Last ISA Excursion: Manuel Antonio

Oct. 16-18th our ISA group took our last excursion to Manuel Antonio, a beach town/protected national forest on the west coast about 2 hours south of Jaco.  It's the smallest national park but has the most annual visitors--200,000.  Learned that in my environmental awareness class ;)  We arrived Fri. night and walked to El Avion, a restaurant made out of a crashed airplane.  Pretty sweet huh?  It was a nice dinner...more expensive than we've been used to.  Usually we look for a $2 meal so when we see a dish that costs $12, we freak out.  That night we were so tired we just laid back in the hotel and talked until we started falling asleep.  

Saturday we walked as a group along the beach, then inland into the national park, which led us out to the beach inside the park.  I started swimming with Chris and Kacia to some rocks.  Some other people came over after and we just played in the tide pools for a bit.  After the swim back from the rocks we laid on the beach, bodysurfed the waves, and played marco polo haha (way harder in the ocean, duh).  

Photo Cred: Nathaniel Polta

They warned us about animals stealing our bags of food, or just bags in general thinking there will be food in them.  Surely enough, Kevin's bag of food gets stolen by a raccoon!  While we were on the rocks, a raccoon snuck up and grabbed his bag.  Lindsey and Brandon saw the lil rascal take it and tried chasing after him but he was too fast!  Haha.  Luckily my food wasn't stolen and I got to see monkeys, iguanas, a sloth, and tons of hermit crabs!

Kacia, Nate, Lindsey, Natalie, Lanna, Kevin, Quinn, and I hiked the loop that goes around the small peninsula.  It had a few lookouts we stopped at to enjoy the view.

The hike ended at a small cove on the same side as the first beach we were at. Helloooo Brittany gets hurt #3.  Or should I say, I thought I was going to die #1.  I put my stuff down and see Quinn, Kevin, and Lindsey walking along rocks that lead to a higher rock farther out into the water.  One fairly big wave had come in while I was walking out there.  Then right when I got to the edge next to Quinn, a gigantic wave comes up and smacks me off the rock, crashing down and dragging me across the rocks and finally to the shore.  I was scared for my life.  Sorry, Mom.  Lindsey was the smart one and ran away as the wave was coming.  I walked away with scrapes along my back, arms, and hand, and an enormous bruise on my right thigh.  Nate captured the moment. 

That night we went to dinner in town at a small Italian restaurant run by one Italian man.  His gelato was to die for.  I had a flavor called Beso (that's kiss in espanol).  It was a kiss from heaven :)  After dinner we went upstairs to a restaurant/bar that some of the ISA kids were already eating at. They had lounge chairs and music so we just hung out and danced some salsa for a bit.  Kevin and Michael set up a bonfire for all of us so we hung out at the beach roasting marshmallows and talking.  Before we went out to the bonfire a dog came into our hotel room.  We fed her peanut butter and gave her some water then she followed us to the bonfire and back to our hotel room later that night.  She ended up sleeping on our floor.  We named her Ella :)  

Sunday morning we woke up to pouring rain but this turned out to be my favorite day.  Natalie and I put on our bathing suits after breakfast and ran out to the beach.  We jumped into the SUPER warm water then ran along the beach chasing the tide in and out.  It was very romantic ;)  When we got to the end of the strip we laid in the wet sand, kicked our feet up and down into the mud and splattered it onto each other.  I felt like I was 6 years old.  As we ran back, a couple of the tico surf instructors stopped us and we talked to them for a while.  We also danced salsa in the rain with them...is my life a movie or what?  And one guy said he wrote reggae music and started flowing a song about me, but y'all know I'm not a sucker for thatttt. It was a really good song though ;)  Kacia, Quinn, and Nate were running toward us so we ran back with them to the beach in front of our hotel.  Natalie and I played baseball with a piece of wood and a coconut.  Just us two, so it was easy to get each other out.  I got over it pretty quickly so I swam in the ocean during the time we had left.  Manuel Antonio was awesome.  Now I understand why it gets the most visitors.  

