After spending my last week in Puntarenas studying and preparing for three finals, I was super pumped to go on the southern Costa Rica tour that was planned by USAC. Before I left though, I had to say goodbye to several of my friends who were not going on the tour. It’s crazy how good of friends you can become with people after only knowing each other for five weeks.

For the first day of the tour, we had a long bus ride. It was a little over 4 hours total. About two hours in, we stopped for a break at Marino Ballena Park and went swimming. The water was beautiful, and there were tons of acres of rainforest behind us. We arrived at Sierpe that night and would only be there one night, until we took a boat to Drake Bay the next morning. The boat ride to Drake Bay was amazing. Every time we took one of those little boats to another destination, I felt like I was in Pirates of the Caribbean. Drake Bay has a ton of picturesque rocks throughout the water and little islands scattered throughout. The resort was so beautiful. We stayed in wooden cabins and we were situated right on the ocean.

For our first full day in Drake Bay, we hiked to Cocalita Beac. On our way there, we encountered a huge grayish colored snake that was in the middle of the path. The waves and current were super strong at this beach to the point where it was impossible to stand up right even in shallow water. There were huge rocks to take pictures on and crabs everywhere. The next day we went to San Pedrillo Beach and Corcovado National Park via boat. We went on a two hour hike through the forest. We finally were able to see some stunning macaws and toucans in the trees. The trees were so unique looking. They had the smoothest bark and roots that all seemed to blend in with each other. There were tons of trees that had several roots that looked like separate trunks of different trees, but they all belonged to the same tree. The remaining afternoons and evenings that we spent at the resort were spent swimming in the saltwater pool, hanging out at the bar and eating snacks, and playing spoons with everyone in the evening.

The second full day of the tour was definitely my favorite of the trip. We went to San Josecito Beach and floated a river in the middle of the rainforest. We first had to canoe our way to the top of the river and then floated down from there. We jumped off the top of several waterfalls and at one point had to swim underneath a rock in order to get to the waterfall. The river water was the perfect cool temperature. When we got back to the beach we had a delicious lunch and spent the rest of the day swimming in the ocean. Some of us were able to go snorkeling, but unfortunately there was not much to see, and there were so many waves that we were getting sea sick.

For our last day in Drake Bay, we went horseback riding at a nearby beach. It was definitely the longest and most intense horseback riding experience I have ever been on. We went through the forest up and down some pretty steep hills and through fairly deep rivers. I felt bad for the horses because they looked underfed and it was really hot outside, but the guides assured us they were fine. My horse had a mind of its own and was more concerned with eating as many leaves as possible and avoiding rocks at all costs. We went pretty far up until this muddy hill, where we all got off of our horses and hiked up to a gorgeous waterfall. It was huge and powerful. We went swimming and jumped off some rocks in the waterfall area. At the end of the trek, I was able to experience the most stunning view of the ocean, beaches, and forests on the back of my horse on top of a hill. Our horseback riding ended with terrifying galloping across the beach, but I somehow did not fall off of my less than perfect horse.

We got back to Puntarenas in the late afternoon and all of the students spent most of the evening together saying our goodbyes to each other since about half of us would be staying the second session too. Our bus to the airport was leaving at 4 AM so we all went back to our host families fairly early. It was sad saying goodbye to my host mom and host brother. They really do start to feel like family after awhile, even with the language barrier. I will never forget the incredible 6 weeks spent in Costa Rica because of the breathtaking places we saw and explored and the fantastic people that I was able to build friendships with. The study abroad experience is definitely one that makes you into a more adventurous person that begins to realize how short our time really is at any point in our lives, and that we should take every exciting opportunity that comes our way. The Costa Rican saying pura vida will always be with me in spirit as I try and readapt to the fast-paced and competitive life in America, but I will continue to take chances and remember that it is the human experience with one another that supersedes our technological vices and obsession with reaching the top.

 

Bonjour mes amis!

