I have just finished the first day of my second week of Spanish class. So far so good, but I think my English is getting worse! I hope you will pardon my typos as my first language increasingly becomes spanglish.
This first day back in class after a weekend of travel was a little difficult. I felt like I didn't know anything. But after a little practice talking to the professor, it started to come back. The professor is speaking entirely in Spanish now which helps a lot - forces me to pay attention and ask a lot of questions. My Canadian hippy classmates have sadly departed Heredia for the Pacific coast and I now have one new classmate. He is a young German student and we have absolutely nothing in common. I think he is 18. During one exercise, we were to say what we do in our free time. I said read, travel, study spanish. He said party, sleep, and dance (he's a break-dancer).
So about my weekend, we left Friday afternoon for Monteverde and La Fortuna. Both are North by Northwest of San Jose and in the mountains. It took us 4 hours to get to Monteverde over 1/2 paved roads and 1/2 dirt, pot-holed roads. It was dark by the time we reached the latter, and it's probably a good thing. We were driving up very steep roads with no guard rail (sorry Dad). I couldn't see a lot but I could tell that there was a deep valley below. Monteverde was incredibly windy. We got there in time to eat dinner and go to bed. Well, I went to bed. My younger, cooler traveling companions went out to drink and dance. If there is one thing I have learned about myself on this trip so far it's that I'm getting old. I like my sleep and I don't care about "partying" as those youngin's say nowadays.
On Saturday, we did a zipline through the rain forest. The adrenaline junky side of me loved this part. There were 12 lines, 4 of them criss-crossed over a beautiful green valley, way above the trees, the others were shorter, faster lines below the trees. I'm a little bit afraid of heights at times, so it was enough to scare me, but so fun. The last line was the longest and they gave us the option of going "superman" style, which of course I did. A description can't do it justice, but let's just say that I have a better sense of what it would be like to be a bird. I'll get some pictures posted soon.
This first day back in class after a weekend of travel was a little difficult. I felt like I didn't know anything. But after a little practice talking to the professor, it started to come back. The professor is speaking entirely in Spanish now which helps a lot - forces me to pay attention and ask a lot of questions. My Canadian hippy classmates have sadly departed Heredia for the Pacific coast and I now have one new classmate. He is a young German student and we have absolutely nothing in common. I think he is 18. During one exercise, we were to say what we do in our free time. I said read, travel, study spanish. He said party, sleep, and dance (he's a break-dancer).
So about my weekend, we left Friday afternoon for Monteverde and La Fortuna. Both are North by Northwest of San Jose and in the mountains. It took us 4 hours to get to Monteverde over 1/2 paved roads and 1/2 dirt, pot-holed roads. It was dark by the time we reached the latter, and it's probably a good thing. We were driving up very steep roads with no guard rail (sorry Dad). I couldn't see a lot but I could tell that there was a deep valley below. Monteverde was incredibly windy. We got there in time to eat dinner and go to bed. Well, I went to bed. My younger, cooler traveling companions went out to drink and dance. If there is one thing I have learned about myself on this trip so far it's that I'm getting old. I like my sleep and I don't care about "partying" as those youngin's say nowadays.
On Saturday, we did a zipline through the rain forest. The adrenaline junky side of me loved this part. There were 12 lines, 4 of them criss-crossed over a beautiful green valley, way above the trees, the others were shorter, faster lines below the trees. I'm a little bit afraid of heights at times, so it was enough to scare me, but so fun. The last line was the longest and they gave us the option of going "superman" style, which of course I did. A description can't do it justice, but let's just say that I have a better sense of what it would be like to be a bird. I'll get some pictures posted soon.
In the afternoon we drove through some beautiful countryside. Lots of bright, grassy hills, one after the other. With darker mountains in the background and always big puffy clouds on the horizon. We came down from the hills on the southern side of Lago de Arenal (I think I have the name right). And took a boat to the northwest corner of the lake where I saw a sign that warned of crocodiles in the water! Eek! I'd rather see cocka roachas! in my bedroom than crocodiles.
From that point, Arenal (Costa Rica's most active volcano) was in view. Too bad that it was cloud covered and remained so for the entire 24 hours that we were in the area. So, while we hiked to a viewing point to see the lava flowing from the top of the volcano (which you are supposed to be able to see at night), we were not able to see anything but clouds. So disappointing! That evening, we went to the Baldi hot springs, which was a really commercialized complex of pools supposedly heated by the hot springs. The rest of the group ran off to play on waterslides. But me, since you know now that I am old, stayed in the nice quiet pool and relaxed, like Frankie say. The next day, we heard about the real hot springs which are hidden from the tourists, are actually in a river, and in the rainforest.... so much better.
That's my weekend in a nutshell. It was good to get out of the city and see some of the rest of the country.
Now, class is out for the day and I'm off to San Jose to see a few museums. Hasta Luego.
From that point, Arenal (Costa Rica's most active volcano) was in view. Too bad that it was cloud covered and remained so for the entire 24 hours that we were in the area. So, while we hiked to a viewing point to see the lava flowing from the top of the volcano (which you are supposed to be able to see at night), we were not able to see anything but clouds. So disappointing! That evening, we went to the Baldi hot springs, which was a really commercialized complex of pools supposedly heated by the hot springs. The rest of the group ran off to play on waterslides. But me, since you know now that I am old, stayed in the nice quiet pool and relaxed, like Frankie say. The next day, we heard about the real hot springs which are hidden from the tourists, are actually in a river, and in the rainforest.... so much better.
That's my weekend in a nutshell. It was good to get out of the city and see some of the rest of the country.
Now, class is out for the day and I'm off to San Jose to see a few museums. Hasta Luego.
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