Yea, Alabama!

It feels wonderful to be back in the sweltering heat of Tuscaloosa. This academic year is already off to a wonderful start. Here are the reasons why is a numbered list:

1. I live in the building I am named after.

2. It's with in walking distance of many other people and food.

3. I am in love with all of the pledges.

4. My APO family started the year off with a bang.

5. I got my first callback.

6. All of my classes are wonderful (except for EC111).

7. I have been reunited with my non theatre friends as well.

8. I have not had white rice and black beans in weeks.

Now I actually need to read Don Quijote. I am looking forward to everything about this year. Football starts soon! ¡Pura Vida!

My Temporary Home

This last week has been wonderfully sad. It's always odd when a conflicting hodgepodge of emotions is thrust upon you. This is definitely one of those situations. I am beyond ready to spend some time in Hoover before a final year at Alabama, but it is going to be very difficult to leave this place behind. Almost ten weeks of my life have been spent here. It's the one place I have lived in the longest after Alabama. I feel as though I am just getting to know this beautiful city and country, and now it is time to leave. I will never forget the experiences I had here nor the people that made them worth having. I will take everything I have learned in my temporary home and make it part of myself for the rest of my life.

On a less emotional note, I've done some pretty cool things this last week. I went to a beautiful park this afternoon in San José called Parque Sabana with my friend Katie. It was previously the national airport, but it has now been transformed into a Central Park or Retiro of sorts. It was nice to see a bit of natural beauty in an urban city. I also turned in my six page paper, which was a great feeling. Now I have two full days left before returning home, and I cannot imagine what leaving will be like. I have to make the most of my little time left, so I am planning on getting one last milkshake at Café Krakovia and having one last night on the town. Of course, I also have to say a special good-bye to Fong Sheng, the chinese restaurant/bar where all of the good nights began. I'll be home soon! ¡Pura Vida!

Getting Laid! Well the Eggs Were...

I picked the perfect location for my final weekend in Costa Rica. Tortuguero is beyond wonderful. You have to take two buses and a boat to get here. It's a tiny island that is what I imagines Costa Rica to be like. I love how rural it is. They don't even have an ATM.

Chad and I met up with some people from Maximo this morning, and the group has been the best possible. I hate that I am only meeting these people now since I am leaving so soon. Chloe and Harriet are these two hilarious British girls that I hope I can visit some time in the future. After an afternoon on the most deserted beach I have been to. Jeremy, Chloe, Chad, Harriet, Rachel, and I went to the most unique restaurant called Café Buddha. The chocolate shake I had was delicious. The restaurant was right on the river with paper lanterns over the tables that lit up as the sun set behind the trees. I have never seen something so beautiful.

After dinner, we met up with our tour guide to go see the turtles lay their eggs on the beach. I will never be able to forget the image of watching these turtles plop out 90 eggs in a short time span. If I were a male turtle, I would refuse to copulate because the turtle vagina looks like it would fit in well with that movie Teeth. It really was an amazing thing to witness even if also slightly revolting.

Tomorrow Chad and I are going to the National Park to see all sorts of other creatures before going back to San José. Phil, Kelly, Kim, and I are seeing the orchestra at the National Theatre. One week left! ¡Pura Vida!

¿Una Semana Más? No puede ser.

I cannot believe that my time in Costa Rica is coming to a close so quickly. I leave a week from Saturday, and I cannot comprehend it. This past week has been perfect. I am getting acclimated just in time to go home. Since I've been working on my paper a little bit every night this week, and I am really proud of the work I've put into it. I should be finishing it right now, but I wanted to post instead.

Class this week has been more fun than I could have imagined. My class of five has been going to my favorite coffee shop everyday where we sit and discuss literature in the beautiful Costa Rican sun. If I have to have class over the summer, at least it is a super fun one. We're going to watch a movie, go to an art museum, and hang out together after class next week. It'll be a nice, calm way to spend my last week in San José.

Tomorrow I am going to Tortuguero to watch turtles lay their eggs on the beach at night! I am so excited to spend my last weekend in a place that is completely different than what I am accustomed to experiencing. When I get back, I'll have less than a week left with my wonderful friends that I hope are more than temporary. This has been the experience of a lifetime, and I could not have picked a better way to spend my summer. Quiero decir gracias a todos los maes quienes han pasado tiempo conmigo aquí en un lugar que tiene un espacio muy importante y permanente en mi corazón. ¡Pura Vida!

