¿¡What are Costa Rica?!

Oh my gosh, so I am probably the worst blogger in the history of the world (considering that my last post was in July...), but I will kill the time waiting here at the airport with a post ;) It has come to my attention that I promised my best friend before I left NC that I would do a "What are this?" post about Costa Rica. In order to understand this you must watch this link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4sXjJJjcWQ. Fantasy (my best friend) showed me this video shortly before I left and I thought it was hilarious. Since then, when I am confused/intrigued by something, I ask myself, "What are this?". Considering Costa Rica is a vastly different place than North Carolina (of course), I have had to ask myself this question many many times haha. So, I am going to share pictures of things that were either strange or interesting to me during my time here. :)

First and foremost, what are this!?!? Answer: It is a gatorade (or powerade?..one of the two) bottle with hand soap in it. This oddity can be found in the main floor bathroom of the library on Universidad Nacional (UNA) campus. This wasn't just a one time occurrence. The four months I was here I always had to get my soap from this bottle in this bathroom.

What are this?? Costa Rica definitely has some interesting foliage but this bad boy takes the cake. It is one plant (this is not two different plants that are just side by side), and it looks like it should be the friend to a Lorax tree in a Dr. Seuss book! This beauty is on campus near the registration building. Loves!

What ARE this?? I have never seen a strike/demonstration occur at a school I have attended before. So, I was very bewildered when the main library on campus was closed for DAYS because of a strike of the employees. This is the door of the library in the photo (yes they pull these strange garage door looking things down over all doors of businesses/school buildings in CR).

What are this?? This is a tiny (but deadly) snake that I saw when I was walking near Arenal Volcano a few weekends ago. Luckily for me (totally being sarcastic) most of the snakes in CR are poisonous lol. 

What are this?? Why are you so small, little coins?? When I was packing I found some American money in my old wallet, and I was soooo puzzled by the size of these coins! The coins here in Costa Rica could eat a quarter for breakfast! 

What are this?? lol Probably the greatest mystery of CR. Who ARE Rat Boy?? You can find this dude's mark all over Heredia and San Jose. If he had a twitter account, I'm sure all of us gringos in the program would follow him haha. #cultstatus

What are this...again!??! lol I wasn't kidding when I said that his boy is everywhere. There are way more all over town, but these were just two that I found yesterday on my walk home from school.

What are this?? This is a Costa Rican 'garbage can'. Instead of the big blue/green/black (whichever color you have) trash can you put out by the road, Costa Ricans have these open box looking things on a pole. 

What are this?? What are a castle in a tropical country!?!? I have never gotten over this castle (El castillo de Santa Lucia). It is amazing and it is right around the corner from my house, and right in front of the bus stop that I need for school.

What are this!?! Soda!! lol but not the kind you drink. I think I heard that sodas are little eateries before I came here, but I still had a hard time not thinking of soda when I saw these signs. FYI soda here is called gaseosa.

What are this?? This would be the sign that I have had this dictionary for wayyyyy too long lol. The other night I was studying and it tore in half, and it didn't even have the decency to perfectly divide itself between English and Spanish. Huy!

What are this? Are this prison?? Lol this looks like a prison in an old Western set in like southern Texas or Mexico. It is actually a window of the police station (so kinda close..sort of). This is the strangest police station I have ever seen and I found it so interesting. 

What are this?? Machetes have got to be one of the most interesting things here to me. They are used to trim trees, cut long grass, and to cut fruit. Not to mention the fact that it can also be used to threaten or hurt someone. Such a multi-purpose item, useful and terrifying all at the same time.

What are this?? This is the largest ox cart in the world. Random and interesting.

What are this??!?! According to Liz and I, this is Lebron James. We just can't understand why the mannequins here are so diesel!

What are this?? This is a picture of an adorable little tica with a farole (lantern) she made for Independence day. 

What are this?? Oh this would be the best bathroom sign ever haha. This is on the door of the bathroom at the movie theater at the Paseo de las Flores Mall.

