ISA Farewell dinner at Tiquicia

Farewell dinner at Tiquicia in Escazu .

Escazu must be the LA of Costa Rica or something lol Its super fabulous and high end.


Isa took us to a beautiful restaurant , that offered the most beautiful view of the cities night lights. No camera can capture the amazing view ... but i tried any ways. lol

Left my mark

Every one that has stayed in our host home has to make a personal page in the family scrap book and leave their hand print on the wall in the back yard. It was my turn to leave my mark , and I have been so honored and blessed to have ended up in the host home I was assigned. I never felt like a stranger, always as a part of the family. For some one who doesn't come from a big family, that meant the world to me. Saying my good bye's this morning left a little whole in my heart but all the great memories out weighs all that.

 

My contribution to the Heise- Barquero Scrap book <3

The time has come

3 months, 3 countries, 31 blog posts, 7 friendship bracelets, 100 mosquito bites, & endless adventures  and smiles& laughs later... Im heading back home . Im really trying to come with terms with the fact that these are my last moments here. And im literally chocking back tears as Im writing this , i didn't mean for this to be soo difficult. But when you learn to love , its so much harder to leave. I can't really explain what experienced these past 3 months here....

I have met so many beautiful people , and developed so many friendships that I wouldn't have otherwise in Boston. I branched out and discovered things that I didn't think possible.

And had the opportunity to see things from a different angle. As I depart this place, not a new person but a new spirit I hope that the Pura Vida mentality sticks with me for ever and always.

 I said one too many goodbyes, but in reality they are "see you later" for real though !  I am never going to stop my love for travel , my love for new experiences and my love for adventure. I truly believe study abroad is something that every one should endeavor.

 It opens so many doors, forces you  to leave your comfort zone. There is a large chance that I will NEVER see the people I met here ever again, but that is alright. We have lived for the moment and embraced all that Costa Rica has had to offer us.

I am a disaster of emotions , and I only have a few hours of sleep until I start my laugh- crying disaster once again.


The happiness I have discovered in Costa Rica has been irreplaceable and I hope to reconvene with it once again in the near future <3




Pura Vida - Tuanis - Que Chiva Mae ! 

Things I will & will not miss about Costa Rica

On the last day of intercultural communications class we all went around and made a list of the things we will and will not miss from Costa Rica .. (this is when I got my phone taken away because I was too busy looking things up on my Air bnb App lol )

Anyhow, I figured Id share my list with you all, instead of writing my 8 page paper 

Things I will miss: 

• Fresco de Cas, Maracuya & Guanabana
• Golden Monkey Beer !  
• Lizano sauce 
• Fresh Mangos 
• Soda Granitico
• Barbudos
• Chifrijo
• BATIDOS
• exploring san jose by foot 
• Musmanni market 
• Trits ice cream 
• My little fan in my room with the radio 
• Tica Fam & Grandparents 
• Thursdays at El chainis & profes 
• Adventures on the bus to the beach 
• "Oh , your spanish is good"// " Habla muy bien el espanol usted"
• "Que chiva , Que torta,Mae !"

Things I won't miss 

• The shower situation 
• Ants .. everywhere , all the time 
• ATM charges
• Converting money at high security banks 
• getting hounded by Taxi drivers 
• eating 24/7 just because 
• The central market 
• down town san jose 
•  being the "translator" 
• bathing in bug spray 
• mosquito bites 
• my stupid black purse ... (I gave it away to Dona Mercedes)

Pura Vida 

Spring Break 2013 -Nicaragua

Believe it or not i'm pretty tiered of writing down every single detail about my trip lol or maybe I just didn't find nicaragua all that exciting .. maybe its a combination of the two ! but this post will be mainly pictures, so here you go :]

We set for Nicaragua bright & early 

Touring las isletas

Me & Tyana @ el Mirador de Catarina

In The Capital , Managua

Granada

Our hotel in Granada

Playa San Juan del Sur

Elizabeth x 2 & Tyana

"chillin in VIP" Lol

Discovered Quesillo &  fresco de cacao YUM!

Dan, Tyrese, Me, Cory & Colleen

Monkey !

