Mis últimos días en San José

Plus Spring Break Part II

Spring Break Part II

Last time I wrote, I was getting ready to be a “real tourist” in Costa Rica for the first time — my trip to San José. Nine of us went to Jacó, a beach town on the Pacific coast known having muchas turistas. We crashed in a “mini-hostel” which basically means that we stayed in the same house as a bunch of American surfers who make money by letting people stay with them. They were all hospitable and friendly — a friend of mine and I rented surfboards one day we were there and the hostel owners gave us great advice on where to go on the beach to catch the best waves. Surfing was tough but rewarding. I did get pretty sunburnt, but the beach was beautiful and an absolute blast nonetheless.

My friend Maggie in the hostel pool, and me, heading to the ocean to try to surf (it didn’t go too well, but it was a lot of fun)

We all went out for sushi on Saturday night and then out to some clubs downtown which was a lot of fun. Towards the end of the night, a few of us decided to take a little risk and wade in the ocean. It ended up being a great plan. There was a full moon, and stars were everywhere. We let the waves come at us for a long time, with bonfires in the sand nearby. Overall, it was a great trip and we were all sad to have to return to a week of hard work.

Winding down in San José

This weekend, all of us in the trimester group will be leaving for our rural homes to conduct our research. It feels strange that we’ll be leaving the capital just as we’re getting comfortable here. Fortunately, we’ll come back in a month to stay for a little longer, but I will definitely miss San José when I’m gone.

Delicious toast with goat cheese, rosemary, and honey from said hole-in-the-wall café

We’ve started to find some hidden gems throughout the city. There’s a hole-in-the wall café near the university with a cozy atmosphere and excellent food. As we’ve grown more comfortable with our Spanish and San José’s different barrios, we’ve also gotten to know each other a lot better.

I will also definitely miss my everyday routine. It’s become natural for me to take the bus home each afternoon — and I look out the window the whole route, taking in the city. Almost every night, I stay up talking to my host mom, or sister, or brother, or whoever’s around. My conversations have definitely improved, and I feel like I’ve gotten close with my family. Yesterday, it was my host mom’s birthday. I came home to the whole family (grandkids, aunts and uncles, little cousins) celebrating. At some point before cake, we started a pillow fight — which surprised me but ended up being a lot of fun. It’s little moments like those ones that have made my time in Costa Rica immensely rewarding.

My friend Melena from the semester program. We all went out to a bar for a drink after class one day. There are a lot of great, cheap places near the university where there are always students hanging out

I’m looking forward to my next adventure … starting my research on coffee. Stay tuned for updates on my project. I haven’t talked about it yet too much, but I will be touring around coffee farms in rural Costa Rica, interviewing farmers and taking soil samples. My objective is to see what kind of relationships there are between how/where coffee is grown and how high of quality it is. It’s going to be a blast!

Coffee with a view — from the back garden of our classroom building

Thanks for reading!