daily life in chepe

I haven't been doing the best job keeping up with this blog- and honestly, I know it isn't the most exciting read, but I hope to look back one day and remember these moments!

So... Life in Chepe

Never have I felt so busy, well at least not that I can remember. I'm sure I have been. Our schedule here is busy, obviously working the day job as a second grade teacher. Our weekly schedule is very crazy and it changes everyday, so that alone is hard to keep up with sometimes. Luckily, my kids are finally getting a handle on the schedule, so that helps!

Spanish:
Many people keep asking, how is your Spanish coming along? Well... to be completely honest,  it is still       s  l  o  w  l  y  coming along. I have a Spanish class every Monday after school, and I haven't missed one yet! She moves quickly and covers a lot in a short 45 minute time period. It turns out you can't learn Spanish in 45 minutes a week! So recently, I started studying once a week with my friend, Kim, it usually involves food and wine, but we also study! I have found that it helps me to review and try to talk more, but I still have so much to learn. I can understand more than I did when I came here 4 months ago, but don't expect a response (unless I have had a few glasses of wine, then I think I can speak Spanish).
I have also determined it is difficult to practice when most of your friends are gringos and speak English. I know I need to get out there, find some activities to participate in that will help me meet Spanish speaking friends... but then I go back to the issue of being "busy". Oh well, I have plenty of time, right?

Friends:
The more time I spend here, the closer I get to my new Costa Rican amigos! I have really enjoyed spending time with the people here and still feel so lucky to work with and be friends with a great group of people. It is so nice that the school environment creates an amazing community of people, and that everyone is so welcoming and friendly. I know I will be so sad when I have to say goodbye to those who have fulfilled their 2 year (or more!) commitment this summer... but I also know I have made some wonderful friends along the way and I still have 7 months of time left to enjoy them!

Transportation:
Boy did I luck out, living with a roommate that owns a care has serious perks!!! I have been spoiled and I am the first to admit it. Don't get me wrong, I still rely on walking, taxi's and the teacher bus to get me around, but not nearly as much as I would if I didn't live with Elle!  I take the teacher bus to school most mornings, it comes around 7 and picks us up right outside the apartment. I rarely take the teacher bus home due to after school activities (Spanish, spinning and yoga) but even in those cases, I either ride with Elle or convince someone to take me home! If I can't walk, which is often, there are always taxi's available, and while it isn't expensive, it certainly adds up after awhile. However, it is safer than walking alone at night and that is by far the most important!

Safety:
Overall, I feel pretty safe here. I feel safe at home, safe walking around during the daytime and even safe out at night if I am with friends. Our apartment is in a nice gated complex, and because Costa Ricans are super paranoid about safety, EVERYWHERE has a guard. So we have a few guards who are always working, which adds a small element of security. As far as being out and about, as long as you are cautious and aware of your surroundings there isn't much to worry about. Which I think you can say about almost anywhere in the world.

Weather:
I never, ever, in a million years thought I would say it... but it actually gets COLD here! I know, I know.... crazy, right? But it's true!! This is coming from a Michigan girl born and raised, who lived in Colorado and loves snowboarding... but it is a little chilly, people! Obviously, it is not snowing or anything... but I am surprised at the temperatures. We are just finishing up rainy season around here, or so I hear, but for the month of October it rained almost every afternoon and that was pretty miserable. You aren't really leaving the house in the rain because it sucks to walk anywhere and you can't get a cab... so I spent many lazy evenings in. Now the rain has subsided, but the wind has picked up and the temperatures have dropped. I must admit, it feels like fall, and I enjoy being able to wear my fall clothes. I get to wear pants, leggings, boots, lightweight long sleeves, it really is like fall! I have heard it stays this way through January and then our dry beautiful summer begins!

Well, I think that is enough updating for now... not sure you learned much about life in chepe.. but it is a good start. Thanks for reading, if you even made it this far!

hola...?

Wow, I can't believe it has been so long since I have posted... I guess life gets away from us sometimes. So much has happened since my last post, and it would take forever to write all of it... so how about a quick break down. I have continued to become more and more comfortable here in Costa Rica. I have gotten to know people better, am settling in (and making changes!) at work and continuing to adjust to my new life. While there have been times that I have missed home, friends and family... overall, I am still so happy with the decision I made to come here.

One of the reasons I came: TRAVEL
I have been given so many wonderful opportunities to travel around Costa Rica! Fortunately, it is really easy to get around here and it especially helps when your roommate and friends have cars! A big group of gringos took a trip to Nosara back in September and it was wonderful. It was quiet, relaxing and beautiful!

For another long weekend, a few girls (Elle, Kim, Jessica, Rachel, Vale and I) got out of town for a nice little trip to Tamaridno (or Tamagringo!). Since it is low season, it really wasn't too busy, but it was the perfect busy for a girls weekend away. We got to surf, enjoy nice dinners, dance and have fun all weekend! We did have an interesting experience with a crocodile swimming in the ocean, yes, in the ocean! Luckily, we were warned about the crocodile before it did any damage to us, but there was an out of town surfer there who can not say the same. We read in an article on the way home that weekend that a man was attacked! We can't believe we didn't see it happen since we were on the beach the whole weekend!

Can you see the croc?

Amazing sunset in Tamarindo

Whale watching: Uvita! Asecol (an organization through work) organized a group tour to Uvita to go whale watching. It was a fantastic deal! We had a private tour bus, private tour and a fabulous time watching whales and lounging at the beach! We were taken out on small boats to see the humpback whales... and we got to see them! It was so amazing! They are so big, its unbelievable. It is something I would like to do again while I am here. We also got to jump off the boat and swim out in the middle of the ocean. There were probably about 20 of us swimming in the water. It was very nice.

Humpback whale!

Cahuita was another great escape. I traveled with Kim, Stacy and Jessica for the weekend to the Caribbean coast. We visited Cahuita which is a small, sleepy town that is home to a National Park. It was amazing, and it turns out, not so sleepy after all. We went into the park and saw monkeys, sloths, birds, a sting ray, a million sand dollars and the clearest water I have ever seen in my life. We had an amazing weekend and managed to make our own fun. When there are 4 gringas looking for a fun evening on the town, it turns out its not too hard to find!

Monkeys!

So beautiful!!!

I feel so lucky to have been on these vacations. Life is not one big vacation, I do work, but I am so fortunate to be able to spend my weekends exploring Costa Rica. Coming soon, I will write more about Life in San Jose, work, you know... the day to day things!