La clima, it's a cognate for climate. Apparently one of the downfalls of team U.S.A last night was that they weren't used to the disgustingly humid climate of Costa Rica. I guess it's the same as the Argentina game when they played Bolivia in a higher altitude. Personally I love it. It just makes you more chill. No need to walk fast and get all sweaty or if you do walk fast, prepare to be miserable.
Lugares, I'm in CR. I love it here. Yes, it's super expensive and in most places completely for tourists and you can see the wear its taking on the country. But, you need to see the beauty in everything. Even San Jose is dramatically and tragically beautiful. Most people I've spoken to hate it. It's dirty, and dangerous and just not where they want to be. Which is true but, most of the reason it is that way is because of them. Imagine giving a 5 year old $1000. Obviously they're not going to save it. They probably wont know what to do with it and buy whatever they think is fun. Same as with CR or even Asia. A generation or two ago the countries had nothing in the way of factories their culture was more authentic. Because of tourism and money corruption trickles down because it's human nature. You have to accept the whole country. Yes, Tamarindo isn't really CR but still beautiful in its own way. CR has been in the mainstream vacation for so long I think people forget that it has it's own culture and it's not American or European. Costa Ricans are different from their surrounding countries and their people. Come and have a good time but also realize that just partying and not actually getting into the culture or just speaking English and minimal Spanish wont get you to the real Costa Rica. Or any country for that matter. TO not be a tourist takes actual thinking and hard work. I'll get off my soap box now.
El partido, the U.S.A. soccer game against Costa Rica was pretty intense. Me and a few friends just went to a bar to watch. Of course I wanted the U.S. to do well. Sadly it wasn't the case. The styles of play were super different as I already knew. The climate took it's toll and some calls were a bit off. But it was exciting. Coastaricense love their country, as they should.
Soy Tica, alright people in CR call themselves Ticos. I think it has to do with the way you say CR fast, it sort of comes out that way. My skin is so dark right now that I get mistaken a lot until they see my face. Pretty much everyday it's been happening. Honestly I'm going to go to Panama and sound Tico too b/c they use a different sort of system for speaking., Always with third person singular, no one ever uses second person so it's very distinct. The accent and other words are different too. Spanish like Korean is just normal now. My friends and I were laughing that we can't remember if we spoke to someone in Spanish or English. Yea, we could be speaking more Spanish but we have our own language of Spanglish that is suiting us quite well.
Con gusto
Showing posts with label costa rica. Show all posts
Showing posts with label costa rica. Show all posts
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Tamarindo...not really Costa Rica, but still good
Because we missed our buses to Nicaragua, for which I take the blame by not having a watch: we went to a nearby beach called Tamarindo. It's one of the most built up towns in Costa Rica. Por ejemplo, this guy selling us something only spoke to us in English until it got to money of course. We kept speaking in Spanish but with him...always with English. I don't think most people in Tamarindo spoke Spanish at all actually.
It was a good place to go if your sole mission is to relax and have a vacation. If you want a vacation in the real Costa Rica...try some other place not as populated with tourists. It's basically a resort area, high end shops and restaurants. Although most of the surf shops are still owned by Ticos. I was disappointed by the surf actually. Everything said that Tamarindo had great waves. I guess during the times I wasn't there at the beach there were. But for the most part it was a good place for those learning: the surf shops definitely capitalized on lessons. Although there was a nice board for cheap there too, priorities.
If you've ever spoken with a girl that went to Central America they'll probably say something about being whistled at or talked to by the locals. It's a cultural thing, they do it to everyone. In Tamarindo I got my fair share of attention from all. Ticos and travelers alike. Not to be braggy but I think because I'm so moreno (I'm super tan right now) they see my complexion and are like hey, that's cool then they see my face and it's super exotic. I got some interesting sayings this weekend.
