5 months...!!

So, it's been 5 months....WHAT?!!! How is that possible?! It has gone by so fast, and I know these next months will fly by! Anyway, this post is pretty much just an update on my life, what I've been doing this past week, all that stuff!(:

Last weekend I went to Guanacaste with the other exchange students from Puriscal, and it was gorgeous! We went to Playa Conchal, and stayed in the cutest little houses! It was pretty much my Christmas present to myself, and I really enjoyed having the tranquilla atmosphere. We visited 3 different beaches: Choncal, Grande, and another one that I don't know the name of-and all of them were gorgeous and hot! I still can't believe I'm going to the beach, and it's December- I keep telling myself it should be really cold! 

Today I went to clases de baile : Dance class! It was my first class, and I know I will be going back-it was so much fun! We learned reggae, salsa, and cumbia. I really did surprise myself, I always thought of myself as the horrible dancer-but man, I can salsa!(: It was really fun, and I highly recommend to anyone to take a fun dance class with some friends, because even if you mess up, you just laugh it off!

Also, just in case I didn't mention it before, I am starting to learn the guitar, my brother is teaching me! I'll post a video soon, but I am really happy I have started learning that, because I love music, I love singing, and so now, adding an instrument, makes it so much better! Also, I've always wanted to learn. I remember last year I tried teaching myself, and I ended up breaking the string on my dad's guitar! That wasn't the best guitar experience  so I stopped. But now, since I have a brother who plays ALL THE TIME, I thought it is a good way to learn properly! 

So, I hope everyone has a great Christmas if I can't make a post then. Feliz Navidad!(: 

p.s : Hopefully we don't all die tomorrow(;

Appearance/Hygiene

In Costa Rica, appearance and hygiene is everything. The way you present yourself, presents who you are as a person, aka: People judge you HARD CORE on how you look. You may say, "ehh, everyone does that." But here, it goes a little farther than that. Por ejemplo: If you have dreadlocks you automatically put into the "that person smokes" category. If you have a low cut shirt, or you can see lots of cleavage, you are put in the "tierrosa" category....you can guess what that means. All in all, people like to present themselves in a good light.

It is pretty much a requirement to shower AT LEAST once a day. There are people who will shower three times a day if they need to, and it's because its really hot in some places! Luckily  I live in a place that isn't too hot, or too cold, so I shower once every morning, and I am good for the rest of the day! The way you smell also is important, so people put on perfume/cologne every single day, and sometimes you can smell it a mile away! Another thing is people brush their teeth after every meal. One day I went out to lunch with my friends, and after we ate, they all went to the bathroom to brush their teeth, and put on more makeup, and i felt like a freak because I hadn't brought my toothbrush let alone makeup....I felt like a scrub! 

The clothing, you would think, would be people wearing shorts every day-at least that's what I thought! Nope...the majority of the teenagers go out with skinny jeans on. Also, people dress up. Por ejemplo: when my mom goes to the supermarket-she has on her dress, her heels, her makeup, shes got her hair nicely styled....and she's gone for how long? An hour?! I wonder what she would say if she saw the people of the US in Walmart (aka sweatshirt/sweats/pjs!) 

The majority of the woman here, like to wear tight things, this can be a good thing, and a bad thing..............some people should not wear tight clothes, and I don't mean to be rude, I'm just being honest! Also, I've noticed people like wearing shirts that say things in English. Some are cute, others funny, and some just plain weird, and I wonder if they even understand what's written across their chests. The other day I saw a woman with a shirt on that said, "Warning: I am easy". .....ummmmmm! The clothing is "Ropa Americana" and there isn't as wide a range of styles. In the US, you could have a hipster style, preppy, casual, athletic, punk, vintage, formal, hippy-cowgirl (*cough *cough-Graceeee!), but here, its skinny jeans. Heels are also worn A LOT! 

So that is the "fashion" I guess you could say. All in all, I haven't bought a lot of cloths here (only a sweater) because I brought a lot of cloths with me, and I don't even wear some of them. I remember when I was packing with my friend Carrie, and she kept asking me if I needed some of the clothes, well....nope. But oh well! I'll just make sure to give out clothes once I leave!

Summer Vacation!

That's right, be jealous!! School has officially ended, and I have all my grades, and I am now able to relax (even more), and do A LOT more stuff!! Now, just a reminder, I started school at the end of July, all of August, and it has just stopped. So FYI I lost half of my summer in Seattle, so now I get a summer down here!!

So, what am I going to do with this break from school??? Well, December is defiantly filled up! The first week of December, I went with my cousins to a place called Eco Musas. It is about 2 hours from Puriscal, and it consists of a big pool, with a water slide, zip-lining, a waterfall, nature walks, horseback riding, and a lot more!

My cousins in the water slide

Went swimming in the waterfall!

