Nicaragua

Hello again! I have been back from Nicaragua for a while now. To tell the truth, I forgot to write about it. Anyways, it was a great trip. Two days after getting back from Panama, I got on a bus to Nicaragua. On the way there I saw huge windmills, and Lake Nicaragua, which contains not only volcanoes, but sharks. Just by driving by the lake, I could see MASSIVE volcanoes. I never saw a shark, but I can`t say I didn`t try. The next day we boated to various islands on the lake, and went on some tours of Granada. The following morning was the most exciting part of the trip. We went to ¨the mouth of hell¨ which happens to be an active volcano with craters, called Volcan Masaya. There were three craters, two of which merged into one gaping whole from which smoke, sand, and rocks are emitted. The other crater seemed a bit safer, until we got close. It is green, with trees and plants, but steep, and there is no form of railing. The edge of the path ends, and if you fall, you die. And, being the fool that I am, I ran around the edge on slippery paths. It was soooooo much fun! the entire trip to Nicaragua was filled with adventure, danger, and just fun. I almost forgot, when I was on the boat visiting islands, some monkeys boarded my boat!

Panama

I went to Panama last week, and had a great time. The bus trips were long, and crossing the border was anything but fun, but the trip was amazing. I went to Panama City, saw the buildings, went to an island, enjoyed the beaches, and saw the Panama Canal and its locks. The Panama Canal is huge, and awesome. It is great that I was able to see the linking point of two oceans. I also enjoyed eating junk food all week. The trip was amazing, and I have made so many memories and friends that will last a lifetime. Just being able to learn another leangauge, visit another country, become part of another culture, etc. is amazing, and I am greatful to be where I am, and to be learning what I am learning. And guess what. I am going to Nicarauga tomorrow!

FYI

Hey Everyone! I will be in both Panama and Nicaragua for the next two weeks. Things are great here, overall. I just want to explain my mysterious abscence =)

Odds and Ends

As school draws to a close, I feel glad that I decided to come for a year. I still have 7 and a half months left!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Everything is going well here. While schoolwork may still be a struggle, I am learning more and more every day. Some people have gone so far as to say that I am almost billingual. While I find this a polite lie, I appreciate the compliments. Within the last month or so, many things have changed. I have become a leader in the youth group, and am in charge of my own small group for Alpha. I have also started to learn how to wind surf at Lake Arenal. I have many new friends, and have learned about the culture. I have also taken more pictures than even I dreamed possible. I find myself truly being a part of the family, as we pass through some economic situations. Finally, the water is back, but now the washer doesn`t work. But everything passes in time. Here are some pictures for you!

Funny things people have told me

1. The Little Mermaid is satanic.

2. When a 17 year old girl dates a 28 year old boy, it`s not a big age difference.

3. A girl is ready to marry once she can cook tortillas.

4. It`s possible, and normal to fit 7 people in a 4 person car.

5. Attending classes is optional.

6. Una cosita grande. ( a big small thing.)

7. People wanted me to buy weed for them at the mall, right in front of the police.

8. You don`t plan on getting married in the next 5 years??????????????

9. We are going to climb up, uphill.

10. You are crazy (directed at me on multiple occasions)

Catching Up

My host sister lost my camera. She borrowed it, motorcycled to the lake, and dropped it at some point along the road. I miss my camera so much, and it`s been less than 24 hours. I also had a bit of a disagreement with my English teacher. He tried to tell me that my answer to a test question was wrong, and that fluent English speakers ¨could not pardon my error.¨ I told him that I am, in fact, a fluent English speaker, and that he was wrong. I angrily pouted, and eventually he gave me the points I deserved. Despite this, school is actually fun here. I have made a lot of friends, and the teachers take pity on me, which is nice.
September 15th is CR`s independence day, and I am excited to celebrate. The schools march through the streets, to celebrate, and I decided that it would be fun to march with my classmates. The practice itself is hard: marching uphill in the heat of Costa Rica, but I think that the experience will be worth it. In addition to this, I am learning how to paint ceramics. I had some nice pictures of the finished product, but my pictures are somewhere in the Costa Rican grass or in a black market auction. I am having a great time, and on the 16th, I will have been here for 2 months. My host family and I are like any normal family, and I am so glad that I got placed here.

Funny Story

This morning I caught up with my friends from the U.S. One of them had a very funny story to tell me, and because he isn`t following my blog, I can tell it. My friend speaks almost no Spanish, and his first days here were very hard for him . AFS tells foreign exchange students to smile, nod, and say yes for the first few days with the family, or at least that is what my friend thought. When he met his family for the first time, he was enthusiastic and happy, even though his family seemed rather sad. He didn`t have a clue what his family was saying, so he continued to nod and smile.
The next day his host family invited him to church. He thought it was rather strange, going to churh on a monday, but he went. When he got to the church, he continued to nod, smile, and be genuinely friendly, even though the people seemed very sad and confused by his actions.
Then my friend noticed the coffin in the middle of the church and he understood. The day before his host parents had been explaining to him that his host grandmother had died, and they had invited him to the funeral. Needless to say, he will not make that mistake again.

