| Learn Spanish and Surf Articles |
Your welcome to reprint these articles on your website and in your e- newsletters free of charge, provided that : you do not change the article in any way and you include the byline (including a link to our website) Spanish Immersion the First Couple of Days I still remember my first couple of days of my Spanish immersion program like it was yesterday. I flew into Liberia, Costa Rica at the end of July which is the rainy season. After going through customs and getting my bags I was met by my driver who was holding a big sign with my name on it. Soon we were off to the home of my host family in Santa Rosa which is located a couple of Km from Tamarindo. After driving for about 45 min through a heavy rain we were met by my family waiting for me at the corner in the rain of course. After introductions were made, my driver was off and I was left to fend for myself. I really did not know what to expect. I was told they spoke no English and at that time I spoke no Spanish. Soon we were in the house and I was showed my room. After I had unpacked my things I found a couple of toys I had brought for my host family's the two young boys. They were very happy to get them and wanted me to show them how they worked. I found that the boys and the father spoke no English but the mother and her daughter who was visiting from San Jose spoke quite a little English, although they mostly spoke to me in Spanish that’s the point of immersion. |
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| When Monday morning arrived I could hardly wait to get to school. My host mom walked me to bus where I was met by a small bus from the school. This was used to transport student to and from school soon I was on the bus and on my way to the first day of classes. When we got to there I was introduced to the director and some of other students, then it was off to the beginner class for me and an engineer from Illinois and an insurance agent from New Orleans. Our teacher was a young lady who spoke no English, needless to say the first couple of days where hard but fun. When class was of them was a girl from Switzerland we would later become good friends and surfing partners. There were a lot of people there from all over and a lot of different walks of life. The majority of them were collage students but after a couple of weeks most of them were gone to return to school. That afternoon after a relaxing day at the beach and watching one of the many beautiful sun sets I was back on the bus heading to Santa Rosa. The bus driver dropped me off and I started walking down to the house. I met a large dog whose name I later found out was (Muñeco) which is Spanish for doll let me tell you that day he was no doll. I guess he thought who this guy on my street as the situation with him deteriorated rapidly I let out a cry for help as I feared he was getting ready to bite me. Soon my family came to my rescue and introduced me to Moñeco. After that we became good friends and many days I would find him waiting for me at the bus stop to walk me home. |
| Costa Rica Spanish and Surfing I started taking Spanish classes in Playa Tamarindo, Costa Rica in August of 2006. I had taken a vacation to Costa Rica in 2005 and had spent a few days relaxing on the beach in Tamarindo, so when I decided to learn Spanish in Costa Rica I thought Tamarindo would be a great place to start. It is located on the Pacific coast, in the province of Guanacaste. I knew it was famous as a surfing town and a destination for sun worshipers from all over the world. After getting settled into my classes and learning my way around the school and town I started meeting other students. I noticed most of them were surfing every chance they got and having a great time doing it. I could also be found most days after class jogging, working out and just enjoying the beach although I had not yet tried surfing, but I had definitely been bitten by the surfing bug. It wasn’t long before I could wait no longer and had to see what everyone else was enjoying so much. Next thing I knew I had rented a long board from one of the local surf shops and was off to join the other great wave riders. I thought it would be easy. The locals and the other students made it look so easy although a lot of them were from California where surfing is in the blood. One of the first things I noticed was how far out into the ocean you could walk, there were no step drop offs and the water was so warm no need to suit up. It was very nice to surf in just my shorts. Some of the students gave me some pointers to get me started surfing, so I tried it on my own for a while and soon realized it was a lot harder than it looked. At that point I still was not ready to pay for some much needed lesions that would soon change. One day I was out with a couple of my friends from the Spanish school who knew what they were doing. We had ventured out into a little deeper water just deep enough to be over your head. We had not been there long when a big wave started to form, we all started getting ready, and soon we were all paddling like our lives deepened on it. I was hoping to catch the wave my friends did, but I was not so lucky. As the wave was over taking me instead of setting back on my board and letting the wave go by I soon found me flying over the board. This would be the beginning of a wild ride, I felt like I was in a washing machine. After trying to get out of this precarious situation for what seemed like a life time I soon realized I was out of air. The next thing I knew it was over and thank God there was not another wave behind me as is often the case. After that I decided to spend some money on some much needed lesions, which I did. Wow what a difference a few lesions can make. The first thing I learned was about safety and how to set back on my board and let the wave go by sometimes and if you get caught up in a big wave just hold your breath and let it go by. Do not try and swim because you do not know which way you’re swimming when you’re being tossed around. The moral of this story is if you’re a beginner spend some money and get some instruction from a qualified surf school. |
Getting Around in Costa Rica
I thought I would write this article to help those visiting Costa Rica make informed decisions and be safe in their
travels. There are many different ways of getting around in Costa Rica some of them include: walking, taxis and
buses.
