Last Entry: Time to go home!!

Today is May 17. The students said a tearful and sad goodbye to their Tico families yesterday and sniffled all the way to the airport. I also said a tearful goodbye to them, but today, they are waking up in their own beds surrounded by their US families. I will miss them, but am thrilled at the thought of waking up in my own bed on Tuesday morning!

I spent the rest of the afternoon with my friend Ana and her family. Her brother Marcel was celebrating his 28th birthday, and his girlfriend Lorena had a surprise lunch for him at her family’s house, so I got to meet her family: mom, siblings, uncles, aunts, cousins, and eat homemade Tico food and a luscious tres leches with tons of fruit on the top. Muy rico! After lunch, we played what I can only describe as parlor games: hot potato and a game they call Pablo y Pedro [Everyone gets into a circle. One person is Pablo, another Pedro, and the rest have numbers. Your number is then called out and you have to call out another’s number or name. When someone speaks out of turn or forgets their number, they have to move to the end of the numbers, so everyone’s identify shifts. I sat this one out because it was all in very fast Spanish, and I couldn’t keep up. La gringa did, however, win the hot potato game played with balloons. ] There was a lot of other silliness, but it felt good being with a family who has such fun together doing what most American families would think corny. In the afternoon, Ana’s family drove me to Escazú—the expatriate stronghold of Costa Rica--and where it is most Americanized. Too much so for my taste. The big buildings and houses were gorgeous, but the mall there was similar to many malls in the US—but with some interesting and different stores than we have.

On Thursday and Friday, I graded, took Linda and Cliff out for a "thank-you" dinner on Friday at a really nice little restaurant just blocks from my house that I had passed but never went to. I packed and unpacked and packed again. I have far too much stuff to bring back, and I hope I don’t go over the weight limit.

We had exams this past week, and then on Wednesday the entire group traveled up into the hills to a gorgeous restaurant called Mirador Ram Luna outside the city of Aserri. Many of the teachers went as well as Stephanie, and the Meso housekeeper, Maria Elena. I will miss their cheery faces and smiles in the mornings at Meso. We celebrated the end of a very successful semester with excellent food, a charming setting, and a phenomenal view of the lights all across the Central Valley, and watched as some of our group got pulled into some of the typical Costa Rican dances. I gave Linda a framed picture of the entire group on a huge plaster sea turtle at InBio as our goodbye present for all the wonderful work she does at Mesoamerica. What an excellent way to end the semester!

A week ago Friday, I went with some students to the Doka Coffee Plantation and got to see the process that the beans go through from the field to bag. I highly recommend this place because it is outside of the city on the slopes of the Poas Volcano and seems more authentic than the more publicized Café Britt tour, where you see a video instead of the real thing—and their coffee (Tres Generaciones) is wonderful! On Saturday three of us went to the local farmer’s market in Guadalupe to buy some last chance fruits and veggies—very colorful and lively. I then took a taxi to Moravia to pick up some last minute gifts.

So . . . I think that catches me up for the last couple of weeks.

Reflections on leaving:

I am, of course, very ready to get back to my friends and family, my garden, my kitchen, my comfort zones, but I would not give up hardly any of the time I’ve spend in Costa Rica. I’ve griped about the noise around the apartment, the rudeness of the drivers, the terrible condition of the streets, and the unattractiveness of San Jose, but we’ve all had a marvelous and very educational time here. I’ve seen a good part of the world, and Costa Rica has some of the most beautiful and varied geography of any place I’ve been and absolutely some of the nicest, most helpful people I have ever met. I think we’ve all learned to care more about the environment because we’ve been places where it is slipping away here because of development, poor management, or economic duress. We’ve seen how modernized and 21st century Costa Rica can be, but have also seen many aspects of a third world country; however, much ahead of the game as compared to other Central American countries like Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Guatemala.

Some of us learned firsthand about how good the medical care here is and how difficult it is to get around in a country where English is still not spoken well by many people. Some of us learned about the problems in the public and private schools in Costa Rica; how the legal system is different from ours; the rising teenage pregnancy rate and the cultural and religious obstacles that allow it to happen; and sustainability issues in resorts, hotels, and national parks. Others spent time traveling to very remote areas and discovering how hard it is to walk up a mountain, to a beautiful waterfall, or to a magical blue river. I’ve seen college students get excited over an elusive, beautiful, green bird, a clear blue sunny morning, hotels with hot showers, and birthday cakes made especially for them at Meso. All in all, I have seen great growth in my students and myself—the ultimate test of a study abroad experience. I will take home with me stronger Spanish skills and no regrets, but a list of things still yet to do, like visiting the Osa Peninsula where the Scarlet Macaw lives, seeing the sea turtles at Tortuguero, Rio Celeste, and a really spectacular waterfall. I will end this blog by not saying goodbye, but rather hasta luego (see you later) because I know I’ll be back to visit this beautiful and special part of the world.

Cahuita: May 1-3

[The battery of my camera is gone and a new one can't be found in SJ, so you are at the mercy of my descriptive powers on this journey, but there are all kinds of great pictures on the internet.]

This weekend I set off on a solo journey to the small town of Cahuita in the province of Limon on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica. Although I had been to Tortuguero (also on the Caribbean) earlier, I wanted to see the Cahuita national park and see the black sand beaches (Playa Negro).

I left San Jose on Friday morning from the Caribe station. May 1 is Costa Rica's Labor Day, so I had gotten my ticket the day before--which was lucky since there were no free seats on the bus. The ride down was interesting. Three American boys from Wisconsin spent at least 2 hours talking about the best recipes for marijuana brownies, how much liquor they had brought, and how many girls they could meet. We slowly made our way to Limon, where the mood on the bus changed noticeably because we could see the beach nearly all the way to Cahuita.

