Costa Rica Vacations

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Getting to Bocas

With this journey the pictures will speak better than words. This was one of my favorite trips thus far since being here in Costa Rica. Once again we had to cross the border to in Panama, but this border was like nothing I have seen. I realized at that point we had taken the road less traveled. We had to walk across a bridge that had planks missing everyone and had to be very careful not to fall down. Georgia had forgotten her passport, but this was easily taken care of in Panama (had to pay a 10$ tax). Once on the other side we took a 20 minute taxi for $5 and arrived at the river where we would have to take another taxi, but this time by boat to the beautiful island. The ride there provided amazing sites and is a must see for anyone coming to the region.

Our Romantic Getaway

For my birthday Georgia decided to take me out to her family’s camp on the Pacific ocean. This was an amazing experience as it gave me a taste of what the country must have been like 50 years ago. Because of the rough waters, no tourists come here, which means total tranquility and solitude with Mother Nature. Her camp reminded me of a typical northern Ontario camp. Nothing fancy, but very cozy. We would lie down at night and listen to the ocean waves crashing down. It’s moments like these ones that remind me why I made the big move a year and a half ago. If you appreciate romance then this is definitely the place for you! And what did we do when the romance wasn’t a blaze? My family will find it hard to believe… we played cards. Lots and lots of cards! She even managed to beat me at 500, on only her forth try!!! She’s quite the talent I tell you.

Happy Birthday To Me

I had the joy of spending my birthday with some classmates of mine and my wonderful girlfriend Georgia. Everyone has been dying to see a picture and since we live half way across the world this is the only way fro everyone to meet the new special someone in my life. We met through a friend, Mauren, yes the same name that keeps coming up in my blogs. Of course, like many others of her kind she fell hopelessly in love with me within the first moments, but then something different happened, she seemed to have the same effect on me! So there we were, fate obviously brought us together and we have been having a blast ever since. She’s amazing cause she comes ever and does my laundry and cooks me food, it great! I’m just kidding of course, trying to get everyone to jump off their feet, like the good old days. Actually, she is super busy, just like me, as she is presently working two jobs to save up to buy her house. She knows what she wants and she’s not afraid to do what it takes to get it, and that is definitely a value I appreciate a lot.

Staff Party

My school, Intercultura, organizes a get together at an all-inclusive resort once a year for their entire staff, both Spanish and English. This year we went to Fiesta all-inclusive and got silly. Intercultura trulky is an original school. Mornings and afternoons are reserved for tourists that come to learn Spanish. Starting at 4 the school transforms into an English school. I teach eight different classes averaging about eight students a class. The majority of the English teachers are Americans, which makes for interesting conversation. All are anti-Bush, which did not surprise me considering they already had an open mind to leave the States and see something different. I do notice a difference however, in how Americans are received over here compared to people from other countries. The most open feelings come out of course when there are no Americans in the room. I personally don’t see much difference between this staff compared to any staff I have worked with back home, so I don’t fully understand the statements made by others that there are huge differences between us and them.

Fiesta

In coming back to Costa Rica I got the chance to go to a one of kind party thanks to my great friend Mauren. She is the same friend who took me and my sister all around the country last December. She organized a party for David, her boyfriend who had just made the big move to Costa Rica. One of the things I like most about Costa Rica is the fact that they don’t need large groups to have a good party. The highlight was definitely when a traditional band showed up and invaded the party with incredible tribal beats and intense dance. The whole party went off and everyone just went out of control. It was only for 45 minutes, but I will say other than my clubbing experiences, this was my best party moment.

The Lucky Brother

Definitely one of the highlights of my trip was getting the chance to spend some time with Roxanne. I love the fact that we have so much in common. I got to teach her how to play golf, played some pool, went bowling, and even got her into a few bars, although not the greatest bars. Roxy, I’m so proud of the person you are becoming and I wish you the best of luck in Ottawa.

Hometown Friends

My first trip back to Thunder Bay was definitely one to remember. It was amazing to reconnect with everyone back home. I was especially happy to see that everyone was doing well and that basically no one had really changed. Thunder Bay is such a chill place, and it really is great to get back there to enjoy the slow moving pace. I truly feel as though my hometown is a big reason why I am the way that I am. It allowed me to develop incredible lifelong friendships that you don’t see to often from larger cities. Although going out to the bar is still a popular activity, I find people in Thunder Bay tend to go out and do other things more often then people in big cities. Everyone lives close enough to go out for a cup of coffee if that is what they feel like doing. It was great getting my butt kicked over and over again in golf with you Patrick, Kristin, it was amazing to go back to our roots and visit the grounds where our

God Bless Family!

If I have learned one thing from being so far from home is that your family’s love for you will never fade away with great distances separating you from them. The thing with family is that there is no readjusting period with them. You automatically go back to where you were when you left them. It was so nice to see everyone and it was especially nice to go on a road trip with my maman and visit different people as we drove halfway across the country. I got to see Josee for a brief breakfast and we continued down the road so I could have a delicious bowl of Lipton soup at my godparent’s. We arrived in Thunder Bay just in time for my Aunt Jocelyn’s birthday party which ended up being a great party. One of the highlights was definitely the amazing fondue my maman made for me. The picture you see if of us going crazy for her chocolate fondue for desert. Other highlights were going to Luci’s for my first dinner invitation in three year’s and getting to Mel just before she was to welcome the newest member of our family.

Something to be thankful for

I know it has been a long time since I have updated my blog, and I am sorry for that, but I no longer had the program to change my files. But I am back at it and have lots of stories to share! I went to Canada this past July and had the chance to see many of those who I love. My highlight of course was getting the chance to see my grandparents from both sides of the family. I consider myself blessed to have had the opportunity to get to know all four of my grandparents. They are all very close to me and it was great seeing everyone again.

Another gem...

This past weekend has truly been another unexpected gem during my stay here in Costa Rica. A friend of mine, Martha, gave me an invitation to go with her and some friends to some waterfalls nearby at a town called Grecia here in Costa Rica. I never pass up an invitation to see the country with people who are from here. What a great trip it ended up being. We were a group of ten and had a blast walking to various waterfalls and swimming in different rivers. This place was unlike any other I have seen. It is a little Costa Rican secret that has not yet been invaded by tourism. Two of my friends, Alicia and Gregory also came with me. Both from France, they claimed that this was their best moment thus far, not bad given the fact they have been here for almost a month. I really can’t stress it enough, the highlights of traveling are not in going to tourist spots, but in getting to know the people and having a positive exchange of cultures and ideas with them. Everyone is always so kind to me, and they always continue to remind me why I decided to move here.

What a Match!

I have to admit that the moments I love must being here in Costa Rica are not those spent at the beaches or at beautiful resorts. The moments I enjoy most are those in which I feel I am seeing or participating in something very few get to experience. I love getting the chance to go with locals and do the things they enjoy doing. A student of mine invited me to go with her and watch a soccer game at her university. Andrea is an Engineer student there, and explained to me that her faculty had a match against the law faculty, which is the biggest rivalry in the University of Costa Rica. This University holds 30 000 students, so it is quite large. This yearly tradition brings out the wild side in the students, as they bring eggs and fruits to throw at each other during the game. It is a non stop barrage of things flying around as you spend as much time finding cover as you do watching the game. It truly was an incredible experience, and I am already looking forward to next year’s match.