SAMEDI

Saturday we spent the whole day in Marseille, which is about a 30 minute drive from Aix-en-Provence. We had absolutely fabulous weather and a day filled with sightseeing, shopping, and more than enough walking. We started out at the highest point of Marseille, at Basilique Notre-Dame de la Garde, and were able to see an incredible view of Marseille along with the beautiful basilica. From up top we could see out to the Chateaux d’If (where Monte Cristo has some scenes) and then headed down for lunch at Restaurant Saf-Saf. The cuisine there is from the Maghreb (mainly North Africa) and focuses on couscous. Yum! We all enjoyed ethic food and tried some new tasty desserts (one even tasted like nutella! score!). Overall everything was super delicious! After lunch we were free to walk around Marseille to explore and shop. We came across an gorgeous carousel and some street musicians playing by the dock, and later passed some more beautiful buildings and churches too. Marseille has a very different feel from the quiet streets of Aix and is well worth the drive over. Marseille is not only France’s largest commercial port on the Mediterranean but also the most popular point of entry for African immigrants. Hopefully, we get another chance to visit Marseilles and maybe next time hit its Mediterranean beaches!

Notre Dame de la Garde

Le Chateaux d’If

Couscous toppings

Carousel

Street Musicians

Church Exterior

 

DIMANCHE

Sunday was open-air market day! After having the chance to sleep in a little after all that walking and left-over jetlag, we hit the markets. First stop was the arts and goods market lined up along the Cours Mirabeau in the center of Aix. I bought a beautiful hairpiece (and then had to go back for two more, oops! But they were just too awesome to leave behind!) and a small piece of painted artwork to hang on the wall . After the art market we moved on to the second-hand book market. You would never even imagine how many ancient books are just out there for sale! From French literature, to history, to childrens’ books, and anything else you can think of, it’s all there. I’m not even a big book fanatic, but this market had me sucked in! We even bumped into our professor scouring for some good reads that he hadn’t come across yet (the book market being possibly one of his favorite events in Aix – and hey, at least you know where to find him on any given Sunday!). On the way back towards the Cours Mirabeau for some lunch we conveniently walked right into the fresh produce market on the Place Richelme. It was incredible! The vibrant colors and the intoxicating smells were to die for! I ended up buying strawberries and raspberries to bring back home, but it was all so tempting! The whole day was a relaxing and wonderful French cultural experience to enjoy right before our first day of classes 🙂 Hope all goes well when the professors get there hands on Frenchifying us!

Art market

Flowers at the produce market

Fresh French bread!

Fruit and veggies at the produce market, yum!

Spinach, tomato, ricotta tart with balsamic dressing I ate for lunch (so delicious!!!)

Edouard et Maelle Ice Cream (it’s a must!)

Street musician at the book market

 

LUNDI

Monday was our first day of class and boy was it different than your standard American college class. After finding our class assignments posted on the walls, we wandered the hallways like all of us have done many times before, searching for our classroom and hoping not to be late. My class turned out to be made up of 13 students, 6 or 7 of whom are Russian, and the rest is a mix of Korean, Taiwanese, Brazilian, and Syrian – so we really rely on our French to communicate. With the slight language barrier, the scorching heat, plus the lack of air-conditioning in the school (and our residence for that matter) my class is one diverse group of eager, sweaty, slightly confused individuals haha. Our professor, Charlotte, could not possibly be any sweeter and is incredibly accommodating to our interests and needs. As always, our first day was filled with some get-to-know-each-other activities followed by some evaluation worksheets, granted I’m sure I’ll be getting my butt kicked rather soon with some intense French. Being in class today was a wonderful and revealing experience. Just the group of people plus the dependence on French and a lack of air-conditioning makes for a school-day much different from any I’ve had before.

Until next time!

Ahhh my first official weekend without “jet-lag.” 🙂 A great thing about study abroad is the trips that the school plans for you that are included in your tuition. In my case, I got 2 day trips included in my tuition for JFRC. Our first trip was to Herculaneum, which is a town that was preserved by Mount Vesuvius. Much like Pompeii, Herculaneum is an amazing site that was captured by a volcanic eruption and even though it is a much smaller site than Pompeii, it much better preserved. We first went to a museum that depicted the city before the volcano destroyed it and afterwords we got lunch with the group and then had a guided tour of the ruins. Our tour guide was great and it was fascinating walking though all of the houses and up and down the streets of an ancient city and learning about how lived with the resources in the area.

After our tour almost everyone went on their own trips for the weekend, which I highly recommend doing. A couple of friends and I traveled to the the island of Capri on the Amalfi Coast off of Sorrento. If any of you are traveling to Italy this is a MUST SEE!! We got onto the island right around sunset and it was absolutely breathtaking! The harbor was lite up by the sunlight at just the right angle and the colors of the houses up the mountain looked so bright. My group and I stayed in Anacapri which is on the other side of the island from the main harbor. On our way up the mountain we got a view of the entire island, after which we all yelled “OHHHH MYYYY GODDDD!” because we had never seen anything like it.

