I contacted DIWYY to try and get my blog listed on their website, and a lady already emailed me back and said she would watch it for a couple of weeks and see if it would be good for their website!! Also, to make sure I am not a crazy. Anyways, I am very excited to get my blog listed out on travel websites so other students like me can learn about the dos and donts of studying abroad. For one thing, appreciate your computer and cell phone!! They are not as easily accesible in a foreign country. Yes, Costa Rica is updated in all things tech, but maybe not for people who are here temporarily. For example, my Spanish teacher who brought my group here advised us not to bring our laptops. Which is probably a good idea, seeing as theft is a major problem in the cities. But man do I wish I had mine!! My Tico family has a very small personal computer but no internet, and this is day 5 without any cellphone service. Hopefully I can figure that out in the near future, seeing as my mom paid for me to have it. Also, all that I want right now is a way to upload my pics onto the internet!! I have not seen a public computer that takes memory cards, and I dont know if my camera will use a usb cord. Plus I dont have one anyways.
This evening my mom and I are going to San Jose with my family to do some shopping. Supposedly there is a really great art fare that has lots of cheap jewelry. And I am all for cheap stuff.
Yesterday night, some friends and I went to go see Sex and the City 2 at the mall in Heredia. It looked just like anything else we have in Texas.. It was cool to see the movie with Spanish at the bottom... Whats that called again? Its not dubbed...
And it was super funny albeit dumb. Im not really into Sex and the City.
Well anyways, my hours almost up at the internet cafe and I have to trek back to my house which is like a million blocks away. Everything is measured in blocks, or esquinas. I live muchas esquinas away from the school...
I have to make a presentation about a Costa Rican legend tomorrow. And take my first little weekly test that will allow me to move up a level or make me stay in the same class. I love my teacher so I almost dont want to move up!!!
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
More pictures!!
These are from the same batch of pics Ive taken in the last couple of days...
Another picture of the street... To give you kind of an idea of what Heredia looks like.
Some delicious fruit at a market!!!
Another church pic... The buildings are verrry pretty.
KFC!!! They also have McDonalds, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, Dominos, etc. Just in case youre tired of the regular rice and beans.
Another picture of the street... To give you kind of an idea of what Heredia looks like.
Some delicious fruit at a market!!!
Another church pic... The buildings are verrry pretty.
KFC!!! They also have McDonalds, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, Dominos, etc. Just in case youre tired of the regular rice and beans.
Day 4...
Well, today is day 4 in my month of Costa Rica. Day 4 without cellphones, cars, or computer let alone internet in my near reach. Right now Im using a school computer which Im pretty sure you have to be studying on but its nicer than going to the internet cafe. Theres a window AC in here, for one reason.
Well, I have a lot of mixed feelings about Costa Rica. I love learning the language, I love my little Tica familia, and I love the mountains. But some things are kind of hard to deal with. For example, Im not used to having to dodge cars and motorcycles who accelerate when youre trying to cross the street. Or wear my backpack in the front so no one steals anything. Or avoid eye contact with guys who yell things like beautiful and kiss me at us girls. Before I came, I considered renting a house and living for a year here while teaching at the intercultura school. But sometimes now I dont now if I can make it for a month. Im here to learn the language, but the atmosphere is very hard for a Texas girl to get used to. And the fact that Ticos apparently hate white people is hard to take, also.
Its hard not being able to talk to my boyfriend at all times, too. Im used to him either being with me, or being able to text him. Its definitely a challenge. I miss him, but travelling and learning abroad is very important to me. I just wish he could come, too...
Today my teacher took me and my one other classmate to the capitol, San Jose. As soon as I can, Ill upload some amazing pics.. Of the presidents house, of the theatre which looks like it was picked up and brought here from Rome, and the two museums we went to today. The first one, the National Museum of Costa Rica, was pretty interesting. In class were learning about the indigenous people of Costa Rica like the bribris and some other tribe names I cant remember. Basically Costa Ricas version of the Mayans and Incans. Oh yeah, and I cant put the little quote sign. Its not that I have bad grammar.
