Day 49, 1 septiembre 2012 22:50
Puntarenas!
Today I
finally went to Puntarenas, one of the coolest cities in Costa Rica! After
hours of looking at it on Google Earth I finally saw in in real life.
Puntarenas is totally in sea, with water on both sides of the city. And it’s 5
blocks small and very long. First we walked to the far end of the city the see
the view. You could see Guanacaste pretty clear and some islands aswell, here
we swam a little bit but the sea was really strong so within 5 minutes we were
away from our bags and we walked back. While walking over the rocks we saw I
pretty big lizard crawling over the rocks, it’s so cool to see these ‘zoo’
animals just in a normal city. We walked a little bit through the city and it
was really different as I thought it would be. The ´touristzone’ is pretty
small and the city is not ‘American orientated’ with like Mac Donalds and stuff,
but instead typical restaurants. That is really good! We walked on the peer for
the cruiseships and again you had a good view, of the ocean, Guanacaste and the
city. After lunch at a panaderia and a small restaurant we swam a little more,
this time the waves were better and you could ‘surf’ on the waves, without a
surfboard with just your body. Then it was already time to go back home so with
a quick stop at a panaderia we went to the bus for the 2 hours busride home.
Day 50, domingo 2 septiembre 2012 21:38
50 days in Costa Rica!!
Wow! 50 days in Costa
Rica! If I say it like that it seems so much, but it also seems like so less
time passed and I’m already on like 15% of my time here! 50 days ago I arrived
at an unknown airport, in a unknown country which held and still holds unknown
adventures. I remember getting out of the airport, it was hot and chaotic. I
got some chocolate out of my bag and shared it with people, some people I did
not talk with anymore, other grew out to be my best friends.
In these 50 days here
I saw spiders, snakes, monkeys, bugs, sloths weird frogs, lizards and way more
creepy crawlers, high tree’s and freaky plants. But also I made inspiring
people, nice people, angry people, poor people, rich people, people with no
food, people with 3 pools in their backgarden. Also within 50 days my brains
don’t know what language to think, dutch doesn’t pop up in my brains a lot,
more does english and more often spanish as well. Within 50 days I learned to
speak the basics and a little bit more of a new language, something which
highschool didn’t learn me in 3 years german and french. In 50 days I learned
that the luxury things are not for granded, its not just knowing not everybody
has it, its realizing that not everybody has it. I learned how school works in
Costa Rica. I visited rainforest and beaches, cities and villages.
Most important is that
in these 50 days I changed already, I notice is in the way I pretend things
people say and do, and what I say, do and think. There are things I would have
done better if I could do them again, but there are more things I could have
done worse. After 50 days I most say I don’t miss The Netherlands that much,
when I think about I miss it, when I think about the smallest things I can miss
my family, its like noticing that all the picknick benches here are different,
and then thinking about all the highway lunches I had with my family on these
picknick benches eating sandwhiches with cold eggs, or a barbeque on a hot
summer night. But most of the time my head is filled with thoughts about what
is going here, what I’m going to do next and stuff like that. So that’s what happened in 50 days, I’ll see
what I write down 50 days from now, when I’m here for 100 days, will it be more
positive? Or maybe negative? Will the next 50 days pass as quick as these? I
don’t know, but I will find out, 50 days from now!
About today, of the 50
days today was pretty important because I decided to change family, this time
for sure with no going back! I have my reasons for this and I wont post time on
my blog, if you would really like to know them you can always contact me. I
didn’t tell me family yet, but I’m really scared to tell them, but I will do it
together with my IEC.
Day 52,
martes 4 Septiembre 2012 17:15
I did what had to be done.
First some really cool
things. This week in work in the Carara National Park. Yesterday Hernan Fabio
and me started this internship. I took the bus at 6, woke up at 5(!) to Jaco.
When we passed the park I pushed to button so 300 meters further the bus
stopped and I got out and walked a little back. The busses here work very
different, there are only the times that the busses leave, and you have to know
these, so when you want to join the bus halfway you need to know what time it
left and how much time it takes to get to you, pretty difficult some times.
Also you don’t have to be at a busstop, just wave at the busdriver when you’re
walking on the road and he will stop, same with leaving when you push the button
you can leave. Anyways, when I arrived
to the park I only saw the visitors centre so I went there to check it out, it
was really creepy because it was abandonend and only a few jars of dead snakes.
I figured out I had to go somewhere else so I walked a little bit and found the
offices, there I met the other ‘rangers’.
