Studying at the ICLC

Today is my official second day of school! I attend Spanish class from 8-12 on Monday thru Friday and then I have Geography on Monday and Intercultural Communication on Wednesday.

Here is some information of where I am going to school-

ICLC, Instituto de Cultura y Lengua Costarricense is a private Spanish language institute, founded in 1992 by two Costa Rican educators, specializing in teaching Spanish to foreigners. Located on top of a small hill with a view of distant fields, the Institute is surrounded by flowers and fruit trees and is only 10 minutes by bus from Alajuela (10 miles west of San José, the capital of Costa Rica). With a population of around 100,000 and average temperatures of 74-80 degrees Fahrenheit, Alajuela offers the language traveler the relaxing environment of a small city and easy access to San José.

Known as the Switzerland of Central America, Costa Rica has an abundance of natural beauty and is populated by friendly, highly-educated people. This small country has a lot to offer, whether you seek pleasure or business. Costa Rica has obtained the highest standard of living in Central America by embracing democracy and abolishing its army. The country is a paradise for nature lovers with many national parks, jungles, volcanoes, beaches and rivers. Moreover, the country has a well-developed infrastructure, democratic government and the people speak a clearly spoken Spanish, making it an ideal place for foreigners to learn Spanish.

Coffee Plantation in Monteverde!

I went to a coffee plantation in Monteverde and learned about how coffee gets from the coffee plant to my cup in the morning!

I found a website that explains the process in detail. If you want to know more go to - http://www.hollandbymail.com/coffee/index.html

Here are some fun facts about coffee-

Approximately 20 million people work in the coffee industry worldwide.
Coffee is the second most actively traded commodity, right after oil.
Brazil is the world's largest coffee producer.
The estimated value of the export of green coffee is 10 billion dollar.
Coffee has many different varieties, more than 60!
Only two coffee varieties have an economic significance: Arabica and Robusta.
Black coffee (without sugar or milk) does not contain calories (less than 1 Kcal.)
Caffeinated coffee shows a beneficial effect on alertness and improves performance in a variety of tasks in both day and night sessions.
A good coffee tree can produce up to 1 kg of raw coffee per year.
In contrast to what most people think, coffee does not grow in plain brown beans, but in red berries carrying green beans (two beans per berry).
During roasting the coffee beans dry out and the sugars in the beans start to caramelise.
The most important form of trade in coffee are both the stock market and the 'effective' coffee trade.
The quality of a cup of coffee does not depend on the blend only but also on the ratio of the amount of water and coffee used for brewing.
The present coffee producing belt around the globe encompasses approximately 70 countries.
Coffee only grows in tropical and sub-tropical regions.
The coffee tree needs an average temperature of between 17° C and 23° C as well as abundant precipitation and good soil conditions.
The original home of coffee was the Abyssinian highlands.

Protestant Church in Alajuela!

I went to a Protestant Church in Alajuela with two of my friends from Normandale. The people at the Protestant Church were very enthusiastic. They sang incredibly loud and danced energetically during worship service. They welcomed us during the service and said that we were part of their family!
It was weird, but I really felt at home. The people were so warm and friendly. Many people from the congregation came over to shake our hands, kiss us, or just simply welcome us to the church. When the worship started many went to the front of the church and started to dance and shout praises to God. They sang many songs that I knew in English, but they were singing the words in Spanish. It was a very intercultural experience to say the least! My friend Chad said that he did not really feel like he was at church. He said he felt hope and a sense of peace and the service was not even boring!

A little history of the Protestants in Costa Rica-
The Protestant efforts in Costa Rica happened in the 1880s in the midst of English-speaking West Indians (Afro-Caribbean peoples), who came from the British West Indies to work on the construction of a railroad (1870-1890) between the capital city of San José in the Central Valley and Port Limón on the Caribbean coast. That is why many of the African Americans are Protestant.

Monteverde!

February 22nd Ecolodge
My friend Sara convinced me to take a taxi with some people from the group and go to Monteverde to swim in some waterfalls. We took a taxi up these really steep gravel hills. I got really nervous. Fred, a friend in the group who called the taxi, asked me to ask the taxi driver to bring us to the waterfalls. The taxi driver didn’t speak a word of English.
Let’s take a time out for a second! Okay, if I’m the best Spanish speaker in the group we are in trouble. I couldn’t remember the word for waterfall, so I improvised. I asked him to take us to the place of fast falling water. Makes sense, right? Well, unfortunately I wasn’t very clear because the taxi driver took us to an swimming pool in a deserted area in the middle of no where that was empty and being cleaned.
There went my confidence in speaking Spanish. It flew out the window immediately after I saw the empty pool. I refused to translate for the rest of the trip. We were somewhere between San Luis and Monteverde and none of us could speak Spanish. Fred finally asked him to take us to Santa Elena.
Once the taxi dropped us off we saw two obese American teenage boys eating Oreos in one hand in Doritos in the other. We immediately concluded that we had hit a tourist trap. It was cold, misting, and construction was tearing up the city! Sand was getting in my eyes and my contacts were driving me crazy. We thought we would make the best of the situation so we decided to go shopping for a while. I enjoyed myself nonetheless and checked out the flower gardens. The flowers were breathtaking, there were so many beautiful bright colors. I then saw a beautiful rainbow once the mist stopped. We took a taxi back home as the sun was setting. The sunset made the trip completely worth it!
February 22nd Ecolodge
My friend Sara convinced me to take a taxi with some people from the group and go to Monteverde to swim in some waterfalls. We took a taxi up these really steep gravel hills. I got really nervous. Fred, a friend in the group who called the taxi, asked me to ask the taxi driver to bring us to the waterfalls. The taxi driver didn’t speak a word of English.
Let’s take a time out for a second! Okay, if I’m the best Spanish speaker in the group we are in trouble. I couldn’t remember the word for waterfall, so I improvised. I asked him to take us to the place of fast falling water. Makes sense, right? Well, unfortunately I wasn’t very clear because the taxi driver took us to an swimming pool in a deserted area in the middle of no where that was empty and being cleaned.
There went my confidence in speaking Spanish. It flew out the window immediately after I saw the empty pool. I refused to translate for the rest of the trip. We were somewhere between San Luis and Monteverde and none of us could speak Spanish. Fred finally asked him to take us to Santa Elena.
Once the taxi dropped us off we saw two obese American teenage boys eating Oreos in one hand in Doritos in the other. We immediately concluded that we had hit a tourist trap. It was cold, misting, and construction was tearing up the city! Sand was getting in my eyes and my contacts were driving me crazy. We thought we would make the best of the situation so we decided to go shopping for a while. I enjoyed myself nonetheless and checked out the flower gardens. The flowers were breathtaking, there were so many beautiful bright colors. I then saw a beautiful rainbow once the mist stopped. We took a taxi back home as the sun was setting. The sunset made the trip completely worth it!