Anyways, the National Museum of Costa Rica has a bunch of pre-colombian artifacts. Like these huge stoney spheres of all different sizes which are like the Costa Rican equivalent of the statues on Easter Island. Supposedly, the larger the perfectly round stone, the more power a tribe had. They range from HUGE stones like a couple meters in diameter to like half a meter in diameter. Sorry, Im in the Costa Rican way of measuring right now. No feet for me. Its very interesting, because its such a mystery. And the museum had its usual really really old pottery and statues with very large... ahem. I took a picture but I dont know if its general web use appropriate. Lol.
The Museum of Gold was very boring for me. Im not really interested in looking at artifacts, and the Mesuem of Gold just had stuff made out of... gold. Like little freaky statues of bats and lizards and stuff. It was kinda cool, but not 3500 colones cool. Thats about seven dollars in American. You basically just double the amount and then move the decimal to the left two places. Easist thing to do.
I bought a really cute tiny tiny purse. I really want some super light linen pants, because the weirdest thing is Ticos DO NOT wear shorts. So if you wear shorts, all the guys stare at you. Not very nice. I would like to not stick out so much. Plus the pants look pretty cool... Like Egyptian princess cool. HAHA jk. Everyone here wears jeans or pants or long capris, because its winter for them. But its HOT to me!!!
Anyways, Ill try to put some pics up soon. I have no way of uploading them unless I borrow my teachers computer which has a slot for a memory card. Hasta Luego!
Well, I have a lot of mixed feelings about Costa Rica. I love learning the language, I love my little Tica familia, and I love the mountains. But some things are kind of hard to deal with. For example, Im not used to having to dodge cars and motorcycles who accelerate when youre trying to cross the street. Or wear my backpack in the front so no one steals anything. Or avoid eye contact with guys who yell things like beautiful and kiss me at us girls. Before I came, I considered renting a house and living for a year here while teaching at the intercultura school. But sometimes now I dont now if I can make it for a month. Im here to learn the language, but the atmosphere is very hard for a Texas girl to get used to. And the fact that Ticos apparently hate white people is hard to take, also.
Its hard not being able to talk to my boyfriend at all times, too. Im used to him either being with me, or being able to text him. Its definitely a challenge. I miss him, but travelling and learning abroad is very important to me. I just wish he could come, too...
Today my teacher took me and my one other classmate to the capitol, San Jose. As soon as I can, Ill upload some amazing pics.. Of the presidents house, of the theatre which looks like it was picked up and brought here from Rome, and the two museums we went to today. The first one, the National Museum of Costa Rica, was pretty interesting. In class were learning about the indigenous people of Costa Rica like the bribris and some other tribe names I cant remember. Basically Costa Ricas version of the Mayans and Incans. Oh yeah, and I cant put the little quote sign. Its not that I have bad grammar.
Anyways, the National Museum of Costa Rica has a bunch of pre-colombian artifacts. Like these huge stoney spheres of all different sizes which are like the Costa Rican equivalent of the statues on Easter Island. Supposedly, the larger the perfectly round stone, the more power a tribe had. They range from HUGE stones like a couple meters in diameter to like half a meter in diameter. Sorry, Im in the Costa Rican way of measuring right now. No feet for me. Its very interesting, because its such a mystery. And the museum had its usual really really old pottery and statues with very large... ahem. I took a picture but I dont know if its general web use appropriate. Lol.
The Museum of Gold was very boring for me. Im not really interested in looking at artifacts, and the Mesuem of Gold just had stuff made out of... gold. Like little freaky statues of bats and lizards and stuff. It was kinda cool, but not 3500 colones cool. Thats about seven dollars in American. You basically just double the amount and then move the decimal to the left two places. Easist thing to do.
I bought a really cute tiny tiny purse. I really want some super light linen pants, because the weirdest thing is Ticos DO NOT wear shorts. So if you wear shorts, all the guys stare at you. Not very nice. I would like to not stick out so much. Plus the pants look pretty cool... Like Egyptian princess cool. HAHA jk. Everyone here wears jeans or pants or long capris, because its winter for them. But its HOT to me!!!
Anyways, Ill try to put some pics up soon. I have no way of uploading them unless I borrow my teachers computer which has a slot for a memory card. Hasta Luego!
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Pictures!!
My teacher let me upload pics on her computer!!!
The beautiful church... Catholic I think.
My itty bitty but incredibly sufficient room.
A picture from the street... I think I was on a bus. Translation: I was going REALLY fast.
