By La' India S., a Teen Delegate participating in AmeriSpan's Coronado Independent Teen program

My last week in Costa Rica was a fun but tragic moment. We got new students on Tuesday. There were three from France and one from Germany. They were friendly.

 On Wednesday, My teacher took us on a trip to "El Museo de Los Ninos." We each were given an assignment to listen and explain later(in Spanish) what we learned about that subject. My assignment was El edificio(the building).The building used to be a prison for men years ago. We also learned about the culture of Costa Rica and how modern foods and objects they used evolved. Another subject we learned about was the banana and coffee in Costa Rica. Costa Rica has a rich culture and produce great products countries all over the world use. The museum had a great variety and objects to touch, feel, and read about for kids. I really enjoyed it. Afterwards, my friend Jessica and I walked around San Jose and went to a cafe for lunch.

On Thursday, Jessica and I went to our favorite cafe once again called Kaffa Cafe. We got a quick dessert and met Victoria(a new student from France) and went to San Jose. We walked around for a while and went to another mercado next to the national museum. I brought a beautiful lizard bracelet.

Friday was my last day and night in Costa Rica. At school we went to class and afterwards everyone gathered to say farewell to those leaving. I was among those saying goodbye to Costa Rica read my farewell speech and received my completion certificate. Next, Jessica Valentine went to Kaffa cafe one last time.Then we took a bus and taxi to a mall in San Pedro. Afterwards we each hugged each other tight and kissed each other goodbye since all three of us were leaving this weekend. I didn't get to say goodbye to my host parents or host sisters. Only my host brother was there when I left. I was upset, but a little excited to come home. My last night I wrote every member in my host family an individual letter even though I know some of my grammar was incorrect. They slipped a letter under my door thanking me and saying how much they enjoyed me there and that I will always have a family in Costa Rica. I miss them a lot already.

When the driver came to get me from the house, I put my stuff in the car and kissed and hugged my host brother goodbye. As we pulled out the gate onto the road I tried my best to hold back tears, but sometimes trying isn't enough. A few tears fell as I thought of leaving the country that taught me so much. Costa Rica is a country that I have such a strong cultural connection with. They have American ways but still incorporate their culture in the foods, daily life, and teaching. I love Costa Rica and will make sure I return shortly. I will never forget the people I have met or what the teachers at school have taught me. As we took off in the air in the plane, I looked back till the beautiful small country of Costa Rica was out of sight. One tear dropped but a smile appeared simultaneously. I truly lived the Pura Vida.

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By La' India S., a Teen Delegate participating in AmeriSpan's Coronado Independent Teen program

My first week in Costa Rica has been amazing! The school is smaller than I expected but beautiful. The surrounding scenery is full of trees and flowers. The teachers are nice and helpful. They have one goal and that is to teach us as much Spanish as they can and help us learn about Costa Rican culture as well as other Latin American cultures in today’s society. In class we review verbs, culture, and play games to help us remember and use what we have learned. Each night,  we receive homework, or “tarea”, that leads us into discussion for the next day and helps us with our conversation skills. My daily schedule starts by waking up at 6:30 am. I take a shower and get dressed and breakfast, or “el desayuno”, as we say here, is at 7:30 am. At 7:45 am, I walk to school and classes begin at 8:00 am and go until 11.40 am. After school, I walk home with friends. We usually go to the cafe close by or an ice cream shop called POPS. The ice cream is amazing! I always get the same thing, a vanilla caramel sundae with whipped cream and nuts on top.

My host family reminds me of my family back home. They are helpful and supportive. Here, I have one brother, two sisters and a father and mother. My two sisters are twins. They are playful and friendly. The whole family keeps me laughing. We also have a French poodle named “Poli”. For breakfast, we eat fresh fruit and bread with butter or cream cheese. For dinner, we have a variety of foods. My first day, we had Gallo Pinto for breakfast. Gallo pinto is a typical Costa Rican dish for breakfast or lunch. It consist of rice and beans with sour cream and a fried egg. It is very delicious. They also showed me around the town of Coronado. It is a small town but has lots of small shops, cafes and restaurants. Coronado is famous in Costa Rica for the church in center of the town.

This weekend, my classmates and I went to Puerto Viajo, Costa Rica. It is located on the East side of Costa Rica. It is also called Pura Vida and the Caribbean side. We stayed in cabins called “cabinas” and went to the beach and shopped. The beach was unbelievable. The water was crystal clear and there were coconut trees everywhere. Also, the food was very good. There were a lot of rice and beans and chicken and plantains. The people were very friendly and helpful. They had Jamaican colors and Bob Marley everywhere. The men had dreadlocks and dark skin. It felt like a whole different country. It was the ultimate vacation!

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By La' India S., a Teen Delegate participating in AmeriSpan's Coronado Independent Teen program

My experience in Costa Rica is ending. This is my third week and the opportunity to come to this country was more than words can describe. Today I went to a wonderful cafe with a friend that we adore. The food is great and the service is excellent. I had the best hot chocolate I ever tasted and we shared a dish. I can`t quite remember what the dish was called, but there are no words to described the delicious taste. It was asparragus wrapped in ham with cheese all over the top. On the side there were the best vegetables I ever tasted. A three year old that would not dare touch a piece of broccoli would love them! Afterwards, for dessert, we ordered and shared a strawberry crepe. It had ice cream and whipped topping with fresh strawberries. Again, delicious beyond compare. Here, in Costa Rica, they continue to surprise me with their foods. None of the foods that I have had so far had been what I expected and they are always amazing.We have already made plans to come back to Costa Rica in 3 years. Puerto Viejo and Coronado will be our first stops.

