Costa Rica with Ray

Name: Ray Jackson

Program: Valpo Study Center in Costa Rica

Location: Heredia and Limon, Costa Rica

Excursion to Limon, Costa Rica

Heading out to Limon

On Fridays I don’t have my evening marketing class; I only have my Spanish class in the morning. So right after I got out of Spanish class, I began my journey to the Caribbean coast. Everyone in my program met up before we left, so I had the opportunity to meet everyone. The other students in my program were doing internships only, so I never got to meet any of them at the University. I also had the pleasure of meeting a lot of people from the praxis center and their families.

We spent a couple of hours on the road driving to Limon, and when we arrived, we had a place for all of us to stay for two nights. It had an outdoor kitchen and pool included. There were only a few bedrooms though, so we shared with one another. 

Eating out in Limon

I was quite tired after the car ride because it was starting to get dark, so I was ready to relax. But not long after we arrived, I heard that we were going dancing that night after dinner, and all my energy came back to me. So, soon after we arrived, we left to have dinner at a nearby restaurant.

My time at the restaurant may have been one of the first culture shock experience for me because when I say that food took FOR👏-E👏-VER to come, you better believe it. We sat there waiting at that table for so long that I almost went back in that kitchen and cooked the food myself. I learned later that in Limon, people are generally, more relaxed and easier going, so the workers there were likely just taking their time. I think it’s cool that they have a more relaxed atmosphere in Limon. But next time I’m making my own food😅.

We didn’t feel like dancing after spending so much time in that restaurant, so most of us just relaxed in the pool back where we were staying. However, I’m an early bird, and I didn’t want to mess up my hair. So, for me, it was time to hit the hay.

Playa Negra

As the early bird that I am, I woke up pretty early the next morning, and so did one of my companions from my program. He had the spontaneous idea of walking to a nearby beach before anyone else woke up for breakfast, and while at first, I was hesitant, I could resist the temptation.

The first thing I noticed when we got there is that the sand is a dark gray color. I later learned that the land’s volcanic nature gives the sand its dark color which is why they call this beach “Playa Negra” which is “Black Beach” in Spanish. My companion wasted no time going far into the water, so I couldn’t help but to get in myself. This water is very different from what I’m used to. It was green, and the temperature was warm and comfortable. The water was salty, and after every wave, bubbling seafoam slowly sizzled away. Too bad for my hair but getting a chance to experience that water was definitely worth it.

 

 

Flora y Fauna

After everyone else got up and ate breakfast, we went on a nature tour in Cahuita. Our super smart tour guide Fernando gave us a great look at the plants and animals of the area. We saw monkeys, sloths, frogs, birds, crocodiles, and more. We really learned a lot. And after the tour, Fernando led us to another beach where we could swim and relax for a bit.

Later on, we went to “la finca”, which I would describe as being a little farm property where we got to see some of the agriculture. Our lovely guide, who lives and works there, showed us the different fruits and vegetables that they cultivate, and we even got to have a taste of a lot of their fruits. We learned a lot about their traditional agricultural practices. Additionally, the family who lives there is a part of an indigenous American tribe called Bribri, so we had the opportunity to learn about the history and beliefs that stand out in that community. The family even prepared a beautiful meal for us using the plants that they grew themselves and the techniques from their tradition.

 

Going out to Dance

That night we finally went out dancing. It was very late in the night, but I still had enough energy to dance. We first went to a place that had access to the beach, so we were able to dance both in the building and by the water. When we got there no one was dancing, but we made sure to get the party started. We all had a blast dancing with each other and meeting new people.

We eventually left that place and went out salsa dancing in the middle of the street. It was just me and the people from my program, but luckily everybody already knew what to do. Then after that, we went to another dance party which was also a lot of fun. But it was already probably around one or two in the morning, so we eventually burned ourselves out. Well… at least I did. So, we left to go back to where we were staying the night. Most of the others still had the energy to go back in the pool at three o’ clock in the morning, but you already know what I was doing: I went right to sleep.

The next day we all packed our stuff and left to go back to Heredia to our host families. This excursion was really fulfilling to me because we had the chance to learn new things and spend quality time together. I couldn’t wait to spend more time with everyone, but at the same time, I needed to take this next week easy. The second week definitely came with its challenges, so I’ll make sure to talk about how we got through it all together. Pura Vida!