Hello all,
So far it has been a whirlwind of activity over here in Costa Rica. Everyday we are jumping from place to place. Real quick synapsis since the last post...
Tuesday we had a lecture on the history of coffee in Costa Rica, followed by group discussions on focus topics. I decided that I am going to focus on the aspect of law in relation to the decision making processes of coffee farm owners, i.e., what influence does the law have on the decisions to buy property at specific locations etc.
Wednesday we hiked a whole lot. We first went to the coffee farm at Coop Narunjo, which had really amazing coffee, and then we went to a second farm in the area that actually won first place in Costa Rica for the best coffee. That was really neat because it is owned by one woman who really cares about the Nicaraguans and the environment. Definitely made me wonder the importance of certain labels, such as fair trade, shade grown, and organic, because although I had criticisms of the labels going into this trip, it was very interesting to hear it from a first hand perspective.
Today we went on a really touristy tour of Cafe Brit which was incredibly corny, but the point was to see what a person traveling here would normally see, perhaps without any previous knowledge of the coffee business or coffee history. We then went to CICAFE, which is the national institute for research of coffee plants.
Other news before I leave, homestay family is finally warming up to me. I think they are just really shy because now my homestay mom smiles a lot. I am borrowing a phrasebook and a dictionary and combined I am able to communicate a little bit. Anything important that I have to tell her I ask Rose to do for me, which has made my life sooooo much easier. Thank you Rose!
Also, I am feeling really frustrated with the program right now. Although I am visiting interesting places and people and learning a lot about coffee, I am only really catching about a fifth of what is going on simply because I cannot speak Spanish. Our program director made it very clear in the very beginning (as in, during the interview process) that Spanish was not a requirement for the course. He assured us that we would have everything translated, and that we can participate equally in the program with the Spanish speakers. However, this is really not the case, and I am not the only one who feels this way. Some of us in our group took Spanish in high school and some in college and they still feel like they are at an incredible disadvantage during our trips. It is just very frustrating to be told one thing and have the reality be entirely different. Tomorrow I will talk with the instructor about this.
Ok, time to eat! More to come soon, as always. But even though the ladybug is tired, hungry, and a little confused, she is very happy to be in Costa Rica!
Love,
Ceci
jueves, 26 de junio de 2008
lunes, 23 de junio de 2008
The ladybug goes to school
Hello!
The ladybug has now officially started school in Costa Rica! Well…sort of. We aren’t technically in school, but we are still getting credit for exploring Costa Rica! Everyday is packed with trips and activities that will teach us about the economics and inner workings of the coffee production continuum. Fun stuff. But first, back to where I was last time.
Merel, Marina, and I were staying at the hostel in Panama. That night we had a fun time at the La Iguana bar, which is run by the same Rasta boys who owned our hostel. The bar played amazing Reggae music and was jam packed with young people dancing. After that everyone moved to another bar that made me feel like I was on a pirate ship. Everyone was dancing on this dock and if you looked over the edge you could see tons of little fishes and rusty ship parts. Michelle and Melissa (Michelle is Mexican and Melissa is Colombian) who are from my group danced the most since the music here was salsa and meringue. They were twirling and kicking incredibly fast, too fast for me to keep up.
The next day it was raining in the morning so unfortunately our grand plans of snorkeling and dolphin seeing were thwarted. However, Merel, Marina, and I did take a 40 minute bus ride to part of the Island to an AMAZING beach. Drago Beach is one of the postcard perfect places of palm trees and white sand and clear green water. There is this restaurant right there that serves fresh seafood which was so delicious. We lazed in hammocks and watched the waves while drinking ice teas. Afterwards we headed back to the hostel where we played cards and read a little bit before heading back out to the bars. I only stayed for a little bit though, because I wanted to catch up on sleep before making the long trek back to San Jose.
The next morning we left for San Jose at 7am. We caught a boat from Bocas to Changuola, which lasted about an hour. It was really neat to ride the boat this morning, because it went through some areas of mangroves and jungle. I even saw a few pink pelicans, and Silverio saw a monkey. From Changuola we took a bus (by the way, remember that all of the buses here are minivans that are supposed to hold 10 but almost always hold 15), to the border again. We walked over the bridge again into Sixaola where we waited until the bus to San Jose came. Melissa got really sick because it was getting really hot waiting around. We get on the bus and realize that this trip was just going down hill. Although the bus looked nice from the outside (it was a Mercedes), on the inside it was really beat up and smelled awful because of the insect fumigation that occurs at the bridge. The bus was really hot and after about an hour and a half of driving, something happened to the motor and we got stuck in the middle of nowhere, Costa Rica, waiting for the mechanics to fix it. About an hour of standing in this unbearable heat and humidity we started off again towards San Jose, and by the time we had reached San Jose we had been riding the bus for 5 hours. Sweaty and tired we managed to grab a taxi to Heredia, where we met up with the group again.
