important to leave your comfort zone. I have felt alone while here, but it has only encouraged me to work harder to communicate with others. My mother and I had such a wonderful conversation yesterday. By the end I was shocked that I had understood almost everything. She is constantly telling me to not worry and to enjoy the tranquility of her home. I feel so welcome here, and she has worked hard to create such a comfortable environment for me. This is going to be an incredible and difficult semester, but I know by the end I'll look back and be overwhelmed by all the things I got to see, do and experience!