Just a Few Pictures

 This is a bromeliad. They are VERY common here in the forest.

 This is part of the trail leading to the waterfall.

 There are a few ups and downs on this trail leading to the waterfall haha.

 This is a far off picture of the back of a Quetzal. I will hopefully be able to get a closer picture of the front before I leave haha.

 More bromeliads!!!! Haha. I do think they are interesting plants though.

This is taken kind of behind one of the smaller waterfalls. Not the best quality, but I thought it was kind of cool.

These are just a few more pictures I have taken. I will make a post tomorrow evening talking a little more about my research project. I actually start my research this next week so this should be a busy, interesting week haha. These first couple of weeks of classes actually haven't been too bad, but my research should begin keeping me quite busy. I am still trying to get into the swing of things though. I am also sorry I have not been posting on this blog, but Google, who owns this blogging site and every other thing having to do with the internet haha, had been giving me some trouble and I just now have been able to sort it out. But the good news is that I am back and will be posting regularly again. It is crazy to think I have already been in Costa Rica for three weeks tomorrow. The semester already feels like it is flying by! It is kind of bitter sweet.

Well anyway, ¡Pura Vida!

Last Day of "Freedom"

Today was nice and relaxing. I had no responsibilities other than simply enjoying my last day before classes. There was nothing absolutely earth shattering that occurred today although I did take my first real steps into the forest today!!! That was before it starting raining quite heavily haha. Since we had the afternoon off, we students at QERC decided it would be nice to venture into the forest for the first time today. Everything started off great. There weren't too many signs that it was going to rain as far as I could tell. This false sense of security caused us to venture out into the forest in shorts, t-shirts, and our cameras without our rain jackets because it was just supposed to be a two hour hike there and back. Well about twenty minutes or so into the forest it began to very lightly mist. That should have been our first sign of course, be we continued onward. About thirty minutes into our hike there began a good, steady rain. Luckily one member of our group was prepared with a backpack and their rain jacket. This meant we were at least able to put our cameras in his backpack and the pack was covered by his rain jacket. In that respect everything worked out, and this was definitely a learning experience for future trips into the forest. This is a rainforest of sorts so I guess I should have expected that even though this is the dry season haha. Other than the rain ending our hike early because we were unprepared everything was great. The forest was absolutely beautiful. It almost seemed too good to be true that I was actually able to witness such an amazing work of God. An untouched piece of His marvelous creation. It is just too difficult to adequately describe with words. Pictures will definitely be posted as I am able to take them. I had planned on taking some good pictures today, but as I mentioned earlier the rain was sort of a hindrance to that activity haha. But I plan on taking plenty of pictures on my future treks into the forest. Overall I would say it was a successful day! 

Well classes start tomorrow. How many people can actually say they are attending school in the rainforest? Not too many...but I sure can haha!! It is a little bittersweet, as I am sure I have mentioned on a previous post, but I have to step into reality as some point right? Although I will admit my classes and studying being in a rainforest takes away some of the sting of school. Either way, tomorrow officially starts the semester.

¡Pura Vida!

San Jose!!!

Well this weekend was interesting to say the least. We spent this past Thursday through Saturday in the capital of Costa Rica, which is the city of San Jose, and we stayed on the campus of the Nazarene Seminary there right outside of San Jose. The first thing I should mention about Costa Rica is the driving. The style of driving here is quite different. Some people would probably call it crazy. I would say I lean a little more to the crazy side, but I don't want to be judgmental so let's just say that it is different. And with that comes a different driving etiquette haha. The drive down the mountain on which I am located, which is officially named Cerro de la Muerta on the maps and means Mountain of the Dead haha, was a little traumatizing at first. This mountain is named so because of all the car accidents I have been told, but it is also a little over-exaggerated and has been passed down over many many decades. I assure you that I am perfectly safe in my travels, and these bus drivers do this trip multiple times a day every day and know what they are doing. But as this large bus accelerated down the narrow, moist, winding mountain road I at first questioned the intelligence of making such a trip. I should also add that since every seat was full me and another student from QERC had to stand in the bus aisle the entire 2 hour drive from San Gerardo to the outskirts of San Jose. I was glad to be off the bus finally. This is where the real fun begins haha.

So while we were in San Jose we had an assignment. It was a scavenger hunt of sorts. We were required, just like in the valley, to find a number of locations; do a number of things; and purchase a number of items. We were given enough money to cover any costs that were incurred. This was interesting because we were given no map and no real instructions other than to meet back at a certain place at a certain time. We were responsible for finding and doing all of these things using whatever Spanish we knew. We were also responsible for navigating the city using the public transportation, which was a new experience altogether for me as well seeing as I have never really had the need for public transportation. The scavenger hunt overall was a lot of fun, although I would be lying if I said it was not frustrating at times. Not knowing the language and not knowing the culture or area made things quite difficult. Like I have said before, I have never really been in the situation of being a foreigner. A foreigner that will be living in this new country for the next four months. Although there were some obstacles to overcome, we were successful in our many endeavors in the city. My Spanish is already improving and I am becoming quite comfortable with using the Costa Rican currency, the Colones. I must say the people of Costa Rica were an immense help during this process. I was so grateful for everyone from shopkeepers to random people on the street doing everything they could to help us minus our taxi driver. I will not harp on the situation, but let it be known I will never take another Taxi haha. They are a tourist trap. The end.

Other than the taxi incident, I would say it was an overall great experience. Though I enjoyed the city, I am quite happy to be back in San Gerardo. I missed this place of tranquility. This is now my home for the next four months and it sure feels like it. This weekend was a little overwhelming at times and I welcomed QERC with open arms.

