COS TA R
SAN LUIS DE MONTEVERDE SUMMER 2014
ICA
Life then versus life now Then:
Disheveled, I roll out of bed and trudge downstairs to make myself breakfast. Still half asleep, I reach into the refrigerator for a carton of orange juice and a couple of eggs to scramble. The chilly refrigerator air reeks of last night’s Chinese food and I slam the door shut thinking to myself that I’ll deal with the smell later. After breakfast, I decide to take a hot, twenty-minute shower and continue my morning routine by blow-drying my hair while listening to the muffled radio drone on in the background.
Now:
My mornings in Costa Rica are different. They do not consist of long showers, processed food from around the globe, wasted water and electricity, and most definitely not leftover Chinese food. Mornings instead consist of a quick, five minute shower (the water is very cold), organic and local food, and a focus on sustainability.
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HELLO HELLO FROM
CAMPUS
UGA
COSTA
RICA
T h e U G A C osta R ica C a m p us is co m p ris e d o f 1 2 p ri v at e roo m s n e st l e d i n to t h e f or e st e dg e . W e s p e n t m ost o f our ti m e outsid e o n t h e p orc h , h i k i n g t h e ca m p us trai l s a n d p l ay i n g ga m e s i n t h e R e c roo m .
El Dormitorio [ D or m ]
May 14
monteverde, costa rica
Huffing and puffing, we ventured down some of the campus nature trails. All my senses
came alive as I heard birds call and the wind whisper. I saw the various colors in the canopy and felt the damp air on my bare arms. It was like nothing else I had ever experienced before.
El Insecto [ I n s e ct ]
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May 16
Waking up at the crack of dawn, we ventured down to the organic dairy farm for a lesson in the art of cow milking. Let me just
tell you, it was harder than it appeared. After each of us had a turn attempting to milk the cows, we headed back to campus for a healthy breakfast and some Costa Rican coffee.
El Volcรกn La Vaca
[ Vo l ca n o ]
[ C ow ]
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El Suelo May 17
[ S oi l ]
Another day of classes took hold of a majority of my time today. However, Julie and I found a way to break free of all the madness for a couple of hours. We hiked up
We eat local food, have solar panels on the roofs, participate in carbon-offset programs, use less electricity,
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to the organic farm where we were amazed by rows of lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, oranges, and cuadrados. These vibrant rows of natural food were shadowed by the lush cloud forest composed of various shades of tranquil greens, blues and purples. Here, we met Fabricio. His speech was open and charismatic as he expressed his love for Costa Rica, the Earth and the overall need for land preservation and sustainability. Here, in Costa Rica, living sustainably is easy. We eat local food, have solar panels on the roofs, participate in carbon-offset programs, use less electricity, and have ultimately developed a balance between the environment and ourselves. Back in Georgia, the story is reversed. We eat food from all over the country and even the world. We rarely engage in tasks such as recycling, unplugging unused electronics, turning off the lights, carpooling, and eating locally. The question is: how can we completely change our deadset ways of how we live back at home? We left with our minds wondering and our stomachs full with the cuadrados Fabricio offered us.
La Escalera [ Ladd e r ]
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Las Hojas [Leafs]
HELLO HELLO FROM
MONTEVERDE
S tradd l i n g t h e C o n ti n e n ta l D i v id e at 4 , 6 6 2 f e e t a b o v e s e a l e v e l a n d s e t wit h i n a c l oud f or e st, Mo n t e v e rd e was a r e m ar k a b l e p l ac e to e x p l or e a n d e x p e ri e n c e .
CLOUD FOREST RESERVE
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May 19
La Oruga [ C at e r p i l l A r ]
It had officially gotten to the point where I constantly smelled like lemon and eucalyptus, basically the scent of my ecofriendly bug repellent. Let me just tell you, this
I lathered on my potent bug spray and traveled to the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve.
was not a pleasant smell. No matter how many showers, the lemon and eucalyptus scent prevails. I lathered on another layer of my potent bug spray and traveled to the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. Our guide, Oscar, was eager to have us experience wildlife. He took us away from other groups and common tourist attractions and instead took us on our own little bird and monkey watching tour. By the end of the tour we had seen three howler monkeys, lots of hummingbirds, a tarantula, the colorful Quetzal birds, a porcupine and various insect and plant species. His fun and engaged personality kept us on our toes and excited for wildlife encounters.
La Mariposa [ Butt e r f ly ] COSTA RICA
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Las Flores [ F l ow e rs ] S tru n g b e tw e e n two w e l l p r e s e r v e d c l oud f or e sts is a s l i m corridor o f ci v i l i z atio n . T h is is t h e h o m e o f t h e T ico v i l l ag e o f S a n ta E l e n a .
HELLO HELLO FROM
SANTA ELENA COSTA
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RICA
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s a n t a e l e n a, c o s t a r i c a El Vidrio [GLASS]
Los Mangos
Los Bananos
[MANGOS]
[BANANAS]
La Ventana [ wi n dow ]
May 20
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All 26 of us crammed into a tour bus to ride further up the mountain to the town of Santa Elena. We wandered around the town trying our best speaking what Spanish we knew and
figuring out how many colones are equivalent to one U.S. dollar. We enjoyed coffee flavored ice cream as we sat in the sun and took in the colors of the city. COSTA RICA
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santa elena, costa rica La Placa [ l ic e n s e p l at e ]
Las Verduras [ V e g e ta b l e s ]
La Pared [ w A LL ]
May 20
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El Cielo
HELLO HELLO
[sky]
FROM
LA TROCHA HIKING
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TRAIL
T h is gru e l i n g h i k e too k us arou n d a n h our to c l i m b a l itt l e o v e r 1 m i l e . T h e wi n d y, u p h i l l roads a n d c h a n gi n g a ltitud e w e r e m a j or c h a l l e n g e s f or a l l o f us .
