Arenal

Right now, I'm in a town called La Fortuna, which is at the base of a volcano called Arenal. We're on a three day weekend, and I'm traveling with three of my classmates. Yesterday, we rented a car and drove up here (about a 5 hour drive). We spent some time doing a rainforest flora/fauna tour (very hands on with frogs, snakes, lizards, butterflies, etc) and then enjoyed a night at the Hot Springs. AAHHHH......mucho, uh, relaxation-o (apparently I need much more schooling in the Spanish).
Anyway, the town is really cool, so I'm not sure if we will leave tomorrow or today. When we do leave, we are going to travel down to Monteverde for more rainforest exploration (canopy tours, ziplines, etc).

It's Sunday AM right now. This AM, got up earlier than my friends and headed out to the ATM. While walking, I heard this music that I figured was most likely coming from some local band. To my surprise, I found that it was coming from this open-sided building off in a field.....a church! HMMM.....this looks interesting. Long story short--I ended up attending a church service that was absolutely amazing. I don't really have time to go into all the details, but I was completely blown away by the "presence of God" felt in that place. Yea, I don't really know any other way to explain it. Very emotional...very powerful. Really.....amazing.
So my trip to the bank ended up being a trip to church. It was a nice change, being that sometimes it feels like the other way around.

Better head back to the cabina to see what everyone wants to do today.
Hasta.

The Crime of the Century

So yesterday, I arrived home (Casa El Mar) to a very angry Norwiegien (sp?) He informed me that while everyone was gone in the afternoon, someone had broken into the house and stolen his things.....ipod with speakers, new laptop, camera, cash, etc. Well, that sounded like a problem. Of course, it became MORE of a problem when I realized that I was also missing an iPod, camera, and sunglasses.
Yea, apparently someone had broken into the room and made off with a bunch of electronics. Bummer.....the GOOD news is that they didn't take my passport. Also, even though they had gone through my clothes (strewn about) and suitcase (clothes/things also strewn about), they had not taken an envelope with cash that was in the bottom of the suitcase. Did they NOT realize that a bank envelope might contain cash? My wallet, with my credit cards, more cash, ID, etc., was with me, thankfully.
Anyway, the police came out and filled out a report etc., but there really isn't anything anyone can do at this point.
So I suppose that's the way it goes. Que Sera Sera!
Actually, I'm finding myself with little concern for this event. I had NO pictures on the camera, the music on the iPod is all on my computer, and the sunglasses are certainly easy to replace. So in reality, the fact that the "rich american" has to spend a few bucks isn't a problem. Who knows, maybe my homeowners insurance will even kick in a few bucks. AND...I now have an excuse to update the iPod when I get back!!!!
Do I feel violated? Am I a victim? Naaaa.... Right now, I'm just a gringo having a great time South of the Border.

PURA VIDA!!!

The Real World....Tamarindo

Hola de Tamarindo.
Well, I have now completed four days of class, so the first week is almost over. All remains well here in CR and today is sunny and warm (mid 90's).
I have a few minutes, so I thought I would write a bit about "student life" at the school. Most of the students are from America or Switzerland (with a few from England or Australia)and are generally around that "just out of college" age. I am living in one of the student houses, and there are six of us in three bedrooms. My roomate is a guy from Norway who speaks an untold number of languages (including Spanish, if you ask me). Of course, he speaks perfect English as well and is a pretty nice guy. There are the two Aspenites from Colorado, a guy from Nebraska, and another girl from Kentucky. All in all, it's a great group of people. I DO feel like I'm in an episode of THE REAL WORLD at times with the usual "shananignas", but it's a good time. In fact, it's sort of a mix between MTV reality and college life. Of course, there are other students that are coming by/hanging out etc., so it's a good central place to live FOR NOW.
THE PROBLEM though is that I'm not really learning a whole lot of Spanish outside of class. Like I said, it's a great time hanging with the people, but we are all speaking English outside of class. There IS a change on the horizon.......more on that later.
Still no time to surf or buy a board, but I did end my jog last night with a dip in the ocean. Wow....pretty amazing. The sun was setting, the water was extremely warm, and the surf was perfect for a bit of wave-frolicking. I think I'll have to do a repeat tonight.

