is it really over?

Wow. It's 1:20 am. I have to wake up at 3:30 to wait to be picked up to go to the airport. My flight leaves at 7:40 am from San Jose, on to Houston, then on to GSP.

I can't believe this is the end. This has been without a doubt the MOST INCREDIBLE experience of my life. It feels like it has been too short, that it isn't right that it is over. I have been emotional for the last 2 weeks, and the past several days have been tough, not only with the stress of exams and packing, but also with the sadness that comes with telling all of my new friends goodbye.

I have made so many new friends with the other students in the program. I can't believe how lucky our group was. We ALL got along SO WELL. I loved every single person in our group. Each person was incredible and unique and such a pleasure to be with. It's crazy how well we all got along.

I also am so blessed to have made so many tico friends. Without them, who knows how much worse my spanish would be? I am overwhelmed by the kindness and compassion the people of Costa Rica have shown me. I will never forget the image of when my tico friends dropped me off just now...we were all piled in the car, me in the backseat after SC had left, and when they let me out, they all opened their doors and came out to me to hug me. We all embraced for so long, and cried, of course. These people really are my friends, people I care about and love, and pray to God that I will see again.

My family...wow. What patience and kindness. To open your home up to a total stranger and let her have free reign over everything. Could you do that? My host sister has become like a real sister to me. Saying goodbye to her will be so difficult tomorrow morning. She asked me to wake her up, even though it will be 4 am, to say goodbye.

I am feeling and have been feeling for the last week or so the craziest mix of emotions, and the closer I get to getting on that plane tomorrow, the more intense they become. 6 hours ago I was eager to get home, and after saying goodbye, I just want to stay.

MIF invited me, MSG, and MV to his house to eat dinner with his family. His host mother who is just precious cooked dinner for us - chips and beans, delicious ensalada, and arroz con camarones. She was so kind to us and I always love seeing her and hugging her. After I got home, my abuelita stopped by to give me a present. She gave me coffee! More! After I already have 5 bags to bring. AHH! I am so touched that she thought of me and did that for me.

Costa Rica has touched me in a way that nothing or no one ever has. Perhaps it will take me several years to realize and see the changes which have taken place inside me. I just know that I am not the girl I was when I arrived. I have been touched by the people here, by the beauty of this tiny country, by the city of San Ramon. This experience has passed so quickly that I feel like it is just a dream, like it all passed in only a few short days, as if it has only been a couple of weeks since I left South Carolina to come here.

I am nervous about the transition from Costa Rica to home. My life here has been incredible, and it is very hard to say goodbye to it. I know that I must, though, and that if the Lord sees fit, he will bring me back to this paradise I have found.

Siempre en mi corazon, Costa Rica.

PURA VIDA!

Playa Tamarindo - photo summary

Yet ANOTHER beautiful beach that I have found!

This weekend, KA, CD, TJ and I ventured to the Guanacaste province in northwestern Costa Rica to Playa Tamarindo. This beach is somewhat touristy because of its reputation for great surfing. Though llena de gringos y extranjeros (full of gringos and foreigners), we still managed to meet people from Argentina, Colombia, and even Uruguay!

Below are the photo highlights of the trip, 10 of the 200+ that I took. Check out my facebook for more! In random order.....

Friday night sunset = breathtaking

Girls hanging out in the room

Night 2 - rainbow

The LARGEST rainbow I have EVER seen in my life! SO incredible!

Blue sky

The pinkest/orangest sunset I have ever seen - night 1

Girls on the beach

Sunset - night 1

Sunset - night 1

Hostel room - $12/night

Costa Rican words - Part 1 of 2

So some of these aren't necessarily specific to Costa Rica, but are used frequently.

Anyway, I wanted to do a post on words that you will probably hear if/when you visit Costa Rica.

