Mel´s Adventures Across the Globe!

PICTURES Finallyyyy

2010-07-02T13:13:00.000-07:00

Here are a few fotos not many because im running out of minutes..on the computer..
1. View from the Ecological Reserve of the City. 2. Ecological Reserve by the Rio de Plata 3. The Puente de la Mujer en Puerto Madero 4. Plaza de Mayo. 5. In front of the Casa Rosada (Where eva peron held her famous speeches)

Iguazu, Hospital, and Tango Lesson y MALBA

2010-06-24T09:40:00.000-07:00

It´s been a while since I have been able to go to the internet cafe. Everytime I pass one hoards of people are inside and I can not go inside. (I just translated that entire sentence from spanish to english in my head) My classes are continuing to go well. I am still always tired however. I think it is ridiculous that they expect us to wake up at 7 am leave the house by 8 and be at school at 9. Why you may ask? Because they schedule our events at 10 at night and they go till 1 or two. For example last night I had my first tango lesso which was really really fun. There was also this orchestra that played tango music afterwards. The teacher who was trying to help me told me I was really stiff and rigid and that I need to relax..(I guess I get that from my mother.) I still can not find a cafe that takes SD cards I took videos that I would really like to post so yall can see. Two days ago I had to take Alex to the hospital, he had food posioning. It was really all quite dramatic. His homestay mom wouldnt let him take any of the medications that I had given him. he threw up from like 8 to 11 and finally he agreed to be taken to the ER. So I went with him in a taxi who was driving like Alex was on the brink of death. The hospital is coincidentally a German Hospital..too bad NO ONE spoke German. Apparently what Alex had was a common bacteria. However since he was so dehydrated they gave him 4 IV´S three saline and one sugar. I got home around 2am. That was not fun at all. But he´s feeling better now. Now to Iguazu, it was nice much like Costa Rica it made me miss it. However we did not go to the Rainforest for the three days we were there we only went for one which was disappointing. I did not see any animals either...except for one toucan and a coati (which is related to the raccoon) The waterfalls however, where absolutely gorgeous..the entire scene was beautiful however slightly tarnished by large teenage rugby playing british boys who were screaming profanities the entire time. We also went to the Ruina De San Ignacio which is a Mission Ruin where the people named the Guarini were christianed. The Guarini are one of the indigenous tribes of Argentina. it is pronounced gwarahhnee. I really liked the Ruines, we saw houses and their "town square" the ceremonial rooms, and pillars. We also went to the La Wanda Mines. Where they mine precious and semiprecious stones. The place is named La Wanda after a Swiss princess because the entire area was actually a Swiss Province. (So they have really good dulces or sweets)We actually got to walk through the mine and were shown what kinds of stones are mined (they still mine there today) Amethyst, quarts, rose quarts, all kinds. It was all very pretty. Everything is also mined by hand still I believe that is what our guide said. His English was very comprehendable. I don´t understand why he didn´t just speak Spanish. None of the guides spoke to us in Spanish which was a tad annoying. Anyway tonight is another Tango class and then we are going out to celebrate one of the girls birthdays so I probably will not sleep tonight since I have to be up at 7 30 to leave for the Glaciers and people dont go out till 3 AM its kind if ridiculous. One more thing. I went to the MALBA museum. Which is the Museo de Arte LatinoAmericano de Buenos Aires. It was intersting but we only got to stay for an hour and ahalf. the Malba is three stories and has something like over 200 pictures´/paintings. However I only got to really look at ten because the teachers at GIC made us go with them while they explained and interpreted the art while we listened. I was glad that it was in Spanish though. I saw a painting by Frida Kahol and I think a Picasso or Picasso influenced I am not sure. All in all it was nice...but I was not allowed to take pictures..not even without flash. I did not understand this. Anyway I am going to go I think we may go to a Musuem or Manzana de las Luces or the Zoo I have to check. muchass besitos!

