I officially have 2 full days left here in Costa Rica.  What a great time it has been.  This week began with a weird class schedule.  On Monday, we only had spanish class in the morning and the rest of the day free.  I spent the time working on my global health project & other homework.  Later in the day, I met up with some friends at a coffee shop and we hung out for a few hours.  On Tuesday, my spanish class took a trip to an art museum in San Jose & then relaxed and walked around the nearby park for about an hour.  Again, we didn’t have class in the afternoon so I spent my time doing homework, reading, and working on other small things.  On Wednesday, we had no class in the morning so I got to sleep in!!!  It was incredible.  I spent the rest of the morning reading and then headed to class in the afternoon.  In global health class, we were presenting our group projects.  Our project discussed lower respiratory diseases in Guatemala & I think it went well.

It was a pretty chill week because our classes and our time here is starting to wind down.  I’m glad I got the chance to relax and take it all in.  On Thursday, we had class as usual and we also had a little dance class at our university where we learned salsa, merengue, and swing.  It was fun trying to learn, but we all know I can’t dance so it’s hopeless trying to teach me.  But having fun is all that matters, right?!!  Right.

Friday was a very, very long day.  My class drove 4 hours on a bus to visit the Maleku indigenous community.  It was a really cool experience and I learned a lot.  The maleku are one of the many indigenous tribes living here in Costa Rica.  They have their own maleku language and culture.  The healer in the community was the one to show us around and tell us about their tribe.  He took us on a short tour of the forest, explaining to us all the different plants and what each one can be used for.  Later, they performed a ritual dance and talked with us more.  It was a very interesting experience.

On Saturday, it was finally the weekend and time to travel again!  5 of my friends and I took the public bus to San Jose, the capitol of Costa Rica, which is about a 45 minute drive from where we live.  Once there, we walked around the local market and around the town.  Later in the afternoon, we took a tour of the National Theater, one of the most famous places in San Jose.  The architecture is very old and it was so beautiful.  After the tour, we checked into our hotel, Hotel Balmoral.  We got a suite that had 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a living room, and balcony.  It was amazing!!  We got a sweet deal for it, too.  For dinner, we ate at a restaurant called Machu Picchu.  It’s the closest I’ve gotten to the real thing.  The food was incredible and I totally recommend.  After dinner, we all went back to the hotel and had a great night hanging out and playing Mexican Train.

The next day after sleeping in once again (twice in 1 week?  What a life) we walked to Bareo Escalante, a nicer area outside of San Jose.  I was getting some uptown/bishop arts vibes for all my Dallas people.  It was for sure my favorite place in San Jose we visited.  We spent the afternoon walking up and down the streets going into cafes and shops along the way.

And now I’m back in San Joaquin for 3 more nights.  It’s been an amazing trip, but I am so excited to be home and see my friends and family.  Next time I write, I’ll be home in Texas!!!

Pura Vida

Texan On The Go

At the art museumAnother art pieceMe and my friend were kind of matching

Class pic!!

Pretty sky

Maleku community

National Theater

My dinner at Machu Picchu

View from our hotel

Mexican Train

All of the above are at Bareo Escalante!