I got off the bus, expecting to find a taxi, since everywhere else I've been--large and small--the taxis have been nearly predatory. I hiked a couple of blocks into town and saw no taxis. Finally I found one and arrived at my hotel (about a mile down the road)in the afternoon. The Suizo Loco Lodge is beautiful, but it is not (as advertised) three minutes from the beach (more like 15--and not a very good beach at that). Because I was so far from town (a 40 minute walk by the beach road) and there seemed to be no taxis, I agreed to have dinner at the hotel (thank goodness they had a restaurant). One thing I forgot to mention--there's no English at this hotel. If you speak French, German, or Spanish, you are in luck. So I had to listen hard and practice my Spanish. I walked to the beach and nearly into town just to see what was in the neighborhood and enjoyed the grounds, pool, and a little birdwatching before dinner, which was excellent. Not much to do here, so I turned in early.

The next morning (gray and overcast but not raining) I was collected by the tour company to take me to the national park. I was supposed to have an English-speaking guide, but did not and ended up being the only person on the tour. My guide, Alfredo, spoke bits and pieces of English and was limping and barefoot. Not really good omens for a walk through a jungle known for its vipers and spiders. He told me that he had damaged his knee while surfing, practicing for a big surf tournament to be held in Puerto Viejo the next weekend. The paths were sand, and 50 meters into the park, he stopped, paused, and pointed to a small bush not more than 4 feet from us. Curled up on the stem in S-fashion was the most beautiful bright yellow eyelash viper! Very poisonous, but not aggressive. He told me that during holidays people often party and drink too much on the beach 10 feet to our left and stumble into to the woods (for bathroom breaks), accidentally brush against the brush and get bitten.

We also saw many crabs, spiders, lizards, monkeys, and a really pretty non-venomous vine snake that blends in perfectly with the trees and vines it climbs on, walked through a mangrove swamp on recycled plastic bridges, and fended off swarms of mosquitoes. Once we got to Punta Cahuita we met many other tourists and snorkelers, and many were looking up into a tree close to the water: another eyelash viper--a little bigger than the first--and obviously enjoying a lunch of bird. The beach contained many pieces of exotic coral (illegal to take off the beach)because in 1997, the reef was damaged by an earthquake and is still rebuilding, but the broken pieces still wash up on the shore. I was impressed that this park a) did not charge an entrance fee (but gladly accepts donations), b)was very clean, and 3)seemed well-cared for and protected. Even though I had doubts about Alfredo, he turned out to be a very good guide. I learned a lot about biology and wildlife and got to practice my Spanish!

I opted not to be taken back to the hotel and instead headed to the bus stop to take a local bus to a place I had found on the internet just the day before: Los Aviarios--a sloth rescue sanctuary. I got there too late in the afternoon to take advantage of the full tour, but I did get to walk around the grounds, and a retired, transplanted psychologist from America, Clare, introduced me to Buttercup (a 17 year old female who has her own wicker hanging chair, hangs from it, and extends her arm to people passing by--too cute) and rescued sloths from all over Costa Rica and at all stages of life. The plight of the sloth is pretty dismal in areas of Costa Rica where deforestation and development are taking their toll on them and their habitats. I was told that sloths raised in captivity cannot be returned to the wild and do not mate in captivity, so this place is important in many ways, but it would, of course, be better for them to be able to stay in their natural habitats. Contrary to popular belief, these are very intelligent animals; they just move slowly. For more information just google Aviarios to see pictures of their work, the animals, and the center. This was the most interesting thing I have done in my nearly 4 months there, so if you go to CR, plan a visit to Cahuita and Aviarios. Clare was kind enough to give me a ride back to the hotel when she got off work, and I enjoyed another delicious dinner and relaxing night.

On Sunday morning, wakened early by the family of howler monkeys that live near the hotel, I enjoyed a last gourmet meal and took a taxi to the bus station. We rode back to San Jose on a very old bus with very hard seats, not meant for long hauls. At one point I thought we were all going to have to get out and push. Nearly a non-English weekend, and I think I did better than I thought.

April 24-26, 2009: Arenal

Our last group trip was to the Arenal Volcano, the biggest, baddest, most active volcano in Costa Rica. The rain accompanied us all the way to La Fortuna (the small town below Arenal), and our first glimpse of the volcano was only half of it, with the top covered by thick clouds. The resort, Los Lagos, is huge, and we had rooms on the second level above the pools and spa, so we discovered we had a steep walk down an unlit path to get to the pools. Our restaurant, however, was just across the parking lot. We had no excursions planned here, although some of the students arranged for waterfall rappelling or walks into town. I stayed put because there was so much other stuff to do.

This resort has beautiful gardens, so everyday I'd say hello to the large crocs, the little frogs, the butterflies, and birds that were all over the grounds (crocs, frogs, and butterflies in enclosures) and just enjoy the beautiful flowers, the quietness and beauty of the running water and fresh air.

Once during Saturday, we saw glimpses of the top of the volcano since the weather had cleared a bit (see above), but by that evening and Sunday, the clouds and rain were back, and unfortunately, there were no fireworks during the weekend. But we made the best of our time there. The students and I lolled around in the cold pools, the warm pools, and the hottest ones. Fake rocks, and probably not mineral water, but certainly relaxing. The students fell in love with the pool bar (of course) and the several slides. I tried a couple of the slides, and they were fun! Three students and I had spa treatments: mini-massage, mini-facial, and volcanic mud wrap. Very different from the very privacy-dominated spas in the US. Here you take everything off--no modesty allowed--get slathered with mud goop, get wrapped in cellophane, and left to "cook" for about 15 minutes. Facial is done during this process. Shower and then massage (a pretty rough one, too, for our weary bodies. I think we all hurt a little afterwards, but pretty soon were very relaxed).

We discovered a toucan in a tree on the road to our hotel block and visited him/her often. The second time I went, the toucan flew into a tree and started making pitiful sounds. Another toucan flew in to its rescue. Maybe they had a nest in the tree. We saw them several times during our stay. I tried to capture one in a picture, but it's a little blurry.