So now where are we….last night. Last night, we met our host families! Mine is pretty cool, I thought there were going to be kids my age but I guess the information is wrong because there is only one son and he is 12. When I got there my host family’s family was hanging out and boy are there a lot of them. My host mom’s 5 sisters and their kids were all there talking loudly over each other in a small space. Their kids are ages 3 to 5 and they are certainly spunky. The kids were all laughing at me because I couldn’t understand anything that they were saying. After I washed up I gave my host family the gift I brought, and they really liked it. I brought a large circular tile (about a foot in diameter) that an artist in Sequim painted and sculpted into a nighttime scene of the Olympic Mountains and a moon. I also brought a little picture book of Washington to compare the tile to. They seemed to really like it. After dinner, we went over to another host house where a girl, Rose, is staying. Her host mom is best friends with my host mom so we chatted and stayed for a while. It was nice because I think my host mom is uncomfortable around me since she doesn’t speak English and I can’t speak Spanish.
Today the group got oriented to the Spanish-English school that is our base. We had a scavenger hunt activity that took us all around Heredia, and it was fun discovering neat things about the place.
Okay, time to get off the internet. More to come soon!
Love,
Ceci
The ladybug has now officially started school in Costa Rica! Well…sort of. We aren’t technically in school, but we are still getting credit for exploring Costa Rica! Everyday is packed with trips and activities that will teach us about the economics and inner workings of the coffee production continuum. Fun stuff. But first, back to where I was last time.
Merel, Marina, and I were staying at the hostel in Panama. That night we had a fun time at the La Iguana bar, which is run by the same Rasta boys who owned our hostel. The bar played amazing Reggae music and was jam packed with young people dancing. After that everyone moved to another bar that made me feel like I was on a pirate ship. Everyone was dancing on this dock and if you looked over the edge you could see tons of little fishes and rusty ship parts. Michelle and Melissa (Michelle is Mexican and Melissa is Colombian) who are from my group danced the most since the music here was salsa and meringue. They were twirling and kicking incredibly fast, too fast for me to keep up.
The next day it was raining in the morning so unfortunately our grand plans of snorkeling and dolphin seeing were thwarted. However, Merel, Marina, and I did take a 40 minute bus ride to part of the Island to an AMAZING beach. Drago Beach is one of the postcard perfect places of palm trees and white sand and clear green water. There is this restaurant right there that serves fresh seafood which was so delicious. We lazed in hammocks and watched the waves while drinking ice teas. Afterwards we headed back to the hostel where we played cards and read a little bit before heading back out to the bars. I only stayed for a little bit though, because I wanted to catch up on sleep before making the long trek back to San Jose.
The next morning we left for San Jose at 7am. We caught a boat from Bocas to Changuola, which lasted about an hour. It was really neat to ride the boat this morning, because it went through some areas of mangroves and jungle. I even saw a few pink pelicans, and Silverio saw a monkey. From Changuola we took a bus (by the way, remember that all of the buses here are minivans that are supposed to hold 10 but almost always hold 15), to the border again. We walked over the bridge again into Sixaola where we waited until the bus to San Jose came. Melissa got really sick because it was getting really hot waiting around. We get on the bus and realize that this trip was just going down hill. Although the bus looked nice from the outside (it was a Mercedes), on the inside it was really beat up and smelled awful because of the insect fumigation that occurs at the bridge. The bus was really hot and after about an hour and a half of driving, something happened to the motor and we got stuck in the middle of nowhere, Costa Rica, waiting for the mechanics to fix it. About an hour of standing in this unbearable heat and humidity we started off again towards San Jose, and by the time we had reached San Jose we had been riding the bus for 5 hours. Sweaty and tired we managed to grab a taxi to Heredia, where we met up with the group again.
So now where are we….last night. Last night, we met our host families! Mine is pretty cool, I thought there were going to be kids my age but I guess the information is wrong because there is only one son and he is 12. When I got there my host family’s family was hanging out and boy are there a lot of them. My host mom’s 5 sisters and their kids were all there talking loudly over each other in a small space. Their kids are ages 3 to 5 and they are certainly spunky. The kids were all laughing at me because I couldn’t understand anything that they were saying. After I washed up I gave my host family the gift I brought, and they really liked it. I brought a large circular tile (about a foot in diameter) that an artist in Sequim painted and sculpted into a nighttime scene of the Olympic Mountains and a moon. I also brought a little picture book of Washington to compare the tile to. They seemed to really like it. After dinner, we went over to another host house where a girl, Rose, is staying. Her host mom is best friends with my host mom so we chatted and stayed for a while. It was nice because I think my host mom is uncomfortable around me since she doesn’t speak English and I can’t speak Spanish.
Today the group got oriented to the Spanish-English school that is our base. We had a scavenger hunt activity that took us all around Heredia, and it was fun discovering neat things about the place.
Okay, time to get off the internet. More to come soon!