The Springs Were Hot, Hot, Hot

Every weekend I spend in Costa Rica has been completely different, and this weekend was no exception. It began with Lindsay, Kelly, and I seeing Toy Story 3 in Spanish on Thursday, which was really interesting since I had seen it in English. Whenever Buzz was switched to Spanish mode, he spoke with a Castilian accent, and it was called his "romantic" mode instead.

Friday night Kelly and I went to Fung Sheng just to play cards and pass the time. We actually got a little hungry, so we shared a $4 meal of wings, fries, and coke in glass bottles. While I dominated every card game we played, we were able to watch Saw V with no sound and Spanish subtitles.

Saturday Lindsay, Kelly, and I caught a bus to La Fortuna, the town closest to Arenal Volcano. As soon as we got off the bus, a man made us follow him to a hostel where we could stay for only $8 a night. I was up for sacrificing quality for a deal, but I had no idea to what extent. We got the only room without a window. In fact our window was replaced with concrete. We decided this was to make the room lava proof. You know you're staying in a top quality room when the shower is the nicest part.

After a nice lunch at La Parada, I met up with Erin, Isabel, Danika, and Jessica to go to the hot springs. I have never felt more relaxed in my life. The place was gorgeous. The were five pools that went up the side of a hill, and the water got increasingly hotter as you moved up. There were even waterfalls built in to connect the pools to one another. After a good two hours of relaxing, we had one of the best meals I have had in Costa Rica. We had all you can eat rice, beans, and tortillas with an actual steak. It was the biggest piece of protein I have had since I have been here, and it was beyond delicious.

I just got home a little over an hour ago, and I am finishing up my homework now. It is crazy to think that there are only 12 days left! I am hoping to go to Tortuguero next weekend with some friends to see the canals and turtles laying eggs. It should be the perfect way to end this amazing experience! Well, it'll actually end with the 7 page paper on which I am currently working. Gross but Pura Vida anyway.

España en Cultura y Literatura

This past weekend I enjoyed a little less than twelve hours with my dad and brother at the Holiday Inn Express by the airport. I have to say it was one of the best moments of this trip. I hate that they did not have the time to let me show them this city I love, but I am so happy I got to see them. We spent most of the time together in Denny's talking about their trip. I wish I could have taken a week off from school to go with them. They got to see a side of Costa Rica that I won't be able to. I feel like they have more Tico friends than I do now.

After they left Saturday, my friend Jessica and I took my new German roommate Alissa downtown to watch the consolation match for the World Cup between Germany and Uruguay. We watched the first half in Spoon, which is a chain restaurant here. Then we went to get our tickets for the bus to the beach and watched the second half in a random bar by the bus station. After the German victory, a sixty-year-old drunk woman came up to chat with us about her life. This was highly entertaining as her English was not great and neither was the Spanish of my roommate.

On Sunday, the three of us went to one of the nastiest but closest beaches in Costa Rica, Puntarenas. We spent all morning lying out in the sun, and thanks to Alissa's poor sunscreen application on my back I know have a small burned patch of skin on my lower right back that is turning purple. We ate lunch at a tiny restaurant on the beach and watched the wonderful match between Spain and Holland.

This week has been pretty chill. I've just been reading for class. I can't seem to escape Spain in my life. First, I went there. Then the world cup started, and now I am reading Spanish literature everyday. I am currently working on my devil of a final paper about the effects of the adaptation of Euripides Hippolytus into Unamuno's Fedra.

Tomorrow, I am going to Volcano Arenal for a one day adventure including a hot springs visit. It should be a fun day with great people. Lindsey, Kelly, and I are leaving at 6:15 in the morning, and I'm meeting up with Erin, Jessica, Danika, and Isabel once we get there. I'm glad I have Harry Potter y el Orden del Fénix to make the 4 hour bus ride better. Pura Vida!

The German Invasion

This week has been great! I am now only taking one class. This means that I don't have to go to school until 10:40 everyday. I am so glad I get to sleep more. Also the work load is a little less. I am still reading a lot, but it's not as bad it once was. I really love my Generation of 98 class. It's only five people, but we have really great discussions about al of the readings. Also, the teacher is just a crazy guy. It's so much fun.

