By Laura Miller – Guest Blogger studying in Costa Rica

Hello!

So it is almost the last night I will be here in lovely Costa Rica! I promise to return bronze and speaking Spanish (well probably not at all fluently, but I think I can hold my own for about 5 minutes). I am excited to come home and see you all! I am going to my last day of school tomorrow, then this silly little graduation they have for us students. Then for a ride on a public bus for 5 hours to the capital city of San Jose. In San Jose we are really excited to stay at a Hampden Inn (with warm showers, no bugs, and a free continental breakfast in the morning! Could I be any more excited!!) Oh wait I can be more excited! Because we are also going to eat at Denny's Friday night. So when I return I hope to talk to you all and share pictures and stories, and listen to how you have been for the month I have been gone! I feel like I have been gone for so long and that so much has happened while I was not here!

Love

Laura

Not just for Young Ones! – By Alexa Boyce
Did you know that over 50% of AmeriSpan's participants are over the age of 35? And about 20% are over the age of 55. Many people associate our programs with college students, because of the high numbers of students who participate in study abroad programs. We do get our share of college students, but that is certainly not the only age group for our programs. Most program locations participants average age is on average anywhere between 25 and 35. Language immersion can be a great way for people of all ages to experience another culture, learn a new language quickly, and meet interesting people from all over the world.
Learning a new language can be a fun and interesting way to bond with children, grandchildren or other family members. A recent article on seniorjournal.com termed it "grandtravel" and said that 80% of grandparents surveyed thought that traveling with youngsters was a great way to go. By taking them on a language immersion trip, you can open their minds and accompany them on a life-changing vacation.
If some of our mature travelers are not comfortable staying with host families, many of our locations offer accommodation in student residences and student apartments. Tamarindo, Costa Rica also offers a premium residence upgrade for those used to more "creature comforts". In any type of lodging, couples or families traveling together can usually be accommodated if registering with enough notice.
Many locations also offer special activities that may interest the older crowd. "Birding" is a popular and fascinating hobby, and the birds of Costa Rica are often rare and beautiful. There are so many different species of birds, in fact, that the ticos say they make up for the country's lack of an army! We also offer specialty classes including tango, flamenco or samba lessons, wine tasting, cooking and more.
For interesting Spanish programs in Latin America, check out this.

By Laura Miller – Guest blogger traveling in Costa Rica.
Well I am in week 4 of Costa Rica and still loving it. I have had so much free time to sit and read and relax (a foreign word to me, perhaps why I had to come to a foreign country to learn how to relax). This has been a super mellow week. Not to many crazy stories to share. My basic routine is wake up, eat some sort of breakfast, then head to class or the beach.
I think when I return I will not be able to handle the fast paced life I once led! Actually my latest adventure involved the adventure with breakfast. Yesterday I sat there with my coffee awaiting breakfast (and feeling like a helpless child who cant feed themselves) and turns out we were out of regular milk.
So once again, off Cristina (my Costa Rican mom) goes to get lovely thick warm milk straight from the cow. Oh the pleasures of living on a farm! I mean really though, who has back up milk straight from a cow? Oh I miss The United States! And cold milk from a bottle! I also miss fast internet, feeling clean for an entire day and warm showers, but despite that it is fun here! Well that is all for now! How is everyone doing?

By Tina Lin – Guest blogger traveling in Peru.
Today was the last day for me to shop. I left the house at 9am on the quest to buy lots of souvenirs and alpaca goods. First stop was Mercado Artesanal or Mercado Rojo. Everything was irresistibly beautiful and unique. I cannot help but wonder into these cute shops and chat with each vendor. After buying many things, I walked to Plaza de Armas. I wanted to take a panoramic picture of this gorgeous plaza and its fountain. I am especially emotional and introspective today. The guide book to Peru was right. Cusco is such a lovely place that once you lived here, it is hard to leave.
I continued to walk toward San Blas in the quest for quartz and crystals. My mom believes that crystals can bring positive energy to our house. I have been putting off my shopping list until now. With some luck, I found a lady by the street with a small collection of crystals. I bought some from her and made sure to write down the name of each and their uses. On my way back to Plaza de Armas, a woman tried to ask if I wanted a massage. To be polite, I asked her how much it would cost and it turned out to be very cheap in US standards. I thought it would probably be a long time before I can have another Incan full-body massage. So, I walked into the nice and cozy room for a half hour of massage. This is the first time in my life getting a somewhat professional massage. It was blissful. I wanted more after the half hour if only she had asked. Afterwards, I went to Mercado San Pedro to buy some flowers because it is the my host dad's birthday tomorrow.
In the afternoon, I went to my last day of class. Laura (our instructor this week) took us to a curandera at Huasao. We took a cambi bus to Huasao (it only costed 1 sol). Huasao looked like countryside in comparison to Cusco. We saw a hen walking with her 6 chicks on the street. As a rule, we would have to each buy our own coca leaves to be read. Then, the curandera picked out the leaves he wanted to use, asked for my name, then started to drop 3 to 4 leaves on the table at a time. He told me that my travel plans may change in the near future. Also, he mentioned that I will not have a love life for five years because of my studies. It is very interesting to see how the leaves were read and listen to my other classmate's fortunes.
After coming back to the school, we had 45 minutes of class on future tense. After school, it was hard to say goodbye to everyone. I hope I will come back to Cusco again in the future.

