Nuestra Semana Final

We are already in our last week here in Costa Rica…It is weird how time can go fast and slow at the same time.  It feels like I have been living in my villa for a very long time but at the same time it feels like yesterday I was exploring Quepos for the first time.

While I am excited to come home and prepare for a new adventure in Austin, there are many things I will miss here in Costa Rica. Here are a few of the things that made the last two months incredible:

1)      Los Animales

I absolutely love sloths! This guy was hanging out with us while we were waiting for the bus last week. 

White face monkey 

I even find a majority of the giant bugs around here pretty cool!

2)      El Sol y Belleza Natural

This is the "old road"that we walked down to get into Quepos.  Not to bad on the way down, but quite the workout on the way up.  Breathtaking view the whole way...

Even when it is cloudy it is gorgeous.  The sun shone down through the clouds and made natural spotlights. 

3)      Las Playas!

Playa Biesanz

4)      Aprendí mucho español

Velma, rocks at teaching me spanish and cooking! 

5)      Isla

Need I say more :)

6)      La Comida y La Feria

Incredible stew made from all fresh ingredients from La Feria 

More fresh veggies from La Feria.  Everything is so fresh and flavorful here! 

MMMmm...Yuca :) 

This is just a very small portion of La Feria.  It is quite large with many venders.  Chad and I found our favorite and went to the same stand every week. 

Pina Coladas on the beach ;)

7)      Mucho tiempo de la calidad con mi esposo

I feel so lucky to have been able to take this opportunity in Costa Rica.  I think I would be  more sad about this being over if it was not for the fact that I get to move on to another big and new adventure when I get back to the states... Austin, TX.. here I come!!

Ouchies!

Our little Isla had surgery today.  This afternoon, Isla’s belly was shaved and cleansed, and an incision was made a few inches below her belly-button. The veterinarian removed both ovaries as well as her uterus. Stitches and glue were used to close her right back up.

She is doing well, sleeping on the couch next to me.  When we picked her up after class she was very confused and still pretty drugged up.  She’d try to take a few steps and topple over. 

She always sleeps and spends most of her time outside, however, I think we will keep her in for the night as she would not be able to fend for herself at the moment and we have heard multiple encounters between her and other kitties outside.

Sometimes, on rainy afternoons I take too many pictures of animals...

On a separate note, Chad and I went on a walk up a hill behind our villa and this is what we saw (please note, photos do not give this place justice… imagine this x 10) 

Día de la Independencia

On September 15, 1821, Costa Rica joined other Central American provinces in a joint declaration of independence from Spain. The nationwide celebration starts with parades, traditional dancers, and street parties and culminates with the arrival of the Freedom Torch in Cartago (delivered from Nicaragua by relay runners) when everyone in the country stops and simultaneously sings the national anthem. Children also enjoy faroles parades where they carry small lanterns through their towns.

Chad and I got to skip school and attend the festivities with our teachers, Marian and Julia.  We met them at the central bus station in Quepos and headed to the main square where all of the events were taking place.  We listed to a few speeches, a few songs and the nation anthem and them we were off to find a good spot on the parade route. The parade was somewhat similar to a parade in the US, except this parade was dominated by kids of all ages who were marching along singing, playing instruments and twirling batons. 

Costa Rica has no military and maintains only domestic police and security forces, however a professional Coast Guard was established in 2000.

Patriotic puppy :)

Boy Scouts in Costa Rica!  I was a little scared of their leader..

The drummers were made up mostly of boys

And the xylophones.. all girls 

Even babies dressed up for the festivities! 

While Costa Rica's colors are red, white and blue; the colors for the province of Puntarenas are white and orange 

Traditional attire 

Creepy dudes at the end of the parade 

After the parade, Julia took us to a school where the festivities continued with typical food and drink.  Each of the seven provinces of Costa Rica had a booth set up and were serving their most traditional beverages, dishes and desserts.  Most of the typical dishes contained meat, so I had a simple casado consisting of rice, beans, salad and pico de gallo.  I also got to try ceviche platano, which is plantains with sweet pepper, cilantro, onion and garlic in a sauce made of vinegar and lime juice.  It was delicious and reminded me of my grandma’s famous vinegar cucumbers! Chad stepped outside the box a bit with his mondango soup… Sopa de mondongo is a soup made from slow-cooked diced tripe (the cleaned stomach of a cow) and, vegetables such as bell peppers, onions, carrots, cabbage, celery, tomatoes, cilantro, garlic or root vegetables originating from Latin America. 

We had a great independence day and were very happy to experience it with Marian and Julia as our own personal guides :)

PURA VIDA (POO-rah VEE-dah)

This is the slogan and the way of life here is Costa Rica.  Costa Ricans use the phrase to express a philosophy of strong community, perseverance, good spirits, enjoying life slowly, and celebrating good fortune, whether small or large. Many would also view the phrase as an expression of a leisurely lifestyle and of disregard for time.  Honestly, I seem to see the second option more often than the first. 

Life is good in Costa Rica.  I feel like I am finally getting settled in and used to my surroundings, which is funny because I only have three weeks left.  I think I have a pretty good understanding of the people here, I know my way around, I know where the best restaurants, panaderias, happy hours, etc. are and I feel like I am at home.  This morning Chad and I went into town to go the La Feria and ended up running into 10 or so people that we know.  It is a great feeling to really feel established and settled.


As you saw if you watched the video I posted, Chad and I went horseback riding last weekend. It was a beautiful ride through the mountains with an incredibly kind and genuine guide, named Che, who was very passionate about the horses and the land.  It was only me, Chad and Che galloping through the mountains in fresh water streams.  We stopped for a while to hike and visit a waterfall.  It was a gorgeous sunny morning and the beams of light made the waterfall look like it was glowing bright white. We climbed the water fall and bathed in the crystal clear spring water.  Another unforgettable experience J

Chad and Cinnamon

Me and Lucero

Me and Che

On Wednesday evening we went to Noche Tica at our school for some traditional dancing and food.  The dancers were all elder Costa Ricans’ who seemed to really enjoy showing their skills to a bunch of gringos! 

Last night, we had another exciting evening at backpackers (a hostel where we frequently congregate with our friends).  There were a lot of really fun and interesting people staying there last night.  There were Swedes, Australians, Minnesotans, Texans, Ohioans, Germans, Canadians, Costa Ricans and probably some more I am forgetting.  We hung out at the hostel for hours just chatting, telling stories about our travels and home countries and we even got to watch a few insanely good card tricks.  There are a few dogs that live at backpackers…one in particular, named Luna, has won over the hearts of pretty much everyone she comes across.  She is so cute and friendly and lost a leg a few years ago in a car accident.  She typically finds a comfy chair next to all of the action and curls up knowing that her cuteness will get her lots of attention and pets!  Eventually we ended up going out to Bambu Jam, a local restaurant/bar with live music and dancing on Friday evenings.  All in all, great night!

LUNA!

Luna gets so much love!

Chad and Robert with another Backpacker puppy