Just another day in San Jose

Museo Nacional

As I finish up my last days here (I fly home tomorrow) I am slowly seeing more and more of this amazing city. Sure its dirty by my standards but its really neat! Yesterday I went downtown to the Museo Nacional. The taxi had to drop us off a couple blocks up because the streets were closed for a protest. We walked head on into a protest of the indigenous people. It was very peaceful but amazing to watch. They were protesting for their rights to practice and protect their heritage. The people here (indigenous and non-indigenous) keep many elements of the indigenous culture alive. Many Costa Ricans have indigenous and Spanish blood and celebrate both cultures. Very different from back at home where we've all but eradicated Native American culture.

Smoothies (the one on the R is mine!)

The national museum is really neat. It is an old fort built in 1917 and was used to house the military. Bullet holes splatter the exterior walls from the Civil War of 1948. This Civil War greatly shaped this country. Lasting for 44 days, the rebel army overthrew the current president and legislature. They constructed a new Constitution outlining Costa Rican's Rights and abolished the army. In 1950 the Costa Rican government turned the fort into a museum. Inside the museum we found a butterfly garden, history of the fort, indigenous history and much more. I learned a lot about the first people to live in Costa Rica and how that culture has transformed today.

Walking the streets back to school we came across one of the thousands of smoothie shops that dot San Jose. These places are amazing, you watch them cut the fruit up right in front of you and its far better than any smoothie place in the states. I had Guanabana and Cas in yogurt...yum! It was so good. These are fruits I can't get back in the states and I love them so much!

Campus of Andres' School

This week I also got a chance to see where Andres goes to school. He goes to a private school and it is very different than the public school Indiana goes to. There are lots of gates, security guards, cameras and much more. The primary and secondary schools both have their own gyms and play facilities. It is a Catholic school and the chapel on campus is gorgeous. In a lot of ways this private school reminded me of Concordia's campus. They offer lots of programs to their students and really make the experience worth while. At Indiana's school, where she goes to Kinder, there is one guard, a gate, they say there is a camera but I couldn't find it, and its not very well protected. Her mom told me that drug dealers often stand on the street side of the gate and pass cigarettes, joints and other drugs in to the young students when the teachers aren't looking. The public school system is very corrupt so teachers and administrators often steal money and other resources from the schools. It is a world of a difference. Most people send their students to private school if they have the money and their children can pass the entrance exam. Private schools often prepare students better for University than public schools. In 11th grade (the last grade of Costa Rican school), all students have to take an exam for the University of Costa Rica, if they pass they get in if not they don't, it doesn't matter how much money a person has. Often times students with a lot of money who don't pass this exam will go to private universities in the country, like Veritas, where I studied. Public University is very cheap in Costa Rica. They can go to school for four years for the same price I pay for one year. Its crazy! And because University is so cheap, most families don't mind paying for their child's primary and secondary schools. My host family told me in the US we get free education along the way and pay a lot at the end, in Costa Rica they pay a little the whole way along so its just a little at the end. A very interesting and surprisingly successful system.

The group (minus Kirbs) on my last day in CR. (L to R) Jes, Kas, Me and Hans)

That about wraps up my final adventures in Costa Rica...I am actually home now but there will be one more entry about how I got here.    

Exploring San Jose

Teatro Nacional

Since I arrived in Costa Rica I've spent the majority of my free time traveling to far of beaches and volcanoes of the country. Now as I coast through my last week I find myself with an abundance of free time. The Spanish course I took for 4 hours every morning was done last Friday. This means that I don't have to be to school until 6pm at night. With all this free time I've found myself getting out to explore the city of San Jose.

National Park of Costa Rica

The capitol of Costa Rica is an interesting place full of history, culture and some cool places hidden away. On Monday I found myself sitting at home with nothing to do so when it was time to pick Indiana up from Kinder I asked Claudia if I could come along. This was my first opportunity to see a public school in Costa Rica. Now public schools here are not like public schools at home. They receive insufficient funding and lack the security of private schools here. Kids and teachers need to be extra careful because drug dealers hang around outside the gates and hand drugs in for innocent children to try getting them hooked early. Because its so unsafe most families choose to send their children to private school but in order to get into private school here the students must pass an entrance exam no matter how much money the family has. So the public schools end up having low achieving and poor students. Andres goes to a private school and hopefully I'll get to come with to pick him up later this week. On Monday I also found the coolest little cafe called Musa Confusa 2 blocks away from campus. I never knew it existed and I'm so sad I just found it.

National Cathedral

Tuesday was a day for exploring Downtown. I went with a few people from my night class. We took the public bus for the first time. Imagine this giant school bus painted Blue, Yellow and Orange pulling up on the side of the road. Everyone shuffles on paying 150 colones (about 20 cents) and scoots into these plastic old fashion bus seats (and not school bus seats). We were dropped off a few blocks from out destination, el Teatro Nacional (the national theatre). This theatre was built in 1897 and is a replica of the National Theatre in France. The entire interior was hand painted and is absolutely gorgeous. For me the pinnacle of the Theatre was the Chandelier, hundreds of tiny lights make up this gigantic beacon and it looks so cool when all the lights go out. The afternoon show was a selection of Arias from various Operas. The performers were Costa Rican students trying to get a head start before studying in Europe or the US and hopefully having a career. It was an amazing show, especially since it was only 1000 colones ($2). After the show we stopped by this little cafe for lunch. It was kind of spendy but I had a delicious Montecristo sandwich, two cups of coffee and for dessert Tres Leches (3 milks). This dessert has become very popular in Costa Rica but infact it is a Nicaraguan dessert. My host family is actually originally from Nicaragua, my host mom and all her kids were born there but moved here when the youngest was 3. I think its funny that Costa Ricans love tres leches so much because most Costa Ricans strongly dislike Nicaragua (the two countries have had a tense history). Tres leches is a very sweet cake with a light frosting and the whole thing is doused in milk. It is so good but very rich. I want to learn how to make it.




Later today I am going to the Gold Museum and National Museum. More updates on that later.               

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No its Zach!

Today was a national holiday here in Costa Rica. Over the past week thousands of people from across the country made a pilgrimage to Cartago, the old capitol of Costa Rica. Their the masses gather at a Basilica to celebrate La Negrita, the little black virgin. The main event actually occurred last night as people entered Cartago walking on their knees and into the Basilica. Today is the official holiday and everyone rests and parties after the long night. Although I did not make the walk to Cartago I still had a fantastic holiday.

This morning I woke up at 6am for an exciting adventure. 8 students from Veritas along with 3 adults from Europe piled into a van and drove about two hours to San Luis in Alajuela Province. It was a thrilling day! We began our trek with some easy lines. One has to remember when Zip Lining to keep your knees up. The first few lines were very slow because they were so short. After 4 lines we came to the Tarzan Swing! This thing was amazing. A long rope was ready to carry you over a cliff to look out onto the rainforest. I was a little nervous to do it because everyone before me screamed a ton and said it was scary. It takes two guys to get you ready to go but once they let  you go the feeling is amazing. You feel free as you swing over the trees and get a beautiful view of the valley below.

We continued our tour through many other zip lines. They were all longer than the first few and the crew really tried to make the experience fun. On one line they employees would shake the rope while you were riding across which turned out to be a cool bumpy ride. Finally, we came to the Big Daddy of the canopy tour, the Superman! This was like all the other lines expect for two things, first it was the highest and longest of all the lines and second you were strapped into a sack on your stomach so you could "fly" like superman. It was really neat! The view was absolutely gorgeous! Today was such a neat experience and I know I will go again someday.