I think that the group needed a break from the busy life of the city; however, now that we have more free time, some of the students are perhaps beginning to miss their families, homes, friends, boyfriends, etc.  Personally, I haven’t felt a huge amount of culture shock yet, although I suppose being with a group helps.  If I were on this trip by myself, I’d definitely feel out of my element.

On a more positive note, we visited Quepos’ only media outlet today and it was very inspiring. La Fora de Pacifico is the name of the newspaper, but they also have a website (www.cantondeaguirre.com) that shares local news with Quepos residents.  The owner of this company started with literally no money and two business partners.  The reason the three men started the media in the town is because there wasn’t one before and people depended on gossip for their news.  Unfortunately one of the men in the partnership didn’t contribute at all so they cut him out of the deal.  Now, with only four people on staff, the newspaper business puts out 2,800 free copies each month, which are taken very quickly.  They do not charge the people because if they did, they wouldn’t buy them anymore.  At first, it was only on their website but many people in Quepos do not have Internet access so they now do both newspapers and site updates.  Right now, they are working on many other projects as well, including a youtube news channel, a radio channel, brochures, and banners.  The fact that these men were able to start this project with nothing gives me hope for my own future and a great insight to media in a small area of another country.

-Jessica Peterson

I never though I would jump off a bridge but that is exactly what I did.  The bungee cord reached 250 ft (80km) and sent me soaring above the treetops.  It was a forty-five minute drive up the mountain to reach the bridge.  After receiving a brief safety lesson one by one we got suited up for the jump.  When it was my turn the guide hooked me to the bungee and told me to put my toes off the edge of the bridge.  My bare feet were shaking with fear but I knew there was no time for hesitation.  Five, four, three, two, one, JUMP!  Everyone counted down and I screamed as a jumped off the bridge and flew through the air.  I swan dived through the sky and enjoyed the view.  Everything around me was silent and beautiful.  I could not believe I actually jumped off a bridge; it was unreal.  As I hung upside-down I thought about the risk I had just taken, before I jumped I had googled “worst case scenarios for bungee jumping” and that was not a good idea!  Several things can go wrong when bungee jumping but luckily I was unharmed.  The guides pulled me back up onto the bridge and I was reunited with my friends.  The experience was amazing.  My legs were shaking and I was on an adrenaline high, I loved the feeling of free falling and being alone in the air.  I stood on the bridge and watched as several other people jumped off one by one.  Jumping is the scariest part.  Once you can make yourself jump off the bridge the rest is easy.  Everyone was scared when they had to walk to the edge of the bridge and to take the leap but afterwards we all agreed it was an amazing experience and we were glad we did it. 

To watch a video of me bungee jumping go to :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIbGBz6iUiU

The Costa Rican food that I have had so far is unlike most food in the United States.  It is much more fresh and served in smaller portions.  I have found myself munching on cheese-itz and granola bars in between meals because my stomach is used to gigantic American sized portions.

Another staple in my Costa Rican diet is Cas juice.  Cas is a fruit that is native to Costa Rica, it is similar to a guava.  When I first tasted Cas juice I expected it to be pineapple juice, it has the same color and consistency.  It is pale yellow in color, has a lot of thick pulp, and its very tasty!

When I return to the US I think one of the things I will miss most about Costa Rica is the food.  Costa Ricans have access to fresh fruits, vegetables, and fish throughout the entire year!

For more information on native fruits of Costa Rica you can visit this website:

http://www.cupotico.com/info/General/Costa_Rica_Fruits.html

I got to visit the news station channel seven today.  It is the most well known station in the country.  It was very nice of them to let us visit their station and let us observe.  I learned that there funding comes from a family and not from advertisements like the United States does which I thought was very interesting.  They also cut their budget in different places rather than cutting people from their jobs.  The news station is like a family to them.

After visiting the news station we went to a restaurant where I got to try some new food.  I tried patacones and postre personal which was flan de caramel.  Patacones is like a fried bananas which I thought tasted like potatoes.  I really wasn’t much of a fan.  Flan de caramel wasn’t bad it was kind of like meringue.  It was good to try new foods.

After eating at the restaurant we got to tour La Nacion which is a very famous newspaper.  We couldn’t take cameras into La Nacion because in Costa Rica the press is very free to write what they like.  Therefore, La Nacion has to be careful because some people don’t agree with what is written.  While touring La Nacion we came out of where the newspaper is printed at and many people where standing outside.  We just thought they all wanted a smoke break or something.  Turns out that there was a 6.3 earthquake that had happened while we were inside the building but didn’t feel it because it was so secure.  Our group was a little disappointed that we didn’t feel it because none of us have been in an earthquake.  The earthquake didn’t hurt anything so this was okay to say.  We are trying to make the most of every experience.   I guess living to the fullest is what I am doing while here in Costa Rica.  I am trying new food, exploring new places, and getting hit by an earthquake.  I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Brooke Herbig

The first thing we got to do when we got to Costa Rica was meet our host families. At first I was very nervous because I don’t speak Spanish very well. I only took two years of Spanish in high school my freshman/sophomore year. My host family was very welcoming and helped me with my Spanish. It was late so I watched some Spanish TV with the family then went to bed.

Today was our first real day out in the city. I got up and took the coldest shower of my life. It was very short due to the temperature. In Costa Rica water is scarce and expensive, so that is all they have. I had a wonderful meal with my host family that the house mom, Evelin made for us. The host family took us to our ISA office where they taught us more about Costa Rica and gave us a tour of the city. Costa Rica has many agricultural places but also has its city looks. We get to explore the city this week then a smaller town next week.

After the tour, I came home to my host family and got to meet Caroline, the seven-year old daughter. She is a very sweet little girl and warmed up to me right away. She even helped me with my Spanish and I helped her with her English. We make a good team. Costa Rica is growing on me and it is only the second day. I am getting better at learning and speaking Spanish and at taking in the culture. It makes me feel a little out of my comfort zone but that also makes me appreciate other cultures and grow as a person. After my first day in Costa Rica, I have already learned so much and I cannot wait to get to learn more and experience Costa Rica first hand.

The first thing we got to do when we got to Costa Rica was meet our host families.  At first I was very nervous because I don’t speak Spanish very well.  I only took two years of Spanish in high school my freshman/sophomore year.  My host family was very welcoming and helped me with my Spanish.  It was late so I watched some Spanish TV with the family then went to bed.

Today was our first real day out in the city.  I got up and took the coldest shower of my life.  It was very short due to the temperature.  In Costa Rica water is scarce and expensive, so that is all they have.  I had a wonderful meal with my host family that the house mom, Evelin made for us.  The host family took us to our ISA office where they taught us more about Costa Rica and gave us a tour of the city.  Costa Rica has many agricultural places but also has its city looks.  We get to explore the city this week then a smaller town next week.

After the tour, I came home to my host family and got to meet Caroline, the seven-year old daughter.  She is a very sweet little girl and warmed up to me right away.  She even helped me with my Spanish and I helped her with her English.  We make a good team.  Costa Rica is growing on me and it is only the second day.  I am getting better at learning and speaking Spanish and at taking in the culture.  It makes me feel a little out of my comfort zone but that also makes me appreciate other cultures and grow as a person.  After my first day in Costa Rica, I have already learned so much and I cannot wait to get to learn more and experience Costa Rica first hand.

The students set out to explore how mass media is used in Costa Rica and learned so much more along the way. This blog includes some of their observations during the three week course. We hope you enjoy it and we welcome your comments.