Living in Costa Rica for three months was a dream which
doesn’t seem real. Costa Rica was such a great learning experience about
different school styles, the art of traveling another country and living with a
host family. I would highly recommend Costa Rica to anybody but you should know
a few things about Costa Rica before coming.
The ABC’s of Costa Rica
Airport:
Juan SantamarÃa International Airport (SJO) is the biggest airport and also the
one I flew into. On the plane, the flight attendants give you the customs card
to fill out that you bring to customs. Going through customs is a different
experience for everyone but mine was super smooth. After you make it through customs, the most
intimidating part is exiting the airport. There will be an overwhelming amount
of taxi drivers waiting outside shouting “TAXI, TAXI, TAXI,” but just keep
walking until you find the bus or the people you are meeting at the airport.
Beans:
Don’t worry about getting enough FIBER in your diet as beans are served with almost
every meal. Example: Beans in the Gallo Pinto for breakfast, Rice and beans for
lunch and lentils and rice for dinner.
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| Typical meal usually with some sort of beans |
Costa Ricans: Often locals in Costa Rica are called “Ticos.” Qualities
of the Tico lifestyle include not worrying about the future and enjoying the ‘pura
vida’ life.
Deet: Important
to keep the nasty bugs away. It is recommended to use 30% Deet bug spray to
reduce chances of catching dengee.
Election:
Being here in Spring 2014, the election was taking place. Voting took place in February
but none of the candidates got above 40% vote which they needed to win. They
took the top candidates and the next voting period will take place in April. The
environment during the time of elections is a big party for Costa Ricans and
everyone gets together for a good time.
Free:
Sorry but this word doesn’t exist too often here in Costa Rica. Prime example:
Bathrooms. If you want to use a bathroom plan on paying 200-300 colones ($.50)
to use the bathroom.
Gallo
Pinto: Gallo pinto is
the national dish of Costa Rica, a dish composed of rice and beans and is
commonly served at breakfast, lunch and dinner. For breakfast it usually comes
with avocado and a fried egg. For lunch it is usually put on corn tortillas and
topped with sour cream and tomatoes and dinner it is usually served as side
dish to chicken or fish. Gallo Pinto translates to "spotted rooster"
in Spanish. If you want a picture tutorial check out:
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| Just a little RED at this point |
Hot:
Don’t forget your sunscreen because the sun is mean here (Just ask my sister…she
is still burnt 3 weeks later). In San Jose it is usually cooler but once you get to the beach, the sun will hit you. I am just thankful my winter here was 'sunny and 75' every day
Imperial:
If you visit Costa Rica, you will see an imperial sign at almost every bar.
Imperial is the beer of Costa Rica and many Costa Ricans take pride in it. The
first week of school, the University had a welcoming party and they served
Imperial at a school sponsored party (finally, a school understands how to get
students to attend events).
Just
Chia It: While here in Costa Rica, I wanted to document the cooking and recipes
I make. You can find the recipes at: http://thefreshsluis.wordpress.com/
I will continue this blog with my many cooking adventures
and recipes I make.
Kilometers:
Everything is measured in Kilometers here (just like most of the world) but it
was a little confusing at first to see a speed limit sign of 100 but I quickly
realized.
Los
Profs: Local bar that is between my home stay and school. On Thursday nights,
ladies get free drinks and many students go to the bar just to hang out and
catch up with friends.
Mercado
Central Annex: The market is located downtown San Jose and is located two
blocks from the Mercado Central. The Mercado Central Annex is less touristy and
is filled with endless amounts of fruits and vegetables I am still learning the
names to. The vendors are super nice and often let you sample the fruits if you
want to try one.
Natural
Medicine: “Stop pill popping and start gardening” said my alternative health approaches
teacher. During the class we visited a Medicinal
herb garden plot. The plot had approximately 75 plants that could be used in many ways
from spicing food, herbal remedies, making natural shampoos,
insect repellants and curing cancer. For example, Zamia is a plant that can be used for glue and acts like stiches to
hold your skin together. Other plants
include Cardo Santo which naturally
kills bacteria when you have a cut on your skin. Rosa de Jamaica which is packed full of vitamin C and can be used
to make tea or even wine like they are currently doing on the farm. A tip I
learned is that if you are ever sick, combine jengibre (ginger), lemon grass,
and honey and you will “singing” the next day. My two favorite plants were zevia and the cinnamon tree. An interesting fact that I didn’t know before coming
to Costa Rica is that you can eat Aloe and it is very beneficial to the
digestion system. I would challenge you to look up some natural remedies next
time before taking pills to benefit your health.