Life and the Beach

As of tomorrow I will have been away for a month, and I would like to say that I am completely settled in. I know how to walk to school in under 10 minutes, be at home by curfew, buy things at cheap prices, and live without an iPod and cell phone for a month, what was previously thought to be impossible. Life here is beautiful. I am not sure how, but there must be five more hours in a day because there is always time for everything. My host family and I are getting along very well, and I have made friends both in the youth group and school. The people here are very friendly and I don`t find myself bored very often. 

Monday I went to visit my host grandparents and then my host aunt and uncle. With my host sister, dad, aunt, uncle, and cousin I spent 20 hours (from 2 am to 10 pm) in a hot car going from city to city so that the family could work, and finally the beach. Tilaran signifies wind and water, hence it is colder than most of Costa Rica. Hence, the majority of other cities in Costa Rica feel like an oven. I was not exactly thrilled to squish 6 people into a four person truck in the very hot climate of Costa Rica, but it was worth it for the beach.

I spent hours and hours in almost deserted beaches, and was thrilled to swim in the clear water. The water warm and the beaches are clean. There are lots of tourists in the area, and it is easy to tell who they are because they speak English. Also, by the beach are a variety of animals. There were wild monkeys in the trees and a huge spider. If the spider bites you and you are not allergic, it gives you a bad burn; if you are allergic, you die. Fortunately, the spider did not bite me, considering it was about two feet from my foot. Other than the trip to the beach, I have spent most of my time with my friends and family here in Costa Rica. I am excited for the rest of my year here and plan to update my blog when I can. ¡Hasta Luego!

School and Arenal

My first week was gerat, getting to know my host family and buying things for school. I walked to a cross with my host brother, sister, and cousin. It was a couple hundred feet up in the air on a hill, but I couldn`t resist. This week, I started school at Liceo Maurilio Alvarado Vargas. It`s a bit different from my school back in the U.S. Here, when I have a free period, I can leave the school, and I get an hour to go home for lunch. It`s really nice to have an open campus, and I think it`s worth it, even though I have to be at school by 7am. The other students in my class are really nice, and have all helped me in various ways: walking me to class, helping me with notes, and they are really inviting.

Also, my host family and I have enjoyed a lot of time at Lake Arenal, which is 20 minutes away by the family morortcycle. It is absolutely beautiful there, and I never wanted to leave. Also, I have to say, it was quite a strange feeling, sharing a lake with water snakes and crocodiles. However, my biggest foe here has been the bugs. For example, there were two very large spiders in the house yesterday. However, Costa rica is beautiful, bugs or not, and I have pictures to prove it.

Mi Familia

I am so happy about my family. God is great, so great. My host father is a pastor for the protestant church that we live next door to. My host father and mother are fair, with their rules and are very loving. My curfew is 10 at night, which is great here. My host brother is very nice, and speaks some English, so between the two languages we can get the point accross. My host sister and I share a room, and she is great as well. I just finished unpacking all of my stuff, and I have to say that I did not pack a lot.
I will be attending a school here in Tilaran that is within walking distance, which is wonderful. I will be a junior for the first six months of my stay here, and I will be a senior starting in February. My host sister and I start school a week from tomorrow, and I am very excited because the classes that I will be taking sound awesome. Also, it looks like I am going to get the Science and English credits that I need for the year.
Tomorrow I am going to buy school supplies and clothes. because I go to a public school that requires a uniform. As of right now, I think that I am going to sleep. One last thing: my house has computers, and I may use them, which is great. Once again, thanks to God for all of this.
Feliz en mi Casa Nueva,
Hannah

I'm here!

I would like to say sorry for the grammer and spelling mistakes I will make. This keyboard confuses me and I am rushed on time. However, I'm in Costa Rica and it is beautiful, and it is hot. Right now I am at oreintation, and I am tired. We got in at midnight last night, and everyone is about to fall asleep. There are so many foreign kids here, it is amazing to meet people from different countries. Tomorrow, I am going to meet my host family, unpack, and get ready for the year. The only scary thing is the swine flu scare. Although, we get to start school a week later because of that, which is great. I have to go now, but I have to say that I am thrilled to be here. I already miss my friends and family, but Costa Rica is such a great place to be, that you really can't be sad here.

Happily in humidity,

~Hannah

Almost There!

Guess how many days until I leave? Four. I remember being excited about having only six months left. Time flies! I have finally forced myself to pack, and I was sad to find that the kitchen sink did not fit in my suitcase, mostly because there was too much sunblock and bug spray in the way.