Getting Lost in the Big City

2010-06-16T11:46:00.000-07:00

The first day of classes started on Tuesday. I have to wake up really early in order to make it to school on time. I have been having problems with waking up I feel really tired. I am pretty sure it is just jetlag but still. I feel better now though this morning it was easier to wake up. On the first day we were told to take taxis to school. Well I ended up going to the GIC Argentina Main office instead of the University itself. So we had to walk 10 blocks to get to class. This was also the day that I had my oral exam that I talked about earlier. After the orientation and exam Alex and I decided to figure out the Subte...But we couldnt figure out where the Subte was. It was an ugly day in Buenos Aires. Raining in sheets and I forgot to take my umbrella. We got lost in the city for 3 and a half hours. School had let out at 1pm and we didn´t get home till around 7. However we now know the area prettyyyy well. I got home pretty soaking wet. Today we took the Subte to school and it was cray. Everyone is packd in the train cars like little sardines. It´´s really hot and stuffy and I sweat like crazy. Argentines have a differenct concept of personal space. I am just glad that no one smells on the subte.I have been spending wisely. Only spendng like 7 dollars a day. I am waiting till the 3rd week to buy jewelery. Right now I am just keeping my eyes open for low prices. I have yet to try the gelato here. I think Alex and I will be going when I finish this post. Tomorrow is the big game in the World Cup with Argentina. Apprently no kids go to school. They all stay home to watch the game, a lot of students arent going to show up at the university tommorrow. But I am. I did watch the game between Brasil and North Korea in a bar (which is really a cafe) with a group of people from school. Futbol is a sport that really sucks you in. I found myself feeling anxious for Brasil as the second half neared to an end. They won however 2-1. Everyone inside the bar cheered and started blowing horns it was funny. I need to figure out how to get pictures up. I am using an old cmputer right now so I can not upload anything. Yesterday after the futbol game we went walking around Calle Florida which is a district where everyone goes shopping. It´s like Bad Kreuznach´s centro but WAYYYYY bigger. Right in the center there were Tango dancers. I took pictures and video. I will have those up soon. My roommate has a computer and Im going to ask to borrow it. That is all for now I am really hungry. I don´t eat much here..pretty much toast in the morning and then dinner. Love ya´ll

Hola a todos!

2010-06-14T09:35:00.000-07:00

That means hello everyone. I arrived yesterday here in Buenos Aires at 8am. The flight(s) were long and uncomfortable. Our flight from SFO was delayed by about an hour and a half. Which ment we had to make haste to make our connection in Dallas Fort Worth. Buenos Aires is a beautiful city. With a melting pot of characteristics from across the globe. The architecture is indeed parisian but overall it is indeed a European influenced city. It is also very very large. I am pretty sure I will have some super toned legs, since we have to walk everywhere. The people of Buenos Aires, or Porteños speak Castalleño Spanish. It is heaviy influenced by the Italian immigrants that first came to B.A. in the 1880´s. My homestay mother Angie is of Italian decent and everything she says is complimented with a flurry of hand motions and a high and low lull in her voice, like a melody. After I unpacked and settled in I took a longgg nap. Then took a taxi to meet the rest of the Cabrillo School Group at the Siga la Vaca restaurant. Which is a buffet style restaurant that is known for their meat. Argentina in general is known for their steak and wine. I had wine, beer, water, coke..and lots of food. But I have been walking so much that it doesnt even matter. Last night as I excitedly told my mother on the phone they habe blood sausage here..which I havent had in ages. It was delicious...or muyyyyy ricoooo. Hehe. Today I had my first class orientation. I had to take an oral exam, my test taker said I speak like a spanish speaker from Spain...Ç(because of my friggen lisp) but she said it was beautiful and that I did a good job. I placed into level 4. She said my test was not that great but my oral skill is very high. So I was happy with that. My minutes are about to run out so I will have to talk about more later... !Hasta Pronto¡

In Retrospect..