Orchids

Not good bye, see you later.

Tica grandparents in the Chevy Nova

Semana santa is here , and the final count down is really becoming FINAL... Im going home in 10 days .. T E N days. Its really an inexplicable feeling having to leave this place I've called home for 3 months, knowing I have a real life back in Boston ...

Dona Mercedes getting ready for the beach

Today I had to say my first permanent goodbye, which was to my "tica grandparents" dona mercedes who has grown in my heart so fondly that I love her like she was my very own grandma. Never have I enjoyed being in the company of elderly people like i enjoy sitting around the table having a cup of coffee with dona mercedes, dona mencha ( the neighbor) and don edgar.


Me and Anabel went for our last beach adventure to herradura, because we had promised mercedes we'd come back. WE brought her little dresses , and I gifted her my fedora and staple vera bradley satchel that I have worn every single day of my life in an jose. and as usual she prepared us mounds of food and fruits, always so hospitable. We went to the beach in the evening and watched the sunset , as she told us stories about when she first moved to herradura and how the whole family would come to the beach and campout with bonfires and tents. She's such a joy to be with, it really hurt me to have to part ways, and even more to know that she may or may not be around when I ever decide to go to Costa Rica and thats something that she isn't in denial about either. Anabel and I 's hearts would melt when she'd mention it. before she left she said "make sure you don't forget us" and Im tearing up as I write this... ( hold on a second as I compose myself ) ** lol

Humble abode in Herradura

but , any how, its impossible to forget such a beautiful soul. someone who has demonstrated exactly how life should be lived , with family , with unconditional love and worry free even in the toughest of times, working hard for yourself and for those you love.

After an eternal morning in the sun me and Anabel came back for lunch and kept our eyes on the clock as we knew the time was approaching to set on our way back to San Jose. They drove us to the bus stop in their antique chevy nova and dona mercedes got out of the car and gave us a hug and kiss, as i held back my lil bitchy tears telling her we'd miss her. What really breaks my lil heart is that later this evening  My tico dad said he had just gotten off the phone with his grandma and that she said that once we left she began to cry and didn't want us to leave. Isn't that just darling ? how we just grew so close over the course of a week or so ?


That's love and appreciation right there, and whether or not we meet again i'm so very glad to have crossed paths.

Don't think just do it ! Bungee Jumping

So on Saturday I did the craziest thing I've ever done in these 20 years of life .. I went bungee jumping! Since  I set foot in costa Rica I knew I was going to be petrified of doing it , and that I was probably going to cry but that I HAD to go bungee jumping before I left. I'd go to bed at night thinking about it and I would cringe and I was thinking to myself  "how in the world am I gonna pull this off?"

As the end of my study abroad experience came closer , Anabel & I finally booked our reservations at Tropical bungee. We managed to convince to get Mason , a classmate of ours to join us and help us keep our cool on the shuttle to the bungee office. The day had come ! As i signed my life away I was taking deep breaths, trying to convince myself I was gonna be okay , and then thats when we arrived to the bridge with the platform and my jaw dropped .

We were joined by Karrie, James & Doreen on this adventure . Doreen and James were a power couple from NYC and when I say power couple I kid you not .. a optometrist and a anesthesiologist ! They were young and ready to take CR by storm as was Karrie who was on spring break from LA , but she's from Connecticut. I couldn't have asked for a better group to have gone bungee with !  

the bottom ! Rio colorado 262 Ft.

Tropical bungee is in Naranjo, Costa Rica .. about an hour from San Jose. It is one of the top 10 best bungees in the world , with a 262 ft free fall. yes, 2 6 2 Feet ! We were greeted by jump masters Willy and Berto who were great ! They made sure we were aware that were were first off safe - and secondly gonna have a great time! They were very encouraging, especially Willy , because God knows I was ready to get off that platform and cry when the time came to jump.