One day after class this week, Isabel, Erin, Jessica, and I went to watch the Spain vs Germany match at Hooters. This was quite an experience. Everyone in the restaurant was going crazy during the game. It reminded me of Alabama football games. The food was great as well even if it was a tad pricier than what I am accustomed to here.

Yesterday, a new housemate arrived from Germany. Her name is Elisa, and she is only 17 years old. Luckily, she speaks English, but I cannot use any difficult words because she doesn't know what I'm saying. I'm excited to hang out with her for the rest of the month. Last night I had a good night out at Ciros with a group of friends, and I met two Canadiens who did IB at there high school. We felt like big nerds talking about IB at a bar on a Thursday night, but I was okay with that.

This weekend I am staying around San José to work on an short essay for class and to see my dad and brother. Sunday I am headed to the beach for the afternoon. Next weekend I am going to Arenal, which is the youngest and most active volcano in Costa Rica!

If there were a sand restaurant, this would be steak.

Happy 4th of July! I celebrated by spending around 30 hours in Manuel Antonio with my new friends from Maximo Nivel. Unfortunately, I did not get to see my father and brother on Friday, but hopefully we'll be able to meet up this weekend before they go. Saturday morning I took a bus with Sarah, Phil, and Lilly at 6 am. I slept most of the 4 hour journey. As soon as we got there, we checked into Costa Linda, a wonderfully cheap hostel, where we met up with Jeremy and eventually Kim, Heather, Lindsay, and Kelly.

Phil, Sarah, Jeremy, and I went to the beach in Manuel Antonio National Park for the rest of the afternoon, and it was gorgeous! I hate that my camera battery is dead. We saw monkeys, large rodents, iguanas, and raccoon like creatures that stole people's belongings on the beach. At the end of the afternoon, we discovered a beach that was practically deserted where the waves were insane. We all got knocked down and pulled under multiple times.

After we left the park, I had my first meal of the day at a restaurant near our hotel. Due to my hunger, they were the best chicken fingers with ranch dressing ever. Then we finally got back with the rest of our group for some cool card games and a fun night out in Quepos. Our group of friends was definitely the life of the party.

This morning we went zip lining in the forest near our hotel. It was so much fun! We got all sweaty and gross just in time to get on a bus to San José during which most of us did not have a seat. From all of the walking and standing my legs ache, but I could not have had a better weekend. ¡Pura Vida!

Flacos Can't Dance

Wow, July is shaping out to be a great month! My classes are really interesting still, but there is so much reading. I finally have a friend group from MLSA. We're all going to Volcano Arenal for the first long weekend! I am so excited! Also, I found out that my teacher Yessenia's brother was the first person to ever when Costa Rica's Who Wants to be a Millionaire. He won on Monday! Is that crazy?

Tonight I brought my friends from school Erin, Isabel, and Jessica to meet my friends from Maximo Nivel. We all chilled out at Feng Sheng aka Corsarios for a good bit. After my MLSA friends left, Phil, Lindsay, Kelly, and I stayed and got some free and unsolicited dancing lessons from a drunk man named Frank. He only gave tips to Kelly and me, but he really didn't show us how to do anything. He just told us to move our hips more. Every command he gave me began with "Flaco, ..." This was him calling me "skinny" since he did not know my name. It was really fun even if we did not ask him to make us dance.

This weekend, The four of us along with Sarah, Jeremy, and some people I don't know are going to Manuel Antonio. I'm only going to be there Saturday night, but I am still excited to spend more time with these people. I have to leave late because my dad and brother are getting here tomorrow night! I am beyond excited to get to hang out with them tomorrow night, Saturday, and then Friday night next week.

Well, I finished my homework early tonight so I am going to try to get some Harry Potter in before bed. ¡Pura Vida!

Constant Vigilance

Well, July is going to be very different from June. My course load is ridiculously high. I have a presentation, a paper, and a test for one class. For the other, I have three days where I have to lead group discussion and a final paper that I have to present to the class. All of these assignments are based on a semester's worth of readings packed into one month. It'll be tough, but I am excited to challenge myself.