I am glad to be going, but I am going to miss everyone. I know that I have the best parents in the world, because not everyone could send their only child away, and not see them for a year. God sure knew what he was doing when he gave the stork this particular sarcastic pink bundle and told the bird to fly to my parents. It can't be easy, but I am glad that they are letting me go, at least for these next 11 months.

On another note, I would like to say that I am less terrified than I thought I would be. I was fully expecting to be breathing into a brown bag by now, but I am far from it. I am ready to go. I have the suitcase tags and everything. 

I have no idea when I will be able to update next. I don't know how often I will have access to internet. Who knows? Either way, the adventure is about to begin!

La Familia

Apparently, I forgot to talk about who I will be living with. Oops! I will be living with a family of four. I have a host father, mother, older brother who is 21, and sister who is 17. I have a feeling that this is going to be great. Some foreign exchange students have problems with their host families, and decide to switch and live with someone else, but I am not too worried about this happening to me. I have a bit of information on the characteristics of the people who I will be living with, and they sound awesome. They like to travel, and seem to be really active, so I am sure that I will have a great time with them. They are also Christian. I consider myself very lucky to be living with a Christian family, and am thrilled to meet them in a month. I leave on July 16th, and will get into Costa Rica on the 17th. At that point, I have a two day orientation, and I will meet my family on the 19th, and move in. I don't think that the words thrilled, excited, etc. can even begin to cover this. Of course, I will miss my friends and family, but I feel like God is leading me to go here, and so I go. I would like to say a big thank you to all of the people who are helping me to get to Costa Rica, and for all of the people who are praying for me while I am down there. 

Frequently Asked Questions

How long are you going for?

Eleven months.

Are your parents going with you?

Umm, not that I know of.

Are you scared?

Not yet. Ask me right before I leave.

Will your family speak English?

I don't know yet, but I will find out when I get there.

Will your family speak Costa Rican?

They will speak Spanish, if that's what you mean.

Are you going to go to school there?

Yes. It's part of the foreign exchange student experience, especially the student part. =)

Aren't you going to miss your friends and family?

Yes. Very, very much.

When do you leave?

Somewhere around the 15th of July. 

Tilaran, Costa Rica

This is the area where I will be living. I cannot even begin to explain how excited I am. The land is so beautiful, I am not going to want to leave! I'm lucky enough to be living next to a lake, a rainforest, and a volcano. Well, truth be told, I am  bit nervous about the volcano, it's one of the most active in the world. However, I figure since it's constantly spewing out lava, it's already venting, and probably won't erupt. I leave in a month and a half. It's crazy to think that I have to start packing and getting plane tickets soon. I'm a bit nervous about leaving for a year, but I am more happy than anything else. 

I have a City!

I just recently found out that I am going to be living in Tilaran, Guanacaste, Costa Rica. This is a beautiful place to live for 11 months, and I can't wait to go. I will be living somewhat close to a volcano, so that should be pretty interesting. I have also been told about my host family, who I am very excited to meet in two months. Yes, I am leaving in two months. I am very excited to go, and I have so much to do already!

My First Blog. Ever.

Hello, I'm Hannah, and I'm an AFS student. I will be going to Costa Rica for my junior year, and I do not even know where to begin talking about it. I should probably start from the beginning. People like to ask me why I want to go to Costa Rica with AFS. The first question that I get is, "For a whole year?" And yes, I'm going to Costa Rica for a year to live with a host family, and I am so excited about it. As for why I picked AFS, it was the most reliable program that I had heard of, and I liked how safe they make students. Costa Rica, however, I picked for two reasons. One, I can speak some Spanish, and I thought that it would be nice to go to a place where I can already speak some of the language. Also, it does not snow much in Costa Rica, if at all, and I could really use a year without freezing temperatures. Oh, Costa Rica is also a beutiful country that really cares about education and happiness. 

I expect to gain a new view of the world and other cultures. The best way to learn about a place is to live there. I expect to become fluent in Spanish, and maybe help my host family with English if they would like to learn. In return for all that I recieve from going on this trip, I plan on giving back to my community. I want to help teach Spanish at my school in my senior year, be a better leader in my community with the skills that I learn abroad, and teach people about cultures other than their own, both in Costa Rica and in the U.S. 

I find it hard to believe that I will be leaving in four months. I know that I am going to miss my family and friends a lot while I am gone, but I know that I am going to get a new family and new friends while I am there, so it's not a bad trade for 11 months. I do have some challenges, especially financially. I certainly do not have an extra couple thousand dollars lying around, but if I did, I assure you that they would be going to this trip. As for fund raising, I plan on reading about useful techniques as well as asking my AFS advisors and former exchange students. I am so excited for this opportunity, and I would like to thank everyone who is helping to make this possible. 

~Hannah