Horseback ride to a waterfall and hot springs on Valentine´s Day...the reason why we did NOT choose Spain =)

So we realize it’s been about 2 weeks since we’ve updated yall and we’re really sorry we suck so much at this! Every time we get on the computer here we get FLOODED with the ‘real world’ and it’s pretty overwhelming. I only get to check my email every 3 days or so, so when I finally do I have about 2+ hours’-worth to go through. And then there’s facebook, which is just too easy to get sucked into. And I did have pictures to upload until I lost my camera last week…So anyways, we’ll be at the internet café for 5 hours and still not have accomplished much and still haven’t found the time to update the darn blog.
I feel like that’s the biggest difference between here and the states so far: time. I usually always have a to-do list and when I actually start doing it the hours just miraculously fly by and before I know it I’ve only crossed one thing off my list. I don’t have a list here… and I don’t need one cuz I have all the time I need to get everything done! I’m sure you can’t even imagine what that’s like haha.
I don’t miss constant internet access and tivo and my cell phone that much because I have free time and time to relax instead. I have time to go to the pool or hang out and do crafts and I don’t feel guilty doing them instead of something else I ‘should be doing’ (I’ve been making jewelry =) )
I thought I’d die without my technology but it’s just not necessary here. On multiple nights we’ve had a group of 20 or so people split up into groups of 4 (how many can fit in a cab) with no set plans to meet up later all end up at the same place-without cell phones! I can’t even get that to happen at home with cell phones! A modern-day miracle.

So anyways…here’s what you’ve missed the past 2 weeks!

Feb. 7th
We went bungee jumping!!!!! I’ve tried to upload our videos a bunch of times, but just cant seem to get my computer to do it. We’ll share when we come home though! We went for Kelsey’s birthday, which she stretched over 4 days and got a good long party-run out of. Haha. We jumped off a bridge over the Rio Colorado (Colorado River), about a 250 ft. drop (ah!), which is where most people jump in Costa Rica - Stevo got thrown off the same bridge on Wild Boys. I wanted to got ‘mafia-tossed’ too but they said I wasn’t allowed since it was my first time =(. But I loved it and wanted to go again as soon as I came back up! Another group will probably go later in the semester because Scott couldnt jump this round (broken thumb) so I might go again and try to get tossed!

Feb. 11th
Costa Rica vs. Honduras game: Christina’s first futbol experience! (Katie watched on TV) About 12 of us headed into San Jose after class, decked out in our red & blue, to support Costa Rica! Half of us had tickets and my half bought them there so were in the highest section possible, but the stadium was packed and all of the fans were just ridiculously awesome. By the end of the game we had finally learned 2 of their chants and were yelling ‘puta!’ right along with the rest of the crowd whenever someone faked an injury. We won 2-0 and I saw the best crowd wave I have ever seen. In the streets later some ticos were chanting ‘Ole, ole ole ole…ticos, ticos!’ until they decided to substitute gringos for ticos when we walked by! haha

Feb. 13th-Feb. 15th

Arenal Volcano!Friday: We were on a 3-hour bus ride for 6 hours...flat tire half an hour in and then we broke down an hour later. Awesome. Got to our hotel-Gringo Pete's and just hung out for the night.

Saturday aka Valentine`s Day!: Woke up early to rain! Yay! So we threw on some hot ponchos and decided to book a tour. We went horseback riding for an hour then took a 20 min. hike down a mountain to a river. Katie and I kinda split off from the guide and family we were with and swam across the river (extremly strong current! good workout) to La Fortuna waterfall on the other side. Gorgeous! (Bad bathing suit picture, but the scenery is pretty!) We couldn`t get any pictures of our own cuz we couldn't swim with our camera, but we asked a girl to email us some that she took of us so hopefully we will get those later! Then we had to walk back UP the mountain-20 minutes of huge stair steppers that made Christina feel even shorter and more out of shape. Then the horseback ride back!

We got back to our hotel, fixed some lunch and hung out a bit, then went on a 'See Lava Tour' at 5. We were driven into the mountains, took a short walk through the forest and across a suspension bridge to the lookout spot where we were greeted with some Cacique(cane liquor, like vodka without the bite) and Coke! We actually got to see a little spot of red lava off in the distance! Nothing amazing, but still cool to be able to say we saw it! Afterwards we were driven to some natural hot springs where we hung out for a while in the dark just staring up at the stars =)

Sunday: Just the bus ride back-the proper 3 hours this time, but the bus was PACKED! In Costa Rica, no matter how early you buy your bus ticket, you are not guaranteed a seat. You can buy a ticket for an 8 hour bus ride and end up standing/sitting in the aisle for the whole way. Katie and I got lucky, but some of the other students not so much...some of the girls were NOT happy about this.

So that's the quick overview! We're going to Montezuma, a beach on the Northwest coast, this weekend where there's supposed to be great beaches, waterfalls, and possible cliff diving opportunitites...? We'll try not to wait too long to update this time!

Love and miss you all!

Christina & Katie

**PICTURES LINK!**

The blog just takes too long to be able to keep up with the loads of pictures Ive been taking, so here's a link to where Ill be uploading all my pictures!

And so you don't have to get a login --- email: ISJDFspring09@gmail.com pass: puravida

http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=254421280/a=158917382_158917382/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink

<3 Christina

CUCARACHAS

This is something I havent really had to deal with in the states: cockroaches. During the day, everything is fine and dandy, but my penalty for coming home late is having to see the critters that live in our bathroom. I can always tell how late it is by how many cockroaches are in the bathroom and how big they are. The little guys I dont mind-they come out a little earlier. But theres one big mama roach that freaks me out that comes out after 11:30ish. I had the pleasure of picking up my tube of toothpaste tonight and encountering her RIGHT underneath it. ICK! (I keep my toothbrush in its travel case just in case youre wondering)

Katie hasn’t had this problem-it seems to be kind of a 50/50 deal with all of the other students. Im just stuck in the worst half of that boat!

*Christina