Anabel didn't do much thinking... as she went first ! she got suited up , was trembling like crazy , once up on the platform she dint even give them a chance to count down ... she dove off  right away ! Lol
she got that over with real fast ! I , on the other hand went last ... (at least I knew that this equipment was working properly , since everyone else survived lol ). I got up there and made a mistake .. I looked DOWN ! I was freaking outttttttttt ! But there was no turning back ! I had to jump off .. I wiped my sweaty palms off on the side of my jeans , closed my eyes ... and just jumped off on the count down. before you realize it you're hanging upside down.. and losing a shoe.. yes i lost a shoe ! lol this was the comical part of the experience. I was just laying there upside down laughing at what I had just done.

For those few seconds you just have to shut your brain off, and go for it. The drop is only like 3 seconds and the whole experience is about a minute long , but it feels so much longer than that as your falling full speed, face first towards rocks trees and Oh, a River ! lol
 Bungee jumping is PURA VIDA TO THE MAX! 100% adrenaline for sure. Once you get it over with you cant believe yourself and you feel capable of all things on earth !

Here in Costa Rica I have experienced what it means to be alive in all shapes and forms. That feeling you get when you inhale deeply ad fill your lungs, and the satisfaction regained when you exhale..

how often we take it all for granted. Every breath is a new opportunity

When I first arrived in Costa Rica and told my Tico dad I was contemplating bungee jumping he encouraged me to do it , he told me " that knot you feel in your stomach , an those butterflies you get when your falling .. thats nothing but you feeling ALIVE"

So here I am Alive and Well . and loving every second of it .....

Anabel, Mason & I

Simplicity is happiness

Playa Herradura

Playa Herradura

This weekend the original plan was to go to Montezuma ... but that plan was short lived because were broke and hate being on a bus for long periods of time. Any how ... we(Anabel & I) decided that we would go to Herradura, which is right next to Jaco, our Tico dad's grandparents live there in a little home and had invited us , so it seemed right that now that we were in need of the beach and somewhere to sleep we take advantage.

Mamon Chino ! Yum

Dona Mercedes and Don Edgar , are the cutest little couple of grandparents. They have lived in Herradura for about 15 years now, once they decided to retire and leave San Jose. They have been together since they were 18, and have 4 kids. Since retirement don edgar left his mechanic shops and home to his children and they send them money each week to get by. They live a humble lifestyle , in a little house that looks like i could have somehow constructed it myself. when we first arrived I thought to myself " oh lord where could we possibly be sleeping in there?" but the truth was we were comfortable from the beginning. Even though they live so humble and poor , they are willing to share all that they have and they live happily without a single complaint. Not to mention that they are very healthy,for people there age.  We were fed various times a day while  there like we were their own family, and spent hours conversing about life. I tried so many new fruits  and had plenty of rice !

Upon arrival we were offered a plethora of fruit and they took us to the beach. Herradura is a low key beach with less tourism than Jaco. Although you can tell that americans are certainly trying to develop tourism and real estate there. We went to "Los Suenos" resort village ... and there was a man flying in to his villa on a HELICOPTER ... not to mention the shit ton of yachts ! It was a lovely place to say the least. I enjoyed myself so much.. (without a single drop of alcohol. lol ) Me and Anabel even told her that we'd come back next week for our spring break, before we head over to Panama and Nicaragua. We spent plenty of time at the Auto mercado .. using their wifi and buying snacks. Aside from that we were either on the beach roasting, Anabel trying out the topless tan fad and me trying to not get trampled by waves. We even took a bus into Jaco one evening and went to a fair and watched the sunset.

Sunset in Jaco 

How could I forget ? This is where Bella is ... She's so big, We barely recognized her from how much she has grown. I couldn't really tell if she was more or equally hyperactive than when she left our house in San jose.They also changed her naem to Luna, which was awkward because thats the name of one of our dogs back home, but what ever makes them happy! shes not ours any more, although she still responds to bella sometimes. She's a trouble maker , thats for sure! Driving them a lil crazy, but she's a funny pup. they enjoy her company , because they're dog they have is very old ... im surprised it still walks lol . her name was Osa.. she stayed to her self. which was reasonable because she's 15 years old .. which is super duper old in dog years.