Por ejemplo: This guy and woman were in a store and speaking in Spanish, which I heard. It was a bit awkward. Then in English she says what they were talking about..."He likes how you look." Obviously it was awkward for all of us in that area at the moment. Admittedly he was very cute, but, under the circumstance, what really can be said after that? We thought we could leave and go away from the situation...I did say Gracias. But our friend was still trying things on. We did get the hook up on where to go that evening though.
Later at the bar they suggested we met some cool guys from the U.S. They were all cool. Funny thing about traveling, because no one knows where I'm from usually I say Washington D.C. just to make things easy. So We're talking to these guys and they say they're from NYC. I ask where in the city and they said..."Actually we're from Connecticut. No one knows where that is though."
Entonces, the next day was a beach day, flat, flat waves. Nice hot sun. We got back and I guess all of the doing nothing got to me and Sandra because we laid down to rest until dinner and ended up sleeping until 8 the next morning...oops.
The ride home was uneventful if not a bit long. We did run into an arrogant American living hopefully in college because it seemed he didn't do anything but surf or snowboard. I didn't ask how he was able to do all of those things. It was bit annoying to be told that you don't know the place your live (I consider myself a resident)who told me I was wrong to say there were no hostels in Samara. To which I said it wasn't a surf town so why would there be? Some people...
I'm sad about leaving, I'm a total beach girl and it's hard to imagine myself not by the shoreline.
It was a good place to go if your sole mission is to relax and have a vacation. If you want a vacation in the real Costa Rica...try some other place not as populated with tourists. It's basically a resort area, high end shops and restaurants. Although most of the surf shops are still owned by Ticos. I was disappointed by the surf actually. Everything said that Tamarindo had great waves. I guess during the times I wasn't there at the beach there were. But for the most part it was a good place for those learning: the surf shops definitely capitalized on lessons. Although there was a nice board for cheap there too, priorities.
If you've ever spoken with a girl that went to Central America they'll probably say something about being whistled at or talked to by the locals. It's a cultural thing, they do it to everyone. In Tamarindo I got my fair share of attention from all. Ticos and travelers alike. Not to be braggy but I think because I'm so moreno (I'm super tan right now) they see my complexion and are like hey, that's cool then they see my face and it's super exotic. I got some interesting sayings this weekend.
Por ejemplo: This guy and woman were in a store and speaking in Spanish, which I heard. It was a bit awkward. Then in English she says what they were talking about..."He likes how you look." Obviously it was awkward for all of us in that area at the moment. Admittedly he was very cute, but, under the circumstance, what really can be said after that? We thought we could leave and go away from the situation...I did say Gracias. But our friend was still trying things on. We did get the hook up on where to go that evening though.
Later at the bar they suggested we met some cool guys from the U.S. They were all cool. Funny thing about traveling, because no one knows where I'm from usually I say Washington D.C. just to make things easy. So We're talking to these guys and they say they're from NYC. I ask where in the city and they said..."Actually we're from Connecticut. No one knows where that is though."
Entonces, the next day was a beach day, flat, flat waves. Nice hot sun. We got back and I guess all of the doing nothing got to me and Sandra because we laid down to rest until dinner and ended up sleeping until 8 the next morning...oops.
The ride home was uneventful if not a bit long. We did run into an arrogant American living hopefully in college because it seemed he didn't do anything but surf or snowboard. I didn't ask how he was able to do all of those things. It was bit annoying to be told that you don't know the place your live (I consider myself a resident)who told me I was wrong to say there were no hostels in Samara. To which I said it wasn't a surf town so why would there be? Some people...
I'm sad about leaving, I'm a total beach girl and it's hard to imagine myself not by the shoreline.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Sun and the sand and a drink in my hand
Yesterday was a day of serious bumming around. We missed our bus to Nicaragua, not so good. But because I had already taken the test for my class I opted out since it would only be the same stuff I had done. So Off I went with my friends Geoff and Kelsey to this awesome beach restaurant Las Velas de Latina. Amazing food at all prices and the drink and drink menu were the best Ive had so far. The vibe and conversation were great.
