humedad means humidity

I have returned from a weekend at the beach. I love the beach. Colorado should install a beach somewhere so I can go to it. The beaches in Costa Rica are like I am walking in a postcard. But I still get sunburned, so its not quite like a postcard. 

Lets start from the beginning. On Friday we had grammar class for a brief moment of time (that being about an hour) and then headed out into the city of San Jose. Technically I am located in the city of San Pedro (similar to me being located in Cambridge and next to Boston for a little reference comparison). A quick ten minute bus ride took us to the heart of San Jose for some quality tourist sight seeing. We strolled around to see many statues of famous people, a bunch of buildings with historical importance or home to some head honchos currently, and passed by many a street vendor trying to sell us anything and everything. It was nice to get a brief look at the city, and its close proximity promises more day trips to explore the streets as well as museums and theatres. Our exploration ended in the city's large park, somewhat comparable to Central Park but quite a bit smaller. It previously was the location of the old airport, but when the airport moved to a larger location, the city transformed it into a park (Denver, you should probably follow suit). We had a picnic lunch, and our professors attempted to finish our classes in the park but to little avail. Our group's mind was elsewhere as we booked hostels and made plans for a weekend at the beach. 

The following morning 12 out of 15 in my group boarded a bus at seven en la manana and made the three hour trip to Manuel Antonio. I did not bring my camera, but I think the google picture search about sums up its beauty. However, it does not convey the intense humidity or extreme heat (about 85-90 degrees) that accompanied the beautiful playa (beach). But, I guess it was a sacrifice I was willing to make,  even as I guarded my belongings from overconfident monkeys who have a knack for stealing all things shiny or anything that looks like food. The group of us spent the entire day at the beach, occasionally wandering to find food, water or more sunscreen. We spent the night at the hostel, spending a good portion of the night playing egyptian rat screw (a card game) until the owner of the restaurant told us we were a bit too rowdy. 

The morning began at 7 sharp, to make the most of the beach before some of us headed home early to make sure we were home in time for the super bowl. The super bowl in spanish was a fun experience, especially as I tried to explain the rules of the game to my host family. My host mom could not get over the large size of the defensive line, or how tight all of their pants were. All in all, they appreciated my efforts of explanation, and I appreciated their company during a time of high stress. The only down side of a superbowl in latin america seems to be a lack of good commercials during the breaks. But I've been doing my best to watch a few of them on youtube to complete my experience. 

My upcoming week includes a field trip (gira) on Wednesday to a watershed to learn about water issues in Costa Rica and in the world (the movie we watched in class - pretty interesting). Friday and Saturday we head to a cacao farm to learn about one of Costa Rica's most famous products. Yum yum yum. When I'm not triping in fields, I will be finalzing my research proposal for my research, and studying for my first examen en mi clase de espanol. 

Even though it has only been a week, I feel as if my routine is already habitual, and my life has been like this for a good long while. I attribute it to how welcoming this country in, and the great weather and experiences are definitely a help as well. I am looking forward to see what these four months have in store for me to experience. 

And, as many of you have requested, I have added a few pictures. The slow internet connection makes uploading quite a production, so a few will have to suffice for now.

The view from my window five minutes before stepping off my plane, and onto Costa Rica. Notice how absolutely ridiculously green this country is. Its unreal.

This is one of my three dogs, Fifarifufa, or Fifi for short. My three year old host niece is responsible for her extravagant name. 

My room! Two of the walls are blue, and two of the walls are yellow, its really exciting. The door leads into my bathroom, the window looks into our backyard.

The ACM building, a view from our backyard. Its terribly ugly and I have no fun here. 

The view from our library on the second floor. It looks exactly the same as Colorado Springs, minus the snow covered summit of Pike's Peak.

A view into our backyard from the second floor of our building. 

Another view from the second floor of our building. Also could be a view from a CC dorm room (typical prayer flags) looking out into the Springs.

Bananas ripening, ready for snacking in our backyard. The cage is so the bananas don't escape.

I like tropical flowers. Alot.