Hey Dalers! Hang in there, the semester is almost over! I myself am trying to keep calm as my studies are continuing this semester. I just finished my third Spanish intensive class. It was a struggle because my professor was not as great as my past two, but I made it work and passed the very difficult intermediate 2 class! Next I am luckily taking an intermediate conversation class which will be very helpful, since so far I learned mostly grammar, now I will be able to practice my speaking...

Hey everyone! Hopefully you are all surviving the end semester craziness (and coldness)! I myself experienced being very cold here in Costa Rica yesterday. I went to visit the Poas Volcano with one of my Tico friends. It took us about two hours with two buses-not bad! Unfortunately, it started raining on our way- it's rainy season! Poas is usually a little chillier than normal Costa Rican temperature, so with the rain it was even colder! (About 65 degrees, which to me was cold since ...

This weekend, some friends and I decided to take a small trip to Manuel Antonio, where a famous national park resides. We took a public bus from San Jose to Quepos (the city next to Manuel Antonio) at 1pm. It took about 3 and a half hours, not too bad! When we got dropped off at our hostel, it was pouring rain. We checked in and decided to go get food because we were starving. Our hostel had a beachfront so we walked on the beach to get to a restaurant, and it was high tide. The water was so war...

It may seem that I’m not actually studying here in Costa Rica based off of my blogs, so I thought I should describe my daily life here in San Jose. I wake up every day at 6:30 am. Que torta! (How awful!) I eat breakfast with my housemate and Tica mom at 7:30 and walk to school which takes about 5 minutes. Spanish class is 8-12, but I like my schedule because then I have the whole day free..to study. I am dedicating much more time than I had thought to my studies here. Even if I don’t have...

Hey guys! This past week was a stressful one. It was my final week of Intermediate 1 Spanish, and we had a presentation and final exam! I’m happy to say that I got an exceptionally well grade in the class, so now I will be moving forward to Intermediate 2! And, it just so happened that I had been planning to go to Nicaragua that weekend. Perfect timing for celebration! To get to Nicaragua was a hassle because getting through customs and migration took forever. It took 9 hours to get...

Hey all! I finally have some free time to write! Having 4 hour Spanish Intensive classes 5 days a week, it’s tough to get some free time. Since they’re so much work, I treated myself to an excursion this past weekend (I haven’t gone on one in a while!). Friday, we headed to the town of Arenal, where the largest volcano of Costa Rica is located. From the hotel, the view was amazing! Unfortunately, visiting the volcano up close wasn’t part of the itinerary for this specific excursion, bu...

Hey everyone, Hope everything is well over in Farmingdale! Over here in Costa Rica is awesome! I just finished my first intensive Spanish course (Basic 2) and it was surprisingly tough! Today was my first day of Intermediate 2 and it went very well. Also, this month starts electives; I’m taking Selected Topics in Afro-Caribbean Studies, which I’m pretty excited about. I thought I’d fill you in on amazing adventures the past few weekends. 2 weekends ago, I visited a coffee plantation, w...

Hey everyone! I can’t believe it is 2 weeks into the semester, it sure doesn’t feel like it. My first intensive Spanish class has been going so quick (it only lasts 4 weeks) and I can’t believe it’s almost over. We’ve already had our first presentation and test. I can also definitely see the improvement in communication with my host mom, which is a rewarding and awesome feeling. This past weekend, I went on my second excursion trip to Puerto Viejo, “The Rasta” of Costa Rica. It was a 5 hour d...

This weekend, about 12 of us went to Tamarindo Beach at the North Pacific coast. It was a 5 hour scenic bus drive through the mountains of Costa Rica. It was our first time visiting somewhere outside San Jose and it was exhilarating! We arrived around 8 at night, and stayed in a beautiful hotel, “El Rey.” The next day, we went across the street to the beach bright and early. The view was amazing; clear water and mountains in the distance. Many Ticos (name for Costa Ricans) walked along th...

Hey F’Dale! Hope everyone’s first week of classes are going smoothly. So far, my class of the month (Basic 2 Spanish) at Veritas Universidad is pretty good. It is challenging because I haven’t taken a Spanish course since high school; this is definitely going to be my most difficult semester yet. There are 8 students in my class, makes the learning process more personal and beneficial. My professor, who we call “profe,” said she will only give us long homeworks Monday through Thursday, and...