On Sunday morning I hiked 2 km up to the observation point and was able to see the part of the mountain where the lava had carved out, but no top of the mountain or lava. I met a couple of nice folks and we hiked back down with a herd of cows on their way for a morning rendezvous with the bulls in the next field. On the way down we spotted a smallish brown and black patterned snake. We all jumped back but realized that it was dead (and had not been there on the way up). I snapped a picture, and the way back home, the driver and our guide looked at it, made awful faces, and told me it was a terciopelo. I had no idea what that was, but I looked it up when I got home, and I believe they were right, although we know it by another name: Fer-de-lance. Not comforting, but at least it was dead.

We enjoyed a sunny drive home through beautiful but winding countryside. Even though we were disappointed with not seeing the volcano "doing its thing," we marveled at the diversity of wildlife and flowers inthis place, and really enjoyed a relaxing weekend before the final 2 weeks of presentations, projects, and exams.

April 18-19: Cerro de la Muerte

This weekend was certainly interesting. The students in the ENS class, their teacher, her TAs, and I headed into the mountains for the night and a day of hummingbird observation and tagging. We stayed at basically a truck stop on the crest of a large mountain, whose valleys and tops were washed with clouds. Only on Sunday morning were we able to get a glimpse of what was above and below the parts we could see.

We had been warned that this place was cold, so I was relieved to see that I had an electric blanket on my bed--but it didn't work. We had all brought the warmest clothes we could find because we had been warned by previous classes, but it was like camping in the NC mountains in the fall--very chilly and brisk in the morning--but with no fire to chase the chills away.

On the way up Saturday we hiked to a mountain bog--lots of fun squishing through mud and bog in our attractive black rubber boots. At the way station the students started observing the kinds of hummingbirds and the frequency they fed at the feeders hung all over the outside of the dining room. They were researching whether the feeders interrupted natural feeding patterns on the many flowers scattered on the property. One small bird, the volcano, never came to the feeders, which was interesting.

On Sunday, we set up some nets to trap the birds (no animals were injured during this experiment!). The teaching assistants took care of that part, then handed them over to us to hold and take to the "tagging" station--which was really a manicure station set up to place a drop of bright nail polish on their little feet to let us know if they were repeaters (and therefore not eligible), gently take pollen off their beaks with tape, and record their species. I learned that although hummingbirds may look the same from a distance, they are really very different in temperament, beak size and curve, size, and color. It was amazing to be this close to these little creatures and hear dozens of them bussing around at once. Students took turns doing this while others compared pollen gathered from the flowers to the pollen collected from the birds

On the way home, the students climbed up a steep rocky hill to study another high mountain habitat, but I stayed in the bus to rest my foot, enjoy the driver's choice of music, and take in some of the scenery.

Mother's Day

Connie, Me, her daughter, Christie, my daughter, Landis, and my mom

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers I know, especially to my Mom, Polly Lyday, in Knoxville, Tennessee; my sister, August in Knoxville; my sisters in law, Marie Fields in Nashville and Renee Lee in Burlington, NC; my best friend from college, Connie Goethel; and all of my mom-friends at Elon University.

Phones aren't working here (what else is new), the rainy season has begun, so I often come home to no electricity for 3 hours and interrupted phone service--on a very special weekend.

I hope all of you have a wonderful day!

I'm here for only one more week, so I'm trying to catch up my blogs before I go. Please be patient.

Kathy

6 April 2009

Today we packed up and headed south to the small fishing village of San Juan del Oriente. Before leaving I made a quick visit to the market in downtown Granada where the Nicas, not the tourists, shop. In my travels, I find these kinds of places a truer picture of where I'm visiting, and this was no exception. I never photograph in these public areas because you never know who might be offended, but it's wonderful to weave through the usually tight little aisles, looking at the food, supplies, and clothing for sale. The people are all very busy trying to sell their wares, cooking made-to-order tortillas, mixing herbs and natural medicines, talking with their friends in the next stall--all very vibrant and alive. I got much more of the feel of what life is like everyday for Granadians, sites that the tourist markets and fancy hotels can't possibly show us.

San Juan is close to the border, a small fishing village surrounded by tall cliffs. I don't know how to describe the resort we were in except to say that we referred to it the rest of the time as the OMG resort and said thanks to Elon and Linda every hour! Its official name is Piedras y Olas (rocks and waves), and we all thought we'd died and gone to heaven, and actually quite reasonable during non-holiday seasons. Of course you have to factor in a flight to Managua. . . . Some of the girls are already planning honeymoons here, and it's on my list of places to revisit. Our large group was divided into four smaller groups: the 6 guys, the 10 girls into 2 groups, and Carmen (our Meso representative) and me. Each group had its own casita (little house--although they weren't very little), complete with kitchen, views, porches--absolutely beautiful in every aspect. The only drawback--or not, according to whom you talk--are the stairs--hundreds of them. We all certainly got our exercise. I took many pictures of the architectural elements to steal later! But more than being an incredibly beautiful place with gorgeous gardens and views, this place supports various community resources through its Brugger foundation and runs an animal habitat for rescued animals, including cats, dogs, and monkeys, that could not live any other way. It's one thing to create a beautiful place for people to enjoy, but an entirely other thing to help the community and animals in addition to catering to tourists.

This weekend was Final Four (and if you're from North Carolina, you know what that means!). We did a bit of good-natured trash talking with a group that dared to wear Michigan State t-shirts, but they were pretty quiet at breakfast the next morning :)
Some of us cooked dinner in our kitchens, while others enjoyed margaritas at sunset and a beachfront dinner in the village (where the realities of hungry children found us again), and returned to our perch to enjoy the evening. In the morning after a huge breakfast, most of us took advantage of one last session by the pool, and then reluctantly climbed aboard the bus for the not-looking-forward-to border crossing and the long bus ride to San Jose. Fortunately, thanks to Carmen's maneuvering, we were able to get through customs in half the time and stopped for an early dinner break, where we all ended up in a Subway. We looked so American that I had to take a picture of us on a platform in the parking lot beside a strip mall, eating our subs.

