Today was my last day student teaching which means I just concluded my senior year of college. It is so crazy how that a little over a year ago I decided to start research on student teaching abroad. It was such a tiny thought in my mind then but now I can say it was a reality. I got to spend an entire semester in Costa Rica, teaching, traveling, and learning so much more than I ever thought was possible. I grew to love each and every single one of my 20 students and I had the privilege of working with a great first grade team. They all made me feel so welcome to their school and this country. I can't say for certain what my next steps in life will be but I know for sure travel will be in the books somewhere. Thanks to everyone that followed my journey here in Costa Rica, and here's to many (many) more!
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Alright friends and family, the countdown to my return has begun.
April 29 is the day I fly back to Atlanta. Which means I'm down to just 15 days in Costa Rica. Only 5 of those days will I be with my students. The other ten I will be finishing up in other places in CR. This semester has flown by. I have seen/done so much and I have grown as a person and adult. Within three months I have traveled to three different countries, met so many people, and reflected on my life. I have taken the past semester to really think about my future and the things I want to do in my life in the long hall of things. Teaching is still my passion and choice of a career (don't stress mom and dad) but teaching in the States just doesn't seem fitting at the moment. I'm contemplating my options of teaching at an International school or teaching English abroad. Both of these allow me to travel and immerse myself in the unknown. Which those are two things I want in my life. At least for now. We will see where the wind carries me off too in the next few months. I'm sure it will be an adventure no matter where I go. Guanacaste is a gorgeous place. It is in the northern part of Costa Rica and on the Pacific side. I had never seen such beautiful and clear water in all my life until Tamarindo. Nicole and I got to make this trip with some of the other teachers at Lincoln. We stayed at a nicer place and got to ride in cars to the beach instead of taking the buses. The whole way there was beautiful. I got a few pictures of one area at dusk on the drive up there. I felt like I was living in National Geographic! So unreal. While in Tamarindo we hit up some other beaches. Saturday night on the way back to the hotel we stopped at an Italian Restaurant. The best pizza and calzones we have had in a long time!!! We are still dreaming of that food! How can you not fall in love with that picture? If you ever visit Costa Rica, Guanacaste area is a definite must see! P.S. Tamagringo: This is a nickname for Tamarindo because you see a lot of Gringos in this town. Definitely a huge travel spot for people from the states.
Friday after school my parents came to Lincoln and picked Nicole and I up from there. We were on our way to Arenal! We took a private shuttle to Arenal...this was a first for Nicole and I. So fancy. This trip took about three hours and I barely made it. Ok - I got sick one time on the way there and ended up having to ask the driver if i could sit in the front seat. But we got there and I was still alive. That night my parents ate at the hotels restaurant while Nicole and I stayed in the room to rest... We were both feeling ill and needed more sleep. The next morning I woke up feeling a little better and up for the ATV tour my parents booked for us. We took a took around Arenal. We went though a pasture and up a mountain, then climbed back down and went to a small river to relax some. I was doing great until I got off of the ATV at the river. Nausea hit me like a brick. I had to find a place to sit and relax before heading back to the ATV starting point. After the tour they fed us a typical Costa Rican meal: Casados!!! I didn't even make it through the meal before finding myself sick again. This is seriously the worst sickness I've had in a long time. That afternoon we got in our bathsuits and found the hot springs. We hung out there for a few hours before returning to our room to get ready for a dinner out in La Fortuna (the town next to us). On Sunday we woke up, backed, and checked out of the hotel and headed out for our next adventure. SkyWalk in the Rainforest by Volcan Arenal. I made it half way (sort of) before turning around and heading back to the main building to sit and wait for my parents to finish the walk. My body was so weak and dehydrated from not being at to keep foods and liquids down that I was unable to finish the hike. After my parents got back from the hike we bought tickets to ride the SkyTram and see the view of Arenal Lake and Volcan Arenal from a higher point. It was gorgeous up there and HOT! We stayed up there for about an hour and then headed back down to leave and chill at the hotel until our private shuttle picked us up to take us back home. I am so glad my parents got to make it out here to see me and this country. Costa Rica has a lot to offer and plus it's the happiest country! Everyone should try and make a trip out here at least once in their life! The rents came to Costa Rica!!!
