While I have endless memories from EARTH, my blog would be incomplete if I didn’t talk about the equally beautiful and chaotic memories made outside of EARTH – always racing to catch the bus, partying like a Bananero (Banana worker), hiking up mountains and sliding down waterfalls (las cascatas), cozying up by the fire, picnic lunches surrounded by dogs, and more.
In order to find a start, I will recall my last few weekends in chronological order, starting with my first trip to Guapilandia (Guápiles) for Fhernando’s birthday lunch and the Bananera (fiesta!!).
Weekend 6:
It was Saturday, aka. Work-experience day, but today, the end of work experience meant party time (and only 30 minutes to eat lunch, shower, and get ready before the bus came). Only four of us made it to the bus stop in time (Tati fell asleep – mood), and just like that, we were bound for Guápiles, the first city I saw since the airport. We turned onto a bustling street of food trucks, fruit stands, and shops of clothing, chicken, and basically everything imaginable, besides Wifi. When we finally pulled into a shop with internet, we booked an Uber to an adorable, tucked-away restaurant for food, smoothies (batidos), and pictures with this cute, chubby corgi who decided to follow us around. By the time we had finished, the sun was beginning to set, so we headed to the central park to relax to live music. When we arrived back at the campus, I had 30 more minutes to eat dinner, shower, and prepare for the Bananera.
(Out and About with Friends - 07/13/24)
My hustle was not sufficient this time around, but luckily, there was a later bus to the venue, filled with disco lights and fresh banana hands. My friends and I, equipped with our bucket hats and tall rubber boots, danced the night away, with me learning the steps song by song. I discovered my love for dancing, or maybe really for the warm people and carefree (despreocupado) environment surrounding me. I woke up with a feeling of belonging and an invitation to hunt for fruit with friends.
(Bananera - 07/13/24)
Weekend 7:
This story begins with another sprint (el esprint) to the bus, except this one left at SIX AM on Saturday. At 5:50 AM, I was walking out of the cafeteria when I saw Steven rushing my way to grab breakfast. He stopped when he reached me, and eyeing my sandals, decided to inform me for the first time that we would be traveling to a cold region in the mountains and that my feet would freeze. I hit my head with my hand and ran to my room to cram as much cold weather gear as I could into my bag. We reunited at roughly 5:58 AM in front of my dorm, and then he decided to tell me the bus would come to the stop at the campus entrance instead of by the dorms. We ZOOMED (pasamos zumbando), backpacks bouncing and all.
We made it! Three hours later, we found ourselves in the capital city of San José, parched (resecos) and full-bladdered but unwilling to pay to use the bathrooms at the bus station. After taking advantage of their free bathrooms and water fountain, we spent our first hour walking through exhibits of Indigenous Mesoamerican jade collections in the Jade Museum.
But we were on a tight schedule – directly after, we sped walk to the city center awaiting Steven’s friend, Jafet, for lunch. Olgita, a lovely, kindhearted woman, also joined us. We had a delicious Costa Rican lunch followed by caramel (el caramelo) crunch cake at Jafet’s recommendation (thank you Jafet, my sweet tooth had been deprived). Then together, we drove to the cabiñita to enjoy the night with friends. An hour later, I awoke to a popping ear and the most breathtaking view of terrace farming and forested mountains as our car resentfully carried us to cloud-level elevation. And then we were there, hobbling out of the car and racing through the cabiñita to admire our view of the valley; the crisp air we were so unfamiliar with; and the fancy, geometric bathroom (looks can be deceiving…). Steven grabbed his drone to film an aerial shot of the luscious landscape.
(Aerial Shot - 07/20/24)
After we settled in, we gathered around the porch to watch a hazy sunset. And then, we cuddled up by the electric fire pit, hugging our blankets close to keep in the warmth as we swayed to the music (everything from Jessie J’s “Bang Bang” to Lesley Gore’s “You Don’t Own Me”) (my kind of music). But there was more… We ate dinner at 10 PM, danced around the kitchen, and ended with a sleepy game of Clue! (my brain was fighting to understand the Spanish game cards). And finally, shower time. Shivering and wrapped in a blanket, I twisted the faucet (la canilla), expecting the most soothing warmth to rain down. Instead, frigid valley water came, shocking my skin and provoking a slight full-body tremble. As soon as I dried off, I layered sweatpants on leggings and hugged myself close as I listened to the next person cackle because the shower gave him hot water.
