Thus far, my time in Costa Rica has been amazing! I have gotten to see so many cool and unbelievable sights! On our first free weekend here, a bunch of us rented a villa in Quepos near Manuel Antonio. It was a massive and beautiful villa that even had a pool, although I think I did end up getting an ear infection from the pool. Oh well, pura vida!

While in Manuel Antonio, we were able to see the gorgeous Costa Rican beaches, and we even saw a family of monkey’s right on the beach! On our last day in Quepos, a couple of us decided to take some surfing lessons, which were so much fun! Having never surfed before, I was shocked at how easy it was to be able to actually ride the waves. I will definitely want to try surfing again in the future.

On our second free weekend, some of us decided to go to the Caribbean side of Costa Rica in a small town, called Cahuita. We rented two houses to split between 18 people. They were both very nice, and fit all of us comfortably. While in Cahuita, we visited Cahuita National Park and the two beaches in Cahuita, playa negra and playa blanca. Both beaches were very beautiful! Playa negra had some of the biggest waves that I’ve seen in person. It was so much fun to try to catch the waves.

 

Overall, I am very happy that I’ve had the opportunity to study in Costa Rica. I have met amazing people and gained friends that will last a lifetime. I can’t wait to experience these last two weeks here in Costa Rica, and I wish I had more time to see the rest of this wonderful country.

✌

Our second day of field measurements focused on wave energy and its erosion potential.  Unfortunately, it rained, making the measurements at the beach more difficult to obtain.  We did start the day with an impressive crocodile tour and boat ride.  Besides some close up views of large male and female crocodiles, we also got to see falcons, white herons, tiger herons (adult and juvenile) and the crested caracara (considered a threatened species in the US).

We had a successful day at volcano Irazu.  Everyone got a chance to measure the impulse response of their seismographs on different surfaces.  We were also able to see the activity level of the volcano, despite it being perhaps as much as mile below the surface.  After a visit to see the most important icon of Costa Rica, the virgin Los Angeles, we enjoyed a lunch by a lake (a hydroelectric project) and a visit to a very old Franciscan monastery.

Our first weekend in Costa Rica was a success! On Saturday morning everyone went on a tour of San Jose. We visited downtown San Jose, and we got to see the National Theater, as well as a bunch of museums and parks in the area. We all had a great time seeing the sights and learning more about the history of our temporary home.

On Sunday, a large group of students organized a whitewater rafting trip to Pacuare. Dr. Bucholz and Lauren went on the San Luis Canopy tour on Sunday as well. It was a great way to unwind after a busy week!

It was Dr. Bucholz’s birthday today.  Well actually, it was not.  But we celebrated her birthday today because we missed it last week.

Besides saying Feliz Cumpleanos, we enjoyed some queque (muy rico) and some sweet empanadas.  The perfect break before tackling the convolution integral.

Every afternoon is filled with fun activities. Greg, Olivia, Tyler and others are enjoying a Salsa class.

It poured down rain today.  So much rain that the noise was loud; very loud.  We had to stop class because of the sound of the drops on the roof.  But, Tyler and Olivia made the best of it and jumped in and out of the massive puddles!

Another great day in Costa Rica! Practically perfect temperatures, and rain is just part of the way it goes here. It’s like clockwork really! Here is a picture of Math 353 students working on their homework during the downpour, as well as students working with their wonderful TA Aarthi,  and another of Ionna from BME 271 working with our fabulous TA, Lauren. Thanks to Olivia for bringing a sweet ‘ear’ treat to our class today to keep us lively and engaged. Who knew sugar could be so powerful? Looking forward to another great day tomorrow! Pura Vida!

Everyone is having fun learning.  Focus on first and second order equations is tons of fun!  And it is not raining today for the first afternoon since we arrived.

Today’s special cultural event was cooking!  Everyone who signed up had lots of fun making traditional tortillas from corn flour.

We have a special cultural event everyday.  The choices are yoga, cooking, dance and conversation.  Even with 20 or more spots available, there is more demand than supply for these fun, end-of-the-day activities.