What are this?? What are Walmart in Costa Rica? Don't get too excited folks, this Walmart sucks!

What are this??? There is seriously a McDonald's every few streets in Costa Rica. Eeeww and I hate McDonald's!

What are this!? What are furry fruit?? This is a mamon chino, known as a rambutan to those of us in the United States. Basically, it is the most delicious fruit ever after you peel off that intimidating looking skin.

What are this?? I loved the graffiti in Costa Rica, it added a certain something to the flavor of the city. I also like how this particular one is in English lol

I just like how it looks like I am wondering "What are this?" haha. I don't have a picture, but the one thing that puzzled me the most was the fact that we had to throw our toilet paper in a trash can instead of in the toilet. So, if I come to your house and throw my toilet paper in your trash can, you may not judge me. It was a hard habit to start and so now I think it will be a hard habit to break. Sorry in advance ;)

There are many things that have interested and baffled me while I have been here, but this is just a little taste of the things that made me go..."What ARE this?!"

It's Hard Out Here For a Pimp

....By pimp I mean gringa. I couldn't think of a song or movie that referenced the hardships of being a gringa in a Latin American country, so there ya go. I haven't posted for awhile because I have been caught up in the whirlwind of trying to survive school. Now, normally school is my thing because I like to think of myself as someone that is kind of a genius, no big deal, but that was before I had to contend with professors who feel it is necessary to speak Spanish as rapidly as they possibly can. I have never been so confused and lost in a classroom in my entire life, and I know it must be obvious that I am lost because anyone can see the dumbfounded expression on my face.

The first class I had was my Spanish class, and unfortunately it gave me a false view of my Spanish-speaking abilities. I felt so confident during and after that class because I was able to understand my professor (Alexa) and I was able to participate in class. I was ready for my second class of the day after that ego boost!! Yeah....that bubble was popped as soon as my professor in the second class began to speak. I still have no idea what the heck he was talking about. He.... just ...kept....talking.... He would make a joke (I guess he was making jokes) and everyone in the class would be dying of laughter...I didn't laugh. First off, I didn't understand, and second, I was very near tears because I DIDN'T understand! The rest of that first week was pretty much the same. A whole lot of the professors talking and a whole lot of me not understanding. One class worth noting is my Friday morning 7am class (yes I wrote 7am), Indigenous Ecology, and this class is worth noting because we spent the first twenty minutes meditating. Yeah. Then I proceeded to fill out a questionnaire from the professor, and one of the questions asked me my blood type. I was like wait what?? Why do you need to know my blood type exactly....? Afterwards, we watched a YouTube video, and then we had to draw our feelings on what was seen in the video....I'm just still not sure what the purpose or point of this class is..I just go.

Aside from my school classes, I also signed up for a dance class and a swimming class. Last week was the first week for both of them and neither of them were what I expected. The dance class is every Tuesday night, and I was prepared for a class in which we would slowly learn the basic steps of the salsa, merengue, etc etc. Wrong. It was like a fast-paced aerobics dance class in which you just had to stumble about until you figured out how to move your feet exactly. The classes are held in a big room next to the main cafeteria. Like most places in Costa Rica, there was no air conditioning, and there were also no windows (which is unusual here), so basically I was sweating profusely. I also wore jeans, a t-shirt, and Sperrys (because again I thought it would be a very slow paced class), so I was quite disgusting by the end of the class. So of course, the teacher paired us up towards the end of class for partner dancing. The poor guy I had to dance with just looked disgusted lol, I literally had sweat pouring down my face. He stood as far apart from me as he possibly could, I felt like a leper. I had a lot of fun and I did learn how to salsa, but now I know to wear workout gear....and to bring a towel.