Thursday, March 27 my parents made the trip from Kansas City to Costa Rica. (Their flight wasn't as easy as mine...they had to first fly to Atlanta and from Atlanta they flew to CR) I am so happy my parents were able to find a week to travel down here and one see me but most importantly see this beautiful country. This is the first time my parents have left the states (besides my dad going to Canada when he was younger...). When they came in on Thursday I was still feeling sick and ended up at home in bed - day 3. By the time they started heading over to Moravia (the area I am in) I was feeling well enough to walk to the Club near my house to wait for my parents. It was so hot outside and since I hadn't been able to keep foods or liquids down for three days now my body was extremely weak and half way through the walk I had to stop and take a break. Not a good sign... But I finally made it to the Club - and just in time too, because my parents pulled up soon after and I told their driver how to get to the house from there. I gave my parents a small tour of the house I'm staying in and they got to meet my house parents as well as have dinner with us that night! It was so good having them around especially after feeling so rotten for so long. On Friday, I woke up and got ready for school still feeling off. My intentions were to get to school and make an appointment ASAP with the doctor on campus. I was able to make an appointment for 9:20am ... it was 7:20am. Ana Mer told me to go find the nurses office and lay down in one of the rooms they have for those that are sick. She said I didn't look to good still and I wouldn't benefit being in the classroom anyways since the students were going to be in specials all morning. So I went and laid down in the nurses office until my doctors appointment. The doctor gave me three types of meds: one for stomach pains/nausea, headaches, and a powder to add to my water to rehydrate me. That powder stuff was HORRIBLE! It's called Suero. I even tried flavored ones and that didn't help much at all. After the doctor Ana Mer came and found me and told me that she would take me home if I wanted her too. Which I didn't because I had missed so much school already but she talked me into it and drove me home while the students were in Art class. Well it took it's time getting to me but it's my turn to have the nasty stomach bug that is traveling around Lincoln School. On Monday I felt great but then around 9pm while I was taking my shower it was like a huge semi slammed into me. I ended up taking Tuesday and today off to sleep and get my body back to normal. This couldn't have been worst timing. My parents fly in tomorrow and edTPA (the huge semester assignment) is due tomorrow. Send good thoughts my way... I need them :(
Being sick like this makes me really miss home. This past weekend Nicole and I decided (at the last possible second) to go Whitewater Rafting. So I researched the best places to go rafting in Costa Rica and I came across a company that picks you up in San Jose, feeds you breakfast, rafts the Pacaure, feeds you lunch, finish the rafting trip, and then drive you back home to San Jose for just $99. Sadly, since Nicole's underwater camera broke, the pictures I have of this river are just from google. But the photo to the right is probably my favorite part of the Pacaure. This was the second of two canyons that you go through while on this river. We were able to get out and swim at this section as well. I asked my tour guide about the bridge you see there and it is because years ago they were going to create a dam for hydroelectricity, but they never finished it. Fact about the Pacaure River: National Geographic deems it one of the top 5 rivers in the world. Our house parents wanted us to experience sugar cane in its pure form! This week my first grade class went on a field trip to a Toucan Rescue Ranch. This place is owned by a Tico and his Wife (who is from Atlanta). They take in sloths (two and three toed), hawks, toucans, parrots, porcupines, otters, owls, monkeys, wilds cats, and other various animals. A lot of these animals had sad stories - hit by car/bus, shot, kids throwing rocks, people taking them from the wild, etc. FUN FACT: If you see a toucan with a blue beak then you know they are dehydrated. It is best to call an animal rescue place if it is found in the wild! Do not take them yourself! The property was beautiful, and the chicos had a lot of fun. The students raise money for the Toucan Rescue Ranch and the money goes towards helping the animals. They now have an area that they can train certain animals to survive in the wild again. This will allow them to release them back into the wild! This was such a beautiful place and I am so glad I got to go there to see all the amazing work they do for these animals. :) Check out the Toucan Rescue Ranch's website! They also have a Bed & Breakfast on the property. I have posted all of the photos I was able to get while there in the photos section, so don't forget to check those out as well. We decided to stay a little closer to SJ this weekend since we knew we would be traveling out of the country next weekend. Jaco was our destination of choice. Our internet wasn't really working on Friday and we couldn't book a hostel, but we packed up and left around 11am on Saturday morning. Instead of looking for a place to stay first we went to the beach to relax. This was probably not the best idea... Around 4pm Nicole and I thought it would be a good time to search for a place to stay and then go back out to shop for souvenirs. We checked out about 4-5 different hostels in Jaco and all of them were booked for the night. So unfortunate! As we were walking I ended up spotting a really cool shop on the main strip. They had rings and necklaces made with bananas, feathers painted, clay pottery made from a local tribe, among so many other cool things. I got a few things their to remember my time in Costa Rica. When we were done shopping we decided to ask where a restaurant was (it was recommended) because we were going to have to find a way back home that night anyways. Taco Bar...simply amazing! We ate at the bar sitting area and which was a bar table and swings to sit on. I got the best spicy shrimp tacos ever and a refreshing pineapple/mango/mint smoothie as well. It was delicious. Next was the hard task of the night (besides looking for a place...and failing.) We had to find a taxi that would drive us back to SJ for a reasonable price. And luckily we found a guy to take us back for $80. Not cheap - but it was better than sleeping on the beach... |
I am 22 years old. Teaching and traveling in Costa Rica.
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