The first thing you should know if you’re going to be walking is the pedestrian does not have the right of way, you
should always use cross walks. If you are going to walking during the rainy season it is a good idea to take an
umbrella with you, because must afternoons it will rain and there is very little warning before it starts, better to be
prepared than wet other than that it is a great way to enjoy the nice Tropical weather.
Now let’s talk about taxis my favorite mode of transportation (kidding of course), there are plenty of them around and
there easy to spot because they are Red with a yellow triangle or a company signs on the door. Taxis are the most
expensive option I will talk about today. When you get into the car ask the driver to reset the meter it should start out
at around 500 colones, which is about a dollar. It is better if you pay for your trip in the local currency, which is called
colones, this way you will not have to worry if the exchange rate is correct. Most of the drivers will not speak English,
but will know some words. If you’re going to a public place, just tell the driver the name and what part of the city it is
in; if you’re going to a private residence or a hostel that is not known by the driver you will need the address. The
addresses in Costa Rica are a lot different than in the States, because they use reference points the houses do not
have numbers. Here is an example of an address (500 meters south of the Church, 150 meters west, White house on
the left side) if you do not speak good Spanish this could be a problem to communicate to the driver.
A couple other things you should keep in mind is if you call a taxi from a hotel you can expect to pay a little more and
if it is raining you will have a hard time finding one on the street, it is better to call and have them come and pick you
up.
Then there are the Buses, there are two different kinds the big public ones or the smaller private ones, tour
companies use these. The big buses are the most economical option with an average trip costing about 50 cents.
They will always have signs in the window, telling you where they are going, if you are not sure you can always ask
the driver and if you’re not sure what stop to get off at just ask someone on the bus and they will tell you the people
are very friendly and will be glad to help you. I once took one of these buses from San Jose to Jaco to save some
money, it only cost a couple of dollars, but was crowded and very slow. The private buses are owned by a tour
company or a private company and they seat about eight to ten people, if you have purchased a tour you will probley
be met by one of these buses at the airport and your tour company will use these to transport you from location to
location. The private buses operate between cities, this is a good way to travel for example you can go from San Jose
to Jaco for around 40 dollars. The best part about taking one of these buses is you never know who you’re going to
meet I have met some very interesting people on my trips.
I thought I would write this article to help those visiting Costa Rica make informed decisions and be safe in their
travels. There are many different ways of getting around in Costa Rica some of them include: walking, taxis and
buses.
The first thing you should know if you’re going to be walking is the pedestrian does not have the right of way, you
should always use cross walks. If you are going to walking during the rainy season it is a good idea to take an
umbrella with you, because must afternoons it will rain and there is very little warning before it starts, better to be
prepared than wet other than that it is a great way to enjoy the nice Tropical weather.
Now let’s talk about taxis my favorite mode of transportation (kidding of course), there are plenty of them around and
there easy to spot because they are Red with a yellow triangle or a company signs on the door. Taxis are the most
expensive option I will talk about today. When you get into the car ask the driver to reset the meter it should start out
at around 500 colones, which is about a dollar. It is better if you pay for your trip in the local currency, which is called
colones, this way you will not have to worry if the exchange rate is correct. Most of the drivers will not speak English,
but will know some words. If you’re going to a public place, just tell the driver the name and what part of the city it is
in; if you’re going to a private residence or a hostel that is not known by the driver you will need the address. The
addresses in Costa Rica are a lot different than in the States, because they use reference points the houses do not
have numbers. Here is an example of an address (500 meters south of the Church, 150 meters west, White house on
the left side) if you do not speak good Spanish this could be a problem to communicate to the driver.
A couple other things you should keep in mind is if you call a taxi from a hotel you can expect to pay a little more and
if it is raining you will have a hard time finding one on the street, it is better to call and have them come and pick you
up.
Then there are the Buses, there are two different kinds the big public ones or the smaller private ones, tour
companies use these. The big buses are the most economical option with an average trip costing about 50 cents.
They will always have signs in the window, telling you where they are going, if you are not sure you can always ask
the driver and if you’re not sure what stop to get off at just ask someone on the bus and they will tell you the people
are very friendly and will be glad to help you. I once took one of these buses from San Jose to Jaco to save some
money, it only cost a couple of dollars, but was crowded and very slow. The private buses are owned by a tour
company or a private company and they seat about eight to ten people, if you have purchased a tour you will probley
be met by one of these buses at the airport and your tour company will use these to transport you from location to
location. The private buses operate between cities, this is a good way to travel for example you can go from San Jose
to Jaco for around 40 dollars. The best part about taking one of these buses is you never know who you’re going to
meet I have met some very interesting people on my trips.