Hello Costa Rica!

Bienvenidos to all  the Parents, Friends, Acquaintances, and whomever else  is reading this blog.

 

As we bade our farewells to Nicaragua, we are again faced with the bittersweet transition of leaving a country we  have  grown to love, while  also  anticipating with excitement the adventures ahead.  As Thanksgiving rolled around and we  traded in the roosters whose  cockles woke us up  every morning in lieu of  the sea turtles of Liberia, we  can´t help  but  feel a particular sense of  gratitude this  year for  the  incredible  opportunity we’ve  been  given in being able to come  here and for all the support we have been given along  the  way.

 

We finished  up our  week in Leon on Tuesday  with a tiny graduation ceremony, signifying not only our completion at the Marianna Language  School, but  also  the culmination of our formal Spanish schooling on this  trip.  I think I can speak for everyone when I say that all of our  Spanish has improved tremendously since we left the  US just two months ago.

 

On Saturday, we spent the  morning at Spanish school, trying to squeeze  in as much language instruction as we can in our short time  here.  Many of us decided to watch a movie at the local cinema that  night, a wonderful experience not only for  the thrill of watching James  Bond´s  quick and action packed  stunts, but also  for  the luxury of  spending 2.5 hours in a heavily air conditioned room.

 

We took  Sunday by storm, packing as  much adrenaline as possible into our day off.  Ian, Scott, and Joel, being the manly men that they are, decided  to  attend  a cock fight – which of course stars the  most  dignified  of the  clucking animals.  This event consisted of  3 matches, in which a pair of  chickens, with razor blades strapped on their talons, are put in the arena to fight to the death.  According to Ian ¨It was an interesting cultural experience.  We were definitely the only gringos there and the people there definitely noticed that.  It was a good time.  Very rowdy.¨

 

Meanwhile, Jai Alissa, Hannah, Miranda, Nick, Aimee, and I (Robin) went volcano boarding – an activity that essentially entails hiking up the newest, most active volcano in Central America, el Volcan Cerro Negro, then sledding down the volcanic ash as fast as you can on a wooden plank.  Only for the most daring souls, it ranked #2 on CNN´s ¨Thrill seeker´s bucket list: 50 experiences to try before you die¨.  Here´s the link: http://travel.cnn.com/explorations/play/50-thrilling-experiences-116798.  (Have no fear parents, we were very safe!)     Our very own Hannah Falkowski made the high score for the day, and even made their all time record board, clocking in with a speed of 72 km per hour.  The day culminated with a slightly wild bus ride that left us all sitting on the edge of our seats – literally.

 

On Monday we took a group trip to a Museum on the Revolution.  After hearing stories from the was  veterans in Playa Gigante, it was interesting to further our knowledge on the subject.  That night, we participated in a trivia game, put on as a fundraiser for the Quetzaltrekers.

 

On Tuesday we bade our final farewells to Leon, as we wrapped up our final day of Spanish school and said goodbye to our final homestay families.  We went to a museum of a famous poet as well as a little art gallery.  Then we packed it in for an early night, in preparation for our early morning departure Wednesday.

 

Wednesday was a travel day and we ventured across the border, entering Costa Rica from Nicaragua.  It was a long process to cross the border but we are officially in Costa Rica, and officially have 2 new stamps in our passports.

 

We finally made it to the turtle sight in time for a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner of chicken, string beans, and mashed potatos to accompany or regular rice and beans.  We all have so much to be thankful for – we have had so many amazing experiences in these past two months and seen natural beauties beyond belief.

Lots of Love from the CAM Maya Students,

Robin Berk

Ps. Shoutout to the Berk parentals – I´m alive!