Submitted by Scott Eisenhart on the 2014 winter session study abroad program in Costa Rica sponsored by the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures…
¡Hola mis amigos! So I just checked the weather for the Northeast. Apparently you guys are getting 4-8 inches of snow? Burrr, that doesn’t sound too fun. Let me try to thaw you out by telling you some more of my exciting, warm adventures in Costa Rica!
On Wednesday, January 15th, we went to the Institute for Biodiversity (InBio). The institute has numerous exhibits that contain many of Costa Rica’s various climates and ecosystems. We were also able to see some really interesting animals, such as sloths, tarantulas, and alligators. However, the highlight of the trip was definitely the petting zoo. I was able to re-live my childhood by holding several baby animals, including the CUTEST baby bunny in the whole world!
This past weekend was packed with fun activities as well. On Saturday, we visited the city of Sarchi. This place is best known for having the world’s largest oxcart, all made by hand! The oxcart is an important part of Costa Rica’s history, and has come to be a national symbol. After we toured the factory where the ox carts are made, we had a chance to sit down and paint our very own ox cart wheel. For somebody who is most certainly not gifted with painting abilities, I’m pretty happy with how my creation turned out.
And on Sunday, we visited another volcano. This time it was Poas, and unfortunately, the weather again did not cooperate, so we were unable to see that much. However, the day was not completely lost! After Poas, we drove to the La Paz waterfalls. Similar to InBio, La Paz featured 5 waterfalls and an array of wildlife exhibits. It was here that I probably took the coolest photo of my life; a yawning jaguar.
While the WiFi has been kind to me here in Costa Rica, other forms of technology have not. On Sunday, I tried finding a TV station that was broadcasting the NFC Championship game. Sadly, I could not find any, so I had to take a step back in time and listen to the entire game WITH A RADIO! Needless to say, I am already in the midst of finding a place to watch the Super Bowl. I’m confident that the Super Bowl is a big enough television event that some channel will pick it up down here, and I am hoping that the group will want to watch it together. Perhaps we’ll even have our own little Super Bowl party (I’ll make the pigs in a blanket!)
I cannot believe it, but the program is already halfway completed. It truly feels like I just got here yesterday, and it seems like February 6th will come in no time. While there are some comforts at home that I will look forward to returning to, I will definitely be a little sad when I have to leave this place (reason #1: no snow, lol).
That just about does it! Stay warm everybody, and I’ll get back to you next week, hopefully with some more interesting stories. Until next time, this is Scott saying, ¡Adios!