Orphanage: I got the privilege of cooking some meals and
helping in the orphanage which was about 20 minutes away from my homestay. The
experience was very humbling and I am so glad God blessed me with the ability
to cook so that I could cook soups, gallo pinto or simply cut up fruit to bless
others.
Pura
Vida: Used as a greeting, conversation starter, an exclamation, or in any
context you want to use it as. The saying literally means “Pure life” and is
used ONLY in Costa Rica. Pura Vida really is a philosophy of living that all
Costa Ricans strive to uphold. After living here for three months I can now say
I truly understand what
PURA VIDA means.
Quitirrisi
Indigenous Reservation- Our
class traveled up into the mountains to visit a local medicine man named
Chanto. Chanto taught us about the reservation and gave us a tour around.
My favorite part was getting to make the sugar cane juice!!!
Robberies: They happen everywhere in the
world but traveling in Costa Rica, I was warned to not carry anything valuable
on me. The first week I was here a four male students got robbed in my neighborhood
but since that our university hired more security guards that follow us home
when we have night classes so I always feel safe! One night when a
robbery happened on the bus that we were riding in, the police took 38 minutes
to get to the bus. I am just thankful I didn’t have anywhere important to be
during this time. I am also thankful God protected me and it reminded me of the
verse my mom told me before I left in Psalm 121: 7-8
“The Lord will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
8 the Lord will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.”
he will watch over your life;
8 the Lord will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.”
Thank you God for your protection and a great friend to protect me from the devils lies!
Sodas: No I am not talking about the drink
that people in the Midwest call “pop” but I am talking about small, locally owned
restaurants. A soda serves traditional Costa Rican food for a very reasonable price.
Usually sodas offer Casodos which is a plate that comes with a choice of meat
(chicken, beef, fish) rice, beans, salad, beet salad and fruit juice. Another beneficial
piece of information is that Costa Ricans do NOT tip but the tip is included in
the bill.
Transportation:
In San José, the buses are pretty safe and efficient. You can either take the
public buses (I recommend to take those only when you know for sure where you
are wanting to go also, they are extremely cheap!) or you can take taxis. The
legit country taxis are red with a yellow triangle on the side. Advice: if a
taxi driver says "I can take you to this place for a certain amount of
money" I don't recommend to do that because they can easily rip you off
and often know you are a foreigner. Before getting into any taxi, ask them if
they have a "maria" which is basically just like the machine that
counts how far you are going and how much it is going to cost.
Usted: In Costa Rica it is
incredibly impolite to use the “tu” form. Generally they understand that you
are a foreigner and will not take offense, but blend in better and show some
respect by using “usted” when talking with someone.
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| Class field trip learning about turtle conservation |
Veritas: If you are looking to study
abroad, check out the Universidad Veritas. The fabulous stuff, beautiful views
and small class sizes makes it the perfect fit for many students. An added benefit
is the location in San Jose which makes it very easy to travel to different
locations on the weekends. It was also ranked in 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.
Workout Classes: Not knowing what a
cycling class or dance class would be like in Spanish, I was up to try it with
a few friends. After attending the first cycling class, I was hooked. Not only
was the music fun but the instructor danced the whole time and would always
yell “VAMOS” at us while we were cycling…no slacking here!
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| Great Host Family! |
X-rays: My host dad got some pretty cool
looking X-rays while I was here but unfortunately he broke his Fibula and had
to have some serious surgery. This was an interesting time as I did as much as
I could to help out but one thing I love about my host dad is that he is super
funny and kept a positive attitude through the whole thing.
Yelling at women: In Costa Rica,
it is part of the culture for men to whistle, shout, meow, or even hiss at
women to get their attention (Taylar Miller has a great list of unique noises
from men). It's a part of their culture and there is no way to stop it. The
best thing to do is just to ignore it and keep walking. If you show them any
sort of attention (even if you're telling them to stop), it gives them the idea
that you are interested because you are showing them attention. In my three
months here, it's happened, but as long as you completely ignore them and don't
even look at them, they mostly won't do anything. Don't be nervous it is just a
part of the culture.
Zip-lining: Ever wonder how it feels to fly
through the rainforest? Try Zip-lining through the rain-forest while in Costa
Rica. I went Zip-lining in
Monteverde which included rappelling
down some trees, the Tarzan Swing and the Superman Zip Line (The
superman cable allows you to feel like a bird while you soar over the mountains
and pasture land. It is a 1 kilometer cable with a height of 180 meters). The
sights and experience were unforgettable and I would recommend doing this if
you get a chance. 
Thanks for reading and following my adventure experiencing PURA VIDA! I would highly recommend you visit Costa Rica and take me along as a personal tour guide!
v