The rest of our weekend was spent walking around the island, going to the beach and taking a boat tour around the whole island (Which, again, I would highly recommend you do if you go to Capri). We got a great history of the island and learned a lot about the special areas of the island like the blue and green grotto and the private houses of Giorgio Armani, the Gerber family, Sofia Loren, Dolce & Gabbana and not to mention Bill Gates’ private yacht. (Who knew right? Capri is the place to be! haha) We also soon found out that the road that we yelled “OHHHH MYYYY GODDDD!” on, is actually called “Oh My God Road” because that is what everyone says when they drive on it haha.

Needless to say, we all had a great weekend on the island. Between its gorgeous views and the fabulous limonchello (which Capri is famous for), it was impossible NOT to have fun! Off to another week of class and site seeing in beautiful Roma! Arrivederci (see you later)!

No one throws a pool party quite like the Spaniards. Especially when that said pool requires us to drive up the mountain, through the mountain and onto the other side of the mountain.

 

After classes, about 6 cars pulled up in the school parking lot to drive all 17 of us to Alvaro’s house for a swim. It was another hot day in Córdoba (no surprise there) so being poolside with great food and friends was perfect. Throw in some soccer and dancing, along with limbo and it was a great afternoon/evening.

 

 

Cordoba has their own version of a music festival- NOCHE BLANCA DE FLAMENCO. This spectacular night take place on a Saturday evening beginning at 10:30 pm until 6 am. Every plaza has a different musical or dancing act at various times throughout the night. It was easy to see where a different act was about to start from the amount of people walking to the plazas. There was musicians singing flamenco style music, a dancing performance of flamenco and other acts.

 

One of my favorite things there was getting to hear a singer in the patio of La Mezquita- Patio de las Naranjas. It was a smaller area but it was a great atmosphere!

 

It seemed that most people stayed well into the night for the different acts but most of us left at around 3am. Next time, we will be much more prepared and able to stay up all night.

 

“If you are going to Malaga that weekend, you have to be there for Sunday night for Festival de San Juan”. And that was exactly what we did! After sleeping in on Sunday after La Noche Blanca de Flamenco, we got on the bus and made the 3 hour ride to Malaga, which is located in southern Spain on the Mediterranean Sea.

The festival traditions to celebrate the summer solstice  included:

– jumping into the sea at midnight to wash away the past year and bring good luck for the next coming year.

-writing down your bad habits from the past and tossing them into the flames of a fire

-jumping over those flames 3 times (or 6 or 9) for good luck

-releasing a paper lantern into the sky (something out of the movie Tangled)

 

There was no doubt (maybe a little when it came to jumping over the flames) that those of us who went to Malaga participated in all these traditions!

The music and people lasted well into the night and a few of us stayed the next day as well to enjoy some sun and beach!

 

MARDI (TUESDAY)

Baroque concert at La Chapelle de Sacré Coeur

Lemon sugar butter crèpe!

Cappuccino <3

Cappuccino à la awesome! Or a cappuccino with whipped cream and coco powder.

“Un Monaco” – beer, fizzy lemonade, and grenadine

 

MERCREDI (WEDNESDAY)

Vendome  Pavillion

Le Vendome Pavillion Gardens

Vendome Pavillion Sculpture

(The Vendome Pavilion was commissioned by Louis, the Duke of Vendome, to be built by Antoine Matisse around 1666. The small chateau was  originally constructed as a place where Louis could take his lover, Lucrèce de Forbin Solliès, also known as the “Belle du Canet.” The Pavilion Vendome now is a historic house that also functions as a museum surrounded by gorgeous gardens in which people can stroll, read, etc.)

I was feeling a day trip after our weekend trip to Sorrento last week. I didn’t want to deal with finding a hostel and worrying about getting back and all the chaos that comes with the weekend trips. So my room mate, Mallory, and I decided to take a day trip to the lovely little town of Assisi.

There were multiple reasons I wanted to go: first of all, I went to St. Francis high school, and in case you didn’t know, St. Francis was from Assisi, so that was a pretty big incentive. Second of all, I love the small, old little towns outside of Rome, they were my favorite part of my last trip to Italy. I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity. Third of all, I’ve heard that time hasn’t really touched the town all that much, and I’m all for feeling like I took a time machine back into the past. Since I’m a history major, I’d say that’s my favorite feeling in the entire world (aside from eating delicious gelato after a fantastic dinner, of course).