That's it for now.
I'm heading across the street to the bakery.
WORD!

Hour 48 and counting

Well, I have just the 48 hour mark, and all is well in Tamarindo. Today was DAY 2 of class and certainly less overwheling than day 1. Of course, I still didn't understand all of what was said, but it was certainly better than yesterday. In fact, I was actually able to understand the Spanish spoken by the other gringo in my class. The Costa Rican and the Swiss girl? Well, that's another story.
Anyway, the sleep was much better last night, and for those of you who asked, I actually DID bring earplugs. I just have to find them...........
Enjoyed watching the monkeys swinging from the trees tonight. I'm hoping they don't decide to use me for target practice as I walk innocently below. Perhaps I should carry a few rocks in my pocket (ammo...you know, just in case).
I think it's back to Casa El Mar to do a bit of studying. I just left the "Witches Rock" where I enjoyed the "Nachos As Big As Your #$%" (or so it says on the large sign at the entrance). Hung out with some roommates and a couple of "aussis" that are heading out in the morning.
That's about it from here.
Jason

The adventure begins

Hola from Costa Rica!!!!!
Well, I just left the ol' Taco Stop (wait, isn't that Mexican?), and after a pretty good and relatively inexpensive burrito vegetariano, I figured I would try to get in a quick update on the new blog. Right now, I'm sitting at the local internet cafe, and I think I just paid 10,000 colones (currency of Costa Rica) for a 10 hour block of internet time. Of course, it's certainly possible that I paid 10,ooo dollars for that block, but, hey, I'm all for supporting the local economy, right? My bank may differ....but I digress.


After a long day of flying, I finally arrived last night at the Liberia airport. In fact, after flying through the great...uh...large...state of Texas, I actually felt like I was in TWO foreign countries yesterday.
Anyway, like I said, I finally arrived. To my surprise, Juan (or a guy that certainly COULD be named Juan) from Juan's shuttle service actually met me at the airport. In fact, I must say that it was the first time I have ever been met at the airport with a guy carrying a "Jason Jones" sign. NO red carpet, but I felt like quite the VIP.
Anyway, after a brief wander through the dark streets of Tamarindo, I thankfully rang the bell at the correct gate. Once again, I was met by someone who actually knew my name. Wow, in the words of Yakov Smirnoff....eye luv dis cantri!!!!
I'm staying at one of the student houses here for the school. It's called Casa El Mar (the ocean house), and it is certainly near the beach. Well, I suppose I DO have to walk a good minute or so before I hit the sand.....but who's complaining. A couple of my housemates (more on them later) gave me a quick tour of the town, and then we hung out with a bunch of people from the school (again, more on the people later).
Today, after doing a self tour in the daylight and getting my feet wet (literally...in the ocean) I had my first day of class. The good news was that due to my good score on the placement test, they moved me to a relatively advanced (or at least intermediate) class. The bad news? I was definitely feeling like I should be standing in the corner while wearing the dunce hat (or should I say el dunco sombrero). But, hey, it was only the first day, right?
After class, a bunch of students headed down to another beach and played volleyball/soccer. The sunset was great, but I had to enjoy the sand while catching up on the class I had just missed (mentally). AHHHH....it's good to be back in school.
So that's about it for now. I'm feeling pretty tired. Due to the live music outside my window, the 90 degree heat/humidity, squealing ceiling fan, and roommate (no, he wasn't squealing....just tossing and turning frequently), I didn't get much sleep last night.

Peace out from Tamarindo! I'll try to update again soon.

Yason

Heading South

OK, so the picture doesn't look exactly like Costa Rica. And how did Wrigley get there? HMMMMM.......Anyway, I've set up this blog to document the next month in Costa Rica. I'm heading south with the goal of improving my Spanish. A bit of sun....surf....relaxation....education?
We'll see how it goes.

Enjoy the Blog.