Monteverde weekend/ Arenal

Monteverde was a little town in the mountains, I went ziplining through the mountains when i was here. It was one of the best experiences in my life. I not only was looking at breathe taking scenery but i was also ziplining through it!! We had 15 different "lines" that we hiked through and then at the end there was a tarzan swing which basically was a mini sky dive! Then we did a thing called the super man where you got to be attached from your back.. it was seriously amazing and if i ever come back with family that is the first thing that we are doing. After monteverede we went to a town called Arenal, which is basically a volcano town.  Where we sat in hot springs during the night made from the volcanoes. It was a great trip and we stayed in great hostels!!! I loved it

Last two weeks

In these past few weeks so much has happened, I hardly know where to start...The start of my trip I lived in a small section of San Jose called Granadilla, this part of San Jose is pretty dangerous and very far away from where everyon else is living. I loved my host mom Cecelia and her family, but I just coulnt handle being so far away from every one else it wasnt safe. So I switched into a new host family about two weeks ago in a section of San Jose called Cedros. I love it, it is absolutely amazing. I live with a host mom named Marina and she has a husband and 4 sons. They are always doing something in the house so there is never a dull moment haha. The family lives in a house on their own... So basically you look at the house and they live there, then there is a set of stairs out side that goes up to a seperate apartment. That is where I lived with three other girls for about a week.. Its amazing its like I have my own little house. Any ways thats whats going on in san jose. Last weekend I traveled to Puerto Viejo, its a very small laid back hippie town. I loved it there everything was so chill and there wasnt a plan you just went with the flow of things. I stayed in a hostel that was ten american dollars a night!! It was actually very clean and nice. Aisha, Jazmin, and I had the time of our lives, these girls are seriously so fun to be around. We got in all sorts of trouble together!! I hiked, went to the ocean, and saw some pretty interesting things while being there. At the end of our trip Ashley and I decided to be impulsive and stay another night! We stayed at a hostel called  Swingin J's..... Wow.. haha I slept in a hammock and it was the most amazing thing ever!! During the day we rented bikes and biked probably around 30 miles that day!

Now I am back in San Jose and I decided to stay here this weekend because I havent once my whole trip...I have two weeks left, and I am definitely not ready to leave this place, at all. I love it here and I really would love to stay longer. Pura Vida <3

                                                        Dangling From a Cliff

                                                                    At the ocean

                                                        Jazmin, Me, Ashley

                                                            After some one stole my shoes!!

                                                               Swingin J's !

                                                                   Hammocks we slept in!

costa rica so far

 Manuel Antonio

                                             San Jose

                                            Doggie

                                             my orphanage

                                                     House

My babies!!

My children!


HERE ARE SOME PICTURES FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DONT HAVE FACE BOOK!!
all of these kids have been through some sort of abuse, they all are there because they either cant be with their parents or have been forced to leave them because of drug abuse and or other reasons. I am in love with the infant there he is four months and i dont understnad how no body could love him!! The center has about 13 kids at the moment that live there.

first week

well, it has been a week since i have began my adventure it has been quite the adventure. after spending a week in my house family we took a weekend and went to manuel antonio, it was amazing. we stayed there for 12 dollars a night at a pretty nice hostel! it had a pool, clean sheets, a kitchen, it was pretty amazing. staying in the house that i am at has made me really appreciate the little things from back home.. warm water, clean clothes, clean sheets, no bugs AIR CONDITIONING!!! haha i havent really gotten sick from eating anything or drinking the water, so knock on wood. im meeting alot of really sweet people too its been really fun. i cant believe i have five weeks left!! i miss my family alot, my dog especially!! <3 well thats all for now love you all!

antonio!!

well we got here yesterday, we had to be up at 430 to catch a bus at 6. we are staying in a hostel calld the back packers in it is only 12 dollars a night and its right on the ocean... its sad because its cleaner than my home stay unfortunately. we went to the beach all day and laid out and went to a dance club last night. today we did the same thing i actually did surfing lessons hahaaha it was interesting... well we are here till 5 tomorrow so im thinking we are going to the national park its supposed to be beautiful!!!!! i miss home alot its super hot here on the coast. well i only have a few minutes so i have to go!! love you all

pura vida

So its my second day here and i love it. it went from being hot and sunny and gorgeous to a complete thunderstorm in a span of 15 minutes, it was an insane experience. i am getting used to the routine of volunteering and the kids are very adorable, they are all victims of abuse and or their parents couldnt keep them because of drug issues or other issues. there are about ten kids there ranging from the age of 4 months to 7 years old. its sad because they really dont have anything to do during the day so i hope to plan different activities for them. we are planning on going to manuel antonio this weekend, it has beautiful beaches and it is know for its jungles and monkeys, im pretty excited. other than that my host mom....the food is not the best we have had soup both nights and that is also my lunch normally for the next day! haha i have spiders all over the windows in my room so its hard for me to fall asleep at night knowing that, and my bed sheets are pretty smelly. I am going to do my laundry at the local laundry mat tomorrow i am pretty sure. anyways i got to go to volunteer so ill hopefully be able to get on later!! pura vida means pure life

FIRST DAY

so heres an update i got placed into a baby program and i will be working with babies. the weather is nice and its not as humid as everyone says. everything is so nice and the people are so friendly here. my host mom is the most adorable person ever... she is so cute and she calls me her bebe because im the youngest in the house. . we have a little dog named chikita and she barks all the time no matter what hahah makes me miss mandy alot. The weather isint as hot and there is alot of fruit every where for sale, on the streets and stuff. its really busy and crowded during the day, and  there are no sidewalks any where so you have to kind of fend for yourself, also there is no street signs so i have to uses a tree as my land mark to get home lol. everything is really cheap here compared to us, like pringles were only 2 dollars compared to like 4. i love it here already and i havent even been to my sight yet. i dont have wi fi so i am not sure how often i can check facebook and my blog but ill try to get on as much as possible!! love you all

one week!