2009-07-21T10:46:00.000-07:00

This trip really has had a huge effect on me, that is a total understatement....it has altered me completely.In the best ways imaginable, it has changed my perspective on the world most definately. I am so glad and totally indebted to my parents, especially my mother for pushing me along into participating in this trip. I´m returning as a different person. Throughout these short six weeks I have grown so much and really pushed myself outside of my comfort zone. I feel like I´m starting to understand where my place in the world is- or what it potentially could be...and the future looks bright by all means I am incredibly excited for what the future holds. Mom that note you gave me in my backpack has helped me a numerous amount of times. When I have become completely overwhelmed, frustrated, and even sad (homesickness). You were right in every way..I was thrown into a country where I barely spoke the language and I survived...if not flourished in it. Having this experience has really solidified what I want to do in life...and honestly my small spark for wanderlust has turned into a burning flame. If I could I would travel the rest of my life...I´m going to make it my goal to..and obviously do something productive within the time that I travel. Maybe the Peace Corps maybe ven build my own volunteer prokect...start a club at SJSU for volunteering abroad..the options are endless and I hold the key to unlocking each venture.. I really would love to come back to South America and teach, volunteer with the sea turtles..anything I can get my hands on really. I feel as if words can not express how I am feeling right at this moment..looking back and seeing all the things I have accomplished here in Costa Rica which before I was afraid..nervous and uncomfortable even thinking about making the effort to try them. (ex...meeting new people who speak a completely foreign language, taking transportation in an area I know nothing about..even ordering food) but now...Idk I feel like I can do it all..Throughout this experience I have gained confidence within myself as well as trust within myself. That I can do things on my own and not be a wallflower..but the center of it all. I could go on for days about my experiences..and perhaps I will when I get back to the states..but for now I have to go to bio class...Mom thanks again so much for this gift...it´s pretty much the best thing that´s ever happened to me besides life itself...oh and the Spanish dictionary...I CARRIED IT EVERYWHERE..that has to be the second best. Love you.

Tortugero

2009-07-19T18:31:00.000-07:00

Was.....interesting. It was very pretty very rainny and very muggy. I had a hard time breathing. We did not see too much wildlife...saw a water buffallo which was cool. I went on the turtle tour to see green sea turtles lay eggs and cover them but we didnt have any luck I got back today..it was a nine hour trip home. You can only get to and from tortugero by boat so 5 hour bus trip and then 2 hour boat trip... both ways..im exhausted so i think ill go to bed. Four more days.

MonteVerde...y Manuel Antonio

2009-07-15T10:21:00.001-07:00

Soo I havent had much time to update this blog.. but I ahve some now so here goes: July 3rd till the 5th we were in the Monte Verde Cloud Forest. It is a natural preserve as are all the other parks. It was gorgeous...our hotel though...was pretty complicated to get to haha. All teh way on the side of a mountain so it sucked walking down to breakfast in the mornings...usually they had a transport bus but there were a few times when we missed it. In the Monteverde Cloudforest we were supposed to see teh Quetzal...or hada chance of seeing it. A quetzal is a beauitful multi colored bird that is endemic to Costa Rica...and is endangered...almost extinct. My group did not have the opportunity to see it but some others did. We had a great tour guide named Eduardo and he actually led us through a 3 hour hike...which was originially only supposed to be 1.5...It was ammazzzinggggg. He took us to the Continental divide..which divides North South East West and depending on were u stand the wind blows differently and at different intensities. We ahd a lot of free time during this trip so I had the opportunity to go to this really pretty Orchid garden...a Frog exhibit..called a ¨ranaria¨en espanol...and a cheese factory since Monteverde is famous for their cheese and icecream. The icecream is pretty bomb. Now this past weekend we went to Manuel Antonio...which relly is the most beautiful place I have ever seen in my life. It is a beach and it was gorgeous..white sndy beaches and CLEAR blue water...that was WARM when you swam in it...all i did last weekend was lounge in the sun and get a really great tan...One of the nights we went to a discoteca but only four about 2 hours..since everyone was pretty tired....The drive to and from Manuel Antonio was a bummer though...5 hour bus ride...in a small cramped ¨turismo¨bus with 23 students is NOT fun. That pretty much wraps up what I did the past two weeks...Had a bio test still maintaing my B average..I am getting a lot better at communicating with my homestay family. I spoke to them last night for three hours straight. Thye kept teasing me..but they are very supportive of me trying to learn and comprehend the language and understand what they are trying to tell me. if I don´t understand something they allow me the time to look it up in my dictonary or they do an impromptu charades for me lol. This weekend we are going to Tortugero..and from what I read in order to get there you must first drive a good 4 hours and then take a boat canal trip...this is the Malaria infested area..so don´t worry mom Ive already started taking my Malaria pills. During this trip we are supposed to go 1. Boating through the canal..and 2. On a hike....I am hoping that we get to do the nightime tour of the sea turtles...were we watch them hatch and make their way into the ocean. BTW Tortuga means ´turtle´ so Tortugero means place of the turtles. My homestay dad said that they have really good food. But its different than what I am used to. He said it has African influences..and everyone there is black or ¨negra¨as he said. And the dialect that they speak is also a bit different but he said I should be able to understand. Other than that nothing new has really happened...I ahve to study for my quiz so that wraps everything up. =)

