Puriscal, Costa Rica Travel Blogs

Footballs, Rockers and the American Way
Apr 23, 2008 (16 photos)

... evidence below. Class was also interesting, because I learned some random bits of information about significant cultural differences between Costa Rica and the U.S. that I am fairly certain I would not have otherwise known.  For example, I learned ...

On the Road: The Pan-American Highway
Apr 13, 2008 (4 photos)

... of the fruit or coffee plantations) and an ambulance stuck in traffic.  I really hope that I never end up in an ambulance in Costa Rica--I really have to believe the odds are not in your favor.  At any rate, with only one wrong turn as I headed ...

Junquillo Abajo
Sep 16, 2008

My folks once related a friend-of-a-friend story about some people who came to visit from the former Soviet Union, and couldn't believe what they saw in the American grocery stores. The shelves were so well-stocked with such a wide variety of quality ...

Saprissa Defeated!!
May 1, 2008

... got drenched on my way home from the library during the torrential afternoon downpour that is characteristic of the wet season in Costa Rica.  In the evening, the remaining volunteers and I popped some microwave popcorn and rented a movie for girls' ...

El Primer Dia en Puriscal
Apr 14, 2008 (5 photos)

Our first day in Puriscal was pretty long.  After breakfast, we had an all-day orientation session during which we learned about the program, our volunteer assigments and the rules of living in Costa Rican culture.  Afterwards, we went on a ...

Disorientation
Sep 1, 2008 (11 photos)

I didn't get much of a chance to write about our accommodations yesterday afternoon, and while it might be better to postpone this entry until after orientation this morning, I had an hour to kill and was worried that after the staff got here, I wouldn't. ...

La Escuela y la Paz
Sep 17, 2008 (8 photos)

... and strip our own citizens of our most sacred rights, all in the name of protecting us from those unstable foreign governments.   Costa Rica lacks some things I enjoy in my home country. Many of the roads are unpaved or in poor repair. Drinking tap ...

Otras Diferencias
Oct 2, 2008 (10 photos)

... in the rubble.   People are friendly. This probably has more to do with being a small town than with being in Costa Rica, but I'll take it. Women carry their babies and toddlers; I've seen maybe one stroller. Girls usually get their ears pierced ...

La Clinica
Sep 26, 2008

Although I'm not suffering unduly, my symptoms from Monday still have not subsided, so I finally decided to seek medical attention. Neither of the doctors CCS usually takes their volunteers to was available today, so Xinia took me to the local urgent care ...

Preparing to Leave
May 8, 2008 (12 photos)

Yesterday I began the slow and sad process of preparing to leave Costa Rica.  I packed a suitcase, lamented about how many souvenirs I bought (I kept forgetting that I had already bought someone something and accidentally bought repeat gifts for some ...

Differences and Similarities
Apr 30, 2008

... time four people got cake/cupcakes and a soda for just over $5.00) is considered to be one of the most expensive bakeries in Puriscal.  Being here has reminded me that we have so much in the States, and we just don't realize or understand that fact.& ...

Mis Cumpleanos
Sep 10, 2008

Since the unmentionable debauchery of my twenty-first, my birthdays have passed without much fanfare. That's just as well with me. With every passing year, I've grown increasingly dissatisfied with how little I've accomplished, and I'd just as soon not ...

Chicago Has a Soccer Team?
Apr 17, 2008 (10 photos)

... Central America was the home of animals as exotic as raccoons and possums??? I was also pleasantly surprised that someone from Costa Rica stumbled across my blog and posted a very nice comment--although I had not expected anyone other than friends or ...

Mi Ultimo Dia
Oct 3, 2008 (3 photos)

I taught the kids how to play the game described in Tuesday's entry, and gave Stephanie the cardboard clock I made. I should have taken a picture; it came out better than I'd expected.   The kids loved the game, although it took them a while to ...

Last Day
May 10, 2008

... who shall remain nameless.  After chastising myself for convincing myself that I had to try guaro on my last night in Costa Rica, I swilled down an enormous cup of coffee, skipped breakfast and headed to class feeling more than a bit haggard.  ...