Hey guys! I have exactly ONE WEEK till costa rica! At this time i will be in a whole new country, so crazy to think about.  I still have so much to do, its not completely hitting me yet that I am going to be gone for SO LONG. I am going to miss my family.. and puppy so much! I cant wait to get away from all the drama and go on this amazing experience, i need it! Well this blog is just a way of getting my emotions out haha because i cant contain my excitement <3

Cant wait.

abby's bridal shower 5/22

I went to my cousin's bridal shower today, these are some of the beautiful ladies in my family. I have a family of 5 amazing aunts and each of them have at least three kids, I have a HUGE family... and that is an understatement. Any who, all of these people have helped me in some way fund my trip to Costa Rica! They are the people that mean the most to me, but this is just a few of them there are MANY more members to my wonderful family. <3

Saving children

Well I made it, I got shots all three of them. I was sitting all alone and my dad surprised me and came and held my hand like a little baby.. I seriously don't know what I would do with out him. The nurses all laughed and we made it some huge joke while I was getting them which helped.. I'm actually very proud of myself and a lot of relief has just been lifted off of my shoulders.. Anyway I'm going shopping tonight with my gram my and auntie for cr stuff which makes my day a little better :)
-flight paid
-program paid
-shots over!!!!!

Everything is working out pretty dang good for me :) exactly 30 days!!

Everything...

Well all the fundraising has now paid off.. Just paid my program fee, everything is taken care of flights, fee, now all I need to do is pack up my stuff and get my shots... yikes super nervous 10:30 tomorrow I'm getting them what a relief it will be when I am finally done. I have been looking at pictures from the girls that are already there and it looks absolutely amazing, I cant wait. 31 more days!!!

places

Volcan Arenal (I stayed at Hotel Los Lagos)
-Isla Tortuga (beautiful white sand beaches with lots of activities to do in the island)
-Playa Manuel Antonio (regular beach with a decent amount of tourists and night life)
-Haciend Pozo Azul (rafting is a plus here!)
-Tiquicia (it's a restaurant in the highest mountain of San Jose where you have a beautiful view of the city
ok here are a few places to look up. Volcanoes-Arenal, Poas, there are tons, but a few are set up for viewing
- Jaco - where I am at.
- Manual Antnio - they have a cool park with nice beaches and tons of monkeys. 
-Samara - my cousin owns a bar here, chilled and laid back surf town on the 
-Nicoya peninsula. Montezuma - on the tip of the peninsula, small hippie town with waterfalls.
- Puerto Veijo - caribbean side snorkeling is good here.
- Cloud Forest - sweet rainforest experience.
- Nicaragua - if you get one big trip go to 
-San Juan del sur or Granada, sweet and cheap. 
You got to take buses to all these places so they might not all be feasible.

its official

Well guys i just booked my flight, and made a doctors app. IM SO NERVOUS to get all of these shots... deathly afraid of these things its probably the only thing that scares me about this whole trip!!! Any ways just figured i'd fill ya in on what I have done.. out of the millions of things I still have to do.. blogging about it helps me through this craziness.. I have been talking to girls that are in costa rica now... and i really want to get down there like now.. they seem like they are having the time of their life and im ready!!!! Anyways.. ill let ya know of anything new thats going on if i think of it! thats all for now <3

Show details
Costa Rica
1.   vaccinations 5/20/2011
2.   Immunizations – Recommended
Polio
        Hepatitis A Diphtheria/Tetanus
Typhoid Hepatitis B
Yellow Fever (if you are going to be travelling east of the Andean mountains after or before volunteering - also recommended if you plan on working in the jungle)
3.   make payment on 5/20/2011
4.   26 dollar entrance fee
5.   make copies of passport, insurance one for me one for home
6.   don’t pack many toiletries , markets.
 
MY ADDRESS FOR LETTERS AND CARE PACKAGES
   Maximo Nivel
   Your name
   Del Antiguo Higueron
   100 sur 50 este
  San Pedro—San Jose
7.   insurance??
8.   Lab top
9.   Camera and extra packs of batteries
10.                 back pack
11.                 tooth brush
12.                 hair brush
13.                 straightener??? Blow dryer?
14.                 Tennis shoes 1 pair
15.                 Flip flops 2 pairs
16.                 Hiking shoes
17.                 Dress shoes
18.                 7 capris yoga pants
19.                 t-shirts
20.                 pajamas.
21.                 Shorts
22.                 Underwear
23.                 Bra
24.                 Sports bra
25.                 Socks
26.                 Advil, band aids tweezers
27.                 Bug itchers stuff
28.                 Sunscreen
29.                 Lip balm
30.                 Insect repellent

 
I think that's everything so far...34 more days!!!

The first steps

I am just at the starting stage of preparing for my trip this summer, I still have so much on my plate to do. So far, I have raised just enough money to participate in this adventure, booked my flight ( which was very stressful). I still need to make a list of everything I need, get vaccinated, and pay for the whole program. I still have a little shopping to do as well.. I'm still not sure what to bring or how much.. so many questions run through my head, and thats an understatement I lay in bed thinking about getting there and loosing my luggage or forgetting something and its kind of intimidating. I am going to be all on my own, for the first time in a completely new country... little scary... Well thats all I have for you guys now! OH! and I bought a nice new camera so I will have plenty of pictures up as well! :)