The Beauty of The Spanish Catholic Church

What aspect of the culture Costa Rican culture have I not experienced yet? – I asked myself this about two weeks ago when I realized how busy my schedule would be in the following days before I leave.  I didn’t want to travel far, and I didn’t want to do something I have always done.  My answer was simple: go to mass at the Spanish Catholic Church in the center of San Ramon.

In every city Costa Rica there is a catholic church located in the center, usually across from the city’s central park.  The main religion in Costa Rica is Catholicism, and the central church is considered the main church for the people of each city.

These last three months I have walked by the Central Catholic Church every day, I have taken pictures of it from outside, but I had never stepped foot inside.  So I attended mass with my friend last Sunday.  Mind you, I am not an expertise on the catholic religion.

As I entered I was in awe of the very tall arched white marble ceiling, with large pillars on either side of the isle the long isle. Towards the front of the church there is a beautiful crystallized chandelier.

They all so have figurines of the different saints of CR.

In the front of the church:

A beautiful domed ceiling.

More figurines of their religious symbols (and Jesus)!

In the catholic religion all so worship Virgin Mary, who is very important.

During mass the priest presented a warm and heartfelt message and the music being played consisted of pretty instrumental Spanish hymns.  I was fascinated by the physical and spiritual beauty within the church!  Even though I had been sitting next to a crying baby, he was precious and so was my experience in the Spanish Catholic Church.

Envisions of Panama City History

Panama is the third country I have been through within two weeks.  My field trip to Nicaragua finished November 11 and that same night I arrived back in Costa Rica.  On the night November 15 my friend, Hillary, and I were off on our travels to Panama for Thanksgiving break.

Entering Panama City was like being back in the states. The tall buildings, traffic and the gray-ish blue skies – these sights brought back a sense of familiarity.  In our four days in the city Hillary and I toured the Panama Canal, El Amador Causeway, went shopping, and visited the San Blas Islands.

                                               

On our last day we toured two historical sights of Panama City: the ruins of Panama Viejo (old Panama) and the touristy sight of Casco Viejo (old town). Panama Viejo was the first city constructed by the Spanish in the 1500’s. In 1671, Henry Morgan and his pirate crew took over and burned down Panama Viejo. But hey, at least Panama can thank Morgan for his rum!

Later that afternoon, a Panamanian friend took us on a tour of Casco Viejo, which was constructed in 1673 after the burning of Panama Viejo.  This Spanish colonial town is still alive and bustling today with locals and tourists.                                                     

Within one day I had seen each Panama one by one (oldest to newest) and uncovered the history and development of Panama City as a whole.  Also, I received a sense of the colonial everyday lifestyle from my visit to the Panama Viejo Museum, which holds many old remnants and lots of history.

                                                                                 

Costa Rica Soccer Game – A Sport-Fan’s Dream!

Buenas!

I cannot contain my excitement for this blog post!  A week ago I went with some friends to watch a national Costa Rica Soccer game at the national stadium in San Jose, Costa Rica!

First off, my friend, Hillary, and I bought game tickets on the street, which I guess is typical here.  Then Hillary and I made a stupid decision to wear flip-flops on a rainy night, because we had to walk through a park full of mud, with hundreds of bustling Costa Rican fans, to get to the stadium entrance. We had to walk through the stadium with mud covered feet, since we didn’t have time to wash off the mud before the game started.

But entering the massive stadium was like entering a sport-fan’s heaven.  Bright, blinding lights shown down from the giant domes built to shelter the seats of the stadium. The field was in the middle of the stadium, with all the stadium seats surrounding it so one looks down into the playing field.  There is no possible way, no matter how high up one is, that one would have a bad seat.

Once we took our seats, Costa Rica made their first point in the game.  Suddenly, the entire crowd leaped to their feet screaming, applauding, jumping and cheering for their team.  I was in disbelief, because I have never seen such hardcore and enthusiastic fans!  For each goal Costa Rica made after that I joined in the wild chaos of celebration!  Costa Rica won 7-0 against a new team in the league, which is from a small country called Guyana.

Hillary and I eventually washed the mud off our feet after the game.  But that is another story I chose not to tell. Let’s just say some security guards got involved.  It’s always an adventure in Costa Rica!  Therefore, Pura Vida!

My Birthday in Costa Rica

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This past weekend I had the most wonderful birthday in Costa Rica!  A group of friends and I went out of town for the weekend to a touristy spot called Quepos this last Friday, October 5^th.  My birthday was on Thursday, so I celebrated throughout the weekend with dinner, dancing, relaxing on the beach, shopping and para-sailing.

On Friday, the group and I went to eat that a restaurant called Luna Mar.  We sat on an open balcony with the dim lights of candles all around us; a romantic setting!  But there was nothing romantic about eleven girls celebrating my twenty-first birthday among the many couples enjoying their dates!  Later we went to a discoteca (club), with free admission and drinks for ladies.  Inside, looked like a bachelorette pad, because the walls were painted pink with zebra stripped wall paper, and fancy leather seats.  I had definitely had a bachelorette party for my birthday!