These are the words that I have heard a good bit:
pura vida - literally translated to mean "pure life," this popular phrase symbolizes a way of living, a lifestyle of simplicity and happiness

mae - used to mean "dude" between friends, or just to refer to a person

tico/tica - Costa Rican man/woman

tuanis - said to mean "too nice," this phrase means cool

que dicha - means "thank goodness" or something like "good for you"

mucho gusto - "with much pleasure," this usually takes the place of the common "de nada" or "you're welcome"

chante - home, place

chunche - thing

pulperia - small corner store; seem to be everywhere

soda - small family-run restaurant with typical food that is delicious and inexpensive


Others that are included in words you may hear a lot:
-100 (cien) metros - "one block"
-aguevado - bored or boring (synonym of bostezo)
-apuntarse - to sign up (for something, like a tour)
-bostezo - bored or boring (a synonym of aguevado)
-brete - work or job
-como amanecio? (coh-moh ah-mahn-es-ee-oh): how are you this morning?
-dolor de jupa - a headache
-estar de chicha - to be angry
-estar de goma - to have a hangover
-fijate/fijese - Another phrase with no exact translation, this is best thought of as an interjection, approximately meaning "would you believe it?"
-guila - Despite its meaning in Mexico, a guila in Costa Rica is merely a "girl."
-la jama - food
-jamar - to eat
-la choza - home
-que mala nota! - what a bad person!
-macha - a blond female, usually a foreigner
-no entender ni papa - to not understand a word
-no joda!/no jodás! - don't bother me! / leave me alone!
-ojo! - watch out!
-que m'iche? - what's up? / what do you have to tell me?
-salado - unlucky
-soque! - hurry up!
-una teja - Una teja is 100 of anything, usually money (100 colones). If someone is giving you directions, however, una teja refers to "100 meters," or one block.
-tome chichi! - Though this phrase has no direct translation, it's essentially a teasing form of "take that!"
-va jalando! - get out of here! / go away!
-la vara - the thing
-vieras que/viera que - Another Costa Rican idiom with no direct translation, "vieras que/viera que" means "sure", in the sense of "I sure was surprised by his apology!" ("Vieras que sorprendida me dejo su disculpa!")



Sources:
http://www.costarica.com/about-costa-rica/useful-information/costa-rican-slang-and-idioms/

these are my people

Today has been a long but good day. I had class from 8-11 (or more like 10:30). My awesome teacher for Intl. Political Economy offered to pay for my coffee if I went to buy one for him, so I accepted, and am I SURE glad I did because the coffee was GREAT! He also told us some great spots to check out in Nicaragua if/when we go over Thanksgiving break!

I hung out at school for a while after class to catch up on some e-mails and do some internship work. We are ALMOST FINISHED with the hospital's strategic plan. Reviewing the documents we have completed gives me a feeling of accomplishment. We have come a long way and have gotten a lot done! It will be nice to have a tangible finished project from this internship when I leave Costa Rica.

I had lunch with my family at home - some kind of pasta with chicken and sausage mixed in. DELICIOUS, of course. I had the largest helping of anyone. I know that mommy isn't surprised!

I wanted to nap this afternoon, but there were some younger guys working on the electricity in my house and in my room so I couldn't really do that. My host mother called me back to her room after lunch. My aunt had stopped by to show us a home video from 1995. My host family and their extended family was in it, and it was interesting to see all of them - almost 15 years ago! It was special to share that moment with them, watching the video and laughing and talking about how much things and people have changed since then.

I had a meeting with Claudia at school around 2 pm to review some stuff from our workshop at the hospital yesterday. We finished around 3:30, and I went back to my house to have coffee and get some money. I had coffee and toast with my sister and her sweet friend. Around 4:30 I met SC to go do some other Halloween shopping. We shopped the other day - she is going to be a cute little devilish thing with red and black things, and I am going as a rasta. Should be interesting! I had considered going as Santa Claus, or a Christmas tree, or something Christmasy since all the decorations and such are out everywhere here now and things for a costume would be easy to find, but I decided to go with the rasta. USAC has a party on Friday afternoon for all the students from all three programs (San Ramon, Heredia, Puntarenas) here at a ranch in San Ramon. Should be a fun time!