The beautiful church... Catholic I think.
My itty bitty but incredibly sufficient room.
A picture from the street... I think I was on a bus. Translation: I was going REALLY fast.
hola from COSTA RICA!!!
Hola, I have been in Costa Rica for three days now and I really like it. I have learned sooo much Spanish already. The first two days I got here, two cars I rode in broke down. I have been told that´s not the norm! Heredia is very, very, very busy and noisy and the cars have the right of way which is something new. Also, even though my phone has international, it doesn´t have service so I can´t use it. And I didn´t bring my computer. So I have to fight for the two computers that are available in the whole school of Costa Rica, or as I am doing right now, use the internet cafe for less than a dollar an hour. But there´s no AC... oh well can´t have everything.
I would LOVE to post pics up, especially since I want my picture to be on the front page of the DIWYY.com website, I currently of no way of doing so. My camera is a piece of junk, and I don´t have a USB cord. The computers don´t take memory cards as far as I know. It´s so hard to not have all of the technology you´re used to.
My tico family is super nice. I have my own room, which is small but has sufficient closet space which is what´s important anyways. The water in the shower is very cold. I got it up to lukewarm this morning, and I was very excited.
Mom seems to be enjoying herself, too. It´s going to be weird when she leaves on the 14th. I will probably miss home a lot more then.
I am very excited to be doing this, I really want to travel but most importantly LIVE abroad. That´s how you really learn a place. But I don´t think I will want to live permanently in Costa Rica. In general, the people do not seem very nice. Or at least they do not like white people. You get stares where ever you go, and they´re not nice. My teacher in the school and my family are definitely exceptions though. I wonder if this is how it feels to be a minority in Texas...
Anyways, I have a few minutes left on my hour that I paid for here. I hope to keep my blog updated but I never know when I´ll have access. Especially not on the weekends, though, because I´ll be out. This weekend we are going to Arenol Volcano, and doing the zipline and riding horses and some other crazy stuff. I don´t care about riding horses, because we have those at home. But I hear there´s a hot spring...
I would LOVE to post pics up, especially since I want my picture to be on the front page of the DIWYY.com website, I currently of no way of doing so. My camera is a piece of junk, and I don´t have a USB cord. The computers don´t take memory cards as far as I know. It´s so hard to not have all of the technology you´re used to.
My tico family is super nice. I have my own room, which is small but has sufficient closet space which is what´s important anyways. The water in the shower is very cold. I got it up to lukewarm this morning, and I was very excited.
Mom seems to be enjoying herself, too. It´s going to be weird when she leaves on the 14th. I will probably miss home a lot more then.
I am very excited to be doing this, I really want to travel but most importantly LIVE abroad. That´s how you really learn a place. But I don´t think I will want to live permanently in Costa Rica. In general, the people do not seem very nice. Or at least they do not like white people. You get stares where ever you go, and they´re not nice. My teacher in the school and my family are definitely exceptions though. I wonder if this is how it feels to be a minority in Texas...
Anyways, I have a few minutes left on my hour that I paid for here. I hope to keep my blog updated but I never know when I´ll have access. Especially not on the weekends, though, because I´ll be out. This weekend we are going to Arenol Volcano, and doing the zipline and riding horses and some other crazy stuff. I don´t care about riding horses, because we have those at home. But I hear there´s a hot spring...
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
The Renting Revolution: Chegg.com
So I was trying to sell my used textbooks at the end of this semester, and I got mad at amazon (where I usually sell them) because they took a fee of like 11 bucks out of my already very cheaply priced text book. So I tried out chegg.com, a website that buys back and rents out textbooks. I sold my astronomy textbook, a book that amazon wouldn't even list for me, for $35. Chegg paid for shipping and I just packed my book in a box, slapped the sticker on it, and put it in a UPS mailbox. They sent me a check within a week and a half. :) Yay! I love checks written to me. And now I'm going to rent my geology book for my summer class for $28 instead of purchasing it new for $178. Sweet deal. It sounds kind of fishy at first, but after I got my check I'm a believer. Buying textbooks is such a ripoff because most of the time theres a new edition out before you can sell your's. Plus I have a code, CC127417, where the buyer gets 5% off their books and $5 more on the buy-backs. And I get $5 on every order :) Sweet.
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