THE BUS

Back in the old days when I rode the MTC around Minneapolis, my view was never like this. But here it is--what I look at as I wait at the bus stop near the truck full of pineapples being sold to passersby.

To get to ICLC, I walk to the corner (5-10 minutes) and get on the Dolce Nombre bus—that’s “sweet number” in English. And sweet it is. It’s a lumbering old Blue Bird school bus painted white with a couple of hot pink stripes around it. I can tell when it is coming because its squeaky brakes announce it.

I ride for 10 minutes or so to the main intersection with the road into Alajuela. There I transfer to the bus that will take me away from the city to the small town of Carrillos near where ICLC is. If I get to the corner by 7:15, I can take the one bus that goes all the way to ICLC. If I go a little later, I get off the bus in Carrillos and take a 5 minute taxi ride the rest of the way. All this public transportation costs me about $2.75—25¢ or 50¢ for the bus, $2 for the taxi. And the bus drivers make change!

That may sound like a pretty complicated path to work. It seemed that way at first, but now I hardly think about it. Most days it’s 45-60 minutes from when I leave home until I arrive at ICLC. Yesterday I hit the timing just right and was there in slightly over 30 minutes. Fast or slow, I enjoy the scenery and watching the people. And I am glad not to be commuting by bike as many do on these busy, narrow roads.

One of the drivers on the Dolce Nombre recognizes Marie and me, so we get an extra-friendly hello and know that he will remember our stop. We also have begun to recognize other regular riders—like one of the security guards at Marie’s school and a couple of people who live on our road. By the time we leave, we will feel like locals.

WEEKEND #2

Here's our new role model showing us what to do at the beach.

These little white-faced, capuchin monkeys hang out near one of the beaches in the park. They put on a show for the tourists but can also get into mischief. Between them and the raccoons, beach-goers better watch their food and bags. It can be pretty entertaining to watch.

WEEKEND #2

Joyce and Ruth took a guided tour of the park and saw a bunch of sloths. This is a juvenile female having a little morning snooze.

The guide had a telescope that we could look with and take pictures with. We also saw green tree frogs, monkeys, herons, land crabs, cicadas, and much more.

WEEKEND #2

The beach on the Pacific coast at Manuel Antonio National Park. It was about a three hour bus ride to get here, but it was well worth it. With several beaches to choose from, we spent a day just exploring them and taking in the scenery.

WEEKEND #1

Three babes on the beach at Punta Leona—Ruth and Marie, of course, with Joyce, the other instructor traveling with us.

WEEKEND #1

On the way to the beach, we stopped by the Tarcoles River for a cruise to see birds and crocodiles. In the picture you may notice a shadow—that’s the boat driver in the water with this big old croc. The croc appeared to be waiting for the chicken the driver is about to serve.

WEEKEND #1

We headed out of Alajuela toward the Pacific coast, by way of this lovley view over the valley--and many more views over many more valleys. Notice that it is a mixture of green and brown because it is the dry season. We have been here a month and have not had any rain. By our standards, things are still pretty darn green.

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The Institute of Culture and Language, Costa Rica (ICLC) is the school where the Minnesota students are taking Spanish and two other classes (including my World Literature class). It is set on a lovely hillside campus in the countryside. Most of the classrooms and meeting areas are outdoors—small gazebos and patios with a table and some chairs, like the one in the picture. The indoor facilities include a reception/office building, a cafeteria/library/ office building, and a computer lab/indoor auditorium, plus the baño (you know, the bathroom).

The staff at ICLC is wonderful. Everyone has been helpful in getting us oriented to the school and the city. Marie met them on the first days we were here, and they keep asking about her and her school experience. They are pleased that she is here to learn more Spanish, and so that I am not all alone, as one of them said. I am pleased, too.

Even though I am not taking the Spanish classes, they help me learn a few new words each day I am there. While some of them speak English, some don't so we have interesting conversations with gestures and actions. I have lots of words but not much for sentences (you know, all those verbs and conjugations slow me down). Many times I wish for better Spanish so I could get to know more people here.