Geoff had class so after me and Kelsey just bummed on the beach until we had so much sand on our bodies and on our faces we had to wash off. I love just enjoying life and nature and I really hope to be able to coordinate this vibe and feeling in to my life somehow.
Its one thing to visit places and after say..oh that was nice. But I feel that way I am the way I travel, cultures get under my skin and leave a little bit of themselves inside so that it changes the way I see things and appreciate life.
Pura Vida...can mean Pure life, Live pure, Super or as I see it and most of the locals do...Its whatever, just live your life.
Geoff had class so after me and Kelsey just bummed on the beach until we had so much sand on our bodies and on our faces we had to wash off. I love just enjoying life and nature and I really hope to be able to coordinate this vibe and feeling in to my life somehow.
Its one thing to visit places and after say..oh that was nice. But I feel that way I am the way I travel, cultures get under my skin and leave a little bit of themselves inside so that it changes the way I see things and appreciate life.
Pura Vida...can mean Pure life, Live pure, Super or as I see it and most of the locals do...Its whatever, just live your life.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Playa Samara
Hola muchachos. Nosotros estamos en Playa Samara, Costa Rica. Hoy es nuestro segundo dia de clases. Me gusta mi clase, profesora y el grupo que estoy estudiendo Espanol conmigo. Ahora tenemos tiempo libre.
Hi everyone. We're at Samara beach in Costa Rica. today is our second day of clases. I like my class, teacher and the group I'm studying Spanish with. Now we have free time.
we have some great pictures to put up but not the time at the moment. It's really beautiful here. I don't know what I was expecting but it wasn't this. It's very tropical but very real as well. It's not like the sort of beaches you see on TV. I really love it here. The people are very real and very sweet. There are so many random things happen: Wild dogs and horses roam free and the pace of life is very slow. It's an accessible beauty that we're taking advantage of. Today we're hoping to go surfing and perhaps take a weekend trip to Monteverde and the Arenal volcano, do some kayaking and hiking.
The people that come to study here are really great too. We've met people from Europe, U.S., Canada and the U.K. It's a nice range of levels. I think that the testing system for placing students is held a bit high. Basically they do an interview of questions because they want to test your speaking, which makes sense. However, one of our friends is a Spanish major at college and was told she needed to prove she should be in a class above the level they placed her because of how she did on her interview. It's frustrating for me as well because I can listen, read and write well. Speaking I get a little nervous, mainly when we need to use specific things such as a question word and a specific verb. Which is hard in English as well. Try it. Using only the "5 W's" and words such as sing, listen and look make up questions about the past... it's hard.
Anyway, we need to go get our boards and hit the waves.
Lata
Hi everyone. We're at Samara beach in Costa Rica. today is our second day of clases. I like my class, teacher and the group I'm studying Spanish with. Now we have free time.
we have some great pictures to put up but not the time at the moment. It's really beautiful here. I don't know what I was expecting but it wasn't this. It's very tropical but very real as well. It's not like the sort of beaches you see on TV. I really love it here. The people are very real and very sweet. There are so many random things happen: Wild dogs and horses roam free and the pace of life is very slow. It's an accessible beauty that we're taking advantage of. Today we're hoping to go surfing and perhaps take a weekend trip to Monteverde and the Arenal volcano, do some kayaking and hiking.
The people that come to study here are really great too. We've met people from Europe, U.S., Canada and the U.K. It's a nice range of levels. I think that the testing system for placing students is held a bit high. Basically they do an interview of questions because they want to test your speaking, which makes sense. However, one of our friends is a Spanish major at college and was told she needed to prove she should be in a class above the level they placed her because of how she did on her interview. It's frustrating for me as well because I can listen, read and write well. Speaking I get a little nervous, mainly when we need to use specific things such as a question word and a specific verb. Which is hard in English as well. Try it. Using only the "5 W's" and words such as sing, listen and look make up questions about the past... it's hard.
Anyway, we need to go get our boards and hit the waves.
Lata
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