I found a green shirt to match the yellow skirt I bought the other day. I picked up a few other random things I needed too. When I bought the shirt, the girls at the register were fascinated with my first name, and so I told them what it was and how it is pronounced here and in the United States (here the o has more of a long sound, so for the pronunciations to be the same, my name really should be spelled "Tania" here in Costa Rica). They were so kind and wanted to talk about my name - they said they had never heard that name before and that it was pretty. I felt special! Then SC and I went to the grocery store, and I got some cereal and cafe Britt drinks (frozen capuccinos are INCREDIBLE here!!!!) and some other things I needed. A sweet gentleman who works at the mercado offered to give us a basket to hold all of our things in. He was so kind to us! After the market we went home. We took a taxi back. Our driver was a woman (first lady cabbie I've had here) who loved listening to Portuguese music. She just loved it and let us listen to it. She was so nice!

Back home I had some popcorn and Coke because I didn't want a big meal, plus my family was gone and I didn't want to make any real food. I then headed to SC's house to have a study party and I was able to get a good bit done. I think the thing I most enjoyed about today, other than the company of my Costa Rica gringo friends, was the kindness of the Costa Rican people who I came in contact with today - the man at the market, the taxi driver, all of the people in the stores that SC and I went in while shopping - everyone was so kind and helpful, and it always brings joy to my heart when people are that way to me. PURA VIDA!

this week

Whew, what a week it's been! I'm so glad it's (almost) over! This week was midterm week, meaning that on Tuesday I had to take one midterm and make a 20 minute presentation in Spanish, and today I had two more midterms - all cumulative, of course! Thus, there aren't many exciting details to share.....Monday there were no classes because of Columbus Day. I spent the day in Cafe Delicias doing work leisurely with my other gringo friends. Monday evening and Tuesday morning I spent preparing and studying more. Tuesday I had a presentation in Spanish about the fashion of Costa Rica, and then a midterm in my cultures class that I think I did well on! Wednesday I had class in the morning, and then spent most of the day studying for my 2 Thursday midterms. I DID, however, take a few hours out of my study time to go watch the Costa Rica/US soccer game!!! We went to a popular spot near the mall on the edge of town and cheered Costa Rica along with all of the ticos! It was incredible! I think they get more excited here about soccer than Clemson fans do about football, and that is some SERIOUS excitement!! I then came home and studied for a while longer. I got up at the crack of dawn this morning to go to school to study for my 8 am midterm, which went okay, I guess! And then I spent the afternoon studying for my 1 pm midterm. TOO MUCH STUDYING! The second one today went well too, I believe. MIF and I then took a walk around town to relax a bit and it was nice! And then we had cafecito at my house, and then went back to school for dance. Today we did more aerobics and cumbia, which is also pretty much like aerobics! I am now waiting anxiously for my precious friends to arrive from the US who are staying in CR for the weekend!!!!! And to test my patience, their flight has been delayed....one hour. AHH!! Help me, Lord, to just be patient! Tomorrow I am taking them to a volcano nearby (PRAY FOR GOOD WEATHER!), and then Saturday we are heading to the beach. I really hope that they enjoy their time here. They are two of my best friends from home! And then Sunday they will go home, and Monday I leave for Tortuguero, CR and PANAMA for almost a whole week! Some fall break, huh? Just another reason why I LOVE Costa Rica!

