HIKING: near a volcano, up a mountain, and then to a Chicken place (Pollo Compero)

So the Arenal weekend ended spectacularly. Angel, Gina and I ended up staying through Monday afternoon. We did a volcano hike on Sunday afternoon and watched the sun set around Arenal Volcano. We even saw lava come out and roll down the side. It only lasted about 12 seconds, but it was something I will never forget!

The weekend in La Fortuna/Arenal was awesome.. Ziplining was definitely the highlight, but being near an active volcano was pretty cool as well. The resort we stayed in had a bilingual staff in order to prepare for the busy season of tourists, most of whom are English-speaking. However, we were very proud of ourselves for using the Spanish menus, and attempting to speak with our waiters/reception/taxi drivers in Espanol.

Today (Tuesday) was back to class again. Mi maestra Agnes (my teacher) talks only in Spanish now, and I am constantly asking her to please habla mas despacio--speak more slowly. Sometimes she does, and sometimes I have no idea what she´s saying. Today we talked about farms and dairies (fincas y lecherias). I told her (to the best of my ability) about Holland Dairy and how I used to play a role in the Dairy commercials and advertisements. Her husband actually works on a farm with cows -- he´s a veterinarian. I have to use a lot of hand motions and charades when I´m explaining things in Spanish--- trying to fill in the blanks of the words I don´t know. ha. It´s probably pretty entertaining for Agnes.

This afternoon a group of us students met in the Nicoya Park to hike a mountain that overlooks the town. The hill that has a big cross on top & is appropriately named Cerro de la Cruz. It was a very strenuous, 45-minute uphill climb. The views at the top were well worth it. I could see the soccer field and my school and the church. I´m glad I hauled my camera up there with me :)

On the way home from the hike, we snuck into the Guancaste Soccer (Futbol) Stadium to snap a couple pictures of the team practicing. Unfortunately, they don´t have an home games while we´re in Nicoya. I also stopped by the local bookstore, and then grabbed dinner at a classy establishment: Pollo Campero http://www.campero.com/restaurants/list_costarica.php

That´s all for now... Spanish class for 6 hours tomorrow, followed by Latin Dance class in the evening. !Ciao amigos!