All in all, this trip was amazing in so many different ways. Our visas were refreshed, we were refreshed, but we had seen many troubling things that are very different from what we've experienced in Costa Rica. The roads seem better in Nicaragua, but other than that, we feel pretty lucky to be in Costa Rica.

Granada, Nicaragua

Palm Sunday, April 5, 2009

Today we had an amazing day in and around Granada, a beautiful colonial city that reminded me in some ways of St. Augustine or Charleston (although the historical societies there would have our heads if we tried to paint our houses these glorious colors!). So here's a brief outline and a few pictures on the side of this activity-filled day.

Before breakfast (because in Central America, the sun rises and people get busy very early),I walked around Granada in the quiet and cool of the morning and snapped some pictures. After that here's a synopsis:

1) Took a bus to visit a fortress outside of town and run by the Boy Scouts—very cool place. We took flashlights and walked through the underground passages used as a prison and tried to avoid the bats.

2) Next, the Masaya Volcano. First stop, the visitor center with a very interesting museum showcasing the geology and history of the volcano, then up to the volcano itself: sulphur fumes, 177 steps to the top, worth it because the views were fabulous. Masaya is an active volcano, thus the signs posted around the park asking visitors to stay only 20 minutes and park heading out.

3) A visit to the Masaya craft market for several good bargains

4) To Catarina—a very touristy place with terrible food but great views of the beautiful lake and strolling mariachi bands.

5) Down the road a bit to San Juan del Oriente, known for its pottery factories.

6) And the best for last: a boat ride near sunset on Lake Nicaragua to see Las Isletas, little islands with individual homes and hotels—and in one case, monkeys, who enjoy climbing into tourist boats for a loaf of bread or mangoes brought by the guides. My camera battery was gone by now, so you’ll just have to imagine the beauty of these little islands.

7) Back to the hotel for some relaxation in the pool and a wonderful dinner in the center of town where we could hear and watch some of the Semana Santa processions and activities.

On the Road to Nicaragua

Saturday, 4 Abril 2009: As we rumble down the road toward Granada, Nicaragua, a large volcano appears in the haze on the righthand side, then a lake with waves lapping the shore, then a line of very large white wind turbines—quite a tableau of welcome (see video below). Along the way we see lots of trash on the side of the road—as in Costa Rica—concrete block houses with no doors and decorative blocks inset as windows, wash on the line; goats, cows, horses, pigs, and all kinds of fowl grazing—sometimes on ropes—on the grassy shoulders; herds of Brahmin cattle; repainted US school buses with bags and bicycles on top (the infamous “chicken buses” of Latin America—but not seen in CR); horse-pulled wooden carts with families returning from the market or farms; countless roadside stands with fruits, gourds, and veggies; houses painted the colors we’ve become used to: the greens and blues of nature, but also bright vibrant colors of melons—watermelon, cantaloupe, mango, papaya—beautiful reds, corals, yellows, and oranges. Most of the houses are small and simple, but clean and colorful, and without the gates and barbed wire of Costa Rica, while others are nothing more than stacked tin and wood with dirt floors. The primary mode of transportation is the bicycle, whose riders carry extra passengers, bags of groceries, or a briefcase.

Today as we were waiting in line at the border, I learned from some students that chemistry professor Gene Gooch was killed on Friday, April 3, while he was riding his bicycle near campus. This news arrives at the end of a long week, when we learned of the passing of an Elon freshman who was in the same sorority as some of my CR students, and the loss of a Winter Term CR student’s father in a fishing accident over break. My mind and heart go out to the Elon community and to Chaplain Richard McBride, who is in his last semester before retirement—a time which should be filled with happy reminders of a remarkable career, yet here he is, brought back to the duties at hand, of comforting the community, the families, and of trying to explain the bizarre workings of life.

And tonight, finally, we are in Granada, enjoying a very beautiful, Spanish colonial style hotel. As soon as the bus pulled in front of the hotel and we wearily stepped off, several young boys began begging us for anything we might be able to give them—chips, fruit, leftover sandwiches, or a Córdoba or 2. Now, I’m listening to my students playing in the pool near my room. “Be thankful!”I want to shout. That your family has shelter with walls, doors, and windows; a washer and dryer; a car to drive and bicycles for recreation—horses, too, perhaps. That you don’t have to take a cart home in the evening or drive a three-wheeled taxi for your livelihood. That you and your siblings don’t have to beg tourists at hotels and restaurants for money and food. I wish I could say that the people we saw today looked happy, content, but I cannot. They looked beaten-down, hungry, desperate. The young boys who begged for food were young, 6 or 8, yet were experts at what they have been taught to do. How are we living here? How are they living here?

Back to Work!