The Ecolodge

February 21st
Our group from the ICLC went to the Ecolodge in San Luis, Costa Rica. The weather was absolutely gorgeous everyday. The hot sun shined constantly and the cool breeze was so refreshing. We took a hike through the mountains and learned about all different kinds of plants and animals.
The food at the Ecolodge tasted so fresh. I absolutely loved it. Melanie, who gave us an orientation, said that fifty percent of the food was hand picked and fresh from their facilities or from the farms close by. We were supposed to take a hike right after lunch, but our whole group walked too far and then we were an hour late, but because of that we were able to do some extra sight seeing. I saw the cutest little calf who was nursing.




Renae, who was from Holland, was our tour guide on the hike through the mountains. She showed us these leaf cutter ants that were fascinating. She showed us this huge tree that was torn from its roots by the ants because the ants kept building their homes under the tree with sand. The foundation became so weak that the tree couldn’t stand anymore.



She also showed us the strangler tree. It starts out by climbing another tree, in a vine like fashion. It then starts to strangle the other tree until it dies and starts to rot and decay. The strangler tree is left hollow and looks like a stretched out slinky.

Touring the City

February 19-20th :
When I woke up in Costa Rica I felt a sense of independence and self-determination! I am free to make up my mind in any way that I choose. But I also felt a thrilling anticipation of what is to come. I’m eighteen years old in a foreign country, free to do as I please. That’s a scary thought.
As I got myself ready for the day I smelled some very interesting herbs and spices, not like the ones in Minnesota! I had gallo pinto for breakfast. This is a mix of rice and beans. They served me it on one of the smallest plates I have ever eaten off from. I bet the plate wasn’t more than 3 inches in diameter! Maria also served me fried eggs. I thought the breakfast tasted great, but it was different having something salty for breakfast. I usually just have a protein shake.
My classmates and I took a walking tour and bus tour of Alajuela and San Jose, Costa Rica. We also took a tour of the ICLC, where we will be taking our classes. The bus dropped us off at the bottom of this huge hill that we have to walk everyday to get to school. It took us 15 minutes to get from where the bus dropped us off to the school! We have to walk so much more here in Costa Rica, but I love the exercise. The tour guides took us to a great restaurant that served authentic Costa Rican food. It was delicious.

No Turning Back!

February 18th:
The adventure has begun! I had a lot of anxiety leaving my house on Sunday morning. My stomach was in knots. I felt like an emotional basket case. I cried and started to ask myself why I wanted to go on the trip. I then reminded myself that this was an opportunity of a lifetime. I have the chance to go to Costa Rica, learn Spanish, make new friends, and expand my horizons. This could be one of the best growing experiences of my life!

As my family and I started to drive out of the driveway we saw a bald eagle. My brother said this was a sign from God that everything was going to be okay. I laughed, but then I thought about that eagle for a while. There was a point in his life where he was protected by his mother, but then she decided to push him or her out of the nest. I felt like this was my first “flight” on my own. I’m spreading my wings and flying for the first time. This trip looks frightening and maybe like a daunting task at first glance, but this trip is also exciting and I feel free to do what I want. Through this trip I think I will become more independent and self-reliant.

As I arrived at the airport and saw the group I felt much better. We all got on the plane and flew to Houston, Texas. We had a five hour layover and then we flew to San Jose, Costa Rica. When I went through customs I felt so many emotions. I was so excited about being in Costa Rica, but I also felt tentative about speaking the language and trying to communicate with my host family.

My host family was there waiting for me once I went through customs. My host mothers name is Maria and my host fathers name is Juan. Andrea, a Costa Rican foreign exchange student who stayed at my house last summer, was also at the airport (with her family) to greet me.

When I arrived to my home I was exhausted. I talked to my host family about there family and tried to get to know them with my limited vocabulary of the Spanish language. Towards the end of our conversation I felt a confidence that I had never experienced before. I actually could communicate a little with my family. I was absolutely dumb-founded!

I have been at an internet cafe trying to figure this out!

All the instructions for the blog are in Spanish. Even the place where I sign in is in Spanish, so have patience as I am trying very hard to get this up and running. lol