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.