All in all , I had another amazing weekend for about 1/3 of the money that I would have spent in Montezuma. I still can't fathom how lucky I was to cross paths with such an amazing family. It saddens me to know that they are so old, because I want to come visit them one day when I return to Costa Rica. I want to be just like dona Mercedes when I get older, happy, optimistic and healthy. I'ts evident that in their simple lives on the beach they live happily and grateful for all they have... thats how it should be.

 

Pura vida, is my kind of vida ♥

I've been delaying this post , because I wanted to include pictures... Laura was supposed to post them ... but yet they are still not up. So those will be here on a later date .. Enjoy.

Now I am down to 27 days left in Costa Rica.. and I know that from this moment on every second counts. But no matter what I know life's ways will lead  me back to this place.. but I sure will miss it. Certainly not the showers -_- lol but any ways .... the purpose of todays post ... WHITE WATER RAFTING. 

I have never been , so I was super scared I was gonna get tossed off the raft into the rapids and drown under  a water fall and that idea was just re-inforced when I signed the waiver lol but that wasn't the case at all. It was super fun and thrilling experience, the rapids weren't as mean and ugly as I had anticipated.

We had to rise and shine at 6:00 am and waited for the shuttle to come pick us up, our guide was super awesome his name was Miguel, he gave us the 411 on what the day was gonna be like. I was so impressed at how good these tour guides are are translating and switching back from spanish to english, practically making it look effortless. They provided us with breakfast and lunch which definitely was a plus. We had to drive about an hour to the river from San jose and 30 minutes from the tours base to the top of the river. Once we got all geared up we got assigned to a tour guide that would ride down the river with us, we were also in a raft with two guys one from Texas and one from Connecticut they were real chill . Glad they weren't weirdos because the tour would have been so AWKWARDDD lol. Our guide showed us all the commands for rowing and we were well on our way.His name was Manuel, i'm pretty sure i drove him crazy because i'd stop rowing so that I could take pictures haha.

Rowing isn't my thing anyways, it hurt my arms and fingers also the sitting position in the raft which was pretty interesting also was not comfortable , but it was all worth it. The mountains and canyons we rowed by were so beautiful. There were tons of little  waterfalls and rocks galore. I felt like I was in Jurassic park or that scene in pocahontas where she's rowing in her canoe singing? I had to blink twice a couple times and ask myself " is this real life? "

It was incredible. and although the weather wasn't perfect it still didn't bring us down. we got stuck in a few rocks which was pretty funny but our guide knew what he was doing. we Rowed for about 3 hours and it went by pretty fast, this tour was all about the Pura vida. And I loved it .. I got a shirt .. at the raft base during lunch ... it says Challenge yourself, you only live once. Yolo .. is so much more significant when your in paradise :] 

Family Dinner

 

Tuesday Evening When I arrived from Panama , it was like the angels from heavens had pre-planned this... But my family was preparing a massive meal of our Favorite dish ! CHIFRIJO! with our fav. Dessert which is Mariela's secret microwavable brownie !

Max's Parents along with his friend Dennis are visiting from the states, also for the first time in what felt like for ever , every single one of us roommates was present at dinner at the same time... so it was a special dinner. Among the Roomates we have a never ending for love for Chifrijo, Im not sure if I had explained this dish before but its a traditional meal here in CR, but my Tico dad adds his own twist to it with the Tortilla bowl and the tomato skin roses & sliced avocados. Its beautiful & delicious.

photo Cred. To Cammie

It was like fate placed us all around the table that evening. It was a 13 person dinner with food to go around for us all , seconds, and even thirds ! It was such a joy.

What I loved and appreciated the most was all the love and hospitality my host parents put into this meal. We made a toast, with our Imperials and Horchata drinks, to have all crossed paths and it was then that it hit me how lucky I was. My Tico dad said this little speech and it was so cute.  It's incredible how so many strangers can congregate around the dinner table and unite as a family.

I never have family dinner at home , every one just comes and goes. The energy around the table was great, so sad that soon I will have to part ways from Gallo Pinto,Chifrijo, Barbudos,Salsa Lizano,Chile relleno, Jugo de mora the list goes on!!

I just wanted to dedicate this post to the amazing people I have encountered in Costa Rica , and how continuously my blessings appear in disguise, that evening being in form of a special 13-person-family dinner <3