I just got home from Montezuma today.  This one's a winner too :)

La Fortuna, Arenal, y Jaco

Last weekend our group went on an excursion to Arenal Volcano.  Before we arrived at our hotel, we stopped in La Fortuna where we hiked down to the waterfall and swam.  Which brings me to Brittany gets hurt #1.  We were all swimming near the waterfall, having a good time, and then I was getting tired of getting knocked around by the waves the waterfall was making, so I walked to the other side where the water was much calmer.  I spotted a log hanging above the water.  Of COURSE I want to climb up on it.  The rocks are slippery but I'm convinced I can climb up them and onto the log.  So I'm almost to the log when my feet slip from under me and I slide only about 4 feet down the rocks before I catch myself.  That's it (nothing too serious, mom).  Just have a scraped knee and a bruised thigh.  But after a sprained ankle in Utah, I was already sick of getting hurt, even if it wasn't a huge deal.  Eventually I got up on the log and some other people followed.  Anyway, here are some pretty pictures of my favorite spot of the weekend :)

After La Fortuna we headed to our hotel, Los Lagos. I wish we had more time in Arenal, but since we only stayed one night, we just stayed at the hotel the entire time.  I was definitely okay with this because it was amazing!  It had hot springs, cold pools, a giant waterslide, crocodiles, butterflies, frogs, and delicious food.  I guess the volcano is usually covered by clouds so many people who visit don't even get to see it.  We were lucky enough to see it upon our arrival and within the time it took us to check into the hotel, it was covered in clouds.  That night a group of us played some basketball in the rain and hiked up to the Arenal volcano and Arenal lake lookout.  After our hike we had dinner then hit up the hot springs and pool.  Brittany gets hurt #2 but this one was worth it.  A group of us decided to go play tag at this 2 ft deep pool that had a volcano structure in the middle of it.  The volcano had water flowing down it and 4 entrances/exits.  It was so much fun running around and through the volcano and hiding in it.  We switched from normal tag to freeze tag (to unfreeze someone you had to swim under their legs) then as I was running through the volcano and exiting it, I didn't duck low enough and smacked my head into the rock.  Needless to say we ceased playing, but it didn't ruin the night...I just sat in the hot springs with a bag of ice on my head haha.

We didn't have school last monday so about 25 of us took a day trip to Jaco, a beach town about 2 hours away on the Pacific  Coast.  Rented a surfboard even though surfing is NOT my forte haha.  But it was still fun and was only $10 for the whole day.  We ate at this place called Papas y Burgers.  They had really good smoothies and soy burgerrrssss.  Yum.  Except this past weekend we went there again and the service and food were no bueno.  But yeah, yay for Jaco!

So LAST weekend was La Fortuna, Arenal, y Jaco.

This past weekend was Manuel Antonio.  That post is coming soon :)

Just keeps getting better :)

I survived the bungee jump! It was exhilarating, awesome, amazing, incredible, and SO much more.  I would do it over and over again if it was free, but I had to settle with one jump (we are going again though).  11 of us got on a bus and rode about an hour and a half out of the city to the Colorado Bridge, which hung over a forest-surrounded river full of rapid water and a few boulders.  

(Photo Cred: Quinn Yost)

Before arriving in Costa Rica, I decided I wouldn't come home without bungee jumping, zip lining, and white water rafting and I was so excited about bungee jumping.  Then I signed up.  And that excitement turned into nervousness and admittingly, fear.  BUT for some reason, as soon as we got to the bridge and I looked over the edge, that fear turned back into excitement and I was ready to jump!  After picking out my "free" t-shirt and getting my nervous pee out, the guys strapped on harnesses on both my waist and ankles.  I was a little nervous that my harness straps weren't double-backed but I trusted that I wouldn't slip out.  I stood up on the platform, brought my toes to the edge, and everyone started the countdown.  5, 4, 3, 2, 1...I had to jump.  I mean, what else would I do when they hit 0?  The countdown really helped the whole process.  At first, I was falling: my stomach sank and my vocal chords resonated.  Then, I was flying.  For that split second I was enjoying the scenery below me and thinking to myself how freaking COOL I am ;) jk. And then I got yanked by the rope which sent me behind the bridge and spun me numerous times as I swung back and forth and up and down.  Awesome.

