Just got back from Volcano Arenal and the hot springs! We had a great time...we left Saturday morning drove about 3 hours to a hotel near the volcano and hot springs. We had a nice lunch watched some of the USA soccer game and then around 3 pm went to the Baldi Hot Springs. It was really nice and relaxing there. They had wet bars, waterfalls, pools....it was cool! Each pool was a different temperature they are heated by the volcano. We went all the way to the very top pool and the water temperature was too hott to even get in. We had some drinks and stayed there for a couple of hours. Then we went to a nice italian place for dinner. After dinner we walked around the town and hung out with some people we met...who were actually from Charlotte (small world). Today the plan was to hike and go in waterfalls but it was raining so we thought it would be better to head to this funky hotel close by. It had aligators, butterflys, frogs, pools, waterslides, and was just very pretty. After that we went to lunch and then headed home. It was a really nice and much needed weekend!

I am a gringo

So today the plan was for me to arrive at viente cinco at 11:30. I woke up around 6 this morning...the rooster was crowing and it gets bright here so early that waking up at 6 is no problem. I left the house at about 9 because I wanted to give myself plenty of time in case I got lost...today was my first day traveling by myself and I was very nervous. I walked from the house to the first bus ( 10 min walk) and then waited til it arrived. That bus took me to downtown San Jose. I was then off to find the second bus. I had a map to kind of go by but it doesnt really help when there are no street signs. I tried not to look confused but that was kind of difficult. Being blonde draws a lot of attention...i get lots of honks, stares, and yells. One guy popped in my face out of nowhere and was like ¨´baby baby¨´ yea a bit scary. Just have to learn to ignore them and keep moving. So I finally found the second bus and rode it all the way to the last bus stop. When I got off I wasnt quite sure where to go. I was supposed to look for a big gate and yell Judy so she could come let me in. The first gate I tried..there was no Judy. I tried another one and no Judy but a lady did come to the gate and I was able to communicate where I needed to go and she pointed me in the right direction. So I am here! I am 30 mins early so I am just sitting in the classroom waiting for others to arrive. We have an orientation at 1130 and afterwards I will kind of have a better idea of my schedule and which site I will be at. Please continue to keep me in your prayers as I continue on my journey!

Cafe Brit & Work

Yesterday we took a tour of Cafe Brit and were able to see how they grow and make coffee. It was really cool. The tour was pretty entertaining too - it was put on by hired actors. We then had lunch with Steve the founder of Cafe Brit. It was cool hearing his story of how he got to be where he is now. His best advice was to just be open to new ways of doing things and other cultures. Do not be too quick to judge.
Today I woke up at 5:30 and met Eric at the Univeridad Versitas where we hopped on a bus in to San Jose and met with Jeff who is kind of my boss. He s 23 and works for Fundavida. He is currently trying to start a program that will teach kids about getting a job and such after they graduate high school. Fundavida has three different sites in CR. This morning we went to Linda Vista and he just kind of showed me around. He was trying to familiarize me with the bus system and the city. It is very confusing because they have no street names. People just know where things are in relation to other buildings or parks and such. The bus rides are very cheap, usually just like 30 or 40 cents. We then made our way to Concepcion (another site) and that is where I am now. Jeff had a meeting or something so I am just hangin out in an office until a class at 1 which I will sit in on. It is an english class like the ones I will be helping teach. Fundavida seems very laid back and I have realized flexibility and patience are a must because plans change often. For example, we were supposed to head to 25 (another site) but there was a murder in the town and it is currently closed down and surrounded by police and helicopters -so we quickly hopped off one bus and got on another and headed this way. Not sure where the rest of the day is going to take me but hey i can be flexible!

met our families today! me and hannah are living with the same family-we got pretty lucky. the house is surprisingly nice! the mom and dad do not speak english at all but the 19 yr old girl can translate pretty well. they also have a dog, fish, and a parrott. they also have a bar in their house-they like to drink haha. tomorrow morning two more exchange students move in so its goin to be a full house!

Made it to Costa Rica today! Carla (one of the leaders) picked me up from the airport and we all met up at a hotel in San Jose. Eric and Carla are awesome! I am so excited to begin. There are only four of us here in the program (hannah, mike, & leanne). I think it is going to be a good thing though because we are going to be able to really get to know one another. Today we basically just walked around the city and Eric and Carla tried their best to fill us in on everything we need to know. ...did you know that here the people only can drive their cars one day a week??-the day they get to drive depends on what their license plate number is. pretty crazy ha I can't imagine that being a law in the United States! I also found out they eat rice and beans for breakfast, lunch, and dinner...not sure what I am going to do about that but hey let the adventure begin!!! Tomorrow we meet our families and the orientation continues....

Ahh I can't believe it's already time to head to Costa Rica! Thanks for the goodbye dinner tonight girls. I'm going to miss everyone soo much! Waking up at 5 in the morning, driving to Myrtle Beach airport with Hannah (you rock!), then flying to Florida and then to CR! whoo hooo I cannot wait for the adventure to begin : )

4 days til I leave for Costa Rica!!! Just thought I would give a little background info to what I am going to be doing...

In the fall I started looking around online for summer internships and came across a program called University of Dreams. I wasn't sure if it was legit or not so I contacted my advisor and asked if she new of any students that participated in this program in the past. She was aware of two students who had gone to NYC with this program and had a great experience. I decided to just go for it. I decided on Costa Rica because I wanted to work with a non-profit organization in a third world country. I had traveled to Guatemala in the past and volunteered at an orphanage and had a great experience. It is definitely a cultural shock, but really makes you appreciate everything we have here in the U.S.

I was put in contact with a man by the name of Eric who is in charge of the program in Costa Rica. I told him kind of what I was interested in and he started asking around and finding different opportunities that fit what kind of internship I was looking for. I finally decided to work with a non-profit organization in Costa Rica called Fundavida. They work with at risk children in hopes of intervening and stopping the cycle of poverty. Many children that grow up in poverty are led to drugs, prostitution, and violence. Fundavida works to bring hope and opportunity in to these kids lives. I can't wait to help make a difference!!