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Las Nubes [ C l ouds ]
La Barandilla [ G uard rai l ]
La Noche [ n ig h t ]
Los Zapatos
We took another quick rest and witnessed another beautiful view of the lush landscape.
[shoes]
We chugged water and then deemed ourselves ready to start climbing again.
Tennis shoes were a necessity for the hike up La Trocha to see the sunset. Socks pulled high, laces tight, and bug spray everywhere, we embarked up the treacherous Trocha.
This uphill hike took us around an hour and we constantly had to stop for breaks before we embarked on yet another hill. Each time we
May 21
Flowers bloomed along the roadside in vibrant shades of oranges and reds. The sun slowly got lower
and lower toward the horizon and we picked up our pace. It became a race between us and the setting sun.
The night sky took over the scene. We pulled out our The sun finally set on the horizon and we witnessed a wondrous sunset. We sat in awe and
flashlights and treked back to campus for dinner. The night air was cool and damp and filled by the harmonies of frogs, crickets, and other nightlife
admired the natural beauty of the Costa Rican landscape.
stopped, our view of the land got better and better. COSTA RICA
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HELLO HELLO FROM
SAN LUIS COSTA
RICA
La Puesta del Sol [Sunset]
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May 22 After breakfast, we hiked to two different organic coffee farms. We sampled
El Café [Coffee]
La Finca de Café Orgánico [ O rga n ic co f f e e f ar m ]
various coffees and spent the majority of the morning walking around and witnessing each step involved in the process of making coffee for COSTA RICA
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consumption. COSTA RICA
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HELLO HELLO El Sendero [ T rai l ]
FROM
ARENAL VOLCANO
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May 23
Arriving at Arenal was an adventure. Our transportation consisted of “jeep”, then boat, and finally another “jeep”. This “jeep”
Arenal was a magnificent place full of breathtaking landscapes in every direction we turned.
ended up being a bus. We traveled on rocky terrain for around two hours, then hopped on our boat for forty minutes and then had another forty minutes traveling by jeep. It was a cloudy, misty day perfect for traveling. Arenal was a magnificent place full of breathtaking landscapes in every direction we turned. Upon arriving, we ordered a large lunch (not rice and beans for the first time in a while) and chowed down. After lunch, we checked out our rooms and marveled at the size of our beds. Later, a small group of us ventured around the hiking trails in the rain and soaked in the beauty of this new landscape.
El Barco [ B O AT ]
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Vo l c รก n A r e n a l is t h e y ou n g e st a n d o n e o f t h e m ost acti v e strato v o l ca n os i n C osta R ica .
May 24
Today was our first full day in Arenal. In the morning,
El Volcรกn
we embarked on a two and a half hour guided hike. It rained the entire hike. Our guide got a little eager when he heard howler monkeys and he ran off to try and spot them in the distance. He was unsuccessful and we were all soaking wet. Once the monkey fiasco was sorted out, we visited the waterfall, the organic farm and various other trails. For a brief period, the rain and clouds cleared enough for me to snap a picture of the volcano.
[ Vo l ca n o ]
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May 25
La Vista [view]
El Eucalipto [ e uca ly p tus ]
Las Ollas [ Pots ]
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HELLO HELLO FROM
HOMESTAY DOÑA
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A L I C I A’ S
May 29 I packed my backpack and sat anxiously while awaiting my ride to Doña Alicia’s house for the first night of my homestay. We
all tried our best to communicate with one another, but it mainly resulted in a game of charades and pointing at different objects. We ate most of our dinner in silence. The main noise coming from the table was that of forks and knives hitting the glass plates. I knew my Spanish was not up to par, but Doña Alicia welcomed my attempts at the language as she shoveled more and more rice and beans onto my plate. COSTA RICA
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La Montaña [ m ou n tai n ]
La Planta [plant]
El Aguacate La Lavandería
[ A v ocado ]
[LAUNDRY]
May 30
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Miming out different scenes, the dishes, Christina and Zelmira joined I was able to communicate a us. We all talked about our families, little more effectively today. friends, school, and various other topics. For dinner, we gathered around the table Later, we ventured over to Zelmira’s for a meal of rice and beans and a jumble house for some hot chocolate and sweet, of confused small talk. When cleaning up homemade bread. Today was a good day.
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El Barco [ B O AT ]
HELLO HELLO FROM
SAMARA COSTA
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RICA
Locat e d o n t h e w e st e r n s h or e o f t h e Nico ya P e n i n su l a , S a m ara is a r e l a x i n g g e taway. I t is a l so a p o p u l ar p l ac e f or s n or k e l i n g , sur f i n g , a n d b oati n g .
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June 2 SÁmara’s laidback vibe was restful, relaxing and exactly what I needed. Home to many coral
reefs, Sámara is a favored destination for kayaking and snorkeling— both activities in which I was able to partake. After seeing countless corals, fish and other aquatic life, we ventured back for lunch and found a spot on the beach to bask in the sun, collect sea shells and enjoy our last days in this beautiful country. Sámara has treated me well.
Las Conchas [ S HELL S ]
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BYE BYE FROM
SOME PLACE BEAUTIFUL
COSTA
RICA
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