(Photo Cred: Nathaniel Polta)

Everyone accomplished their bungee experience with flying colors.  One color being yellow--someone got a little sicky and threw up 3 times while still connected by his ankles.  This can be attributed to the fact that he was video taping himself and talking into the camera the entire way down.  Props to him for that!  Such a memorable day :) Video coming soon!

God help me.

I'm going bungee jumping tomorrow.

Ocupada!

Busy, busy, busy, Brit.  This is going to be a ridiculously long post because it's been a while so I understand if you can't get yourself through it.  Anyway, I can't believe it's been a week! It actually feels like I've been here for a lot longer!  We started class last Tuesday, and since then, I've felt like all my time is somehow being fully consumed.  I'm taking a Spanish class, Environmental Awareness and Sustainable Design, and Tropical Marine Bio.  And the two non-Spanish classes take field trips :) Yayyyy! I guess I'll do a brief day-by-day recap so my thoughts don't get so disorganized...

Sunday

ISA Orientation: talked a little bit about the history of Costa Rica, what it's known for, demographics, etc. etc.  

Went to the Mall San Pedro with Nate, Quinn, and Lanna for lunch.  It was just a normal 3-story mall with lots of shops and a movie theatre.  We also checked out the gym, which took us forever to find and is now where Nate and Quinn go to work out (only because Nate thought the closer gym's dumbbells only went up to 40 lbs but they're 40 kg, which is almost 90 lbs haha).  And I'm still getting used to the km measurements on the treadmills.  I signed up at the closer gym and I've been going after my morning Spanish class.  After the mall we just hung out at Nate and Quinn's house, talking and testing my PowerBalance band of course ;) Many of our advisors/directors have been warning us about the dangers of being in San Jose like getting robbed, and it's made me really cautious and actually kind of paranoid.  It's strange to not trust people.  I think I'm usually too trusting, or I dont think anything bad will ever happen to me.  Not the right attitude, I know...but I am being careful!  So when we got lunch at the mall, I thought I got robbed when I took my wallet out to pay and no cash was in it.  But who would pull my wallet out of my bag, take the money out, and put my wallet back right?  Right.  So when I got back home, my money was laying on my bed.  Soy muy inteligente.   

Monday was Universidad Veritas orientation.  Same ol' thang. They encouraged us to fully immerse ourselves in the Costa Rican culture, to have open minds about cultural differences, and to think before we react to things we are not accustom to.  This school is awesome.  It is a small liberal arts school with fashionable, intelligent, and creative students whose works are displayed throughout the hallways and rooms.  There are people building projects, photos hanging from the walls, and other types of art scattered around the buildings.  After orientation we went to a local "soda" for lunch and then met back at the ISA office to start our tour of San Jose y no me la gusta.  I live outside of the city of San Jose in Zapote, so I don't have to really deal with loud, busy city life.  And as much as I love Westwood, I am not a huge fan of crowded cities, plus San Jose was kind of dirty and not exactly aesthetically pleasing.  And I'm sure the rain didn't help its looks either.  BUT of course it has character and we saw a church, their central park (which was basically a little square of cement with a dome), the centro mercado where they sell lots of souvenirs and food, and the theatre.  So I'm pretty sure I won't be visiting the city very often.  It poured pretty hard but it was still fun walking with everyone, and Kevin, Lanna, and I went to the Auto Mercado (nearby grocery store) to pick up some food.  Speaking of food, I've really been craving CPK.

 I live in my own room with my own bathroom in a big two story house right by the park and a 3 minute walk to school.  It has a sweet balcony with a view of the mountains and is more than I ever ever expected!

Tuesday: Classes began.  I like my Spanish profesora.  She's super animated and cracks jokes and laughs at them.  It's four hours long and has 8 students, which I absolutely LOVE.  Can you imagine what UCLA would be like if classes like Comm 10 or PhySci 5 had 8 students?  After class I went and signed up for the gym and worked out then had my environmental awareness and sustainable design class, which has 6 people in it.  We talked about shifting agriculture, and basically about why tropical countries are the poorest in the world.  It's definitely going to be an interesting class.  That night we wanted to go to a bar called the Jazz Cafe but it was super crowded so we went to Bar El Rio.  We all just hung out and listened to 90's music while watching the ridiculous Ice Ice Baby, In the Jungle, and Material Girl music videos. Classics obviously.

