Tico Culture - No Usa "Tú"

I've decided to add some posts that revolve around the culture here in Costa Rica. There are many things I've learned upon coming to Costa Rica a second time that I never learned the last time I was here. I've been lucky enough to be surrounded by teachers and teaching assistants who are native Ticos (a Tico or Tica is a Costa Rican - it's what they call themselves), who have been teaching all of us valuable information about this amazing country.

I think one of the first things I learned this time around was the use of the form tú. It means you, in a singular tense. It is more familiar and informal, so you could use it when talking with close friends or family. But this tense is not used in Costa Rica. They always use 'usted' instead of 'tú.' It is never used here - so next time you come to Costa Rica, use 'usted' no matter who you are talking to!

Corcovado National Park

The first leg of the two-week field trip consisted of traveling to a beautiful place called Corcovado National Park. Corcovado is in the Southwestern part of Costa Rica. It has a total area of 50,000 Ha. It can be considered an "island" in terms of biodiversity, as all of the species inside are essentially isolated from the rest of the country. This national park is one of the last untouched areas of rainforest in the country. It looks like you stepped into the Amazon rainforest. It has approximately 100 species per Ha, which is a very large species density. 

Corcovado National Park

The journey to Corcovado began when we left San Jose early on Sunday the 8th. We began by visiting Sierpe, which is a small town on Rio Sierpe. That river empties into the Pacific Ocean. 

This picture kinda shows where Sierpe is located compared to Corcovado National Park. It is located on el Rio Sierpe.

The hotel we stayed at was located right on the river, which was pretty cool! We unloaded the bus and got settled into our rooms before heading out to dinner just a few blocks away. The following morning we loaded all of our stuff into 3 boats and headed out on the river. The entire morning we spent learning about mangroves and the many plants and animals that live there. There are 4 different types of mangrove trees that inhabit the mangroves of Costa Rica, which include Acicennia germinans (black mangrove), Laguncularia racemosa  (white mangrove), Rhizophora mangle  (red mangrove), and Peliciera rhizophorae (tea mangrove).

Tea Mangrove, Sierpe River

We also saw numerous animals on our ride, including squirrel monkeys, crocodiles, lizards, and birds. 

Basilicus basilicus (Jesus Christ Lizard)

Little Blue Heron

When we reached the red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle), we were allowed to get out of the boats and climb through the roots! That was so much fun! It was like a natural jungle gym! At the other side of the mangrove, we got out and swam in the water (mostly to get the mud off of our legs). From there we continued on the boats, doing a few more species. We then were driven out into the ocean and down the coastline to our next hostel, which was called Jaguar Jungle (only accessible via boat or a really really long hike). This place is right outside Corcovado National Park, which made it easy access for us to get to the park. This is what it looked like pulling up in the boat:

View from the boat, entering the alcove to our hotel in Corcovado.

The room we stayed in was completely open, and we had to use mosquito netting which was a pretty nifty experience!

That night after getting settled in, we had a lecture on poisonous snakes, as Corcovado has a few venomous species. 

The following day (Tuesday the 10th) we had orientation hikes around the hostel, mostly to get oriented with the trails. We did many species reports, such as the Nephila clavipes (Golden Orb Weaver Spider), Megaloprepus caerulatus (Helicopter Damselfly), Caligo memnon (owl butterfly), Morpho spp.  (morpho butterflies), Atta cephalotes (leaf-cutter ant), and Eciton burchellii (army ants), as well as many plant species. 

Nephila clavipes  (Gold Orb Weaver Spiders)

We went for a night hike after dinner, too, which was pretty awesome! We saw a three-toed sloth (Bradypus variegatus), and it had a little baby with it!

Wednesday, February 11th started off with plant diversity. We learned more in-depth stuff about the parts of plants and many different families. After the lecture, we had a few hours for a break, which marked the first shower since leaving San Jose! That afternoon, we were given a mini-project, which basically involved us (in groups of 3-4) researching and presenting a different family of plants. My group had the Pteridophyta family, also known as ferns. We had all afternoon to prepare a poster and find samples. At 4:30 we all got back and shared our family's information with the rest of the groups. I thought it was very informative and helpful to learn about the specifications of each of the plant families, as it will be useful when studying for the species exams later on in the program.