They took us to a track 2 kilometres back which we had to walk, don’t
know why probably just because it is cool. And yes it was cool, 3 guys without
a guide through a Jungle with barely tracks. I saw a lot of creepy insects,
cool birds and a turtle it was swimming in a little pool, no idea how it got
there. Also I found the arms of a blue crab very beautiful! We didn’t fint the
river which we had to find so we went back to the beginning, when we got back 2
Dutch tourists and a tourguide arrived. We decided to go again with them
because there was a guide who might knew where to river was and also because
those tourists were Dutch as well! The tourguide walked this track 1 year ago,
so we knew more about it as him which was really cool. Again we had to walk
back without finding anything. Then we walked back 2 kilometres to the park,
had lunch and went home because it was going to rain.
Today, the second day
was a little bit harder. I took the bus at 7 this time since we begin at 8.
Today we cleaned the area around the offices, which means digging out the
canals for water, sweeping leaves taking out weeds and stuff like that. After 2
hours we were finished and we could walk an other track with some park people.
It was cool the walk with the park people because we could go on tracks where
other people can’t go. In this park I saw the black/green frog, the most
poisonous in the world I think. After this walk we had lunch, during the lunch
around 5 Leguanas come out the lay in the sun, one was really big and we took a
lot of photo’s. After lunch we had to do hard work, we had to dig canals for
the rain water on the hillroad. This was really hard because there were a lot
of rocks and stuffed and now I have blasters on my hands L. Then it started to rain really hard again and we were kind of
finished. After the rain we were finsihed and we could go home, when we walked
back we saw our canals worked pretty well!
During this day I
searched for a house live coming days because I don’t want to live in this
house while they know I want to change and sleep in one room with my brother
while he knows I know he stole my money, its all just to much. So I asked my
favourite teacher if I could sleep at her house for a while, but she didn’t had
any space. But she went to search for a house for me together with the school
counceler, that is really really nice of them and they were really caring.
Eventually the schoolcook wanted to give me shelter the coming days, that’s
very nice of her since she doesn’t even really know me! Tomorrow I will move
the this house, which is also in Orotina. But the next hours will be very hard,
but I hope they understand me and my choice to change.
Right know I’m just
sitting in the living room, they don’t know anything I think since they didn’t
say anything about it and act normal to me. My IEC told me he would talk with
my mom today. I hope I still play soccer with my big brother today, and through
it my year here, since I really like him and he didn’t do anything wrong to me.
Evertything is just
really hard, I didn’t think stuff like this would happen to me. I knew that
there would be problems in this year but I didn’t know what kind of problems,
how and when they would happen. I think I will write tomorrow from a new house,
that weird to think of.
Day 53,
Miercoles 5 agosto 2012 20:50
EARTHQUAKEEE
The third day of my
internship was really special. Again we digged canals for the water, this time
with a pickaxe, that was cool. After 40 minutes of work the ground started
moving up and down, left to right and everything, it was clear that this was my
first earthquake! After 30-40 seconds it stopped. It was a pretty cool
experience! They told me that it was pretty strong, but we just continued to
work. 15 minutes later I went to the office to refill the water and there
everybody was watching the news, so I joined them. It turned out to be that the
Earthquake hit pretty hard, 7,6 on the richter scale. The Epicentre was in
Samara, I little town at the pacific coast of Guanacaste an other province in
Costa Rica. I was pretty worried about my friends living there but I quickly
received a message that everything was ok. It turned out to be that it was a
very strong earthquake, the strongest in the last 20 years and the second
strongest ever in Costa Rica. Like 50
house are broken down, some big buildings damaged, 1 bridge collapsed and there
are people with water and light. Also there was a tsunami alert but that got
withdrawn a few hours later.
This earthquake is as
well an unique experience during my exchange year here, it’s something we don’t
have in The Netherlands, and the first time I experience it and it is this
hard, that’s really special. First I told everybody how cool it was, but later
I realised that it actually is a nature disaster and that people died today,
and that people lost their houses and are right now living and bad situations.
Furthermore we digged
for a few more house, hard work for volunteering, But it’s good to the
something for the comunity. Also we took a walk on some trails again, this time
I saw more black/green frogs and I took some photo’s of them.
Also I was pretty
afraid to go home because I expected some difficult conversations and because I
thought I would change today. So while I walked home I called my IEC and it
turned out that he didn’t talk to my hostmom and yet and that I will change
tomorrow. He still didn’t talk to my hostmom, so they still don’t know. I have
no idea how I will do this tomorrow but I want as less awkward hours as
possible some I’m fine with it.
Day 54,
Jeuves 6 Septiembre 2012 21:43
New family, new start
This was the big day,
changing to the better, moving to an other house and an other family!