These past days (aka Friday and Saturday) I went to the hot springs!! If anyone plans on taking a trip to Costa Rica, I HIGHLY recommend going to the hot springs, in a place called Mira Valles. It is right underneath a volcano, and the hot springs are pretty much natural hot tubs-but SOOOO much better!! While I was there with my family, we also took mud baths and found a water slide  Then, we went to Playa Hermosa, (Beautiful Beach), which honestly was, the prettiest beach I have seen while I've been here-it was GORGEOUS!

This was us after the mud bathes, in front of the hot spring!

Next weekend, I am going to Guanacaste for 3 days with AFS Puriscal, and then the weekend after that is getting ready for Christmas!!

For January and February, I am going to see if I can teach kids English. I have a little cousin, who wants to learn, and my aunt wants to help get a group of kids together for sessions of English. My friend and I will probably have a class once or twice a week, for a good price....I mean come on-I've got to make some money!! Also, I really want to try and find a community service opportunity!  ANDDD, I also want to find a surf camp, because surfing is SOOOO much fun!!!

So, those are my "official" plans for the summer, but I know my family is trying to see if we can take a trip to Panama, and I also know my aunt wants to take me many places! I am really excited for summer, not only because it means I don't have to go to class, but it means I can fully engulf myself in the culture!

Buena gente

Wait....it's December?!! Wow has time gone by fast! It is crazy to think that it is the first week of December, because I remember the day I met my family like it was yesterday, and now they really are, truly are, my family. We are all veryy close, and I also feel like my Spanish has improved A TON-legit, I understand everything! The other day I was talking with my aunt, and she asked if I understood even when people talked fast, and the thing is, I don't notice when it is "fast" anymore, because it has become so normal! Now, I am just focusing on my grammar and the conjugation of verbs-YAY. haha!

Anywayyy-to anyone who hasn't been to Costa Rica, anyone who plans on going to Costa Rica, or people who just want to know-the world's nicest people live here. I'm dead serious. The Ticos and Ticas who live here, will break their backs to help anyone and everyone in need. It is the nicest, most caring thing I have ever seen, and it's not just select people, but everyone! EXAMPLES!!!

The other day, I called my aunt up and asked her if she could go to San Jose and help me get a package. Immediately she cancelled her plans and said she would go with me-even though I told her we could go another day. While we were at the post office in San Jose, the people who had the package (in plain sight may I add) said they couldn't give it to us without an "official signed document from a lawyer saying I lived with her". HA-nope sooorrrryyy don't have time for that! But these people were so nice, that they let us leave with it anyway, they said it was fine, that I was a learning child, and that this experience  isn't meant to be spent at a lawyers office! Then, as we were walking to the bus stop, we saw a girl who needed help. She was an exchange student, I believe from China, (not with AFS), who needed help getting to her school. And bless her heart, my aunt took her under her wing and made sure she got where she needed to be! (First example, haha don't worry the others aren't as long!)
My English teacher helped me get my official transcript for school, and waited at the school for about an hour (my bus was late), for me to arrive just to give it to me (which took 2 seconds).
The people here are always asking about how family is doing, and they always seem to know when something bad has happened. If someone is hurt, the entire family is there in a matter of minutes.
There is a woman from the United States who lives next to my cousins. Her Spanish isn't that good, but she is able to communicate  When her husband died, my cousins and thier family were at her house instantly, doing everything possible for her. The family has now taken her under their care, and they are all very happy.

I guess these are only a few examples, and you may say, "Oh, people in the US do this", and yeah, I'm sure they do, but there is SUCH a difference here, it is hard to explain. In the US, when you walk down the street, and you see someone, usually, you try to avoid eye contact, as to avoid an awkward situation-don't lie, we've all done this. But here, it is completely different! When you see someone in the street, walkin' by, even if they are a complete stranger-people will say, "Hola, buenos dias! Pura Vida!". It is incredible, the love can be felt everywhere. It's as if everyone is family, and I completely love it.

Costa Rica, is such an amazing place. More than 4 months here, and I feel like I've lived here my entire life, as well as lived here for a week (if that makes any sense....probably not....the other exchange students agree with me!). The people here, are amazing. Sure, there are some who want nothing to do with you, but those are the ones who are having bad days. We are human, that's what happens, but with what I've seen, those bad days are pretty rare!

Thanksgiving

So, in October, I asked my family here if we could have our own Thanksgiving, because being a "gringo", you can't just not celebrate Thanksgiving! So, I had an adventurous, fun, thankful, amazing Thanksgiving weekend.

On Wednesday, I went to PriceSmart (aka the Costco of Costa Rica) with my Mami, Lupe, Naoko (an exchange student from Japan), Digna (my contact person/the funnest woman in the world!), and Carlos, the husband of Digna. We were on a hunt for turkey, of course, pie, potatoes, and all the other stuff for a typical Thanksgiving dinner. Well, we were hoping we would find a turkey that was already ready....nope. We find the turkey, and they are like 18 lbs! And my Mami loads it up onto the cart like it's no big deal. Ummmm.......I don't know how to cook a turkey.....ohhh well!