La Choza y Cafe Britt

2009-07-02T14:43:00.000-07:00

So last night we went to a club/bar kind of place in Heredia. It was really fun..3 floors with really great music varying from salsa, regaeton and techno. Practiced daning salsa and iguess Meringuein my heels..that was interesting. Then today we went to Xafe Britt which is the only coffee plantantion in Costa Rica...there are other manufacturing branches but the one we were at was the biggest. It was pretty much an interpretation program..how cofee is grown...how it is picked etc. a little theatrical. Kind of like what I do at work at Ardenwood..they dressed up and what not. We watched a movie on coffee production as well. I bought you coffee Mom..the whole bean one. Hopefully you like it lol. We are leaving for Monteverde tommorrow morning at 7AM. Hoepfully we see the Quetzal which is an extremely rare bird that is endemic (meaning only lives) in costa rica. We have a TON of free time during this trip Im rather excited theres a lot of stuff I want to do. Tonight we are going out to celebrate my friends stefanie and Kyles last day here. Stef is from Canada (shell be back later but she has to go to Trinidad and Miami..her grandfather is really sick and we probably wont see her when we come back from our excursion) Kyle is from Arizona and he leaves Friday so we wont be here for that either....but I gotta go play some KICKBALL! hehe hope everything is well love you all.

Poas and Arenal Volcanoe + Baldi Hot Springs Resort

2009-06-30T14:02:00.000-07:00

Hellooo everyone...well this past weekend we went to two volcanoes and a hot spring resort. Which was awesome. It kinda sucked that it was only two days because it was really stop and stop and go...First we went to Pas and we got really lucky that it was super clear so we saw everything its just a HUGE crater with sulfuric/acidic water. So we stayed there for about 45 minutes and from their we trkked to this huge crater that now is filled with water so it is pretty much a lake. We then boarded the bust and drove FIVE HOURS to Arenal....got there around 6pm checked into the hotels which were amazinnggg and then went to Baldis hot spring resort. It was really cool liek total luxurious swimming pools ranging from warm to piping hot..all naturally heated by the volcanoe. we stayed there till about 8pm and then had dinner there as well...After that we were supposed to do a night tour of Arenal but it started raining cats and dogs...so we just went back to our hotel rooms and hung out with everyone. The hotel was beautiful...I had a hugeeee backyard with my roomate...some of the boys rooms had windows overlooking the volcanoe itself. The next morning we got up around 6 to have breakfast at 7 30 and then do our day tour of Arenal where we got lucky again and had a perfectly clear day...it was about an hour long hike to get up to the volcanoe..and it was a serious hike...really rocky and unsteady surface area...I could some pretty sweet photos though. We saw rocks tumbling off the side of the volcanoe and you could actually hear them as they fell down the side.What´s pretty interesting is that on one side of the volcanue it is completely forested because when the volcanoe erupts it only flows down a certain side...so of course teh side were the lava travels down to is completely barren. After that tour we went and had lunch followed by a quick swim. We then drove the four hours home in pouring rain down a windy little road. So that was THAT trip
Last night a few friends and I went to San Pedro (45 min walk 5 min bus ride) . The town was having a fiesta for their Saint (San Pedro) so there were tons of fireworks and people wore these funky masks...kinda like a masquerade and there was dancing EVERYWHERE. I actually arrived when the entire area of Santa Barbara had a power outage so it was realllyyy dark. Oh they also had a live band playing music...that ending around midnight and I ended up getting home aroundddd 1AM. Tonight is karaeoke night so our entire class is going out at 8 30...but first I have to go home and study for my bio quiz and read ahead...already did my spanish hw and studying so Im good on that front. I miss everyone hope you all are doing well!