Love,
Ceci
viernes, 20 de junio de 2008
The ladybug flutters to Panama!
The ladybug traveler has somehow made it to....Panama!
Today was a crazy day. We left the hostel in Puerto Viejo at around 8am to catch a bus to Sixaola. We lugged our luggage in the hot hot heat for about a mile from the hostel to the bus stop. The bus was super crowded, I was sitting on the floor, and the bus driver was driving soo fast on this narrow mountain road I felt like I was in the Night Bus from Harry Potter! We made it to the border at Sixaola, crossed a bridge into Panama, took a crowded van that was suited for 10 but was carrying 15 of us and one child through the mountains to a port, got into a boat, and finally made it to Bocas del Torro.
Here, the Marina from my group, and Merel the Holand girl, we broke off from the bigger group to get ourselves a hostel. It is soooooo nice. On retrospect, Rocking J's was pretty sketch. Here, the beds are clean, the building is clean, the people working here are nice and trusting, and we are close to everything. Although Rocking J's was cool, it was dirty and we found out about all of this nasty stuff that was going on behind the scenes. Apparently the staff had changed the lock on some Israeli's locker and stolen some money, and there were rumers of drugs, and it just sounded awful. BUT, here it is beautiful and fun, and tomorrow we are going on a boat tour that will take us snorkeling and to see dolphins and to hang out on a beautiful beach etc etc. Good times here in this lovely area.
I'm sure you all are just wishing you were here on sandy beaches in green warm clear water!
Love,
Ceci
Today was a crazy day. We left the hostel in Puerto Viejo at around 8am to catch a bus to Sixaola. We lugged our luggage in the hot hot heat for about a mile from the hostel to the bus stop. The bus was super crowded, I was sitting on the floor, and the bus driver was driving soo fast on this narrow mountain road I felt like I was in the Night Bus from Harry Potter! We made it to the border at Sixaola, crossed a bridge into Panama, took a crowded van that was suited for 10 but was carrying 15 of us and one child through the mountains to a port, got into a boat, and finally made it to Bocas del Torro.
Here, the Marina from my group, and Merel the Holand girl, we broke off from the bigger group to get ourselves a hostel. It is soooooo nice. On retrospect, Rocking J's was pretty sketch. Here, the beds are clean, the building is clean, the people working here are nice and trusting, and we are close to everything. Although Rocking J's was cool, it was dirty and we found out about all of this nasty stuff that was going on behind the scenes. Apparently the staff had changed the lock on some Israeli's locker and stolen some money, and there were rumers of drugs, and it just sounded awful. BUT, here it is beautiful and fun, and tomorrow we are going on a boat tour that will take us snorkeling and to see dolphins and to hang out on a beautiful beach etc etc. Good times here in this lovely area.
I'm sure you all are just wishing you were here on sandy beaches in green warm clear water!
Love,
Ceci
jueves, 19 de junio de 2008
The Trip Continues
Hello All,
I am currently in a hostel called Rocking J's in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica! Yesterday my traveling companions and I took a looooong bus ride here. Luckily, we have managed to find everyone who is supposed to be traveling with us. Although half of our group were all traveling separately and at odd times, we have run into everyone that should be together.
Puerto Viejo is incredibly beautiful. The beaches are long and sandy with huge waves of warm water. The hostel is covered in mosaics and is open with no walls, just supporting beams holding the roofs, and hammocks are strung up everywhere. It's really hot and humid, but I think I am starting to get acclimated. I'm even starting to understand a little Spanish, but only because most of my traveling friends are fluent. We met a traveler from Holand, Merel, who is really fun and nice. She has been traveling in Latin America for the past 5 months! And she is only 18!
Gotta say, I don't miss Seattle's weather. Trade-off: I have a ton of mosquito bites.
More to come soon!
Love,
Ceci
P.S. I bought a pair of earrings today that are handmade out of coconut and they have an etching of a ladybug in each one!
I am currently in a hostel called Rocking J's in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica! Yesterday my traveling companions and I took a looooong bus ride here. Luckily, we have managed to find everyone who is supposed to be traveling with us. Although half of our group were all traveling separately and at odd times, we have run into everyone that should be together.
Puerto Viejo is incredibly beautiful. The beaches are long and sandy with huge waves of warm water. The hostel is covered in mosaics and is open with no walls, just supporting beams holding the roofs, and hammocks are strung up everywhere. It's really hot and humid, but I think I am starting to get acclimated. I'm even starting to understand a little Spanish, but only because most of my traveling friends are fluent. We met a traveler from Holand, Merel, who is really fun and nice. She has been traveling in Latin America for the past 5 months! And she is only 18!
Gotta say, I don't miss Seattle's weather. Trade-off: I have a ton of mosquito bites.
More to come soon!
Love,
Ceci
P.S. I bought a pair of earrings today that are handmade out of coconut and they have an etching of a ladybug in each one!
miércoles, 18 de junio de 2008
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