The last week was lovely!  Richard and Roth came down to visit, and I took them around downtown San Jose and to visit Mesoamerica to show them where Elon Costa Rica happens.  On the Sunday after they arrived, we traveled by bus to Monteverde.  I had been there the previous weekend, so I had lots of plans for us.  We stayed at the Hotel Montana and relaxed for a couple of days, enjoyed some good food at the Treehouse, Pizza by Johnny, and Moon Shiva and loved the views.  On Monday we had every intention of ziplining, but none of us felt like it that morning, so we walked the canopy bridges, watched hummingbirds and coatis, and had a very informative tour of the butterfly garden.  We enjoyed the sunset from the jacuzzi that evening.  On Tuesday morning a shuttle took us to Manuel Antonio on the Pacific coast, with a stop to look at the crocodiles off the bridge (see earlier post).  We had to adjust to the hot, muggy weather at the beach since Monteverde had been cool, but the beach was beautiful and our room had air-conditioning!  We enjoyed the beach and the pool, watching the white-faced monkeys in the trees around the hotel and the iguanas constantly laszing around by the tree under our balcony.  We enjoyed one of the best meals I have had in Costa Rica at El Avion, a restaurant built areound an old spy plane that holds the bar.  Our long walk through Parque Manuel Antonio on Wednesday was a good chance for us to see sloths, birds, lizards, and more monkeys--especially at the third beach, where tourists were encouraging them to take chips and other food--something that is definitely NOT encouraged in the park. Mostly we just loved lounging around on the beach, in the ocean, and at the pool.On Thursday, we headed to Quepos to catch the public bus (old with no air-conditioning, but enjoyable just the same) back to San Jose and the infamous Coca-Cola station, where it took a bit of doing to find a taxi with a working "maria" (meter), and the one we finally did find drove all around our neighborhood before dropping us off.  I don't know whether he didn't know where he was going or thought that he could take some sappy American tourists for a few more colones.  Either way, we arrived home, wishing we had had a few more days at the beach.The guys went home on Saturday morning, and I've been missing them, catching up on blogs, doing Spanish homework, and preparing class work.  I'm having a stay-at-home day today because I have the sniffles and just didn't feel like getting out today.  The real world starts tomorrow.The group heads to Nicaragua on Saturday for our mandatory get-out-the-country visa trip.  I'd like to wish my brother Richard in Knoxville, TN, a very Happy 50th Birthday on April 3!  Feliz Cumpleanos, mi hermano!!

Goodbye to winter and hello to spring--at least at home. This is the first spring I can ever remember missing in my 55 years in Tennessee and North Carolina. In Costa Rica it's summer dry or summer wet--no spring. Sweaters and scarves come out when it's 65 degrees, which seems perfectly pleasant to me, but I get odd looks when I go out in sleeveless tops on such days. The flip side is that the birds sing down here as if it's spring everyday and the flowers are always in bloom--nice tradeoffs. I am missing my daffodils, camellias, azaleas, roses and new vegetables this year, but I will have to say that thus far it has been worth it!

The students and I journeyed to Monteverde last weekend. I haven't posted many pictures because I posted lots before. We stayed at the same hotel that Landis and I stayed in before, and the kids did a zipline--a different one than we did--much higher and faster. I opted out of this one and did a hanging bridge walk instead. It was nice, but we didn't see anything that I hadn't seen earlier in the day at the Monteverde Reserve. Monteverde is a Quaker-settled community, and the Friends influence is everywhere, from the meeting house and school, to the cheese factory and reserve. Monteverde is one of the few places in the world to see the Resplendent Quetzal, a bird that harkens back to ancient mesoamerican civilizations and is known for its beautiful coloring (red, green, blue--iridescent)and long double tail feathers--at least for the guys anyway. The females are beautiful in their own right, but not as majestic as the males. Resplendent is part of the name and not just an adjective that people attach because of its beauty, but it IS beautiful. The minute a tourist walks into the forest their every sense is heightened to see this bird. Some people plan their visits to Costa Rica around this bird. Groups have guides with large telescopes, and if one is spotted, 40 crazed tourists and guides scramble over each other to get a glimpse before it flies away. I don't have a good picture of "ours," so you'll just have to trust me. We saw a female first, then a male in a large avocado tree. A big turkey bird was giving him some grief, so we got to see him fly (very awkardly I might add) back and forth three times. We could see him beautifully through the binoculars, but not all of his body clearly. I really wanted to see his cute little ruffly head! A few of the students got some excellent pictures, which I hope they will post on the class blog. As amazing as this was, I still believe the day that Landis and I spotted a blue-crowned motmot on a fence post in the woods behind our hotel was more magical. Motmots are beautiful in their own right and much more common than quetzals, but for sheer beauty and showmanship (a showoff might be the better word), that sighting was unexpected and bright. We didn't have to look for him or wait for him to arrive. This weekend, one followed us through the woods as we walked and didn't seem to mind being very close to us. Don't get me wrong. I loved seeing our quetzals, and I hope to see one again this weekend, but sometimes moments just can't be forced.

Richard and Roth arrived today for spring break, and we are heading back up to the mountains this weekend and then to the beach, so there will be more opportunities to be close to nature. It surely is nice to have them here! I'll post pictures and stories after we return later in the week. For all my Elon friends, happy spring break!

Tirimbina

Last weekend, the students in the Environmental Sciences course, their professor (Alejandra), her TAs (Olivia and Nacho), and I journeyed into the mountains near the Sarapiqui River to visit the Tirimbina Reserve (near the La Selva Reserve).  The trip is part of a course project to catalog organisms in the river to study their habitat.  We left on Saturday morning and arrived at lunch time.  Originally, we were scheduled to hike for two hours to the biological research station where minimal accomodations (bunkbeds and communal bathroom) awaited us, but once there, we discovered that we would have to stay at the hotel instead.  Oh, darn. I've posted some pictures of our surroundings, the Sarapiqui River and hanging bridges, wildlife, and students playing ... I mean, researching, in the river.  We enjoyed some of the best food we've had in Costa Rica.  Following lunch, we hiked in the forest to look at plants and crossed the river on the many hanging bridges, the students enjoyed an afternoon soccer game and a dip in a nearby pool.  I enjoyed a quiet afternoon of reading, listening to the rain on the metal roof of the hotel, and flower/hummingbird-watching. And even though our evening frog and bat tours and morning bird watching trips were rained out, we still had a wonderful and educational two days, seeing bats in a classroom,toucans and hummingbirds in the wild, and our first snake(a non-venomous variety)scurrying into the forest. I appreciate so much more now the work that biologists such as Alejandra do in their research with the fauna and flora of Costa Rica.  The river was so much higher and swifter than in previous trips that the students were unable to complete much of their laboratory work in the water. Such a fragile balance exists, and we learned firsthand how an earthquake many miles away can affect the ecosystems of the rivers and forests.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Yesterday was my mom's eighty-fifth birthday, and the only time I've been out of the country for it. So . . .I baked a cake, found some candles, and my students sang Happy Birthday to her (in San Jose). I videotaped it on my camera (see video on my Facebook page)and took a picture of the cake. I'm sure sorry I missed this big one, but she was in my thoughts all day. Happy Birthday, Mom!! Another birthday wish goes out to my nephew, Russell Lyday, who shares his grandmother's birthday. Happy Birthday, Russell!!

