day 6

20.06.09

It was an hour and a half bus ride to get to Puntarenas from Alajuela where we boarded a catamaran that took us to Isla Tortuga!!!! Finally, we were heading to a beach :) Fishing is still a very popular career for many people in the area.... and many of the boats are very old!
The beach!!!!! A great day for the beach too!There was even a band playing while we ate lunch... they were good.Kayaking for 30 minutes = $5.... we kayaked from this point to the other island (that you can see on the left.) I was slightly scared because of the VERY large waves, but I did it!A pretty sunset on the way back. On the way back to the dock we were all pretty much falling asleep on the boat.

Day 6 was amazing.... long, but amazing. It was great to just relax! And a little excitement with the kayaking. Only 1 full day left...

day 5

19.06.09

This was day numero uno of our excursions!!!! 4-in-1 tour: Poas Volcano, Doka Coffee Plantation, Grecia, and Sarchi...

We were very lucky to be able to see the volcano! Many times the cloud cover is so great you can't see anything. (The white in the top of the picture is all clouds!) We saw the volcano and took pictures and then walked to the lagoon.... after pictures there, we walked back past the volcano and couldn't see it! The time in between the two visits was only about 30 or 45 minutes!I thought this sign was funny! (If you can't read it, it says: Do not descend to the crater.) HAHA... apparently someone has tried it if there's a sign...This is at the coffee plantation. (I will upload some other pictures of this part of the tour once I get some from my fellow travelers!) This picture shows how they start growing the coffee plants. The big plants in the middle of the picture (that are really leafy) are the full size coffee plants. [I don't really like coffee, so this part of the tour wasn't that interesting for me!]Grecia is known for this ginormous metal church. The church is made of metal because of all of the storms. You can kind of see the size of the church because of how small we are in the picture. There were green parrots on the ledges of the church but I didn't have a good picture of them.Sarchi is home of the Ox Carts. Ox carts were used back in the day for farming and I think for travel. Now they are mostly for decoration.

And all of the oxcarts are still handpainted! You could tell this guy was proud of his work when we asked if we could take a picture of him painting!
So day 5 was the beginning of even more fun for us! It was very cool getting to travel outside of Alajuela to see what the other areas of Costa Rica were like. We were all really tired when we arrived at our houses that evening! only 2 more full days left...

day 4

18.06.09

This was our last day as a group at the Institute. We finished our time there with a course on the Fruits of Costa Rica. We tried so many different kinds of fruit, some of which were very very scary. There was one that looked like a root of some sort but smelt like bad b.o.! After the school, we spent more time downtown because we knew it would be our last afternoon/evening to just walk around. I spent some time at Lisa's host house this night. Flora (Lisa's host mom) had family over so it was cool to spend time talking with them and just seeing a big family hang out compared to my host family of two people. The next two pictures are more of downtown Alajuela.... they even had a McDonald's!!!

This is Ronie and Sonja, the directors of the Institute. We were given certificates at the end of our time at the Institute. It was very cool :) This video is like the one in the post before this.... just video I took on the way to the Institute one day...

Day 4: Last day at the Institute :( but still lots of fun! Very relaxed day

day 3

17.06.09

This day was pretty easy! We spent some time with Sonja and Ronie, the directors of the Institute, and they told us about the purpose and plans for the Institute. They gave us a book showing us what the teachers do in the various classes there and talked about how we could use it in our classrooms, or in my case my future classroom. :) We then observed and helped with some of the classes there. The classes consist of 4 or 5 students and one teacher. The students have to take a written and oral placement exam to determine which class they will be in. This picture is one on our way to the Institute this morning. This video is one that I took on the way to the school to kind of show what the town was like...the houses, the roads, the view! It goes kinda fast, so I hope it doesn't make you sick!!! lol

Wednesday evening we went to see the movie 'UP' at the Mall. It was 2 for 1 ticket day so we stood in line for like an hour just to get tickets, but they were only like $2 for each one. Before the movie Angie (one of my fellow travelers) and I got pedicures. It was the first time I had ever had one, but my toes turned out nice :)

Day 4 was easy but very fun! Hanging out at the beautiful school and then toes and movies. 4 full days left.

day 2

16.06.09

Tuesday was our first day at the Culture and Language Institute. The Institute is absolutely beautiful!!! There are people studying there from all over the world; students, teachers, medical people, and others too. We participated in planting trees at the Institute also. After a morning at the Institute we began our Alajuela (the city where we stayed with families) with a typical Costa Rican lunch. I wasn't really sure as to what everything on my plate was.... it was a little interesting but it looked nice. It was cool to see a real restaurant and such.

