Daily Journal

We had to be at the high school at 2:30 AM to catch the bus to the airport after a few last minutes frantically packing I was ready to go. When I got to the high school the bus was already there and we threw our bags on and it was time to go. Everyone but the bus driver (thank goodness) fell asleep on the bus ride to the airport. We got there and got our boarding passes and went to our gate. We went to McDonalds for breakfast inside the airport and then we boarded our plane. This was my first plane ride so I did not know what to expect, it was a lot of fun and I sat next to someone who is going to GVSU in the fall. That was very interesting because my sister is a senior there and I got to visit her frequently. It was very nice and I slept mostly the entire way. We got to Miami where we had to basically get off the plan and go right on to the next one. We got on the plane and after two quick hours we were in San Jose Costa Rica. After we got off the plane we took or first steps in the actual Costa Rica. The street was crowded, everyone was hot and we were looking for our tour guide. We found our tour guide and little did I know that this man would be such a great friend that we would all be heart broken on our departure. We got on a bus and headed to our hotel. We were the first group of our tour to get there so we had the entire day to ourselves. Mario took us on a walk into the center of the market were we were completely exposed to the culture and their way of life. I did not know the mass variety of vegetables that they eat there. It was amazing and we got to eat our first meal and have our first conversations completely in Spanish. A man really learns about the importance of paying attention in class when the people all around are talking ridiculously fast. I learned that I can speak Spanish well but the understanding of it is my downfall. I had to really focus on what the people were saying and try to understand what they meant. After that we went back to the hotel and got some sleep.

We woke up at 6:45 AM and had a great breakfast in the hotel. We got on the bus and started out bus ride toward our first stop. Our first stop was the Bosque National Reserve. It was really cool; my favorite part was seeing the fish and the insects. There was a lot of iguanas seemed to be like our squirrel equivalent. We also got to see Cayman, which is just a smaller alligator. I was kind of scared because they were pretty close but they were on an island and we were still safe. And also there was an entire row of almost twenty turtles, it was cool to see that there were some painted turtles that we get to see back home. After that we got back to the bus and we rode all the way to the crater. It was really cool seeing all the different native plants and animals. The sulfur in the air made me very aware that we were nearing something spectacular. After that we drove to lunch and all ate and we had the choice between chicken or beef. I choose beef and it was really good. I still can not get over all the different types of vegetables we had there. The best part of the day was getting to interview our tour guide and by then my good friend Mario. We had a long conversation and I finally felt like I was starting to get a grip on my Spanish comprehending. Our conversation was completely about the benefits and downfalls of having not having a military. He explained a lot of questions I had. The major question I had was how does Costa Rica keep other countries from invading their own soil if they have no means of defense. Mario simply explained that they do not worry about that because they have such a stable economy and that the other countries need Costa Rica. They do not stress and he said several times that they do not worry about it, they just do not need defense. It was a hard concept to wrap my head around, but after thinking it over it makes sense. The peace in this country is kept just by living. They do not start any feuds with other countries and therefore they do not get feuded with. This still puzzles me from time to time because they can still get taken over by another country that does not trade with them, but they do not worry about it because it does not happen.

04/06/09

We woke up at 6:45 AM and I was really tired but the day was not waiting. We had a quick breakfast and then we were on our way. We drove to the La fortuna waterfalls. The walk down there was really cool and it was very cool being in the actual rainforest. Once we got to our destination I was awe-struck. The waterfall was absolutely stunning. I really had a lot of fun swimming in the  collection pool. The water current was really strong and we were not allowed to get very close to it. I got really sun burned this day but kayaking was really fun. We kayaked all around on the this lake and I have been rowing since I was little and it was fun to do something that reminded me of home. The water was nice and it was so cool to see the monkeys playing in the treetops while rowing. Our walk back on the rainforest was really hard, it was straight up a lot of stairs. It was really hot going up those stairs but it was still way worth it. After that we went back to the hotel and had a good dinner. After dinner we had an optional volcano visit. This was hard to choose because the Michigan State Basketball game was on and we possibly would miss it if we went. But we were in Costa Rica and I had never seen lava before.   We went and saw the volcano pushing lava out slowly glowing. It was very unique and calming to watch the red at the top slowly pushing out. This was rare because the tour guide said that this does not happen every night and that he has taken groups there and nothing happened.

