Puerto Viejo es me amor nuevo...

Oh where do I start about Puerto Viejo?! I loved the beaches, the ocean, the music, the laidback atmosphere and the beautiful people.
We spent the weekend of the 7th at a bungalow style hotel in Puerto Viejo.
We visited a library in Limon on the way to the Caribbean and a local man by the name of Mr. Barton gave us a presentation on the culture, customs and history of the many people who make up the population there.
After that visit we got a tour of the local Dole Banana Plantation.
During the day we also had the pleasure of getting a personal tour of a local Cocoa plantation run by the indigenous women of Limon, the Bribri-Cabecar.
The following two nights consisted of dinner, shopping, beachlaying, coconut sipping and lots of late night dancing! I got to meet some locals that I really enjoyed my time with.
We ended our weekend excursion with a stop at a local Botanical Garden where I took the most amazing pics of my trip thus far...

¡TERREMOTO!

In other news...I got to experience my first major earthquake today in Costa Rica! It was a very scary and thrilling experience...I'm just glad there were no major injuries, deaths or damages so far....
7.6 magnitude earthquake shakes Costa Rica - ContraCostaTimes.com

Mas aventuras...

In the last few days I have been very busy here in and around the town of Turrialba.
Over the weekend we visited a small village where a very special event to the Catholic community was taking place. The people made a pilgrimage to return an image of a virgin woman to one of the churches in the town and join together for communion. There was also a parade and art made from flowers.
We also visited the valley city of Orosi to tour the very first church constructed in Costa Rica.
Below are pictures of both churches and a little animal who is the cousin of our American raccoon, called a Cotumandi or Coati.

I've gotten behind with my blogging. The following pics are from my visit to the National museum in San Jose, Costa Rica and our visit to El Museo de Juan Santamaria in Alajuela. More pics to come as I will be visiting a couple of local farms tomorrow. Currently I am spending my first night with my host family in Turrialba, a town 2.5 hours from San Jose, and they are a very sweet couple. Much to my surprise, they speak no English. So, I am getting plenty of Spanish practice already!

Pic of me outside at the Museo Nacional.

http://instagr.am/p/O4nmIPEOxA/

I'm here in Alajuela, Costa Rica after a long night of sleepless flights. It hasn't sunk in just yet that I am in another country. I'm too tired to take this all in just yet. The 8 other companeros I traveled with did get a chance to have a late lunch at a local restaurant while a thunderstorm passed through and tour the city a bit before crashing for a nap...

Pre-Trip Thoughts, Hopes and Expectations . . .

I thought it would be a good idea to post an online journal with pictures of the sights and descriptions of my upcoming experiences in Costa Rica. I am leaving Portland, Oregon for San Jose, Costa Rica on August 26th 2012. I have never been out of the country besides a trip to British Columbia as a child. I am taking this trip as part of a completion requirement for my degree in Social Work at PSU (Portland State University).  


At this point all I know is that I am to arrive in the capitol city of Costa Rica called San Jose on August 27th, meet up with a few of my fellow classmates and spend one night at a hotel with them and the following morning we are heading out to a town/ "Pueblo" called Turrialba guided by our two instructors, one of which is a native of Costa Rica.  I will spend most of my time in Turrialba with a retired couple who are hosting myself and another classmate by afternoon/evening and by day and I will be working at a service site which is at a Technology High School outside of Turrialba.

What I'm looking forward to...

* Beautiful birds, butterflies, flowers and other animals native to the region.
* Upcoming site-seeing trips to Volcanoes, Banana, Coffee & Chocolate Farms and the Caribbean    Ocean.
* Practicing my Spanish with my Host Family and the students I will be working with.
* Swimming in the Ocean or any body of water that is considered safe!
* Meeting new people and sharing experiences with each other.
* Trying new and authentic foods.
* Celebrating the country's Independence Day (September 15th) on one of my last nights in San Jose!!!
 

What I am NOT looking forward to...

* Any strange and GIANT bugs I have heard stories about.
* Spiders
* Very high levels of humidity in certain parts of the country.
* Any possible spell of dysentery or stomach upsets.
* Spiders
* Bug Bites, especially from Mosquitos
* Having no words for how I wish to explain myself in a language I am not fluent in.
* Oh and did I mention SPIDERS yet??