DRIVING: One of the craziest experiences in Costa Rica is
the fact that Costa Ricans are crazy drivers. On the way to Panama this weekend, we were in a tourist bus and there was an accident along side the road. Instead of waiting for it to be cleared, our bus driver drove up the curb of the road, onto the grass and just went around it. I am just thankful I am not driving here and I trust I am in good hands.
BOCAS DEL TORO: On Friday, we left after Spanish for Panama
but we had to make it to the boarder before 5:00 pm when they closed. We made
it with about fifteen minutes to spare but it was not what I expected it to be.
The boarder was a bridge that had very unsteady boards going across it. Luckily
nobody fell into the water and we all made it across the border.
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| Boarder from Costa Rica to Panama |
We traveled into Panama and for the first time I have felt
like I was in a third world country. There was trash all over, very poor living
conditions and the sight of poverty was prevalent. It was very sad to see the
living conditions that some people were in and I learned that many of the
people work for the Banana plantations (specifically Chiquita) in Panama and
they work 12-16 hour days yet they get paid about $15 for a day for working. The
problem is the workers don’t have any other options for work so they put up
with the bad conditions.
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| On the water Taxi! |
To get to the island, Bocas del toro, we had to take a taxi
boat for about 45 minutes to where we were staying. It has always been on my
bucketlist to stay at a hostel and this weekend I can finally say I checked
that one off. With our group, we had three people to a room with very small beds
that were not made for tall Dutch girls. They also provided one sheet on our
beds but the best part of the hostel was the kitchen, or so I thought. For the first time in
over a month I was able to COOK food and it was such a joyful experience even though
the hostel kitchen was the farthest thing from sanitary. One morning I made
oatmeal for our group and when we sat down to eat it, we discovered a huge
RAT in the corner (ALIVE).
One thing that I realized is that God gave me the
talent of cooking and it is one of the ways I enjoy giving back to others. Not
being able to cook for so long has been really tough but I am very thankful I was
able to this weekend.
STAR FISH BEACH: Saturday morning, our group went on a
dolphin tour, snorkeling and then to Star fish beach. The beach is only accessible
by boat and it has a few restaurants on in. The beach was perfect for snorkeling
and walking around all day even thought it was not very sunny. In the afternoon, we got a game of volleyball going
and some people for CHILE wanted to verse the AMERICANS. We played and luckily
we beat them just at the end but they were some good competition.
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| STAR FISH |
RED FROG BEACH: On Sunday, we squeezed into two water taxis
and went to another beautiful beach called Red Frog beach. Here there are
poisonous red frogs but they are beautiful. During our time at the beach, I
went for a run and explored all around the trails. During my run, I was in my
own little world and suddenly a monkey pooped on me! NOT FUNNY. Besides that
the place was beautiful and we got to hike the trails all around to explore
Gods beauty.
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| Hiking at Red Frog Beach |
LA UNIVERSIDAD: The place I chose to study
abroad was ranked one of the top 12 places to study abroad on buzzfeed (http://www. buzzfeed.com/laraparker/the-best-places-to-study-abroad
I am studying abroad) and it is so obvious to me why. The professors and
excursions there make it so great. The
school is great and I couldn't ask for a better place to study abroad.
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| Last day of Spanish class with our great class and our tiny little teacher! |
REFLECTION: This past week has brought me to many places and
has allowed me to experience Costa Rica even more. One of the hardest things
about being here is that I want to do everything and plan my days to the
fullest. Taylar reminded me this morning of a great verse in Proverbs 16:3
which states "Commit to the LORD whatever you do and he will establish your
plans." This verse serves as a great reminder that in life, I have to first
give the Lord my plans and he will direct me to the places I need to go.
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| Sun-burnt? drink some ALOE! |
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| Volleyball at Star fish beach |
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| Oh Yes I do enjoy long walks on the beach |
Thanks again for reading my Blog!! Have a great week! PURA VIDA