Volcanoe and Waterfall and InBio Parque

2009-06-26T12:52:00.000-07:00

Okay Guys I had to set up a new blog since i lost my password information and coudln´t figure out how to recover it in spanish lol ive been sitting here for an hour trying to figure it out. Yesterday was my first test, it was friggin hard...but I´ve been studying everyday so i think I did well...Some of the students think that theres way more course work than necessary since its a two unit class...I don´t rreally mind.. I mean I´m learning new stuff so thats cool. We went out to a bar last night called Unfried Licor which is where most of the locals hang out anyway..tis like the ¨bar¨to be at...so went tehre to celebrate..a ton of the German students were there because it was their last night here in Costa Rica...Everyday I meet someone interesting. Last night this guy named Carlos from the States came here with a bunch of other guys who are in their first year of medschool. So they are here interning and teaching paramedics and I guess nurses how to speak Spanish..Which is pretty sweet. Tonight we are going out dancing in Heredia. Should be fun. This morning I went on a hike with some of my class mates to see this awesome waterfall...45 minutes of trudging up hill after hill...it was worth it though when we reached the waterfall..was gorgeoussss. Tomorrow we depart for Poas Volcanoe and the Arenal Volcanoe where we will be going on two tours of the volconoes and I believe at night we are doing a tour of the Arenal to see it spout red hot lava...I think a ¨bat tour¨is in there which is kind of uneccesary since we have seen the bats before, expect to see the same ones, and have learned in depth about the bats. OH I almost forgot we went to InBio Parque on Wed. Which really caters to younger school children.. it reminded me of the Monterey Bay Aquarium in the way the teaching style is set up. But it was totally cool...its a protected forest area that has 4 or 5 different ecosystems that represent Costa Rica..so theres a dry forest, wet forest, rain forest, etc. In each section there are animals that are native to that area. We saw deer, sloh, iguanas, poison dart frogs. And there was this great Butterfly Garden..that for me really was the highlight. There are so many various species. So many vibrant colors..it was really cool. So basically what Inbio does is educate the community on the importance of conservation...but it is also a research center for students and scientists alike..Just like La Selva you can not be in the park for more han 2 hours...What the scientists that research there hope to do is find better ways to work with nature instead of destroying it. Like finding cures for diseases or learning about a new species of fish and how that can contribute to our community without harming the wildlife. Thats all for now!

First Entry in Costa Rica

2009-06-22T14:10:00.000-07:00

Okay guys I finally set up a blog. So I will try and update this reguarly. Thus far I have already had one field trip. We went to Sarapiqui which is about a two hour drive north from the province Heredia) I live in a town called Barrio Jesus. I live with a contract construction worker and his stay at home wife (Luis y Rosibel). They have three boys Luis who´s 12, Juan who is 10 and Daniel whos 6. They are a great family to live with. Anyway back to my fieldtrip. On the first night we went on a guided tour on the Sarapiqui river. Due to the earthquake that had occured earlier in the year the water was a muddied brown rather than clear. We saw Howler and Spider monkeys, bats, an anhinga (which is a type of bird) iguanas (hugeeee iguanas) and much more....at night we took a night time bat walk, and studied some bats thata bat catcher had caught...we learned about consveration efforts on bats and how they help out or ecosystem. The next day we went on a hike to La Selva Biological Research Center. Basically its this huge tropical forest where scientists and students go and do their research. You are only allowed to visit for two hours at a time to help preserve the area in its natural state. It was beautiful. We saw poison dart frogs, bats roosting, Howler Monkeys (which was my favorite part), wild boars, an array of butterflies. Pretty much anything you could think of that would be in the tropics. Then we went zip lining..which was really scary to me lol I was pretty freaked out...somewhere after the ziplining I went white water rafting which was AWESOME the river at this point is a level 2 or 3...that sounds like nothing... but people do drown. So we did that and our instructor during this rafting trip is actually an anthropology graduate who came to Costa Rica..loved it and stayed...Now he works as a raft instructor and just recently bought a house. (Hes originally from Colorado) I thought that was pretty neat. The third day we went horseback riding and it wasnt just a lesiurely two hour ride. My horse was a feisty one and had a tendency to GALLOP...kinda scary but I got used to it after a while. I have been going to Santa Barbara a lot..which is pretty much like downtown...Ive been to Heredia twice to go to the mall and look at everything there as well. The cars are fast..they dont have pedestrian right of way here..so that can be sort of tricky..but Im dealing..I know how to take the busses and which directions to go in. Here everyone takes the bus (It´s alot like germany) Speaking of which I have met some very interesting people..especially Germans. They go to the Amistad Institute as well..so I talk to them every once in a while. Most of them are staying for 6 months at a time. A girl from Oreagon who leaves tomorrow has been here for 6 months and through the Institute got a job as an English teacher (shes 19) so I´m thinking of eventually doing that. Thats about it for now...Ill keep you all posted.