sweet family

Sunday afternoon was tough for me, to say goodbye to my parents. I came home and my host family was gone for the day. I tried to call a few people to see if anyone was in town, but couldn't get anyone. I was really sad and just did NOT want to be at home, so I decided to just get out of the house and walk around town. I walked around for about 45 minutes, and it was very refreshing. I went to the supermarket, got some cereal and cold coffee drinks for next to nothing, a Costa Rican version of Glamour or something like that, and came back to the house. Getting out for a little bit was nice. So I came back in, my family still wasn't home, and so I went out to the river near my house just to take in the beauty of the sunny day. I stumbled upon a couple of dads and their sons, and of course decided to strike up a conversation with the kid about the crocodile in the river. He was SO adorable - couldn't have been more than 2, with big blue eyes and curly curly brown hair. I talked to him and his dad for a bit, and they asked if I wanted to have coffee at their house. I think he sensed my nervousness, and he pointed me to their house which was just on the corner. I felt good about it, so I went. The family welcomed me in and made a WONDERFUL cup of coffee for me. I talked to them for a while and they were very nice, and told me that anytime that I wanted coffee or lunch I should stop by. There were no catches, nothing weird about the whole situation. I was so thankful for that "magic moment" that the Lord gave me - it was just what I needed that afternoon...the happiness, the feeling of family. It was incredible. When I got home, my host family had arrived and we all talked for a while. Having other people around me made me feel a lot better. I'm so happy that the Lord was looking out for me, and that I didn't miss my magic moment of that day.

I think I'll let the pictures do the talking....

pasta de alfredo

Tuesday. Good day, but a long day.

No morning classes, but met with Claudia at 9 am to prepare our presentation to the hospital next week. My task was to research the methodology behind developing specific parts of strategic plans, and for this week in particular, we will be completing the cuadro de mando integral, or balanced scorecard (BSC). We first discussed the adidtion of an environmental component to the hospital's mission, vision, values, and strategic objectives, and then discussed how we would facilitate the discussion for the completion of the CMI (BSC). I have to make several posters with the different parts on them (values, objectives, etc.) for us to hang up and use next week. Next Tuesday we will be in a meeting with the staff all day to complete these tasks. I have to make a short presentation at the beginning, in Spanish, about our goals for the day and what we hope to accomplish. I'm nervous, but SO excited to see what we accomplish next Tuesday! I still think this is such an incredible opportunity for my internship - to be able to finish a Strategic Plan for a major hospital, to be able to work with health care professionals, and to be able to practice and learn Spanish!

After our meeting, I worked on the posters for a while outside of the office, and one of the sweet janitors came and struck up a conversation with me. Most ticos are like that, and will just talk to you and be so nice! We talked for about 20 minutes or so in Spanish, and I really enjoyed it! I prefer talking with ticos because I feel more confident talking with them than I do with gringos, for some reason, plus it helps me practice more and learn more about their language and dialects. Anyway, his name is Alfredo, and he said to remember him as "Pasta de Alfredo"! We just chuckled, and I told him that my name was Tonya, like 'pasta de lasagna.' So now I have another precious friend! He asked what I thought of CR and the people, and I said that I LOVED it and that I loved the people. He said that ticos are very friendly and just love life and love Costa Rica (PURA VIDA!), and will talk to you about anything, anytime!

I had lunch with my host family, and then I returned to school for class from 1-4 and 4-7. The classes went well. The second class seemed longer, probably because I was tired and hungry, NOT a good combination! After class I went home, and my host mother offered to go pick up something for everyone in the family. She offered me a hamburger, so I said yes, and she came back with on eof the LARGEST burgers I have ever seen in my life!!! It was a double cheeseburger, but the thing must have weighed 10 pounds. No, mom, I didn't eat all of it. I ate about half and gave up. The pups at home were thankful for the gift from me!

I somehow managed to finish an essay on the Latin American economy between 1950 and 1970 (in Spanish, claro). I also was lucky enough to get to talk to some friends on Skype, last night and the night before, and it was so heart warming to see them and talk to them! Thank you, Lord, for Skype and the internet! I actually cried on Monday night when I talked to EF, a best friend from home, because it was the first time I had seen her pretty little face in a month, after spending almost every day with her this summer! Other best friend BJO and her brother are coming to Costa Rica in 3 weeks for her 21st birthday!!!!!! And my parents booked a flight to come visit the weekend before that! I can't wait to show my friends and family around this place I now call home!