Thursday, February 12th is a day I like to call - The Day I Walked Forever, or better known as, Hiking Day. We got up early to head out on a very long hike from the hostel where we were staying to a beach on the other side of Corcovado National Park. In total (there and back) it was about 11-12 miles. It may not seem like a lot, but we hiked in basically the Amazon, which meant a lot of mud, a lot of hills, a lot of streams to cross. But it was a really cool hike, all things considered. I've never done something like that before, and it was a great experience to have. It pushed me to all my limits, both physically and mentally. But we saw a ton of spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi), and lots of ant species and birds, which made the whole hike worth it! The "destination" of the hike was a beach at the edge of the forest, which is where we hung out for a few hours around lunch time. It was really pretty, and was just one of many beaches we would be visiting on the trip.

Halfway to the beach!

One of the streams we crossed on the long hike. 

Final Destination! The beach in Corcovado National Park!

Beach crab

Scarlet Macaw

We spent maybe 2-3 hours on the beach upon arrival, which was a nice break between hiking there and back to the hostel. There was a little waterfall where we could refill our water bottles. There was a larger waterfall a bit further away, but I didn't visit it. I explored along the beach, and found a lot of the crabs and was even able to find a macaw and followed it through the trees for a little bit. It was really awesome, and I'm glad I was able to make it to the beach. The way back was a lot quicker, as we didn't stop to see things along the way - just powered through the pain! I was one of the first ones back, so maybe 7 or 8 of us sat on the edge of a stream and let our feet relax in the cool water. It was such a nice break, and I really enjoyed the hike, even though it was really long.

Friday, February 13th - Adventure day! We traveled to a nearby island off the coast of Corcovado called Isla del Caño and spent the entire morning there. We did some species reports in the forest there, which included Brosmium utile (cow tree) and the whiptail lizard. Then we had a lecture on the beach about Island Biodiversity. The fact that we sat on an island on the beach and had a lecture with the sand as our chalkboard was just indescribable. Best lecture location to date!

Isla del Caño

After spending time on the island, we got back on the boats and went back to the mainland and went snorkeling through a small coral reef! That was unbelievable. I saw parrot fish and even a sea turtle! I will never forget that, ever. I wish I had some pictures, but unfortunately none of my cameras are waterproof! Anyway, the snorkeling lasted for about an hour, and then we got back into the boats and went to a little beach to eat lunch. After lunch, we walked a little ways to a waterfall, where we spent a few hours swimming in the pools around the waterfall. That was a lot of fun, and the water was so refreshing! 

Also! That day marked 7 months with David, which made it an even better day :) Happy 7 months <3

Saturday, February 14th - That day was quiet, we spent it walking around the property and doing many species reports around the hostel. We did a lot of species relating to the banana tree and did a few bird species too. It was a long morning, and it was really hot! It was a boring morning, but in the afternoon we had a lecture on arthropods, and then walked to some tide pools and looked at the diversity of the arthropods there. It was a little of a tough walk because of having to climb over slippery rocks, but it was worth it!

Bittersweet

Today (or I guess yesterday now) was one of those bittersweet days. We left San Jose around 9:15 to start our two week field trip on the Pacific coast. I had to say goodbye to a few people I cared about this morning for a second time. It was hard, but I stayed positive and knew that at the very least I would talk to the again in 2 weeks. So I did just that. I focused on the day, learning about oil palms at a little pit stop on our way to Sierpe in the southern part of the state. We learned about the huge industry for oil palms, as they are one of the biggest sources for biofuel in the country. We then stopped for lunch at a cute little restaurant not far from the oil palm plantation. I had some rice and vegetables, which is more or less a typical lunch in Costa Rica. We then stopped at a beach not far from our hotel, and stayed there for a few hours in the late afternoon. The sand was so soft, and the water was so warm! We played in the ocean for almost 2.5 hours, jumping over waves and just enjoying each other's company. It started pouring at one point also, which actually made it that much more fun. There was a dog running around the beach who liked playing with us in the shallow part of the beach. She was adorable and loved the attention. After our time at the beach, we got back on the bus and headed another hour to the hotel, where we got settled in our rooms before heading out to dinner. We had traditional rice and beans, potatoes,and a salad along with pineapple, bananas and watermelon. It was absolutely delicious after a long day traveling. After dinner we came back to the hotel and had a lecture on mangrove swamps, which is what we will be exploring tomorrow morning. After the lecture was free time, which was when I found out that the hotel had wifi. I didn't think about the fact that those I said goodbye to this morning were coping with the idea of not talking to me for two weeks. But then I pop up immediately like nothing changed. That was my first mistake, because I should have given them more time. But I didn't think it through and ultimately made it worse for him in the long run. So even though it was a pretty cool day, I couldn't have ruined it more by hurting the ones I love. Lesson learned..

