Exploring around San Jose

Early Morning

I woke up to Lila next to me. I wasn't sure how to feel because I had woken up in an unfamiliar house with a cat nuzzled next to me in a country far away from my home. I was definitely still jetlagged and really tired but me being excited overruled all of that. In Costa Rica there really is no air conditioning and in my homestay we used the windows for air. My windows were open that morning and it felt really nice to hear the birds chirping in the morning. It was still pretty hot out that day, so I hardly felt a breeze. I woke up around 6:30 am to start getting ready for the day. At 7:30 Demi and I walked down to eat breakfast. Our mama tica had fresh fruit cut up for us, mango, pineapple and papaya. It was sooo delicious! The fruit tasted so sweet and juicy. Nothing like the fruit in the United States. Our mama tica was talking to us about how environmentally conscious her generation is. It was so interesting to hear her talk about it because most people in the United States do not even believe that global warming is a thing.

After breakfast mama tica walked us to the bus to show us how to get there and how to use it. It was so sunny that day! We got on the bus which super cheap, it was 280 colones which is basically like 50 cents in US currency. From the bus stop she also walked us to school. We all met up at the Costa Rican Language Academy (CRLA) with our mama ticas. All of us called the school "Carla," which is not the name but it was just easier for us to refer to it as Carla.

fresh mango, pineapple and papaya for breakfast

Orientation and San Jose

At CRLA we had orientation. We also did evaluations which helped CRLA know where to place us. When we first walked into the school I was so surprised. Everything was so colorful. The school provided water, fruit water and coffee to the students. I loved that! I drank coffee at school every single day. It was so good. They also had a kitchen so you were able to buy plates of food, chips or empanadas. I also bought empanadas during our 15 minute break every day. That may add to the fact that I gained 10 pounds after coming home, but it was worth it they're so tasty! The school also had an open patio for everyone to hang out or do homework. After our orientation we took a bus to tour San Jose. The one thing I noticed was all of the beautiful art everywhere.

street art in downtown San Jose

street art in downtown San Jose

We toured through a location that once brewed alcohol. But, as soon as more and more people came to live in the area they realized it was not safe to have this so close to so many homes. So they turned it into a museum. We also took a walk through the park as Bores, one of the professors at CRLA, talked to us about the history. He also mentioned the current issue that is going on in Nicaragua. Nicaragua is one of the bordering countries of Costa Rica. There is a lot of corruption, and the people of Nicaragua want a new president. But the president doesn't seem to want that. So there is an influx of Nicaraguans in Costa Rica. So many Nicaraguans would rather sleep on the streets of Costa Rica than to be in Nicaragua. It is so sad. This sounded like a similar situation with Mexico and the United States.

a beautiful building we drove past

a statue outside of the museum

We walked through the Parque Nacional, and there were so many vibrant plants. The climate is completely different than the climate in the United States so there is more of a chance for all of these beautiful plants to thrive. I saw a massive tree in the park which had an opening. I needed to get a picture with the tree.

After our tour we got on the bus back to CRLA. Every day it was up to us to get lunch so a lot of us went to the Mall de San Pedro. It was like a 5 minute walk away from school so it was perfect. We went in and got food from a restaurant that had comida tica.

I am vegetarian so finding veggie options in Costa Rica was so easy! In this meal I had gallo pinto, picadillo, verduras, queso con papas and plantains. Gallo pinto is a native dish to Costa Rica. It is made up of rice, beans and lizano sauce. The picadillo is veggies, carrots and peas, usually. The papas con queso is just like mash potatoes with cheese. The plantains on the side were served with a tangy juice. I noticed within the first week that Costa Rica does not really eat spicy food. I am one that loves spicy food so this was sad for me. But it was all so delicious! My meal also came with a drink, Tamarindo water. All of this was 3500 colones which is about $6.25.

The professors informed us that on Friday morning we will be leaving for Manuel Antonio, a national park. We will we hiking in the rainforest, so they advised us to pack some sandwiches for the hike. We all went to the automercado to buy snacks. Demi and I bought bread, almond butter and bananas to make sandwiches.

After that we met back at CRLA to meet with mama tica. She walked us to the bus stop. She showed us which bus we should be looking out for. She also told us that we have to wave our hand out so that the bus driver stops, otherwise they will not stop.

For dinner mama tica made rice, a garbanzo bean dish, plantains and a salad. These were pretty much the staples for every single meal mama tica made us: beans, rice, plantains and salad.

We also packed our bags for the weekend excursion!