After lunch we went to el Centro [downtown Alajuela]. This is a picture of the Cathedral there. The cathedral is a major reference point to many places. It was beautiful! [I have more pics of downtown, but I will post them later]
To end our city tour and day we went to Sr y Sra Wood Factory. Everything there is handmade and absolutely beautiful! They use some precious woods, but I forget the names. Some of the wood is purple, some a grass green, and others just the pretty natural colors or wood.... None of the wood is stained. These barrels are different pieces of wood used to make different things. They make wind chimes, necklaces, bracelets, coasters, purses, head bands, bowls, plates, jewelry boxes; pretty much everything!
Day 2 was kind of like a preview to everything.... it was a good way to start the week. After the tour of the wood factory we went back to downtown to walk around some more. A few of us went to the Mall Internacional to check it out after downtown. So we had a full day of just chillin and checkin everything out. 5 more full days :)

day 1... the arrival

15.06.09
We made it through customs pretty quick and soon found our families waiting for us outside. I rode in a taxi with my host mom and another girl I was traveling with and her mom. The moms were fussing the entire way to the neighborhood because of how much it was going to cost [they didn't even have to pay for it... the institute gives them money to pick us up]. We talked for a bit and then went to bed because it was pretty late. This is the house that I stayed in during my time in Costa Rica. My family lived in the lower level, I have no idea who lived upstairs. The house was super nice and very clean.... but it didn't have hot water. That means cold water showers for an entire week. The houses in Costa Rica are very very small in comparisson to those here in the states.

So, Day 1 was pretty easy: ride in an airplane and then sleep :)

soon...

In less than 24 hours I will be in Costa Rica! I'm looking forward to a view like this at sometime during the trip.
The school we will be at a couple days has wireless internet, so I'm hoping to be able to post some pics and update a bit while I'm there.

ten days in review

Well, I'm back from kamp for a few weeks (well really have been back since Monday night.). Kanakuk is amazing! I've met so many new people (many of which I don't remember their names), learned many things, worked really hard and for a long time, and had lots and lots of fun. People at kamp are from all over the United States and beyond; I even met a guy from Scotland. I thought that not having my cell phone and computer for a week was going to be hard, which it was at first, but wasn't really that hard after all. It was pretty nice to be away from the craziness of the world for a couple days down at the lake just hanging out. It feels like we are out in the middle of no where at kamp because of no cars and everything! And I love being at the lake so much!! The weather was pretty amazing for the most part... there were only a couple days of rain. I think that I am going to enjoy working in the kitchen. My job (along with 19 other girls) includes getting plates and stuff ready for kampers, serving food, cleaning the dining hall, and washing dishes. We seem to get along pretty well and we make the work fun. Here are a few pics from staff training:

A random pic from one of our many ice cream socials!

Me, Bekah, Kelly

Colleen, Bekah, and Me

So, just a quick update. Only a little over a week until I leave for Costa Rica and then not too long before I go back to kamp! I am very excited for both. I can hardly wait for the adventures in Costa Rica and all of the amazing places we are going to visit and see!!!

all packed

I'm finally all packed.... after packing, re-packing, and then re-packing one last time. I knew I had way too much stuff the first time, so I cut down on what I was taking, then I had to reorganize so it would all fit into my bags... something like 18 shirts, 12 shorts, 5towels, party clothes, 4 pairs of flops, and much much more. Might still be a little overpacked, but I'll figure out what I need to take for term after this week. :)

Not too much longer from now until I hit the road to head to kamp.... I'm excited and nervous, but more excited. I'm ready to meet and get to know all of the spectacular people that are going to be there and begin to hear about the cool things planned for this summer at kamp! It's going to be a blast!!! Today's a special day (first day at kamp!) and I'm ready for it :)

Here's my address for letters at kamp: K-2, 20 K-2 Drive, Lampe, MO 65681.

Will update about my experience next week!!!!

blogging my summer

So here goes my attempt at blogging.... Brad thought it would be a good idea to blog about my summer since I will be gone so much and for me to be able to share my experience with my family and friends... and I agree, so I did it! Here's what my summer looks like: Kamp staff training, Kerri's wedding, a couple more days of kamp, a few weeks at home, Costa Rica, and then back to kamp. I am very excited!!!! I'll update whenever I'm home or have days off at kamp. Enjoy :)