The swimming class. First, let's start with the fact that I was told the wrong building for the location of the class, so I was 10 minutes late. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem because EVERYONE here runs on tico time (i.e. always late time), but the swim coach is a punctual fellow apparently. So I rushed to get changed and took myself out to the pool. The pool is huge...like Olympic size. Now, I've never claimed to be a great swimmer, but I like to think that I am decent. I can swim okay and I can float very well. I thought this would be enough to place me in the intermediate class. Wrong ( I am wrong a lot here). The swim coach was just so disgusted with me and my friend, Amber. He yelled at what we were doing the whole time and at the end he told us that we were not good swimmers. Yes, he said this. He said that we should come to his 9am beginners class because we don't know how to properly breathe, properly kick, or properly stroke. Everything was mal (bad). We have to keep attending the intermediate class, however, because of scheduling conflicts. He looked so resigned at this information, but he did say he would help us. Basically, I won't be trying out for the Olympics in 2016...womp womp.

Things are continuing to get better though. I do have a slightly better grasp of the language at this point. Now, I understand about half of what is being said, as opposed to the nothing I understood the first week. I still have my mess ups, though. Like the day I went to a local grocery store and the cashier asked me a question that I didn't understand, so I said "no" and she got sooooo pissed! She slammed my change down on the counter and stomped off. Afterwards, I realized she was asking me to wait a second because she needed to do something, so I must have seemed like such a jerk to her because I said "no"....lol I avoid that store like the plague now.

Yes, it is indeed hard for a gringa to live in a Latin American country. To top all of this off, I have gotten several sunburns since I have been here. However, all of these hardships should add up to semi-fluent (fluent?!) Spanish-speaking abilities, and one heck of a suntan. I am trying to keep a positive attitude, and I know it will get easier as I grow more accustomed to the language. As always, I leave you with some pictures because above all else I am in an amazingly beautiful/interesting place.

 

This is a bridge on my campus that connects one half of the campus to the other. I think it is pretty :)

 

 

Heredia is known as the "City of Flowers" (although it is because of the beautiful women..not the local foliage) and a few of the sidewalks around town are imprinted with these huge blossoms.

 

This is a huge church that is located in the Central Park in Heredia.

 

 

Rivendel? Methinks they must be fans of "Lord of the Rings"?

 

So sad. I can't speak the language, but I have a shoppers card to the local grocery store.

 

Inside the church at Central Park. It felt so sinful to take a picture inside of a church!

 

This one is for my sugar. I told you there was a casino in Heredia ;)

 

 

This is a wall near the Police Department. I love all of the wall art around town.

 

I'm not sure what/who she is but I had to rub on her big ol' belly!

 

Shut the front door.....Game of Thrones...my love

 

More of the local wall art. Such talent

 

The wall art extends to the campus as well. Loves how colorful the school is.

 

I took this picture for my boyfriend. It says I love you. The only confusing part is the "llu", but "ll" in Spanish makes the "y" sound. Just to help you out ;)

aahhhh I want this pillow! It is so adorable to me! This is the back side.

So...we girls justified going to Hooters by saying it was a cultural experience because we wanted to do a comparison...really we just wanted wings.

 



 

Just so you are more aware that this is Costa Rica. 

 



Later on that same night we went out for Ladies Night (whoop whoop) and I had to take a picture of this sign. It just pleased me that coctails is spelled coctels in CR.

 

 

Ravenous ladies waiting for Hooters wings and fries.

Welcome to the Jungle

It's more like welcome to the "Jungle Lite" or the "Hypothetical Jungle" seeing as how I actually went to a mini zoo near some waterfalls, and not to an actual wild, untamed jungle. I think the title of my blog is more apt when you think about how this was my first week of school in another country...being taught in another language...yeah...welcome to the jungle indeed.