So Mallory and I booked our tickets and got up at 7:30 in the morning to get to the train station. We made it in time to sit down and have some coffee before our train left, which was nice. The train ride was full of tunnels that made my ears pop like crazy, so that was certainly an experience.

We got to a small town near Assisi, and had to take a regional train there. It was a 20 minute train ride, so not too bad. It was getting up to the city center that was difficult. We bought bus tickets, but the bus ended up being a zoo so we just took a cab. I’d say that taking that cab was one of the best life choices I’ve made here so far.

We had some pretty good lunch, although we had no clue what we were ordering so when it came out, Mallory and I tried it and said “not what we were expecting, but we like it!” We were expecting long noodles, but it was actually a noodle that was stuffed with cheese, like ravioli. It was delicious.

We visited the church of Saint Clare and the church of St. Francis, which was super beautiful and amazing. Everything was covered in beautiful paintings and frescos. I was a huge fan from the second we walked in.

After that, we walked around and we were craving some gelato. We stopped at this place called Santa Monica, which looked to be a cute coffee shop and gelataria from the outside. We walked in and were instantly confused. There were giant sweets that looked like Bundt cakes on the shelves. We had no idea what it was but we liked it. We finally were able to ask, and they told us it was CHOCOLATE. All of these giant things that we originally thought were cakes were different kinds of chocolates. We both ordered espresso and some chocolate, because when are you ever going to get to do that again!?

We got seated in a small little courtyard they had attached to the restaurant, and we had our espresso brought out in cute, decorated cups along with our chocolate. It was probably the most heavenly combination I’ve ever tasted (which is saying something because I’m not that into coffee).

It was wonderful. We left feeling super happy. After that we got some pastries from a bakery near the taxi stand. Since we were so high up in the mountains, it wasn’t like the taxis were coming every five minutes. So we headed down to the bus stop, which was a good 10 minute walk. We realized if we waited for the bus, we would never make our train. As we were starting to freak out, we saw a cab coming up the hill. We booked it to the taxi stand in order to catch it before it left. Thankfully we made it!

Taking the regional train all the way back to Rome was probably not the best life choice. The regional trains are very different from the big companies. They cost less, but you seriously get what you pay for. Since it’s so cheap, the seats aren’t comfy, and there is no air conditioning. I fell asleep but woke up because I was so warm and sticky. It was a mess.

Finally, we made it home and felt very fulfilled after a successful day. But we were glad to see our beds and not have to worry about checking out the next day!

Day trips are wonderful because they are short, sweet and to the point. But I know a lot of people who are taking weekend trips who are also enjoying themselves! My tip for this blog entry: travel around. If you’re in one place the entire time you’re abroad (whether for school, work or vacation), you aren’t going to gain the rich cultural experience that you would from travelling around the country or the continent you’re on. Take advantage of the cheap(er) transportation and GO SOMEWHERE NEW!

That’s all I got for you guys!

 

Ciao for now!

Yes, I got to turn 21 while in Rome and it was awesome! I was worried about being away on my birthday for the first time, but I had an amazing night with my peeps at JFRC. I won’t bore you will ALLLL of the details of my night, but I will give you the headlines.

My day started of kinda dreary actually… I had a quiz in my mythology class (which was weird because I have NEVER had class on my birthday), my lunch was so-so, I had to sit through MORE class after that, and I still hadn’t picked what I wanted to do to celebrate. My 21st birthday was looking kinda sad to be honest. BUT! I was sitting in my last class for the day when all of a sudden I hear “delivery for Kelly Ahlman,” and everyone started singing Happy Birthday. I look up, very confused, and see the largest bouquet for roses I have ever seen! My loving boyfriend ordered flowers for me all the way from Wisconsin 🙂 My day was officially made and I couldn’t even concentrate through the rest of my class.

After classes were over I scrambled to find a vase. I ended up using the garbage can from my friend’s room, very effective actually. We all got ready and headed for Roma. I decided to go to one of my favorite places, Piazza Navona, for dinner and we went to the first restaurant that had tiramisu on the menu (my only requirement for the night). I of course got all of my favorites, bruschette, tortellini, and tiramisu (and some vino bianco for the table) 😉 We all had a great time watching the street performers dance and play the guitars and accordions. After dinner I made my birthday wish in the Trevi Fountain and then we went to Campo di Fiori for some drinks and fun. Great birthday in Italia!