Urbanization, Packing, and Four Long Hours

Orientation has come and gone, and now tomorrow brings the "unofficial" start to the program. We leave in the morning for our first 2-week long field trip to the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. We will travel down to the southern part of the country and spend a few days at a national park there. We will be snorkeling, boating, hiking, and so much more over these next few weeks that I can't help but wonder if I'm ready for this. I've never been hiking. I've done the barn work so I know I can walk the distance, but at the same time I worry about the silly things, like packing, for one. But I am excited to get out of the city - too much concrete for my taste. But I must say, this last day in the city has been quite a roller coaster.

This morning was the start to our third class, Humans in the Tropics. We learned about urbanization, consumption, and development in developing countries around the world. It was very interesting, though quite sad at the same time, to learn just how screwed the human race is. We consume more than we can produce in developed countries, while developing countries don't even have enough food to feed their people. We talked about he amount of space on earth we would need if everyone on the planet lived like we do. This began the discussion about ecological footprints, which led into our second trip downtown. We were given two tasks: (1) to find the prices of common household goods, such as groceries, beer, electronics, and clothes, and compare them to prices in the United States, and (2) interview two Costa Ricans regarding their energy consumption. The latter task was probably the most interesting. We had a survey to give the person we interviewed, which asked questions such as how they get around the city, how many people live in their home, how large their home is, what types of things they do to conserve energy, etc. This data was then used on myfootprint.com to fill out the quiz to determine their ecological footprint. Their footprint (given in units of number of earths we would need if everyone lived like that person) was compared with our own. The differences were astounding. My footprint was 2.85 earths, which I thought was quite high. This, however was nearly half that of the United States average, which is 5 earths. This means that if everyone in the world lived the way we do in the US, we would need 5 earths to support the world population in that manner. Crazy, right!? But what I thought was the most interesting was my value compared to that of a Tico. My value, remember, was 2.85 earths. The Tico I interviewed had a value of 0.44 earths. Such a large difference! And one of the biggest reasons for this difference is energy sources. In New England, we use more energy because in the summer we have to cool our homes which requires a lot of energy, and in the frigid winters (like the one they're experiencing now) we have to heat our homes which also requires a large amount of energy. In Costa Rica, they do not have to worry about the constant heating and cooling of homes. They also have a greater abundance of renewable energy (averaging 57%), which reduces their carbon footprint tremendously.

After class this afternoon, we had a few hours to begin packing for the next two weeks. I spent almost all of it packing, the other part doing some homework. Around 6:30 we headed out to dinner at a little bar maybe 6 minutes from the hotel. It was a typical Costa Rican bar - loud music, cramped table space, but nonetheless an awesome environment to enjoy spending time talking with other students in the program. But, talking only goes so far. Unfortunately, it took the bar nearly four hours to bring us our food. Yes, you heard right. FOUR HOURS. So needless to say none of us were really in the mood for eating by the time our food actually came. We were tired from a long day in the city, and stressed about the thought of beginning to pack for the following day. Getting back to the hotel at 10:45 was not exactly an ideal time, but hey, when in Rome, right?  Here, everyone is on Tico Time, so we just have to roll with it. The packing did get (mostly) done, and now its off on a two week adventure.

ANYWAY, here are some pictures from today's adventures downtown:

Daniel and Daniel pointing with Daniel

Found something in the trees perhaps. 

In a park

In a different park

In yet a different park

This was once a school building. Couldn't tell you what it is now, except kinda pretty-looking.

How I Met Your Mother - Costa Rican Edition

How I Met Your Mother is one of those TV shows that everyone can relate to in one way or another. I've seen every episode at least once, and each one has some message that I'm sure someone can relate to. I had my relatable experience today during my first lecture in Costa Rica. Remember that episode where Robin and Lily waited in line for the bridal sale, where they sat in cold weather for hours, listening to an annoying car alarm going off? Or the one where Ted and Robin had to listen to that car alarm outside their apartment? Well, I didn't know that car alarm actually existed. But let me tell you, that little bugger of an alarm does exist. And it went off for a solid 10 minutes during our lecture this morning.

Flowers and Fruits

Day two in Costa Rica and it already feels like we've been here for a month. It's like the 22 of us have been friends forever. We all get along, and no matter who is in the small groups, its never short of a good time.