Wednesday: Spanish class. Gym for kickboxing class which was like tae bo in the beginning then all of a sudden turned into Salsa stepping so it was tae bo with a little latin flavor.  Then marine bio class, which will be really cool too.  We'll be going on two field trips--one on the west coast and one on the east coast, and will be watching Blue Planet during class :)  After dinner a bunch of us went to go see the Ugly Truth at the movie theatre at the mall because Wednesdays are 2 for 1.  So it's 2,000 colones for 2 people.  That's about $2 per person! 

Thursday: Spanish class.  Museo Nacional de Costa Rica. Gym.  Environmental class.  Party at school.  It was a fiesta with food and drinks and dancing.  There was a salsa dance competition and some drummers and dancers came to perform.  Kacia, Natalie, and I met some ticos who go to our school.  They're all digital animation majors who are way into reggae haha.  Really laidback guys who seemingly dgaf.  After the party we went out to Castro's bar.  This has been my favorite night so far.  Natalie and I went out onto the dance floor and I felt eyes from all directions just staring at us, and maybe even saw a few people laughing at us gringos.  Thank goodness a Tico couple saved  us by asking us to dance and then teaching us some of their moves.  I danced with the husband who spun me around, making me feel like I was actually dancing salsa!  This is where I finally saw the Tico friendliness that everyone speaks of.  They were so open to helping us dance and showing us how it's done.  There were a few creepers, but for the most part I had so much fun speaking Spanish and salsa dancing all night :)  Guys, if you want to woe a girl, learn how to salsa dance...or act like you know what you're doing and just spin and dip the heck out of her.

Friday: Spanish class then departed from the ISA office around 1:00 for Monteverde--the Cloud Forest.  It was a 5-hour drive by bus to our hotel que se llama Villa Verde.  I felt like I was at summer camp, a really really fun summer camp.  

Saturday we did the canopy tour.  We had the option of doing a canopy tour, atv tour, and horse back riding.  I decided to just do the canopy tour.  There was a series of about 12 zip lines, a tarzan swing, and a repel.  The tarzan swing was my favorite :) After our canopy tour we returned to the hotel where I took a nap before lunch.  After lunch a group of us walked the 5 km to town in Monteverde.  On the way we stopped by the Casa de Arte where Kasia, Lindsay, and I bought some pretty sweet headbands!  Once we got to town we were all so tired so we just sat and eventually walked around to the stores, which all just had souvenirs and such.  I forget who from home wanted me to get them a hammock, but there was a really cool one at this one store, but we all thought it would be best to wait to buy one.  Fortunately, we took a taxi back to our hotel.  We had a few hours to kill before dinner so we made some friendship bracelets out of some string we bought in town.  Every one added their own individual touch to their bracelet haha.  After dinner we headed back out to town to a bar called Bar de los Amigos or something like that.  It wasn't all salsa dancing so it was fun to dance to something else other than salsa music.  We made some dance circles and just acted silly--my kind of dancing :)  It was a pretty good night.  Plus it was Natalie's birthday at midnight! Yayyy! Haha.  

Today (Sunday) we went on a short hike in the biological reserve in Monteverde in the morning then afterward the sun was out!  It was the most I've seen of the sun since I've been in Costa Rica so some of us laid some blankets out and laid out in the sun until we had to have lunch and head back home.  On the way home we stopped at the Cheese Factory for some ice cream.  I got mint chip of couuuurse.  They had all sorts of cheese there, including chocolate cheese.  It was disgusting (duh, right?). We finally got home around 8:00.  And I've been writing this blog for almost 3 hours now.  I am so tired.  Hopefully it won't be another week before I post another blog cuz that was difficult.  I am LOVING it here but I do miss everyone at home.  I also miss hot showers.  

Paz.