Three weeks later . . .

Hola mi familia y mis amigos! How time flies when you're having fun (or grading papers or dealing with sick students or whatever issues happen to come up). I'm going to do a few different posts from the last few days to catch you up on life down south.

The most important news is that Landis returned home safe and sound, and it's only a few days before the other half of our family arrives. Hurray!!

Before Landis left, she, I, and one of the students went on a most exciting and busy overnight adventure to the area of Tortuguero, on the northern Caribbean side of Costa Rica, best known for its turtle nesting. Unfortunately, the only turtle we saw was a little river turtle since the big sea turtles aren't around this time of the year. We left San Jose early on a Friday morning on a tour bus and traveled through the Braulio Carillo National Forest for a good part of our day and eventually down a very narrow, gravel road until we reached a Del Monte banana plantation--a fascinating thing to see, but I'm not sure I'd appreciate busloads of tourists snapping my picture all day long. From there we traveled through interesting little villages until we reached the river and canal systems of Tortuguero and the national park. From that point we traded our bus for a covered boat (much appreciated with the rain) and traveled with a new guide to our lodging for the night, the Evergreen Lodge. We were welcomed with a fruity drink and shown to our cute little rooms, had lunch, and got back on the boat for a tour of the canals. I don't have a lot of pictures of the birds and animals because a) it was raining and b)you need a really good camera--and some luck--to capture them. And I'm starting to favor the philosophy that you can either watch them or snap them--it's hard to do both. Suffice it to say that I wrote down over 30 birds named by the guide, marveled at him when he literally pulled a caiman out of the water because some of the tourists couldn't see it (he promised us that no animals were harmed . . .), lizards, one turtle, Spider and Howler monkeys, and some huge, scary crocs (two separate canal visits). We visited the Caribbean Conservation Center and learned about the sea turtle rescue and research that takes place there, walked along the beach to the village of Tortuguero and looked around there for awhile. Back at the hotel we swam in the turtle-shaped pool and enjoyed more wonderful Costa Rican food.

That night at dinner, I looked up and who should be walking by but Terri Kirchen (a retired friend from Elon and avid birder who was there with her husband and friends on a birding trip). Es un mundo pequeno! I saw my first toucans and several other beautiful birds around the hotel grounds and trails. The next morning we set out again for more water travel, but were not able to walk through the national park because of the rain. We did stop once to walk around a glade to find poison dart frogs (also called blue jean frogs), tiny one-inch red frogs with blue legs. Landis got some good pics, so maybe she'll send me one to post. After lunch we traded transportation again and had a rainy bus ride home. Since it was Saturday, we saw local residents socializing, couples riding bicycles, and cowboys herding steers in the road. All in all it was a fine couple of days to a place full of really interesting critters. A highly recommended place to visit in CR.

Scroll down for pictures.

