...Lots of Places

Though it's been a while since I've posted, things have DEFINITELY been occurring...  Folklore dancing from Guanacaste, Playa Ocotal,  San José, and Volcán Poás.  Classes have already started at the university and I'm enjoying seeing familiar faces every day on an exhausted bus route.
Here's some photos...

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On the Black Pearl

 I LOVE the tour of the University of Costa Rica

And now for a story.  For Volcán Poás, we arrived and it was CLOUDY, COMPLETELY CLOUDY!  We couldn't see a thing at the crater sight and it was as if we were floating in complete whiteness.  We decided to hike up to see the lake, and, of course, it was cloudy too... so after descending and turning back towards the café, one of our friends saw a detour that looked adventurous.  We went up a little and saw a sign of who knows how many meters, I didn't pay attention because I'm not familiar with the measuring system.  I lagged behind the group and made it up the side of the mountain 45 minutes later... and sure enough, we ended up at the same lake viewing spot as before.  Luckily, this time, there was a gorgeous view that made it worth it.  I ran my way down the hill and saw the crater sight once again.  This time, the clouds cleared after waiting a bit, and quickly got foggy again.  I was lucky enough to get a quick shot... it takes to long to load them here, but you're welcome to check out facebook :)  Things are going pretty well with my host family... I think my host mom is slowly letting me make my way into the family... and she her cooking is phenomenal.  My classes are alright... we'll see by the end of next week when I'm done with add/drop!
Iva

Rainpour and Tremors

Okay, so it´s been a bit of a whirlwind... but here we are in Costa Rica, trying to get settled... but we´ll be on the road again shortly until we settle down near the university we´ll be studying.  We´ve had LOTS of rain and a bit of a few tremors, but alls well.  The group of students is GREAT and the spanish is MUCH easier to understand than in Spain... except for the whole VOS thing which I´ll have to get used to QUICK.  Here´s a couple photos of a little kids bday party (related to my host mom)... twas sweet and fun... hope you enjoy the following photos.  MISS YOUUUUU.

 cactus flower that opens at night

 Host mom Marta and a couple relatives, Bolivar and Karina

Iva...

Suitcases are for Souvenirs

I am trying DESPERATELY to pack light for this upcoming semester so I can have room for bringing gifts back, but I realized my suitcase was full before I even had clothes in it!  With the help of Caroline W. I finally managed to get everything together.  I hope you have a wonderful rest of the summer!

-Iva

Old friends and Old towns

I got a chance to catch up with a friend I met last summer in Salamanca, glad to hear things are going well, Romulo!  Also, my mom and I visited Ávila... it's a great looking town... La Muralla encloses the whole old town, it's pretty unique to the olden days... check out the photos below :)

Mi mamá en frente de la Muralla (parece un castillo, ¿no?)

And this I just added because it's cool/freaky!

Getting ready for Costa Rica,

Iva

...A Lava Sunrise

Cheers to the most beautiful sunrise I ever did see.  I'm used to seeing a sunrise along water at a beach or lake, but this one's from the clouds!

Enjoy these photos taken from the plane...

(Fotos tomadas del amanecer por la ventana del avión)

And for fun...

Taking it all in,

Iva

This Just In: Salamanca, Spain

I just found out I'm going to Salamanca, Spain, for a few days.  This is UNREAL.  I'm really sorry I couldn't see everyone I wanted to before traveling again, but I pray I get to see you very soon!!!  I am so grateful that I can go and was completely surprised by the fact that I was actually going to go with my family since the Costa Rica program is just around the corner.  Here's a photo from last year's trip so you can see a preview of where I'll be for the next few days.  Thanks for bearing with me... g2g pack-up my backpack!

Over and out,

Iva