And of course, what's going to PriceSmart, without a little fun!(;

So we get home, put away the food, and I go straight to my computer to look up, "How to cook a turkey". Little did I know, it takes a good 3 days! Did I have that time? Nope! So we decide we are going to have a Thanksgiving, but with a tico twist! The next morning, we decide we are going to have a Thanksgiving lunch instead, because my abuelos were coming over along with some cousins, and Digna and Carlos were going to come over for dinner. So I go down to the cabanas to help my Papi with the turkey. We pretty much cooked it like a stew, which didn't take too long. As that was happening, I made my mashed potatoes, and by noon, everything was ready. After putting the turkey in a stew, my mom took it and fried it up, sorta. Actually I have no idea what she did with it, but it was realllyyy good! And everyone enjoyed the food, especially the apple and pumpkin pie!

We separated the pieces of the turkey first...

Then put it in our "stew",

And then it was ready! Que rico!! (My abuelos, and cousins, along with my family and I.)

Later that night, Carlos and Digna came over and ate, but there was still so much turkey-there is still turkey in the fridge, and it is Monday! But everyone enjoyed the meal, everyone thought it was a cultural learning experience  (for the US.), and it was just a great way for the family to get together and eat. The next day, I left to go to Playa Jaco with some of the other exchange students from the US to celebrate Thanksgiving together. It was a really relaxed weekend, which was just what I needed. 

My week full of Thanksgiving was great, and now I have an excuse to start singing Christmas music! So, I hope everyone else had a great weekend, so for now, hasta luego!

Musica y Baila

Music is a way to express yourself here in Costa Rica. The types of music you listen to describe what type of person you are, and here, there is a wide variety of music. From British rock to the typical music of Guanacaste, you will be able to hear music everywhere!

Teenagers here are really into "musica de gringos" or the American Music. This means, Rihanna, Maroon 5, and Katy Perry are played a lot. Also, British Bands are pretty popular-of course One Direction has made it's way around the world, and all of my companeras think they are the cutest guys alive, but there is also the Artic Monkeys, and Muse. They also like the pop music of Latin America, and my companeras personally like the really emotional music. I would personally compare the singers to Adele or Taylor Swift, because the songs are VERY emotional and every time my friends tell me to listen to a new song, they are singing their lungs out and saying, "Ahhhh que triste! Que linda!" (How sad! It's so pretty!) A lot of people also like the reggae, and rap. The rap songs here always make me laugh because the rappers are SO FAST! But there are a few songs I understand, and they have to be some of the funniest things! Adults here are into the older music from the 70's and 80's. My mom likes listening to the radio in the mornings when I help her clean the house, and the songs are pretty fun!

Also in Costa Rica, there is typical music, or folk music. This folk music is played with a marimba, a wooden xylophone, and many other instruments. The music is very pretty, and the dance that goes along with it is gorgeous! I love watching the dancers, here is a link:     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTBcdcTH_Ag

Music is played everywhere, whether you are at your house, at school, or at a party. And when there is music, there is dancing. In Latin America, the dancing involves a lot of hip movements! I personally suck at dancing, but my Mami is trying to teach me! The steps aren't that hard, but once you get the entire dance going it is fast and veryyyy difficult! The salsa, merengue and cumbia are a few types of dances that are also quite popular! Everyone loves to dance, it's as if you were raised on with the expression drilled into your head! Here, dancing is a BIG part of the culture, and it is fun to see all the people, young and old, having a good time!

So that's all I can think of right now about music and dancing in Costa Rica. Other than having the most random English songs from 5 years ago pop up on the radio, I don't have much to add! I hope you liked the link of the typical dancing, and I hope you thought it was as pretty as I did-hopefully I will learn a bit of it before I leave!

     

Spanglish

Now, I am sure a lot of you know the meaning of Spanglish, a mix of English and Spanish. These past weeks, Spanglish has really been involved in my life!(;
I have some of the funniest girls in my class, and they like to "practice" their English with me. However, practicing English means making up new words that even I don't understand. These girls also tell me my English isn't correct, and that they need to teach me. So, my Spanglish is getting quite well.

The first thing you need to know, is that the verbs in Spanish end in -ar, -er, or -ir. So, the verb "to eat" is comer, or the verb "to walk" is caminar. Now, instead of using these words, my friends have come up with a new way of speaking-Spanglish. They now say, "Abby, vamos a eatiar!" (Abby, lets go eat.). The first time they told me this I was so confused, but now I have been accustomed to their new language, and I even caught myself using the word, "shaviar"!

Some other expressions that are regularly used in my group of friends are:

• "Una cosa beautiful" - something beautiful
• "Vamos a go" - we will go
• "Swimiar en su pool" - swim in your pool
• "Baile hot" - dance hot
• "Un chico sexy y hot" - a hot and sexy guy
• "Vamos walkiar a clase English" - Let's go walk to English class
• "Sitiar en la chair" - sit in the chair
• "May guapo en el world" - The most attractive in the world
• "Muy good gente" - very good people

There are so many more, but these are some that I heard today! Spanglish is a way for the girls to practice their English with me, but honestly I just can't stop laughing. As my friend Chini would say, "Es una cosa muy beautiful!"