(Cozy Bonfire - 07/20/24)
And a snap later, I awoke to a new day, snug as a bug underneath my layers of warm comforter (el edredón). We packed our bags for the day, scarfed down fried eggs, and hopped in the car for the race (a 10k obstacle course featuring rope climbing, swimming through freezing water - Steven was finally able to understand how it felt -, running, and more). My new friends and I chose to support Steven as spectators (los espectadores). While he was lifting tree trunks on his back, we were waiting in 30-minute bathroom lines and hunting down food tents. A little over an hour later, I glanced up from my phone, and he was there crossing the final obstacles. I gawked and attempted to film from a distance. When we reached him, he rambled about how much he loved the race and then tipped over, falling onto the concrete steps for a seat. He spaced out as he ate a snack. As soon as he was finished, he was recharged and ready to finish the day with our friends and a lengthy bus ride (nap) back to campus. We arrived at 7 PM (Sunday), in time to start a fresh load of laundry before the school week began.
(Steven´s Intrepid Challenge - 07/21/24)
Weekend 8:
This was my heart-squeezing goodbye to EARTH. I had spent the morning scrambling to pack and blanketing my friends with hugs without fully grasping the fact that I was leaving without near plans to return. The realization did not hit me until we started driving through the familiar path of maroon ornamental trees. When we crossed the gate, I felt as if I were crossing EARTH’s atmosphere of harmony, safety, and relationships back into reality and newness. But it was for the best, I would start college with more direction, knowing I wanted to spread EARTH’s Earth-nurturing outlook (perspectiva) and processes.
(Last Dinner with My Friends - 07/25/24)
But there we were again, catching another ride to San José. A few tears trickled down, and Steven and the driver eyed me sympathetically from the rearview mirror, but it only took about five minutes more for me to pass out. I woke up to a very different scene: a humongous, 20-floor high apartment complex, an equally tall construction crane, and hammering and drilling sounds from all directions. The capital city of San José, a stark contrast to EARTH. Steven and I hopped out, thanked the driver, and checked in. We would spend the rest of the day devouring Mexican food, picking up a heap of groceries (los comestibles) (coo
king is 1000x better and cheaper than eating out!), and watching movies with our own individual protein ice cream tubs.
We woke up the next day with stomach aches and plans to visit the mountains nearby (Los Montañas de Cariblanco). Our plan was to bring a picnic, however, we had nothing to transport our sandwiches and lentils (lol of all foods) and salad in, so, we were innovative. We reused the lentil bag for bread and the granola bag for lentils. Though, I do not think the bags were sealed, because we picked up a trail of dogs on our trek, with their noses glued to our picnic bag. After a STEEP hike, we found a sturdy log facing the grand waterfall to dine. This picturesque area attracted many tourists (their dogs trailing behind), and while the families went to take photos by the waterfall, their dogs came to sniff us. It was the most difficult lunch to eat, but between our laughter and their fluffy snounts, it was totally worth it.
(Lentil Bag Lunch - 07/27/24)
On our way down, we found a tiny pool-like divet under a baby waterfall. Bracing ourselves for the stunning chill, we counted down (Tres-dos-¡UNO!) and dove in together, chattering our teeth as soon as we reemerged. After a minute or so of treading the icy water, it no longer felt cold. Instead, the stimulation felt invigorating. I was planning on swimming around for a while until I saw Steven climbing up the rocks (smh) and into the baby waterfall. He shouted “Grab me if the water sweeps me away!” and suddenly zoomed down the rock into the water. Then, he did it again to test its “safety” and grinned as he called out “You should try!” So I tried. I wooshed down with the water and then did it again.
After we dried off, we rode to San José to sightsee but instead, we ended up spending two hours in an Amazon warehouse looking at random boxes with diving masks, makeup boxes, toilet brushes, fans, rugs, bean bags, and picture frames. Don’t worry; we didn’t buy any of them. As we used the rest of our time together watching Despicable Me 4 (Mi Villano Favorito 4) in theatres and attempting to build a 3D puzzle, time flew.
I am filled with appreciation for the opportunity to explore and adventure. Weekend trips away from campus have allowed me to experience so much more of Costa Rica’s geography and culture, from the timelessness (la intemporalidad) of the mountains to the buzz of the city, with the people I adore.
(Thank You - 07/24/24)
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