This week I had the opportunity to go on vacation with my host family. We went to Alajuela , a providence of San Jose. They rented a house along with their cousins. The house was beautiful. It had a pool with a jacuzzi, two tennis courts, a basketball court, a ping pong and pool table, and lots of pretty furniture. I was honored to have them invite me.We danced and ate, and I watched and laughed as my host father and the boys played ping pong. I feel so at home with my host family. I am very close to my host brother and host sisters. They treat me like another member of the family. Sometimes I forget that I don`t speak Spanish fluently and that I don`t live here because we communicate so well. We play the wii and uno and always laugh constantly, even at the dinner table. It is a perfect match.

On Saturday I toured Coronado and shopped for last minute souvenirs. It is so easy to get around here. Since Coronado is famous for the church in the center of the town, as long as you know where the church is you can basically find your way anywhere.While shopping, I brought a pair of flip flops that caught my eye. I just had to haved them. Also, the sales woman was great. She did her job perfectly. Always kept a smile and if I didn`t like something or if it was too much, she showed me the alternatives just in case there was something else I liked, but did not see before. I also found to children`s books for my little cousins. The story is in English and Spanish, and it was their favorite characters, Toy Story and Minnie Mouse. On Monday, due to a Costa Rican holiday school was closed. My friend Jessica and I decided to go to San Jose for the day. We had a good time except for the fact we got lost. Since taxis are extremely cheap here we caught one to the bus station that we couldn`t find since we are both bad with directions. We went to two Mercados in San Jose and walked around. I brought a necklace for my brother with a serpent on it and a shot glass for my dad. There was so much to choose from and a great variety. We also ate a typical Costa Rican dish called casado. Casado contains the following: rice and beans(arroz con frijoles), salad(ensalada), and a chose of meat. The meat could be beef(carne), chicken(pollo), fish (pescado), or porkchop (chuleta). We both still can not believe we are here, in COSTA RICA! So far it has been an incredible trip even with school at eight in the morning! Hasta luego

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People in the Park – *names changed

The best place to hang out for an interesting day in Coronado is
the park right in front of the huge gray church in the center of town. Almost
always you will meet some entertaining character or another. The first was Mark.
Four other gringos and myself were hanging out at the benches and this
middle-aged man approaches us and introduces himself. With his dark skin we
assumed him to just be an English-speaking Costa Rican but it turns out he’s
from California, with Italian heritage. Mark has lived in Costa Rica for 22
years; he moved here for a more simple life after getting out of the US army.
He was definitely an interesting character, who talked with a twitch, and we
enjoyed his company until he started getting carried away with over helpful
information about all the places he could take us in Costa Rica. (He works with
a tour agency.)

As we were getting ready to move on with our day, his friend
passed by in a rustic old jeep and Mark called us over with excitement. He
explained his friend work at a nature reserve and specialized with reptiles.
All of a sudden his friend pulls a snake out of his pocket and holds it out the
window for us to pet! Now, I know I’m not supposed to talk to strangers and
touch wild animals but I couldn’t help but be kind of fascinated. I was the
first to stroke the boa constrictor’s sleek tummy!

Another day, we, the same crew, were hanging out in the center of
the park and we saw another white guy sitting in the grass, writing in a journal
or something. Being the curious, friendly people that we are we introduced
ourselves end ended up joining him in the grass. Paul is from Missouri and just
arrived in Costa Rica two weeks before. He knew absolutely no Spanish and had
been teaching himself, with journal and Spanish/English dictionary at hand.
Yeah, Paul had just gotten married last week to a Costa Rican girl that he had
been talking to via online dating service for the past six months. So now he
will live in Costa Rica for a while and then bring her back to the States when
she can get her passport in order. We would have loved to talk to Paul some
more but he had to run because some guy had just offered him a thousand bucks
to do a photo shoot. Strange, but… okay!

On a different day, three friends and myself were hanging out,
standing by the church steps when we saw a group of Tico teenagers looking at
us from across the street. A tall, skinny boy with a hoop nose ring and a
petite, dark featured girl with an oversized lip stud approached us and
introduced themselves. Johnny and Rosa were very friendly, the boy, age 17, and
the girl, 15. These new acquaintances spoke only Spanish, which I welcomed
openly, excited to practice my foreign tongue with kids my own age. At first it
was difficult to keep a conversation going as we had to keep saying, “Que??”
and “Otra Vez” and “Mas despacio por favor!” As I kept talking I realized my
conversational skills quickly adapt.

Talking to kids your own age opens up a new level of
conversation; it’s not the same as learning Spanish in classroom. I felt myself
getting used to the way they talked, and the language was flowing out of my own
mouth more fluidly then I had ever heard myself speak before! Soon their other
friends joined us and we were all joking around, taking pictures, listening to
each other’s mp3 players, and even exchanged emails and numbers and planned to
meet up again later. Johnny and Rosa are super cool kids, and every time I see
them we exchange the customary kiss on the cheek. I was glad to meet some of
the locals; I could feel myself go into Spanish mode as I was forced to
practice my speech. It was sweet to have the Tico’s insight on where to go eat,
shop, and to tour as well. It’s also a plus to have a mixed group of Ticos and
Gringos because its safer for us since they know their way around Costa Rica
and us gringos don’t look like complete tourists for once!

Click for more information on AmeriSpan’s Independent Teen program in Coronado, Costa Rica.