By Connie Marianacci
You can travel on a short vacation or a long vacation, on business, to visit friends and family, or to study abroad. Depending on which type of travel you do, you pack different things and in different ways.
When traveling for a short period of time either to just one location or many locations, my IDEAL way to pack is by using "cloth envelopes" as I call them. Believe me, this method was not easy to find but once I decided this was the way I was going to travel, it made it so much easier!
And don't get me wrong, these are not paper envelopes I am talking about. Rather, cloth envelopes of many shapes, colors and sizes made by various manufacturers. You may find some great ones at our Get Ready page.
You have an envelope for the shirts, an envelope for the pants, a smaller envelope for the socks and an envelope for the underwear plus the toiletry bag, everything neatly packed into your bag or suitcase. Now each time you have to dress for a different occasion, you have all the options to wear available at your fingertips without any hassle of taking all the clothes out of the suitcase because "the shirt you need to wear for the dinner is all the way at the bottom!".
My most hectic experience was traveling through Germany for about 3 months. I spent 1 week in London & Brighton, 2 weeks in Berlin, 2 weeks in Hamburg, 4 days in Cologne, then I went Canada for 4 days(don't ask why..J ). After than, I went to Frankfurt for 2 weeks, then to Bamberg for 2 weeks and back to Berlin for 1 week. At each German location, I took a German language course but at the same time had to work in England and Canada on other days, which meant I also had to pack my office clothes, and they couldn't get wrinkled!
The "envelope packing technique" saved me from stressing out each time I changed location and also saved my job by allowing me to be ready quickly! (Specially if I hate to iron as much as I do). Try it!

By Laura Miller – Guest blogger traveling in Costa Rica.
Hola! Here I am in Samara Beach Costa Rica! It is beautiful! So incredibly beautiful. Imagine Maui, with farms. We arrived via bus yesterday afternoon. We spent the first night in the capital city, San Jose. We stayed the first night together (me, Stephanie and Angel) in a very nice house. I was surprised at how nice it was. I guess I was prepared for ghetto Mexico style, but it was quite nice.
I tried Spanish, but it was difficult. I feel like a baby! We then piled in a bus with like 20 other people (all from Colorado, and yes Shon and Scott those gross croc shoes were abundant with them) It was a long 5 hour bus ride with no heat.
We arrived at the school which will be nice. It has a view of the beach. The best thing to see after the long bus ride. We were quickly picked up by our families and taken to the homestay. I said goodbye to my American comfort zone and headed out.
Let me tell you, it isn't exactly as I thought it would be. I guess I wasn't sure what I thought it would be at all actually. I am living on a farm. Apparently, they have something like 300 cows and 75 horses and parrots. Of course along with the animals come the flies and the mosquitoes.
The first day and I am already suffering from mosquito bites. I am getting used to the smell of Repel bug spray. The family I am staying with is very nice. I can tell they are trying to be understanding of my lack of language ability. The mama of the whole gang is Cristina. She is very nice (and noticeably frustrated too with this language barrier). Talking to her was difficult, and we ended up kind of staring at each other, like too tired to go on. There is also her son and brother who live there. I was also blessed with another American girl at the end of the night that returned home.
We eat a lot of fruit, I am sure by the end I will be done with pineapple and banana. And this morning I asked for milk in my coffee and Cristina asked her son to get some milk, STRAIGHT OUT OF THE COW! Not exactly the non-fat milk I am so used to. She makes a lot of food too; I am not sure how to say no thank you to it all.
I did get lost trying to get back to the school later that night (walking of course) and I decided to take the way of the beach (which apparently is much longer). On the way to the beach I stopped to ask directions from a crazy group of people (one who offered me free surf lessons at some far away beaches, ahhh locals, I will pass on that offer! I don't want to go to a deserted beach with Jose!). I found my way and while walking on the beach there was a donkey just hanging out there. I am serious! This donkey! It was so strange. I said hi to it and kept walking until I reached my destination.
The negative parts: I am so FRUSTRATED with this language barrier! Let me just say, staying alone the first night in a place where I could not communicate was humbling. I spent the day feeling incredibly stupid (and I
must say, I am not a fan of that feeling.)
I also spent the first night confused, and doubting why I am here. It will be good though. A learning experience is always a good thing. Right? And I took the placement test and am in the baby level, so none of my Spanish speaking American friends will be with me in the class.
I am learning just how dependent on cell phones and modern conveniences that I am. I miss starbucks already, and the comfort of my stuff. (Maybe living alone for a year taught me way too much independence).
I keep looking for the cell phone to call someone. (I didn't even bring my phone) and though the family has a television, they don't seem to watch it. They actually just hang out and talk (though I sit and stare). I will
be learning the lesson of slowing down on this trip for sure (not so easy for me).
Also I am not sure how to live with this family, I know I have lived with other peoples families before, but this is different. I also am weared out with the toilet paper in the trash can thing. Ahh but at last. This will be a very educational trip. I will do my best to learn mucho espanol!!!!