I've made some new friends as well. It's sad to not have Colin, Lindsey, Becky, and everyone around anymore, but I am glad for the new company. I went to salsa lessons on Monday for the second week in a row and met some really nice people from another program. They're really fun to hang out with, and they just got here so it's cool to show them around to places in the neighborhood. Hopefully, Jeremy, Phil, Sarah, Lindsey (another one), and Kelli will continue to be around. All of the friends I have made in my program are older graduate students and teachers. They've all been really nice. People are from all over the US this month. There is even quite a large group from Auburn...

I really need to start reading so that I can do something later tonight. ¡Pura Vida!

Treinta y Nueve Escalones

Due to my depleting friend count, I decided to go out on my own tonight. This was the first time I had gone into downtown at night, and I was alone. After eating an actual chalupa with my ranch dressing that my mama Tica bought just for me. I went to go see Los 39 Escalones at Teatro El Triciclo. In trying to locate this theatre, I learned that no one in Costa Rica knows where anything is. I asked person after person to point me in the right direction, and all but one of them were wrong. The theatre told me to arrive at 6:30 for the 8:00 show, so that gave me plenty of time to read Goblet of Fire in Spanish. The play was hilarious. There was a lot of physical comedy, so luckily I didn't miss out on too many of the jokes. There were only four actors, and they played over 150 characters. It was wonderful to watch, and my ticket was only $7. After it ended, I rode two buses to get back in the area of Cedros. I was to lazy and scared to wait for a Cedros bus. Now I am sitting in bed watching Six Feet Under, my newest TV obsession. ¡Pura Vida!

Manada de Lobos

I just came back from Toy Story 3, and it was wonderful. I watched it in English with Spanish subtitles, which was interesting. Lindsey, Colin, and I went together, and I think it was the perfect way to spend the last night that they have here. We ate some Pops and got escorted out of the mall by a security guard because we were too dumb to find the exit on our own. Then we had the best cab driver ever who had rigged Christmas lights into his headlights. It'll be weird when all of the new people show up Monday. I cannot believe I'll have the same routine but these people I've become so close to won't be there. I am, however, excited for the next group. It's supposed to be much bigger, and at least after this month I'll leave at the same time as everyone else. I finished watching all of True Blood last night, so I think it'll be great to finish the night with a little Goblet of Fire. Se echo de menos a todos mis amigos. ¡Tengan un buen viaje a Tejas! I am excited for my dad and brother to get here. I need some other native Alabamians and my camera charger.

As Session One Comes to a Close

I took my final exam for the first month today, and I cannot believe so much time has gone by so quickly. There are only four or five weeks left! Last weekend I had a wonderful time in Puerto Viejo this weekend. The Caribbean is beautiful. I hate that most of my friends are leaving this Saturday. It's been a great month. I can only complain about my computer and camera chargers shorting out in the outlets. Now I just have a week to sit in the rain with my $60 charger while I read Harry Potter y el Calíz de Fuego. I am excited to see what my second month in Costa Rica has in store for me. Pura Vida.

Tama, Tama, Tamarindo

Tamrindo is the most beautiful beach I have ever seen in my life. This weekend was wonderful. It started off with a nice 5 hour bus ride to the beach. We finally got to our hostel at around 9 pm. The Chocolate Hostel was amazing even if the owner was high every time he talked to us. We went to an awesome sushi bar the first night. Then the next two nights we spent some quality time at a bard called Aqua where we met so many people. Everyone we met all weekend was there last night, which made for an incredible and sometimes awkward time. We spent to glorious days on the beach and at the pool. The people here are so much fun. I can't believe a bunch of them will be leaving in two weeks. The best part of the weekend had to be the fact that the bar had a 2 hour special last night. All you did was pay $4, and you got as many drinks as you wanted between 10 and 12. Pictures will be on fb soon!

Sexo y Mucho Más en la Ciudad

Well, I ended up spending Friday night in Jacó with my housemate Stephanie and her cousin Rodolfo. He is quite the character as we discovered. He loves to talk and give you his theories about things. I learned that the main reason for WWII was because Hitler had to kill Stalin, the anti-christ... Stephanie and I gave a feeble attempt at surfing the next morning before catching a hellish bus back to San José. We have just been sitting around all weekend. We have a test tomorrow, so we spent a small amount of time studying today.