04/07/09

Today we got to sleep in just a little bit and breakfast was 7:30 AM. After breakfast we drove to Monte Verde and saw the jungle at a closer look. After going and seeing the beautiful jungle we went to a school to see observe a show they had planned for us. It was very nice seeing the school and understanding their situation, in which even though it is  a poorer country that they put a lot of effort into making it a good environment for kids. The dance they did was all the traditional dance from Costa Rica. They had a lot of colorful dresses and they all did their best and it was very cute. My favorite part was the baby in the back who had two scarves and was running around dancing. After the dance was done, the kids invited us to go out and play soccer with them. We were split into teams and then we started to play. I went into the net and played goalie. I stopped 5 shots and let in 5 shots while the other team let in 8. It was so cool to play soccer with the kids and see how good they are. Playing soccer is the main focus of a lot of their time. This day I learned a lot about myself including that it had been a long time since I was good at soccer.

Today was the day I had been looking forward to since we left. We woke up around 7:30 AM again and we were off to go to rainforest. It was very anxious to get through the rainforest and do the main event. The main event of the day and possibly the trip was the canopy tour. After a few hours in the forest and seeing different types of bugs and new trees we left for the bus. After a bus ride that seemed a lifetime, we were finally there. After getting suited up in our harness and helmet we were on our way. We watched how to stop ourselves with the handbrake and then we learned how to keep our selves from spinning on the zip-line. Zip-ling in the canopy is one of the most exciting things I have ever done in my life. I have always been one to stay on the ground for these types of events but with the thought of holding back on my senior year spring break I had no doubts after that. I loved being above everything else and looking down and seeing the amazing landscape. There were trees way under us and volcanoes. My favorite part was the last line in which was the longest line and it was well over a 1000 feet long. I learned that when I am under pressure that my spanish skills our hindered severly. I found this out when one of the guides in the canopy tour was asking me where I was from and I was still a little nervous and I completely froze up. I could not even think of how to respond. Which I would usually respond instantly because it is such a basic question.

Today everyone who got up at about 6:45 AM so we could get moving early. We had a long way to go to see today's events. We made a quick breakfast stop and then we were on our way. When we got to where we needed to get it was amazing. We had a huge close up tour of the rainforest and Mario took a ton of time to tell us what everything was and what it does. My favorite part was seeing the huge caterpillar. The interesting thing was that it shot out cyanide out of its tail when it feels threatened. It is not enough to kill you but if it gets in your eyes it works better than pepper spray. I felt like I was finally getting my Spanish down and it is all thanks to the people of the Costa Rica. It was surprising how much it seemed they wanted me to be speak it right and they would take the time to explain to me what I said or conjugated wrong. This was a huge shock considering all the horrible treatment of foreigners in the United States.

04/10/09

This morning we got to sleep in and take our time getting to breakfast, the bus did not leave until 8:00 AM. We had a shorter bus ride to today's main event. Today's event was going to the beautiful national park Manuel Antonio. This park's beauty was indescribable. Just to put it into retrospect it is in the book 1,000 Places To See Before You Die written by Patricia Shultz. The bright and vibrant blue ocean gently caressing the powdery white sand is an image that I will always carry that image with me. It was only my second time swimming in the ocean and I was still new to it. I have to say it grows on you and I like it a lot. I had a lot of interaction with the locals this day and it helped me regain some of my bruised ego in Spanish. I learned a lot about the people including that they really like to hang out on beaches. There were more people on the beach than on the street it seemed like. We had a lot of fun and it was at this point that I found out that I had been saying excuse me wrong this entire trip. With the help of my friends in Costa Rica I was able to correctly excuse myself and not get a lot of strange looks. And after we returned home I was rudely reminded that we were going to be on our way home very soon.

Today was our last day in Costa Rica and it was a good day overall, but it was still hard carrying the chip on my shoulder that in 24 hours and counting we would no longer be in Costa Rica. After we woke up and get breakfast over with, we were on our way. We drove quite a drive back to the original hotel we stayed. It was nice to be able to be somewhere we already pretty much knew where everything was. I was happy to see that the pool was still there and that the market was thriving crossed the street. The biggest disappointment happened on this day though; there was a riot on the street and our tour guide and our teachers both agreed that it would be better if we did not go out on the street and go into the market. It was very sad but it was also a realization of this country that it is not just a tour land for Americans, but an independent strong nation that takes a stand on its struggles and still has its disputes. It was a very hard look at the this but I knew it was needed to see the pride of this nation. I did not talk to many people today though I did buy a couple things from the shop on the way into town. I was happy to be able to relax at last, as you can imagine how a teenager would be tired after waking up so early on everyday of Spring Break. But the night was fun we all had a celebration of the great time we had together. It was sad saying out goodbyes but we all traded numbers, face book account names, and MySpace display name to all try to keep in contact with each other.