Hey hey! So, after the coffee tour, I went home and took a nap, and then got up to pack because I was spending my first weekend at the beach with my host family. Was I excited? Yes! Was I nervous? YUP. My Spanish is subpar at best and my host family speaks to me only in Spanish and I can honestly say that I don’t always understand what they’re saying. So, spending a whole weekend trying to interpret what they’re saying gave me a little anxiety. Another point to add is that my host parents’ children are at least 10 years older than me, and have their own lives and jobs, so we don’t spend a lot of time talking as I really don’t see them a lot. Anyway, I hopped in the car with my host parents and their dogs and off we went! We talked a little on the way, but I was really tired so I drifted in and out of sleep for most of the ride. We arrived at my uncle’s house in Playa Uvita, which he built himself and raised his kids in, and it was really cool! He also built a newer house behind it, and I will include a picture of that one below.
Anyway, we arrived on Friday night, quickly ate dinner, and I went to bed because I was still pretty tired. We woke up on Saturday at 8:30AM and I swear, we made it to the beach at 9:30AM which is the earliest I have ever started a beach day. It was beautiful though! Playa Uvita is much less touristy than all the other beaches I have gone to with my friends in the program, so there were much fewer people, and more ticos than gringos; I felt like I was really getting an experience of the Costa Rican culture. You can see how empty it is in the first picture in this blog. Luckily, we got there in time to walk to the whale tail. At this beach, there is a formation of sand that stretches further into the ocean that perfectly resembles a whale tail. So, me and my host family all walked out to it and took some pictures!
It was just so cool. I’ve never been somewhere where the waves meet you on both the right and the left. Absolutely fantastic. We just chilled the rest of the day, ate lunch, I read and swam, my family napped and swam; it was a quaint and wonderful day. We had dinner with their neighbors who have travelled and lived all over the world including the United States, Sweden, Spain, and more. Then we went to bed, and basically repeated the day again on Sunday, but this time, my host family’s kids joined us and we had a little barbecue. It’s interesting, because at this beach we all drive up in cars, park between palm trees and set up under the palm trees with hammocks and what not. At the Jersey shore, there aren’t any trees, so this was interesting for me. We ended up staying Sunday night as well, and left at 3:00AM so I could get back in time for classes. It was rough, but we made it!!
Overall, I went into this trip very nervous that I wouldn’t be able to comprehend, and that I would burden my host family’s little vacation. I shouldn’t have been nervous, as my host family is always patient and accepting of my lack of skill when speaking Spanish. My host uncle and aunt also speak some English so whenever I wasn’t comprehending, they had my back. I honestly had so much fun with them, and if I was burdening them, they didn’t make me feel like it. I hope they enjoyed my company as much as I enjoyed theirs; I’m so lucky to have been placed with my host family because I feel like they understand me and don’t expect too much of me as a student, which is perfect. They even invited me to their house in Puerto Viejo with them if I ever have an open weekend again. I mean, of course I’ll still be nervous, just because I’m a nervous person. Despite my nerves, I know if I do end up going with them, I will get to experience the culture in a way I can’t with my American friends, and have a great time while doing so. Talk to you guys soon!
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