Also, I went to see Sex and the City 2 today, and it was very enjoyable. It was interesting to watch a movie in English and read the Spanish subtitles. All the Ticos thought it was hilarious. On Friday, we gave our presentations on medicinal plants. I think my presentation on Chamomile was quite sufficient even if someone else chose the same topic and went before me. I'm all studied out so I am going to read some more Harry Potter and fall asleep. I'm going to have to go buy the second book this week. I love that I get to reread them in another language. It makes them exciting again! What a nerd. Oh well, no surprises there. Pura Vida!

Piedras y Sismos

I felt my first earth quake two nights ago! My bed just wobbled a bit, but I was informed it was a 6.1! More importantly, I bought the first Harry Potter book yesterday, and it is wonderful. I really like reading it in Spanish and learning new words. Well, I just wanted to share a few tidbits. I have a project on Manzanilla aka Chamomile due Friday, so I need to go work on that. This weekend, I am hopefully going to see a play and go to a zip line. I also need to study for my test Monday...

La Isla Tortuga

The past few days have been wonderful. Last night we went to Jazz Café to listen to a salsa band that was conducted by a Grammy winner. It was really fun, but it was nothing compared to today. At 5 this morning, I woke up and went down to the bus stop so that I could make it to school by 6 in order to go to Tortuga Island with my program. We rode a bus for two hours to a port city. Then we got to ride on a party boat for an hour until we got to the island. It was a private beach that was beautiful. I can't describe it fully and do it justice. I'm putting pictures on facebook for everyone to enjoy. I did, however, get burned very badly because my skin has not see the sun in years. I'm crossing my fingers that it'll be okay, but I'm not too optimistic. I'm so ready for a lazy Sunday tomorrow.

The Life of a Tico

I am completely in love with this place. The food is wonderful. My family is great as well. We finally met the dad last night! We had thought there was some unspoken understanding that he didn't live in the home, but it turns out we had just missed him every time he was home. He works as a baker for a lot of bakeries in the city.

My housemate's name is Stephanie. We get along really well! This is a good thing since we have class together and hang out together all of the time. She's from Virginia and goes to school at James Madison University.

Every morning we have class at 8. Then there's a break at 10:20, and class begins again at 10:40 and lasts until 1. It's a lot of time, but I actually enjoyed class today. My advanced class is really fun and not too difficult at all. We actually played Hangman today to help people remember the alphabet. This was after I had to tell the story of the three little pigs in Spanish. It was really difficult!

My other good friends are Tyler and Becky from Texas State. The three of us and Stephanie spend a lot of time together because we live on the same street, and we're all really excited about going to Tortuga Island this weekend! I've put pictures on facebook, so go look at them!

Also, an awkward cultural moment happened today. Stephanie and I had to ask our host family what certain Costa Rican phrases mean in plain Spanish. One of the words was a curse word! Her four-year-old daughter was sitting at the table with us! What kind of homework are they assigning?

Day 2

Hopefully, I'll think of more interesting titles for each post, but for the moment this works. Yesterday was my first full day in Costa Rica, and it was wonderful. The school I go to has the expanses of jungle like areas that are just beautiful. Unfortunately, we had to take a placement test today to see what classes we'll take. It wasn't too difficult at least. I've already made three good friends who live near me, so I am excited to get to know them better. Also, everyone in this program is for Texas! Luckily, they're from Texas State, so most of them are okay with the whole Alabama is awesome thing. Last night, my roommate, Stephanie, and our friends Tyler and Becky went to a bar that we affectionately call Feng Shui. It was great! Like 20 people from our program came, and we dominated that place. I'll put up pictures soon! Today is the actual first day of class! AH!

Day 1

Fortunately, it was much easier getting to Costa Rica than it was to Spain. I left at seven this morning and got here at around noon. I have been here for almost five hours, and I already love it. I am currently waiting on the other student living in my house to show up so that we can hopefully eat soon. My family consist of David and Ana and their two children Maria and Diego who are 4 and 10. Conversation has not been too much of a problem, but it gets tiring constantly translating everything. On the bus into the city, I met another girl from my program who goes to Alabama, which was a nice surprise. My room is nicely sized, and I am just ready to start doing stuff. Now, however, I am ready for a nap.

Hasta luego,

Wesley