Weekend in Monteverde

Buenos Dias, todos mi familia y amigos!!  I can't get my computer to do the accents, so bear with my Spanish, por favor. I survived Valentine's Day without the love of my life, mi esposo, Richard, but I was so sad that I made Landis take me zip lining in the cloud forests of the Santa Elena Reserve in Monteverde.  Well, not really.  I DID miss my sweet husband, but Landis wanted to go, too.  But before that experience, I'll back up a day or two. Classes are going well at Mesoamerica (our classroom facility).  The students are beginning to realize that they are not in the Elon bubble anymore.  Some are very happy about this, while others are missing family, friends, and American food.  They have, however, discovered the mall and the cheap movies on Wednesdays. They all love their Tico families and talk about their hermanos/as and madres/padres all the time, but it is rough being here away from all the comforts of home.  They haven't quite dug their heels in yet or gotten used to having to take Spanish every day as well as 2-3 other classes/practicums.  On Thursday, we used my class time to visit the Museo Nacional (national museum of Costa Rica), and some of the students were disappointed because it wasn't as "fine-tuned" or well-presented as our museums back at home. We had an interesting discussion about the expectations we bring with us to a new place and culture.  There was a fascinating art exhibit (that I didn't know about in advance)of oil and acrylic paintings of pulperias (the Costa Rican equivalent of our general stores.) These little stores are quaint and can be found across the rural areas of CR, but they are slowly but surely being replaced by the AM/PMs (7-11s) and the supermercados (supermarkets), so this was a very culturally meaningful exhibit.  The students, however, didn't understand this until class on Tuesday, so many of them wished they had had this information before they had gone.  Me, too.  I still don't have pictures of the downtown area because I'm not in the habit of taking my camera downtown.  Afterwards, we had lunch at a touristy but good restaurant called Nuestra Tierra.  Most of the kids took off that afternoon for the town of Puerto Viejo (apparently where all the old hippies who left the US live), and Landis and I went to get our bus tickets to Monteverde. San Jose has several main bus terminals, and you have to find the one where the buses depart for your particular destination.  For the trip to Monteverde, we had to go to Terminal San Carlos, in a fairly sketchy area of the city, past the central market and through neighborhoods where locals came to buy their produce (and probably drugs).  In the daylight, it's not so scary, but I wouldn't walk around there at night.  Bus tickets were $4.50 one way for a 5 hour bus ride (but only about 120 miles). Bright and early on Friday morning (5:45), Landis and I took a taxi back to the station and met mostly American and European tourists ready to board the bus.  During the journey, many local people joined us.  We left at 6:30 and arrived at Monteverde around 11:15.  The buses are tour-like buses, but usually older vehicles with no air-conditioning--which you really don't need going into the mountains.  We traveled mainly on larger highways on this excursion except for the last 24 miles or so; then the road was hard-packed dirt and gravel, winding, hairpin turns, and scary drop-offs, but the driver was obviously very experienced, and everyone drove v-e-r-y slowly (it took nearly 2 hours to go this last bit).  The end of this road is the tiny village of Santa Elena (no pics of this either--I'll post some the next time I'm there), which is a small triangle of 3 roads, many hostels and hotels, and several restaurants/bars and information centers.  After looking at our map, we decided that we could walk to our hotel--just a few blocks--no problem.  What the map didn't show were the two really steep hills we had to navigtate to get there.  We were so tired, but proud that we had hoofed it.The Hotel Montana Monteverde is situated on the crest of a ridge in one of the most beautiful places I have ever been (see pics).  We had very basic rooms, but the location was amazing.  The hotel owns a patch of forest and trails down below where we took several walks and saw coatis (odd-looking anteater/cat-tailed/monkey-looking critters who are so cute and didn't seemed very bothered by us), leaf cutter ants, a mother and baby sloth, and a gorgeous iridescent bluegreen Motmot bird. I've posted a video of the ants, but I have no pics of the others.  Maybe another time. On Valentine's Day, the van from Selvatura tours picked us up at the hotel and took us to the Santa Elena Reserve for our canopy tour.  This is an amazing place, and I highly recommend it.  [A However Note: If you want to see animals other than humans, don't do this kind of thing.  They have hummingbird, butterfly, and amphibian exhibits, but you'd be very fortunate to see anything while zipping or walking on the hanging bridges.  If you want to see the cloudforest birds or animals, head to one of the smaller ecological sanctuaries or to the Monteverde Reserve and hire a guide.] We, however, had our priorities straight.  Our goal for the day was to hang on large wires and careen through the cloud canopy.  I've posted some pics of us in costume and a couple of videos of Landis and others on the Tarzan swing and zipping.  Suffice it to say that it was very scary (I nearly backed out on the third platform), but exhilarating and so much fun!!  If you get too scared, one of the guides will serve as your "taxi," and you don't have to do anything but hold on. This is not for people with vertigo, but once you learn to relax, sit, lean back, and work your free hand properly to brake and keep you from spinning around, this is a thrill of a lifetime. Landis met three French guys and decided to stay at the reserve and do the hanging bridges with them, but I went back to the hotel to read and enjoy the view. What an amazing day! On Sunday, we walked down into town after breakfast and toured the Serpentarium (you all know how much I love snakes :))and got to hold a beautiful Oriole snake.  We had lunch and hung around downtown until the bus arrived at 2:30 (there are only 2 buses--one at 6:30 am and one at 2:30, so you don't want to miss yours), then back to the city.  This time the ride took 6 hours because of "last weekend of the summer" traffic into San Jose and the fact that our bus driver agreed to drop the Tico riders off wherever they wanted--the airport, random corners, other bus stations . . . .  We got back to the apartment around 8:30, in time to see the last half of The Amazing Race--which we sort felt like we had been on all weekend. Today (Wednesday), Landis is spending the day at El Volcan Arenal, hoping to see the mountain let off some steam and lava and then soak in the nearby hot springs (An interesting fact: all volcanoes in Spanish are male).  I, on the other hand, had to go to Spanish class and meet with students (and update this blog).  Our group gets to go there in April, though, so no worries.  I have discovered Skype, so if anyone wants to try it, I'm usually on in the evenings here (Central Standard Time). Well, enough for today.  We're heading to Tortuguero on Friday on an overnight tour, so I hope to have some good pictures of the land of the tortugas (turtles) next week.  It's not turtle nesting or hatching season, but I hope we'll see lots of cool things.  Adios from San Jose. Kathy 

A week later!

I have been busy! The students and I spent three days of orientation, learning to ride buses around San Jose, figuring out how to order food in the local cafes (sodas), and getting to know each other. On Sunday, Feb. 1 we took a bus to Volcan Irazu; the old capital of CR, Cartago, to see the very famous Basilica de Nuestra Senora de Los Angeles, a very famous and popular pilgrimage place to Catholics in CR; and to the old city of Orosi. The countryside was beautiful, but the only pictures I got of it were from the bus--not so flattering in blur. I have posted some pics of the volcano and the church. Later that night at Mesoamerica, we all watched the Superbowl and ate pizza.

Groundhog's Day brought with it classes, mine included (homework was a composicion on Groundhog's Day since my teacher thought that was a funny thing to celebrate), and the reality that we were all really here to study and learn--not just play. Landis arrived on Wednesday, Thursday the entire group went on a walkabout through the University of Costa Rica and the San Pedro area, and early on Friday, we all climbed aboard our small bus for the 5 hour ride to Manuel Antonio National Park (with a couple of stops included to see crocodilos and have some lunch in Quepos).

The scenery was some of the most beautiful I've seen, full of steep, winding roads and very diverse vegetation--some parts like northern CA, other parts like East TN. MA is only about 100 miles from San Jose (the distance to Charlotte from my house), yet it takes so long because of the conditions of the roads and the traffic. But it is worth the wait. I've posted some pics of our hotel (much posher than I had expected), the park, and the beach (at sunset and otherwise). On Saturday we arrived at the park for a guided hike (very hot and humid), where we saw Squirrel and Howler monkeys, lizards, a bat, two sloths (a 2-toed and a 3-toed)--all very cool, but also touristy in some ways. The park limits the number of people in the park, so that's good. We also could opt to stay in the park all day to explore the areas we didn't go to--as long as we stayed on the trails and out of the reach of the snakes (just a few kinds of vipers and constrictors). No problem!

We had nothing planned for Sunday, so most of the kids slept in. I spent most of the early morning watching Capuchin monkeys playing in the trees next to our outdoor breakfast area. They were harassing the resident sloth and trying to drop coconuts on the tourists taking pictures. I relaxed at the beach in the shade, read, and swam a bit. We all practiced our Spanish, ate some fine food, and met far too many English-speaking tourists--but it was a nice weekend away from the hustle and bustle of San Jose. Yesterday it was back to work. On Friday, Landis and I are heading out to the cloud forests of Monteverde for a little ziplining and nature walks. I'll update next week. Hasta Luego.

