Spanish went well last week with a quiz, presentation and midterm all in one week. I survived them all. The presentation was a struggle though because my partner wasn't the best. Fortunately, we are graded individually. It felt so weird to already be taking a midterm. Our teacher is so silly and so much fun though. A lot of time was spent watching videos and singing that week. On Friday we learned all the words and how to sing "Fotografia" by Juanes. We got two bonus points on our midterm if we stood up, danced and sang it as long as we were really into it. Earlier in the week she told us that Juanes and another latin star, Chayanne, were her crushes. Naturally, I listen to them all the time now and watched the movie Dance with Me one night because Chayanne is in it. I aspire for my life to become a latin dancer movie. A girl can dream.
On Tuesday, Costa Rica and the US played each other in the Gold Cup tournament. From what I understand, the Gold Cup is just for the Americas...like a smaller scale world cup. Veritas hosted an event to watch the game live on the big screen in the auditorium. So we went but I mostly just wanted to see my friends that I don't get to see much anymore. We got our faces painted and didn't know who to cheer for. I was wearing my Costa Rica jersey and had Costa Rica flags on both sides of my face but when the US scored we obviously cheered quite loud. And the US won! It was fun.
Another random observation....Cheese pizza nearly doesn't exists here. If you want only cheese...its actually veggie pizza which means gross mushrooms or margerhita. Every time I have had free pizza, I think I see cheese pizza only to find out that there is a layer of meat under the cheese. No me gusta.
Libby, me, and Jenny before the CR vs USA game
After the game we went to dance class. This class was so much fun. A lot of people came and we laughed the entire time. I admire the courage of some people who just go for it and have fun without really knowing how to dance. It's so great when people are capable of that.
On Thursday I began some research for my final paper and frantically tried to find articles that I could print to try to read over the weekend so that I didn't completely lose that time. On Friday, I printed some out after I took my midterm and packed for the weekend.
We went to Tamarindo for the weekend on another excursion with ISA. Tamarindo is a beach on the Pacific side. It is mainly a big tourist town but is a really beautiful place. We stayed at another amazing 5-star resort, Hotel Diaria. Jenny and I roomed together in a first floor room with a patio and an ocean view. It was beautiful. We quickly changed and headed to dinner at the hotel. During dinner there was a show of typical Costa Rican dances. They were good but not that entertaining to us since we have seen a similar performance before. After, there was a random, impromptu gospel choir show. A gospel choir from Boston had been touring Costa Rica for the week and decided to take advantage of the captive audience and perform for us. They were phenomenal. The director had an amazing voice and was so charismatic. He played a keyboard along with the choir. They performed several songs and I got goosebumps so many times. Sometimes they interacted with us and we sang along. My friend, Taylor, is a music ed major and a singer so she was ecstatic. It was just such a random but awesome experience. It was a blessing. They were so powerful and at such ease at the same time. They were radiant with God's love and that was apparent to anyone. We talked with some of them afterward and since we were right in front of them, they were all appreciative of our attention. For the rest of the night, we checked out the beach and relaxed.
The view from our room
In the morning we went swimming in one of the pools after breakfast. After reminiscing on all of the tricks and games we used to play in the pool as kids, we got out and laid in the sun. I was so excited to lay on the beach in the sun. It felt great. We attempted to do some work and studying but of course weren't as productive as hoped. I went in the water for a bit. It was warm and the current was strong. The water was filled with people learning to surf and some skilled surfers. They made me nervous to be close to them at times but it was fun to cheer them on. For lunch, Jenny and I ate some of our stolen treats from breakfast on our little patio.
Jenny and I in the pool
Later in the afternoon, I had my first real massage on the beach. The hotel had a really great deal on massages so I got a 30 minute full body massage. It was quite nice. We were in the grass, under the palm trees with a view of the ocean. I felt great afterward.
We got cleaned up for dinner and watched the sunset on the beach. A storm had been moving in and it had already rained a little but there was a break in the rain just in time for the sunset. We played a little in the water and in the tide pools. It started raining again when we set out to find a place to eat. Jenny and I ended up getting a margerhita pizza to go and ate it on our patio. It was adorable and fun. We watched the storm and the lightening turn the sky purple. Also, in Costa Rica, one can purchase nearly any alcohol in individual bottles or cans including rum and coke in a can. So we tried one during dinner. I guess it tasted as expected but it was just cool.
Jenny, me, Taylor
After dinner, we just relaxed. We weren't particularly interested in going out like a lot of the other students. I took a walk on the beach and enjoyed the solitude. I finally saw stars. I have seen stars here very few times. It is usually too overcast to see them and in the city there is too much light. It enjoyed some reflection time and marveled at the vastness of the ocean.
On Sunday morning, we enjoyed another yummy breakfast buffet and relaxed for a bit before heading to yoga. I organized a private yoga lesson at a local studio for my friends and I who had some interest in yoga. It ended up being 6 of us; Jenny, Jenn, Taylor, Emily and Nia (my housemates), and I. We went to Ser Om Shanti Yoga Studio. It was very nice and a great atmosphere. Our teacher, Mariel, was beautiful. She is argentinian and did a great job of running the class in english. She was very nice and patient and adapted the class to fit our various levels. The majority of our group had little to no experience with yoga. Parts of the class surprised me since she knew we had beginners but I think she wanted to show us the range of possibilities in yoga. We did several strength and balance poses that were tricky and fun. It all felt great. Everyone was really happy with the experience afterward. I was definitely a little sore the next day.
Mariel and I doing a partner pose
During the final relaxation at the end of the class
We left the resort and headed back to San Jose shortly after. It was a beautiful weekend. It was quiet and simple. I enjoyed relaxing and our comfortable room. It was nice to swim in a pool as well as the ocean. Getting and massage and doing yoga were wonderful. I felt truly blessed to have such a nice weekend. I was very sad to leave. I wanted more sun and more time in the water.
sunshine and sandy toes,
Taylor
No comments:
Post a Comment