Week One IN Cost RIca:
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so much to do!Despite its small size, there was so much going on in Monteverde and the surrounding areas! Although the school was located in the town of Monteverde, the two neighboring towns of Santa Elena and Cerro Plano were both within walking distance. I was very surprised at how much of a tourist destination the whole area was. There were tons of hotels, restaurants, and activities throughout the three towns, which meant lots of options to choose from for things to do!
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Highlights:
my favorite parts of my first week in costa rica
My home stay in Monteverde was perfect! It ended up just being me and my "mama tica," because her son lived at his college in a different town. Since it was just the two of us, there was plenty of time for conversation and practicing Spanish which I loved. She was also a great cook which was another bonus!
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Each week at CPI a free cooking class was offered, and I loved participating each time. The first week in Monteverde we made a dish called Guiso de Ayote, which was served with a small salad, rice, and tortillas. The main ingredient, ayote, is a type of squash, and the other ingredients included red peppers, crema dulce, some spices, green onion, and garlic. The final product tasted like a cheesy vegetable mixture, and was delicious mixed with the rice and eaten with the tortilla.
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Since I only had Spanish class from 8-12 each morning, one of the first activities I decided to do in one of my free afternoons was a canopy tour. It included 6 zip lines through the forest and mountains, two superman cables, and one Tarzan swing. I especially liked the zip lines and superman cables, and the Tarzan swing was just crazy! Basically you jumped off the end of a bridge with cables attached to your hips and waist, and after a three second fall the ropes caught you and then you swung back and forth like Tarzan. It was definitely an adrenaline rush!
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My next adventure of the week was canyoning (rappelling down waterfalls). At first I was unsure about doing it, but afterward I was so glad I did! I expected it to be kind of scary or dangerous, but it ended up being more of a challenge which made it a lot of fun! The views were beautiful throughout the course, and it was something I could have never experienced anywhere else!
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During the rest of the week, I spent my free time going on hikes at different locations in Monteverde and the surrounding towns. I went to three different forests in all: the Monteverde Children's Forest, Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve, and Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. At the first two parks, another student and I just paid the entry fee and explored on our own, and for the third I decided to pay for a guided tour with a small group. I enjoyed all three forests, and even though they were all located within thirty minutes of each other, each was a little bit different with different things to see. I even was lucky enough to see the Quetzal, a vibrantly colored bird that lives in tropical mountain forest in Central America, during my guided tour at the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. That was pretty cool since it is a specie that many tourists often go in search for when visiting Costa Rica.