Classes start this Monday and it is kind of a bitter sweet thing. I am excited to begin some of the coursework, but I know I will miss being able to only worry about enjoying my surroundings. Either way coursework is a cross I must bear unfortunately haha. These first two weeks will be interesting because I will have 3 hours every afternoon of strictly Spanish. This is pretty much lay, in only two weeks, our foundation in the Spanish language that we will build upon over the course of the semester. It will be intense and fast paced, but I am really excited at this opportunity to begin learning another language! I am excited to at some point be able to communicate with some of the people in the valley and interact with the people of Costa Rica on another level than I have been. We will also start our other courses, but as you can tell I am more excited about the Spanish part haha. Anyway I am a little exhausted from my weekend in San Jose, and I think I am about to call it a night. Wow this is strange seeing as it is only 10:24 right now, but I guess this is a good thing haha. I am going to enjoy my last day of complete freedom in Costa Rica tomorrow before the real work begins!

¡Pura Vida!

Getting Acquainted With the Valley

Today was actually quite interesting. I had my first interaction with the people in the valley. We actually had a scavenger hunt where we had to find certain places and meet certain people in the valley, and we were fully responsible for finding out where the locations were on our own haha. One instruction may say "take a picture with Fido," and we had to communicate with the local people to find out who Fido was and where they were located. It was actually quite fun and a nice experience, although I only encountered a couple of local people that spoke fluent English. Therefore, the language barrier was an obstacle I had to overcome. It was an adventure to say the least. It was interesting to be put in the situation of being a foreigner in another country with little knowledge of the culture, language, or locations. I often interact with foreigners, but I have never really been the foreigner and had to experience many of the difficult obstacles that they must overcome when they come to America. And this was just day one....haha. But I met some very nice people. Everyone I encountered did everything they could to help me find where I needed to go. Even when my partner and I accidentally knocked on someone's house door, thinking it was a hotel lobby, asking for directions haha. Everyone I encountered so far today made me feel welcome in their small community. These are just a few pictures of some of the scenery directly by the QERC station. I promise more pictures will be up. These were kind of taken in a rush and are only a few.

 And this is why it is considered a cloud forest haha

These next pictures show some of the houses that are in very close proximity to the QERC station. I wanted to show these pictures because I thought it was interesting the standard of living many people in the area are able to maintain although they are fairly isolated from San Jose and other cities. It actually takes about 2 hours by bus even though the distance is only about 40 miles or so. The industries in the valley include orchards in the valley with a number of different types of fruit, a few locally owned ponds that contain about 25.000 fish, some people have large numbers of chickens, and ecotourism is also a very large industry for this area. This valley is considered to be a fairly well-off valley compared to some other parts of Costa Rica, though there are still a number of what we Americans accustomed to much luxury would consider obstacles to the lifestyles of the area. I will probably talk about some of the various aspects about living this area as I begin to accumulate more experiences throughout the next four months.

I would kill to live in this house haha

 I wanted to show you these pictures to try and give a more accurate account of the area. Do know that these are not representative of every home in the valley. There are many I haven't seen. These are just a few of the houses right by QERC. I will encounter many different types of people from many different backgrounds and socioeconomic statuses. I really don't want to give people a slanted or distorted view of Costa Rica or the area. This is not really typical of normal Costa Rica from my understanding. This just happens to have a thriving tourist industry. I am sure I will be talking about the various encounters I have as I progress through the semester.  (P.S. mom and dad there is a very nice property for sale here in the valley for $120,000 which I thought was a complete steal hint hint haha.) And now I want to show you a few friends that actually accompanied most of my journey through the area!!

Most of the dogs in the valley just run around freely. No one really cares if the dogs go on their property.  They just run around freely and interact with the tourists and people in the valley. So I made a couple of friends today haha!

First Night in Paradise

So the day I have anticipated for many months finally came. This morning was greeted with excitement, but also a little nervousness. I was about to step out of my comfort zone. Even though I was about to embark on an amazing adventure, I was a little apprehensive. Regardless of any apprehension I am thrilled to be here. This is definitely one of the best decisions I have ever made, and I am very much thankful for this wonderful opportunity. I am excited for everything that these next four months will bring.

Upon arriving in San Jose I wasn't really sure what to expect. You definitely notice the many differences between San Jose and a typical city in the United States. I was actually a little surprised to see that the standard of living in the parts of San Jose that we saw was quite low compared to what I normally see in the United States. This is even compared to some of the more impoverished areas of my hometown Atlanta, Tx. I thought it was very interesting that the standard of living in the parts of the valley I saw driving in where the field station is located appears to be much higher than the areas of San Jose I was introduced to.

So I figured I should mention this first experience, especially for my family and the people that know me very well, and what I am referring to is my first experience with Costa Rican food. In all honesty I would say that my first meal in Costa Rica was.........a success!! I have no idea what I ate, but it was quite tasty. My family probably wouldn't believe me if I were to describe the meal. This was quite a relief because I think I am really going to be able survive the semester without starving haha!

I will mention once again that I feel like I have entered paradise. It almost seems too good to be true that I will be spending the next four months here. I have already taken an extreme liking to laying in the hammock on the balcony of the station and being able to just listen to the river that is right close by and take in the scenery. I am still walking on cloud nine haha. Well I think I am about to get some sleep. We start orientation tomorrow and I am a little tired from traveling. I am going to try and update as much as possible, but we will see how that goes haha. I am really going to try my hardest. Anyway, my first night in paradise has been a success! Goodnight everyone.