Habran Pasando Malos Ratos Tratando de Aprender
Sep 12, 2008

Alli and I spent the day with Bishnu's class again. The teacher was thrilled to have three native speakers for conversation groups, and I felt we made progress. I also enjoyed myself tremendously.   One of the students asked me to come back after ...

First Day of Class
Apr 16, 2008

... is only about 10 minutes long), who still had to face an afternoon with the class. After five days here in Puriscal and two weeks in Costa Rica I find miss three things: (1) hot showers; (2) consistently running water (the last two days we have not had ...

If You're Going to San Antonio, I mean San Jose...
Apr 18, 2008 (1 photos)

... .  In any event, we had a fabulous dinner, but then barely made it back in time to catch the last bus back to Puriscal, which was supposed to leave at 10:00.  Lucky for us, our taxi driver was up for the challenge and gleefully hurdled his ...

Una Cultura Diferente
Sep 9, 2008

... ; Each of us had prepared a Powerpoint presentation, per the teacher's request, Alli on natural disasters and I on the four seasons. (Costa Rica only really has two seasons, "wet" and "dry," so I made a slideshow with facts and photos about what Spring, ...

Dia de Independencia
Sep 15, 2008

... level of violence involved in the birth of a nation, and the level of jingoism exhibited on its national holidays.   Costa Rica, along with the rest of Central America, gained independence from Spain in 1821 without the need for bloodshed. Costa ...

Labor Day
May 2, 2008

... to head to Puerto Viejo on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica this weekend.  Unlike the Pacific coast and central Costa Rica, the Caribbean side has a large Jamaican population and a distinctly Caribbean culture.  My sense is that the relations ...

Escoger un Diario Publico
Sep 18, 2008

... it at least sporadically (along with at least one fellow volunteer's parents). I have also heard from one complete stranger here in Costa Rica who stumbled upon my blog while surfing for distractions at work. It was lovely to hear from her, but it was ...

Volando entre los arboles
Sep 7, 2008 (4 photos)

Zip lining   The weather gods were smiling on us again today. It was sunny and warm and beautiful until the very moment Gustav dropped us off at the Home Base; then it started to sprinkle. As I type this, a few minutes later, it's pouring like the ...

La Musica y La Granja
Oct 2, 2008 (13 photos)

... anti-war protest songs could make to a group of kids whose grandparents might not even remember when there was an army in Costa Rica. "Child's Song" could also potentially cause a bit of disconnect, I realized as I tried to give a summarized translation of ...

Pensando en Espanol
Sep 25, 2008

Somewhere along the line, I started thinking in Spanish. My thoughts are always very verbal; it's like I have an ongoing conversation with myself in my head. Now those thoughts are at least in Spanglish: Spanish grammar and phrasing with the occasional ...

The Pizza Poisoning Incident
Apr 29, 2008 (10 photos)

... we had missed dinner here.  Accordingly, we ordered a pizza--merely ordering the pizza is an adventure itself, especially because Costa Rica does not have addresses.  For example, the formal address for our homebase is "300 meters from the New ...

Que Lindo!
Sep 24, 2008 (18 photos)

... If she keeps licking me and looking at me with those soft black eyes, I might even get roped into helping bathe her.    Puriscal has quite a few stray dogs, though not quite as many as I saw in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. It's not always easy to ...

La Gente Nueva
Sep 23, 2008

The Canadians left last Friday, and a crop of five new volunteers arrived Sunday, bringing our number back to the original ten. This time there's one guy, which will make for an interesting dynamic. But Brian seems like the kind of dude who can handle it. ...

Finalmente, estudiantes!
Sep 5, 2008

... our progress and our feelings about the program, then a guest speaker to tell us about the history and geography of Costa Rica, then a cooking class (rollitos with local cheese!), then a Latin dance class after dinner. The teacher and I chatted ...

First day on the job
Sep 3, 2008 (6 photos)

Tricia and I got into a political discussion last night that promptly scared off everyone else within earshot. Neither of us thought it got heated or unpleasant, but then, I have the social graces of a baboon going through smack withdrawal, so maybe I ...