Saturday the group and I went to the beach at a Manuel Antonio National Park next to Quepos,which is the main tourist attraction of the town.  There are many activities (hiking, kayaking, and zip-lines) to do there and beautiful beaches to enjoy.  My friends and I chilled on the beach, and swam in the aqua colored sea.  That night we ate at a place called El Avión, which has a huge airplane in the center.  One could choose to eat in the plane or on the balcony with a view overlooking the ocean.  We ate our food and deserts on the balcony.  All around, the food, service and view were all fantastic!

Sunday many of the girls and I did some shopping, but the highlight of  the day was para-sailing.  Two other friends and I received a fantastic discount of fifty dollars each for the three of us to go para-sailing through the owner of the hotel.  The take off was rough, but once we were in the air everything was peaceful.  From above, we could see the out stretch of the Pacific Ocean, and the beautiful scenery of the beach, the town and the surrounding tropical forest.

During the whole vacation I was relaxed, content and very pleased with how well everything went!

The Pura Vida Mentality

Pura Vida, a common sang in Costa Rica for “good day”, or “you’re welcome”, or as literally translated, “pure life”, is a phrase that also reflects the Costa Rican culture.  The Ticos are usually content, easy going and very friendly people, and have a positive attitude about living life; living Pura Vida.

My friend, a local of Costa Rica, finds it hilarious that people in the United States are always so stressed, busy and unhappy.  It’s our culture to always to get many things done quickly or on time, and many of us rush to do out tasks last minute.

Two very different cultures, and there are several reason why Costa Rica’s and The United States’ cultures are the way they are.  To research these reasons would take time, research, and philosophizing, which one can do one their own time.

Having lived in Costa Rica a month now, I have seen a change in myself.  I am more relaxed and content then I remember myself ever being since I started college.  I find that time management is essential to the relief of worry and stress.  Additionally, I tend to rub off on other peoples moods, and the people I am surrounded by here are generally happy – so I find myself feeling great the majority of the time.

I have learned to enjoy the smaller things in life, live in the now, instead of stressing over what I have to do later.  Sounds cliché? But to live Pura Vida is a practice and meditation that may take years for one to accomplish. It’s a discipline for one’s mind to be tranquil, and calm in various situations.

Pura Vida is enjoying where one is, what one does, who one is with, and what one has.

Below are pictures of some enjoyable times, so far, in Costa Rica:

 

Pura Vida en Costa Rica

I arrived in San Ramón, Costa Rica with a group of students from my college on the 27 of August.  I have already learned and experienced a lot about the Tico culture:  food, festivities and about the natural disasters that take place here.  (To clarify, I am studied in Costa Rica for three months for my Spanish minor through my university.)

I started out my first week with orientation, which included a tour of the city, and a couple small classes teaching the group and me about the Costa Rican culture and a jump start the country’s history.  I also roamed the city with my classmates, familiarizing myself with the San Ramón, and learning how to get around.  Additionally, I attended Día de Los Santos en El Centro (in the center) de San Ramón, where I watched a parade of saints arriving at the Iglesia en El Centro.  And during a concert at the festival a couple classmates and I got our first dance lessons from local Tikos!

The first weekend in Costa Rica was very eventful! My friend and I went to our first bar and tried Costa Rica’s best beer, Imperial.  Everyone drinks it; es cultural!  Muy Rico! Also, I discovered me encanto Bloody Mary’s con Chile (tip: If you like red wine or black coffee you might like this).  Then, on Saturday the majority of the group and I went on a small day trip (3 miles away) to Las Musas Water Park, where we got to swim at the bottom of an actual water fall. ! Estaba romántica!  That night some of us went our dancing a club called Night Fever.  I was exhausted come Sunday!

This last Monday, September 3, classes began, and thank goodness the homework is light!  Right now we are preparing to go on a field trip to a jungle this weekend. Yes, there will be poisonous animals, such as snakes, spiders and insects.  But there will also be beautiful scenery, monkeys, bird and more!
My exciting week and a half in Costa Rica has been a blast! But highlight of my time here so far has to be the EARTHQUAKE, which occurred in Guanacaste.  Don’t worry… it was three hours or so away, so it wasn’t felt as strongly and didn’t do any damage.  But my classmates and I were all so shocked, that a lot of us erupted in laughter.  Coping mechanism, I guess!  I have to admit it was pretty cool, but ay dios, don’t let it happen again!

Lastly, I have to say I have a wonderful host family, and so do a lot of my peers from the group.  We are all well taken care of, and eat A LOT of rice, black beans (for breakfast, lunch and dinner) and fruit, and we drink tons of juice and coffee.  I have made some nice friends here too, and one lives just right down the street.  Life is good.  Pura Vida…Chao!

Writing Portfolio

Hey guys,

Here is my media writing portfolio (below) which contains  samples of my my writes from my media writing class!  I worked with many different forms of media writing.  For example, I learned how to write AP style: short, simple and concise.   I really enjoyed learning to write news articles, press releases and much more.  I have also improved a lot in my media writing skills.  My class was taught by a very skilled Professor, Susan Sivek.  So thank you Professor Sivek! Enjoy!

Media Writing Portfolio