¡Pura vida!

If you have ever looked up anything about Costa Rica or if you have visited Costa Rica before, then you understand the significance of these two little words.

Directly translated, 'pura vida' means 'pure life.' The quote from a blogger below explains it so well, in my opinion:

• “Pura Vida was first explained to me like this”, ‘Only here for a short time, so spread some cheer; and then your gone’.
• Contextually, it means “Full of Life,” “Purified life”, “This is living!”, “Going great!” It is used as a greeting, a farewell, and to express satisfaction.
• Some foreigners view the phrase as an expression of a leisurely lifestyle, of disregard for time and wanton friendliness. However, Costa Ricans use the phrase to express a philosophy of strong community, perseverance, good spirits, enjoying life slowly, celebrating good fortune, whether small or large.
• It embodies a philosophy in which communal ties are strong and close; difficulties are overcome with a resilient and happy spirit, where life is enjoyed leisurely and to the full, and where fortune of whatever size is heartily celebrated.

I think that these points really sum it up. I have only been here for a month, but I can't tell you HOW MANY TIMES I have heard this phrase! When ticos say it, their face and voice light up. And the same thing happens when a foreigner says it - I LOVE saying 'pura vida' because I think that it's a way to summarize everything that I person want to say about enjoying life and seizing the moment.

So maybe you don't understand the meaning of this, or why two little words are so important to the people who live here and visit here. Maybe this newspaper headline from an article can explain it better: "Costa Rica Tops List of 'Happiest' Nations." You can read the article here. Basically, a research group released a report on the world's happiest nations which examined how content people are in their countries, the ecological footprints of these countries, and the life expectancy in these countries. (Be sure to check out the article itself to see a stunning slideshow of photos from the top ten!) Listed below are the ten happiest nations in the world:

1. Costa Rica
2. Dominican Republic
3. Jamaica
4. Guatemala
5. Vietnam
6. Colombia
7. Cuba
8. El Salvador
9. Brazil
10. Honduras

The Latin American countries seem to dominate this list! (By the way, I made a short-term and long-term goals list last week, and I wrote down that I wanted to visit every country in Latin America by the time I was 30. A lofty goal, yes, but if not by the time I'm 30, then DEFINITELY by the time I'm 40!!) You may be interested to know that the US ranked 114th on this list. Hmm....

Reading this articles has really caused me to question what constitutes happiness and 'pura vida,' and I'm sure that this is something I will continue to think about as I stay here longer and see more and more of the culture. So far, what I can gather is that:

• People here are stress and worry-free. The story from my economics class the other day is a prime example (read the post here). Ticos don't need all the answers all the time. They don't have to have every detail figured out for everything. And from trying to live this way, in a way that is less stressful and worrisome, I have found that it really does allow for a more peaceful life!
• Ticos get in no hurry when they eat. A meal is not a time to eat, but to sit down with family or friends and to relax, enjoy each other's company, talk, and get to know each other. They eat slower, which means they probably eat less, and it gives food more time to digest, which is better for your health anyway!
• Ticos just in general are social people and like to have a good time. I strongly believe that relationships are at the heart of a person's happiness. So seeing how they interact with each other, how close groups of friends are, and how close families are show how much these people care for each other and want to enjoy each moment that they have iwth the people who are around them.
• Additionally, 96% of the population here is literate, meaning that 96% of people who live in Costa Rica who are over the age of 15 can read and write.
• Every site I looked at had a different life expectancy for people here, but average seems to be in the late 70s, close to that of the US.

I will be blogging more about pura vida throughout my time here, so check back to see what new things I have discovered!

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_Costa_Rica

http://idreamnowtravelblog.com/2008/01/25/the-definition-and-meaning-of-pura-vida-the-beautiful-national-expression-of-costa-rica/

http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/places/countries/country_costarica.html

http://news.aol.com/article/costa-rica-happiest-nation/556510