The students, however, are expanding their language all the time. They take intensive Spanish classes, from eight to noon Monday through Friday. They also live with Costa Rican families so are immersed in the culture and required to get along in Spanish. They seem to be learning lots and having a good time. My class meets one afternoon a week for three hours; this week we finished a book by an African author and next week we start one set in China. It’s quite a multi-cultural term for us all.

You notice that I have not posted a picture of me in my uniform for you--no uniform : ) Well, except for the same old shorts and t-shirts that I wear everyday. The other school picture I might include would be pretty boring--me on my computer. That's because I am working away on the online classes I am taking. I am learning lots in those, too. I try to squeeze that work into the time when Marie is at school to leave us time for walks or errands in the afternoons. Then we do homework together at night. And travel on the weekends. But those stories are for another blog.

If you want to see me ICLC pictures, go to

http://www.iclc.ws/

School is going quite well. I’m starting to catch on more to what is going on and my Spanish listening skills are improving. The school day starts at 7:30 and ends at 3:15 Monday thru Thursday and on Fridays we get out at 1. I have 8 different classes but they don’t all meet every day. They are: math, civics, social studies, English, Spanish, gym, religion, and biology. We have a rotating schedule which I think is kind of nice because it makes each day a little different. All the classes are taught in Spanish except English, but luckily the teachers and a couple students know enough English to help me if I’m totally confused. On Fridays we have a special activity from 12 to 1. We could choose art, music, dance, or soccer. What a surprise I chose dance! Here I am in 11th grade which is the last year of school, so I’m a senior. It’s kind of cool because we get to wear different uniforms than the rest of the students, and they are slightly cuter. There are only 13 other kids in my class, but they are all really nice and make a point to include me. Last Friday I went with a couple of them to a pool after school. There is one other exchange student in my class. Her name is Marte and she is from Norway. She has been a big help to me. Over all I’m having a really good experience!

Here's a shot of the pool at our apartment--it's one of Marie's favorite after-school spots. The temperature is usually in the 80's and the sun is hot, so a cool dip feels good. These apartments are called Apartamentos Palma Real. It's a small group of one-story buildings with a total of sixteen apartments. Each one has a front door off a covered walkway and a back door to a little patio. The neighbors are from all over (Costa Rica, the US, Europe) and are friendly and helpful. It's a five-minute walk up the road to Marie's school and another five minutes past that to the bus stop. Lots of trees and flowering bushes make it green and pretty.

This will give you a little bit of an idea of what the farmers' market looks like--amazing!

Each Friday afternoon and Saturday morning in Alajuela (and in many other towns around Costa Rica) the feria del agricultor, farmers’ market, takes place. Held on the edge of downtown, people come from all over to sell and buy fruits, vegetables, meat, cheese, baked goods, and miscellaneous wares. A roof covers the open-air market, sparing us all the hot sun. The area under the roof is expansive—maybe as large as half a football field.

Vendors are arranged in several rows. On one side are the stalls with t-shirts and watches, trinkets and homemade aprons. On the other side are the coolers of the cheese makers and butchers (complete with long rolls of sausage that Marie thought looked like fire hoses from across the market). In between are the produce sellers. If you walked the aisles, you would recognize the beautiful strawberries, black berries, pineapples, melons, lettuce, potatoes, onions, carrots. You, like us, might be amazed at the large variety of fruits and vegetables you do not recognize—guanyaba, pejibaye, tamarind, mamones, and many more.

The vendors are generous with samples; we tried to guess first—will it be sweet or tart or bitter? It was sort of odd to not know but interesting to taste so many new flavors. A few stands sold snacks like the delicious churros we bought to share (no sharing next time—we all want our own).

We did not see more than a handful of other non-Costa Ricans there, and we did not find many vendors who spoke much English. Yet we managed to fill our bag. Quite a delightful experience—a sensory binge we will return to soon.