When I woke up my old
family still didn’t knew anything about it, so I did everything normal and went
to my work in Carara, where we took 1 walk with the teacher through the
rainforest but nothing more. When we were photographing an other green and
black frog suddenly one of my friends said that there was a ‘Terciopelo’ and
there was, right next to the shoe of my other friend. We have been really
lucky, when a terciopelo bites you you are dead within 1,5 hours when you don’t
cut of any limbs. But I got some pictures of it! Also a friend asked me to go
to Taekwondo with him sometime, and I don’t say know to that! I try everything
here, so I might learn I new sport!
Anways, the most
important event of the day, the family change. When I arrived at my house I
just said normal ‘Hola’ and my hostdad replied normal. I went to sit down at
the table with my ex-hostmom and dad and asked if we could talk. My hostmom
just said ‘Creo que no’ which means, I don’t think so. And she said that it was
my decision to change and didn’t want to know anything about it, she didn’t
want to talk about anything and she didn’t even want to know why. She did
thanked me for me being here, and I thanked her for having me here, I also said
that I did enjoy my time here. Then I packed my bags, and spoke with my
ex-hostdad who was really cool about it. I didn’t speak but my ex-host sister,
and my little ex-host brother wasn’t even know but I don’t bother about him,
nasty thief. And then I called my IEC and he came with the taxi to pick me up.
I gave everybody a quick hug but it wasn’t such a special goodbye, it was
really really weird. I expected some more from them, I lived witht hem for 47
days in 1 house. They didn’t show anything, madness, sadness or guilt. I mean
that I do leave their family, that must make them think about themselves right?
But also I don’t want to talk just bad about them, they are good people, but
it’s just for the best for me to change. I feel the most bad for my big –ex
host brother since he and I had a good relationship and he has never been
unnice to me and always supported me. I hope he and I are still cool.
I arrived in my new
house 5 minutes later, it is in the center of Orotina really close to
everything! Also the house is really beautiful and I have a own room,
airconditiong, a car and internet in some places. But that is not what makes me
a happy person, but it does stimulate good feelings. What makes me a happy
person is that they are nice to me, the hostmom cooks delicious and would love
to teach me how to cook if I teach her how to swim. I have a little brother of
7 years old which is an new experience as well. Also I have a ‘big’ brother who
is 1 month older as me. He seemed nice as well, and I can play soccer with him.
The hostdad is a pretty serious guy, but as well very nice. I can have some
good conversations with him I think. So we just sat at the table, had dinner
and talked about everything, varieting from how old I am to the economy of Europe.
But now I´m really
tired and tomorrow me last day at Carara so have a goodnight, my first night in
this house!
Day 55, Viernes 7 Septiembre 2012 22:56
Vamooos! Vamooos los Ticos!
Today was the last day
of my work at the national park, and just lik yesterday we didn’t have to work!
We went to walk in the jungle with 2 American tourists and 1 tourguide. Again
we saw cool animals and even a pretty big snake! Today my new host brother
invited me to go mountainbiking with him tomorrow or next week, I’, looking forward
to that!
Also there was a match
for the world cup qualifications, Costa Rica-Mexico but Costa Rica lost with
2-0. Now I’m, tired and I’m going to sleep. Next time I’ll right mre about the
new family! P.s. my blog already has 15.000 words! I hope you don’t mind
reading a lot!
Day 56, Sabado 8 Septiembre 2012
23:21
amazing new family!
Yesterday I didn’t
write that much because I felt kind of sick, and I was actually. I ate 5 plates
of Gallo Pinto that day, (rice & beans) and that didn’t fit in my stomach.
But in the morning I felt way better. The internship at the park was really
cool, but that most important thing is that I made my first 2 good friends!
About today, I really
like this new family, it’a lot better in
many different ways. I went to Orotina do some shopping with my new hostmom and
little brother. In the afternoon we went with a brand new car -which we
borrowed from an uncle- to Alajuela. There we bought a smoking for my other
host brother for his graduation which is soon. Also we went to a mall to buy
some other things and eat.
When we got back like
around 8 me and my old host bro went to a game of futsal in Orotina. Futsal is
soccer but on a small field with 5 against 5 and on a stone floor. It was
really really cool, just the tension of the game and with a lot of people being
packed in a little stadium, just like watching waterpolo in de tobbe. As well
the soccer was pretty good with a lot of tricks and stuff. Orotina won, so now
we are the finals, and I think is the national finals!
This day showed me how other hostfamilies can be, I am so
happy right now! I finally have a family who wants to do stuff with me. But
also they show so much more in my culture and The Netherlands. As well they are
very nice, understanding and helpful.
Geen opmerkingen:
Een reactie posten