The students have arrived!

All of the students arrived on Thursday (and one on Friday) with all of their luggage--thank goodness! They met their Tica moms and seemed to have a good first experience with food and families. Of course, their first priority was to get "plugged in" and say hi to friends and families.

Yesterday we began with an orientation of San Jose and the program, took placement tests (written and oral) in Spanish, had lunch at a local restaurant, and had a downtown walking tour of San Jose. The restaurants are typically very small, but meals are great. I got the casado (means married), which is the "blue plate special" in CR. You get rice and black beans, salad (usually some sort of pickled cabbage and carrots), fried plantains, choice of fish, chicken, beef, or pork, and then an interesting mix of some sort of soft yellow fruit (don't know its name yet) and ground beef. All for 1700 colones--or about $3.00. Wonderful food on a budget!

I didn't take pics of downtown San Jose. We were a large group of gringos--so obvious that one student heard someone call out "field trip" when we were walking. Public displays of cameras might target us as easy marks. I'll try to post some later. The buildings in downtown SJ are sandwiched on either side of a 6-block pedestrian mall of shops, and large beautiful parks are everywhere. The streets were crowded since the children are not back in school yet, but our hosts told us that SJ is like this everyday. Not the most picturesque city I've ever been in, but there are some beautiful old buildings, and the people are fascinating.

After our walkabout, we returned to Mesoamerica to have a birthday party for the young man who was delayed by the storms in New Jersey and who had arrived while we were out. I've posted some pics of his birthday party and some of our students enjoying the large lounge at Meso. The Tico families came to walk or drive the students back home, and the kids were making plans for grocery shopping and nightly activities as I left for home.

Today, I'm meeting some for lunch at the mall, and we'll decide what to do afterwards--maybe take in a Saturday market or take in the local "culture" at the Hiper Mas (a Walmart, basically). Tomorrow we take a day trip to Cartago, Orosi, and Volcan Irazu (just like the coffee shop in Burlington, which is owned by a Costa Rican family). Small world.

I've put up a picture of the front of my apartment, and will post pictures of our real field trip when we get back.

Chao!

Hola desde Costa Rica! Although we have a class blog (http://eloncostaricaspring2009.blogspot.com), I wanted to do an individual one for my friends and family. This is the easiest way for me to communicate what an exciting experience this has been so far (and I'm sure will continue to be)without doing individual e-mails that ask, "How are you doing?" So, welcome to my Tica blog!

I arrived in San Jose a week ago, and while I've not had any problems with food, I was really tired for the several days, even though we're only one hour behind EST. I think it's a combination of the excitement of travel, being away from the comforts of home and family (I miss you guys!!), and the altitude. I have much more energy now and have been doing quite a bit of exploring and random riding of buses, which I've found to be the cheapest way of getting around (35 cents a ride around the city). I got on the wrong bus yesterday and ended up in a surburb, miles away from where I wanted to be, so I just got off, got on another bus, and made it to my destination, and it was fun to note the differences in the neighborhoods and see and listen to the people.

The apartment I am living in is in a lovely part of Los Yoses (a suburb of SJ) and is huge, so I find myself wandering around in a lot of quiet space. At least until the evenings, when my neighbors' kids kick into high gear. There's a lovely fountain in the back courtyard where I usually have my morning coffee with Scottie, the puppy who lives behind my apt. He is a rascal and loves to play. He doesn't quite make up for Ms. Kitana, my sheltie at home, but it's company. When I first arrived, I was a little unnerved by the gates on the houses--all the locks and bolts. Apparently crime is not rampant (you do have to be very careful in certain parts of the city and after dark), but muggings are on the increase--the economy and all--so I think it must be a combination of prevention and a competition to see who has the most impressive ironwork. The flowers are very tropical and beautiful, and the birds sing all day.

I very much miss my family and friends, but will see Landis in February and Rich and Roth in March, as well as friends who are promising to visit. The weather has been a bit cooler than is seasonal here, but usually the skies are Carolina (Costa Rican?)blue, w/soft to medium breezes, and around 70-80 degrees. San Jose is in the Central Vally region, so it's not very humid here, and can get very chilly at night. Sorry, I know it's been nasty at home. The other things I miss (for those of you who know me well) are my television shows. Non US residents can't view episodes of any shows online, so when Lost airs and the Amazing race starts in a couple of weeks, I'll be sad. I think I'll be downloading a lot this summer! I do get CNN, HGTV, HBO and CineMax, Travel Channel--and several others. Many of the others are either Spanish shows or are dubbed in Spanish though, and mine is not good enough to get the gist yet. The most fascinating ones to watch are those in English with Spanish subtitles--a good way to learn how things are translated.

Costa Rican food is delicious, and I've been cooking a lot--and hope to work it off with all the walking I've been doing. The pastries are especially yummy! Many of you know that I had toe surgery 6 weeks ago, so my toe speaks to me loudly in the late afternoons, and I've trying to limit walking and keep off of it when I can, but it improves every day. The students arrive this afternoon, so my life gets kicked up a notch now. I've really enjoyed getting to know the people Elon works with down here, Linda and Cliff Holland and their staff at Mesoamerica. They've been so nice and patient with me--when I lost a set of keys my first two days here, retelling me directions and bus information, and encouraging me to use my Spanish (a word here--if you think your high school/college--or even El Centro Spanish will work easily down here, think again. It's a whole new world when you have to listen and respond to those not using your language. This has been the biggest challenge so far.)

Feel free to comment on the blog. I'll post pictures of the apartment, Mesoamerica, and places we visit, and I've put a few up now from a day trip I took with a former Greensboro College student, Ana Solano, who took me around her hometown of Heredia on Sunday, as well as to a biodiversity park.

Hola a todos! Hasta luego.

Kathy