Day two meant orientation. Our program director, Alan Masters, talked to us about Costa Rica, the history, culture, and everything we can expect out of this program. We learned about the field trips we'll be taking (first to the Pacific coast and then to the Atlantic coast later in the program). After orientation, we were given our first assignment: to go into downtown San Jose and purchase a fruit we were assigned (I should be specific- we were given a picture of the fruit with no other knowledge and were expected to ask the vendors in the market about the fruits). We were given $3.000 colones (about $6.00 in US) to buy the fruit and lunch. So our first real adventure began - trying to navigate from the hotel to the market. My navigation skills are not exactly up to par, so needless to say I relied on those a little more skilled in that department to guide us to the market. 

We started at the little orange box in the top right corner, and ended at the little red circle labeled 1 on the middle left side of the map.

Once we made it to the market, I along with two others began our search for fruit vendors. We finally found one and I showed the vendor my fruit picture, as I had no idea what it was. He had the fruit, which turned out to be called cas, and I asked him some questions like what time of year it was grown and how it is used in cooking. I guess he enjoyed talking to me because he gave it to me for free! Lydia had a mango and Steve had a mandarine, which were found at the same vendor. He even gave us a mini mango to eat on our way out! 

A cas fruit, which is grown year-round and typically only used in juices. 

Once we finished at the market, we walked around town, grabbed some lunch at a place called the Crispy Churro, and then had to go back to the hotel for a lecture at 1:30. Our first lecture was about flowers, which was extremely interesting! We learned flower anatomy, which is a lot more interesting than it sounds. Our professors and TA's had flowers purchased from the market which we were using as aids in learning the anatomy of many types of flowering plants. 

Basic flower anatomy. 

We disected all of the flowers, and I have to say that was one of the most interesting lectures I've ever had. After this class, we had another lecture on fruits. This one was also really interesting, as many of the ones discussed in the lecture were foods I did not know were considered fruits, such as legumes, peanuts, and grains, to name a few. This lecture concluded with each of us sharing the fruits we bought at the market and what we had learned from the vendors. We then were given a little fruit-feast with numerous samples of all the fruits we had bought earlier that morning. 

Fruits from the market, including papaya, watermelon, bananas, peppers, strawberries, pineapple, coconut, sunflower seeds, starfruit, cantalope, manderines, avacado, cas, and numerous others I can't remember. 

So needless to say, three tables worth of fruit was demolished in about 30 minutes by 22 very hungry college students! They were all delicious.

Dinner followed the fruit tasting, which meant another long walk downtown to the restaurant. We mostly ate casado, which is a typical Costa Rican dish. It consists of white rice, beans, picadilla, salad, chicken and fried plantains. 

Day two in Costa Rica in summary: food, flowers, food, and more food. Can't wait for the rest of it!

Dónde Está el Baño?

Traveling to Costa Rica was a lot easier in my head. The goodbyes were easier, parking at the airport was easier, and the layover in Miami was easier. But life never goes according to plan so of course everything wasn't as easy as I had made it out to be. Saying goodbye to my mom and Katie this morning was extremely difficult. I nearly cried in the process. Parking the car with my dad at Logan airport was also a lot easier in my head - we circled the property probably two or three times. But once all that was said and done, the goodbye with him wasn't as easy as I had anticipated. Getting through security and onto my first plane was cake, until we got to Miami, where they were experiencing thunderstorms so our plane had to circle the area for 30-45 minutes. This of course worried me because my layover only left an hour between flights. So getting off the plane, I booked it across the airport. Let me tell you, that airport is easily the length of 495509814 football fields.

So I ran from gate D16 to gate D46. That may not look far, but damn that is a far walk! But after power walking for what seemed like miles, I get to the gate only to see that my flight was pushed back another hour! But regardless, I made it to Costa Rica safely, and of course snagged some cliche plane pictures along the way: 

Sunrise over Boston

Flying in over Miami

Flying over Cuba!!!

Hills of Costa Rica

We flew over Honduras and Nicaragua on our was to Costa Rica, which was really beautiful to watch from the windows of the plane. Nicaragua had such beautiful lakes and you could see the beautiful Pacific coast from the city of Malaga. Honduras was equally as beautiful, but I thought it was amazing how we could see little settlements of people in the mountains from the plane! Such an amazing experience. 

When we finally landed in Costa Rica, we were taken to the hotel in San Jose by taxi, where we were brought to our rooms and then taken to a little restaurant called ComeVerde. This place was so cute - they only serve all natural foods (also vegan and vegetarian friendly!), and its basically a create-your-own-food place. They had lists of meats and veggies and dressings and you could make wraps or salads or sandwiches. Such a neat little place! Also, there was a cute little kitty: 

But anyways, that basically sums up the first day of my Costa Rican adventure. Much more to come!