The best day ever!

Wow! I just have to say that I have the best host mom on the face of the planet. She knows that I like cattle and everything agriculture. She likes to take little day trips to see things with her daughter and grandson, so she took me along. But, she decided to take me to a small university that specializes in livestock. She is a sweet-talker, and got us into the school, and asked enough questions until she finally found someone to give us a short little tour. She then traded contact info with him, and he invited us to a rodeo that they will have sometime this spring. Before it was all said and done, I walked away with two magazines that the university publishes and a calendar! Check out the pics below for an overview of the day!

Last weekend on our trip to the volcano we saw a lot of coffee plants. Today, since we were in a hotter climate (probably close to 90 degrees), we saw sugar cane.

Buena Vista (Good view) - One of sugar cane, the other of coffee and these cool trees with orange flowers.

One of the Jersey cows they have there. They have a small dairy herd. Obvious highlight of my day!

Picnic at the university with

Mom Mabel on the right, her

daughter Rebekah on the left,

and grandson Alejandro center.

We wrapped it up at a big festival about an hour from home. I found this treat and had to have it. Pineapple with pineapple and banana in the bottom, ice cream on top. It was as glorious as it looks.

Class field trip to San Jose tomorrow...check back to see what adventures arise!

Pura Vida,

Billy

Commence Week #2

Wow, have I already started my second week?

Didn't do anything exciting yesterday. Played frisbee with a couple of the guys. Also went to a Baptist church, because it is the only protestant church I can find. Two problems arose.

1. The service lasted for TWO WHOLE HOURS!

2. I understood NOT ONE WORD that the preacher said in those two whole hours. And he preached for easily more than an 1.5 hours. Ugh. Maybe I will keep searching.

Today, attended my favorite part of the week, dance class! We are learning the Meringue and ChaChaCha. Harder than it sounds, folks! I continue to receive compliments from several of the girls that I am the best dancer in the class, and the teacher likes to use me to demonstrate what we should be doing! Strange, I know. Cooking class tomorrow.

Below is a picture of a bird's eye view from my bedroom window looking into the backyard. I plan on using the hammock to my advantage quite a bit this spring!

Pura Vida,

Billy

He visto Volcan Poas. I have visited Poas Volcano!

Today was a great day! Check out the photos below for a description.

Got to visit a coffee processing company. Would have been awesome if I liked coffee!

Ate lunch on our way to the mountains. Very typical Costa Rican food. The pineapple shake may be the best thing I have ever tasted! Fried plantains also rank high on the list.

Saw several dairies on the way up the mountain. I got very excited, but as the only ag student in the group, my enthusiasm for dairy cows was not shared with anyone else. I just got stared at when I yelled "dairy cows!" Might have to tone it down a notch.

Went to a volcano at the top of a mountain...about 8,000 in altitude. Couldn't see the crater because of the clouds, but the extinct volcano just next to it makes a great lake now! Finally got to see some jungle around the volcano. I was sure to keep watch for the poison dart frogs! Nobody else seemed to be as concerned...

Excited to explore the rest of the country in the coming weeks. It is likely that next weekend will be spent on the beach.

Pura Vida!

Billy

Hace mucho calor! It is HOT!

Wow, the stereotypical Costa Rican weather definately kicked in today! It was probably close to 80 degrees, but it felt great to wear shorts and flip flops. Went to class this morning. I ate a sandwich at a local coffee shop...totally didn't understand anything the cashier said, but I did learn some new words. Walked home from campus today with my friend, Andy. It was probably 45 minutes, but a good break from just using the buses. Went to the gym today to exercise (I got a membership to a gym, because I am not going to run here...will twist an ankle or get run over. Neither sound fun.)

Fun Costa Rica fact:

People go to bed about 8:30 or 9:00 a.m., and wake up about 5:30 or 6:00am. Needless to say, as American students we are having a tough adjustment. But, it is light at 6, so that helps.

Below I have included a couple photos. The first is the view from the soccer field across the street from my house. The second is the mountain that I see out of my window every morning, provided it isn't cloudy.

Pura Vida!

Billy

Hola a todos! Hello to everyone!

Pretty slow day today. Didn't have class, so I worked on homework this morning. Ate lunch, went on a walk, laid in the hammock. Tough life, I know. This afternoon I went to a 'salon de futbol' or a place where there are three soccer fields about the size of a basketball court each, and played soccer. I don't like soccer, but I am trying to integrate into the culture I guess. Came back, ate dinner, and talked in Spanish with my Tica (tica or tico is the word for a Costa Rican) mom for an hour or more.

Strange things about Costa Rica:

-There are dogs everywhere. They wander around, and nobody seems to mind. One was chasing cars in an intersection today, but I'm sure that won't last too much longer.

-Speaking of vehicles, getting within 50 feet of any sort of road is taking your life into your own hands. These people are laid back until they get in their car. Then all hell breaks loose.

-It is windier than Kansas. Go figure.

-I had to wear a jacket all week because the cold front that effected the U.S. last week reached down here.

Here is a pic of a typical building on campus. The buildings are open to the outside. Here, you can see classrooms on the exterior of the building, with plants in the center and a giant sun roof big enough to allow rain in. When it is the perfect temperature all year, you don't need to enclose buildings!

Pura Vida!

Billy

Hola!

I made it to Costa Rica. I finally got my computer to work with the internet here! We should be up and running now. I am living with a lady named Mabel. Her daughter is 22 years old, and sometimes stays here when she is not in her own apartment. We attend the same university!

After they picked me up in the afternoon, we had a nice afternoon in the house getting settled and drinking tea. We then went to the market and bought fruit and vegetables…the best fruit ever (and they drink a lot of fresh fruit juice!). After we left, I began having an allergic reaction to something. My hands and eyes got red and itchy, which made me start to freak out. We went to the pharmacy and got some Allergra, which made me better.

Saturday, we had orientation at the school all day. Had my first public bus ride (about 20 cents for a 10 minute ride!).

Sunday, my host ‘Mom,’ her other daughter and her 4 year old grandson took me on a tour of Costa Rica. We went to see her mother at the nursing home quickly, and then on to San Jose, the capital. We didn’t do anything to exciting except walk around. We came back and went to a café and had coffee and cake.

Classes started yesterday. I don't have any on Wednesday, and otherwise I have classes in the morning. There are three times as many girls in our dance class, which works out well for me. Somehow I got the reputation of being a good dancer...guess I am better at Latin dances than American dances!

Pictures to follow!

Perhaps I'm a bit hasty?
So what if I got a little carried away with getting ready for the beach?

Whew...I think I am finally packed! I leave for Kansas City airport tomorrow about 10:30 a.m., barring no plane delays or our road drifting shut due to snow storm #59 during this dreadful winter. Could I have picked a better time to go to Costa Rica? I will arrive in Houston and spend the night tomorrow, before then leaving for Costa Rica from Houston on Friday! As for now, I am beginning to feel a mixed bag of emotions. Excitement for the adventure. Nervousness for not being able to speak fluidly, not knowing my host family, and being somewhere completely different than what i am used to. Add that I don't know anybody and my stomach starts churning. Finally, I feel scared as I begin wondering 'why the heck am I doing this?' I guess it is all part of the experience!

I hope to be up and blogging as soon as possible with pictures and info about everything I am seeing and learning. For now, I leave you with a photo that will soon be a distant memory for me. It is of this year's Christmas tree in it's new location following an ice fishing escapade by Dad and I. Yes, it is in the middle of the pond, and if it ever thaws, it will slowly sink through the ice. Great fun!

Pura Vida,

William E. Brown, a.k.a Billy Brown