So, as part of my program we get to go on a few "giras" (field trips), and the first one was this past Friday to Poas Volcano and to La Paz Waterfall Garden. I was super crunk to go to the volcano. In my mind I was going to see hot, molten lava streaming down the side of the volcano, and I was going to feel the power and ferocity of Mother Nature!.....not quite, though. Actually, it just turned into a really long hike up a steep incline to see...dunh dunh dunhhhhh....absolutely nothing. Lol, it was really foggy that day, and combined with the sulfur coming off of the volcano, I could see absolutely nothing when we reached the top. So, I saw a volcano...I guess? Anywho, after we tromped back down that very steep incline, we ventured to La Paz Waterfall Garden. Now this place was AMAZING. Seriously, if you are going to Costa Rica anytime soon, go there! It's a beautiful place with gorgeous scenery, great food, and a mini zoo filled with native (exotic!) animals.

So, we started out by eating because we had worked up an appetite with our morning volcano exercises, and let me just say that I love Costa Rican food. I read so many blogs before I came here stating how the food here is really boring and on the bland side...false. The food here is so flavorful and fresh, and there are soooo many different kinds of fruit, I love it! My current obsession is the sweet fried plaintains, ay dios mio. I have had plaintains before, but the ones here are the truth. So, since it was a buffet (and normally I don't like buffets, but this was different), I ate like a pig and I am not ashamed to say it. Then, it was onward for adventures.

Fun facts that I learned?
1.) Jaguars have super huge heads. I don't think I've ever seen a jaguar close up. I'm talking that this bad boy was literally a foot from me on the other side of the glass, and he was an impressive monster. Jaguars look kind of like leopards that have been hitting the gym or something. Huge.
2.) Ocelots are the most darling, evilest things I have ever seen. My camera was out of memory (I left my memory card in the States because I am a dummy!), so I don't have a picture of him :( But, he was so tiny, like a little bit bigger than a house cat. He was curled up asleep inside of a little box in his sanctuary and I guess we disturbed him because he opened up his little black eyes, flicked his tail in warning, and then went back to sleep. I loves him. I needs him. I wants an ocelot. I know my boyfriend is reading this, so I repeat, " I NEEDS an ocelot!"
3.) Hummingbirds mate while flying. Not much else to say about that other than that takes talent.

4.) Fruit Loops do not do justice to the Tucan. They are such interesting birds and so dramatically colored!
5.) Waterfalls are spectacular in person. I kinda knew this already, but it is worth repeating.

I absolutely loved this place. I don't think I've ever seen anything so beautiful. However, I was paranoid the entire time because I felt that mosquitoes would naturally flock to a place like this because of the water, and I am terribly afraid of Dengue! They warned us about tropical diseases our first week in orientation, so now every time one of us gets a bite we are like, "OMG do you think it could be Dengue?!" It's a terrible thing to live in fear of mosquitoes, but no worries I am still Dengue free.

You will have to hear about my first week of school another day (Welcome to the Jungle Part 2 or something) because this girl is tired. I leave you with some pictures as always. But first, the story of the young mono (monkey).

 

The young mono inspects the food that a human has just given him. He is puzzled and asks the question, "What is this??"

 

 

The young mono howls in agony and screams, "Noooooo! They know that I only eat bananas!"

 

 

The young mono tears the food in half in frustration, vowing to punch the insolent human that would give him the wrong fruit!

 

 

Alas, the young mono becomes disillusioned with mankind, and turns his back on society..forever. The end.

 

Forgive my silliness, but the monkey pictures just looked like they needed an unnecessarily dramatic story with them :) Now, more pictures.

 

So this is me being awesome with a Tucan on my arm..EEEK!

 



 

And a different Tucan looking oh so pretty 

 

 

One of the many varieties of poisonous ranas (frogs) in Costa Rica. So beautiful (in a weird, frog way), but don't touch!

 

This was just a random duck in the path. He was so darling until you got close to him, and then he would charge at you in attack mode!

 

 Teehee! Doesn't he look so indignant at being photographed??

 

 

Me in front of one of the two waterfalls we saw that day. Le sigh, so beautiful.

 

 

 

These are Sombrillas Pobres (poor man's umbrella). I am so fascinated by them, you literally can fit under them if it rains!

 

This is a distant view of the first waterfall. Doesn't it look so unreal and exotic??

 

A close up view of the first waterfall. Loves!