By Tina Lin – Guest blogger traveling in Peru.
I started to prepare lunch at 8:30am. I promised Senor Ramiro that I would make them one Chinese meal before I leave for the US. My flight to Lima is on Friday. I really don't feel like leaving. I love the people, the language and simply Cusco. Delia, our house cook helped me with cooking. It is always a little awkward when I am cooking in someone else's kitchen.
I made this traditional Taiwanese beef stew, Teriyaki Chicken and fried rice. I was afraid they would not like it. But the lunch turned out really well. After lunch, I went to class at 2 pm. Today, it was just me and Gail in class. Marie, our French classmate stayed home to hang out with her housemate. Our teacher this week is Laura. She told us about the curandera (fortune teller) that is very famous in Huasao. She got the director's permission to let us go tomorrow. I will have to look up words in Quechua tonight to figure out what to ask the fortune teller. I am a little excited about that and a little scared. What if they tell me something that I am afraid to hear? In the US, I have always avoided going to tarot card readers or looking into horoscopes. Part of me just does not want to think of what the future has in store for me. I would rather take life one step at a time blindly and learn from my mistakes.
Tonight, my classmates are going out to dinner then to Mama Africa to dance. I went to Mama Africa last Friday. I liked the live music. The music carries a very distinctive beat and energy that uplifts everyone's spirit. I did not tell my classmates for certain if I will go or not. Personally, I would like to stay home and spend more time with my host family. But it is also one of my last nights here in Cusco. I should try to do as much as I can.
I walked home tonight with a different route. On the way, I went into a big supermarket like the ones in US. I bought some Cusquena and a jar of sauco jelly. I think my guy friends will really love Peruvian beer as a gift. I am just scared of breaking the bottle in my backpack on the plane. I will try to start packing tonight and maybe even go out to dance.

Must see! By Alexa Boyce
San Miguel was founded in 1542, with the "de Allende" part being added later in honor of the independence patriot born there. San Miguel de Allende today is a city of vistas: the town was built on a hillside facing the Rio Laja and with a great view of the Guanajuato mountains. The view from the mineral spring El Chorro, in the center of town, has been declared a national monument.
San Miguel is also famous for its nearly perfect year-round weather. It is also not as large as some other attractions nearby, and most sights can be reached from the town center on foot.

El Chorro:
Of course, if you are visiting San Miguel de Allende, the view from El Chorro cannot be missed. The entire city builds up to it in terraces, and the brightly colored domes of at least 20 churches can be seen from the top.
Plaza Principal:
According to Footprints travel guides, this serves as a sort of "open-air living room for the whole town". Social life in San Miguel revolves around the market and the Jardin here. It is surrounded by several colonial buildings of note, including the Palacio Municipal, the elaborately decorated La Parroquia church, and the church of San Felipe Neri a the southwest end of the market.
Palo Huerfano:
This mountain is situated on the south end of town. It will take a good day to hike it, but once again, the views are absolutely breathtaking.
Comonfort:
Along the way to Celaya, 3 km north of Comonfort, you will run into some pre-Colombian ruins near Rancho Arias. It's definitely worth a look for any amateur archaeologist!

La Concepcion:
The large baroque style building was erected in 1734 as a summer convent for the Condes de Canal. Today it houses both the Art school of Centro Cultural Ignacio Ramirez Nigromonte and also the language school Instituto Allende.

By Connie Marianacci
One of the most recognized places in the world for surfing is Costa Rica. Why?
* warm water
* affordable prices
* over 700 miles of coastline
* international tournaments are hosted here
* many other adventurous activities available.
* great waves all year round
Jaco Beach in particular is one of the best choices. It is the closest beach from San Jose attracting both tourists and locals on the weekends and holidays. It takes about 2 ½ hours to get to Jaco Beach by bus or car so it is ideal to combine a stay in the city and at the beach.
Jaco is the surfing beach party capital of Costa Rica with over twenty bars and many surf shops. Surf during the morning, shop and hang out in the afternoon and go out at night! Never a dull moment to spare.
Here is what Waive Junters has to say about Jaco:
"Beach break slammers. Prevailing wind is SW after 10 am. Blocked from NW swell. S and SW only. 7km of beach with lots of peaks. Plenty of waves. Strong current, difficult to get out when over 5ft."
If you are going international…. find all the benefits at one location, Costa Rica! PURA VIDA!
Great Resource: http://www.surfing-waves.com/