Sunday, June 30, 2013

New friends, new spot

I arrived to Playa Samara last night!  I am officially a temporarily transplanted Okie-Floridian costarricense.

Traveling like a "tico" was far more entertaining than traveling like a tourist.  I took a public bus from San Jose to Samara.  A taxi or shuttle would have cost upwards of $150 and I paid $12 for a bus full of friendly Costa Ricans.

One of my goals was to meet people from all over the world.  Mission accomplished!

Raul was my first amigo.  He was taking the bus to see his girlfriend in Nicoya.  He's studying finance and hopes to learn English and travel to the US.  His girlfriend is trying to find a job in San Jose.

I also met a group of students from Italy and Germany, here to learn Spanish, and a group of backpackers from Belgium.

My housemates are super nice!  Shelly is from Austin, TX and is out of the country for the first time.  She is here to "spread her wings" and I love her new sense of adventure.  Simon in from England and he has been traveling/living in Latin America for 5 years.  I want to be him when I grow up.  It is awesome to be able to talk about amazing places like Machu Picchu, DF,  and Teotihucan with other people who have been there. 

My house is super cool!  Each of us have locking bedroom doors and we share the rest of the house.  It's nicer and bigger than I imagined. There is an outdoor shower and a killer patio.

The town of Samara is quaint and sleepy.  There are surf schools, dive shops, souvenir shops, cafes, bakeries and ice cream parlors. Everyone is extraordinarily friendly!  I think I said "good morning" a thousand time this morning.

The beach is very different from MY beach back home.  There are waves, the sand is darker and more rocky but it is magically beautiful.  There are horses wandering and the beach is lined with banana tress and palm trees.

Adios for now...

Friday, June 28, 2013

Tomorrow the journey begins! I leave Fort Lauderdale in the morning & after a couple of hours in flight, I'll be living the "pura vida". The 5 hour public bus ride from San Jose to Playa Samara should be  interesting. If all goes as planned I will be in my new residence by bedtime tomorrow night. 

I will be staying in a shared house called "Casa Generina" with 2 roommates from who-knows-where. One is male & the other female. Hopefully stranger-danger will not apply. : ) My house is a 2 minute walk from the beach & directly across the street from the school.

The town of Playa Samara is small but has plenty of outdoorsy activities. They have surfing, horseback riding, zip lining, scuba diving, bar hopping, etc... Something I'm most looking forward to is NO FAST FOOD! I can't wait to eat fresh fruit smoothies & traditional Costa Rican food! 

Wish me well...adios amigos!

Friday, June 21, 2013

Samara Beach

I will spend the month of July taking a TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) course in Samara Beach, Costa Rica.  My noble plans include hitting the beach every morning, going to class on weekdays from 10:30-7:30, eating healthy food, exercising, making new friends from all over the world and taking mini-trips or scuba diving on the weekends.