Sarchi and the Ox Cart factory

 My UD wheel. (looks better from a distance)

 The FYE group + ox

Believe it or not there's a sloth in the picture above. The picture directly above is Molly and I at INBio in the volcano exhibit

Hi Poppop, Hi Aunt Cathy. Thanks for following my blog. I feel so loved that you want to know what I'm up to :)

Today we had a test in both of our classes today (UGH!) But right after we finished the second test we went to see an ox cart factory. The ox carts are beautiful and they are so elegantly painted. We were given a tour in english and in spanish, and halfway through we had a snack of homemade bread and coffee. We got to see the artists at work painting the wheels of the cart, and for a cheap price we could paint our own mini-ox cart wheels. I painted mine for UD. Definitely the highlight of my day, the painting was so relaxing.
Yesterday we went to INBio, which is a national environmental conservation facility. We saw so many plants, spiders, bugs in general, deer, and a sloth! We saw another one, but he was sleeping and we couldn't wake him up (no matter how hard we whistled).

San Jose and Irazu

Volcano! Today (Sunday) we went to the Irazu volcano, which although was very windy was absolutely beautiful. We were literally above the clouds, which was kind of crazy! I forgot my camera unfortunately, but I did have my iPhone so I do have some pretty awesome pictures.
The drives up the mountains have been pretty dangerous; the roads are skinny, the buses are really large, and the drivers here in Costa Rica are nuts. But I guess that's part of the fun.
Yesterday we went to San Jose to see the national theatre. (For the record I'm annoyed that my auto correct is telling me to spell theatre like "theater.")
It. Was. Gorgeous!

So much art and history, and the theatre itself was beautiful. I asked if they have/had a residential ensemble cast and they said they have a cast that performs there often, but the national theatre often houses a lot of international productions and companies.
There was also a huge open market where we spent a lot of our time. I bought lots of gifts and souvenirs for my family and friends there. :)

Pueblo Antiguo Trip

Our adorable tour guide

Everyone dancing with the cast.

On Friday night at 5 pm we hopped on a bus to "Pueblo Antiguo," which was described to us as a Costa Rican Medieval times. At first Pueblo Antiguo was actually pretty boring. The park was pretty dark and there was a wedding going on in the chapel, which was beautiful but it didn't allow us to explore much in that area.
The night got better when our adorably energetic tour guide came out and gave us a tour and a history lesson about Pueblo Antiguo. She also gave us a drink that smelled delicious but tasted like cough syrup.
We say a show that was hilarious. The actors danced the different styles of dance including salsa, meringue, and a dance with some trippy costumes. The characters pulled up my fellow FYE trip members to dance, which made for some hilarious pictures.
The food was phenomenal. WE had chicken, beef, plantains (my new favorite), rice, beans, and a huge cup of cherry mousse for dessert.

The first few days in Costa Rica

Me and my coffee. Loving Costa Rica

 

 

 

ULatina is beautiful.

I can't express enough how much I adore Costa Rica! The weather here is beautiful, its about 75 degrees F, while at home in Maryland its probably cold, snowy and gross (sorry mom and dad). The people here are so nice and my host mom is no exception. She is super sweet and she's an amazing cook! I didn't expect to like the food here as much as I do, but literally everything my Mama Tica (which is what she told us to call her) cooks has been amazing. I'm expecting to gain 10 pounds while I'm here.
I also didn't expect to be as close to the university as we are. Molly and I are a 15 minute walk away, which Mama Tica showed us on the first day of classes. On our first day we took a tour of la Universidad Latina and we were shown where all of the classrooms are as well as the cafeteria.
Its only been a few days but I already can tell how much I'm gonna love it here!!
Love,
Katy