I truly cannot believe that week two of study abroad is already over! I felt like the trip was going by really slowly, but now I feel like it's flying by.
The classes have been great! AJ 25 is definitely a little bit of a challenge because of the different kind of writing that is done in the Criminal Justice field, but it is interesting to learn what is expected, and now have a minor variety of forms to write. The class was told that in Criminal Justice it is factual writing, and that it can and sometimes should have an opinion but you need hard facts and evidence to support your opinion. Like I said, it is a bit difficult, but I am enjoying it.
In Spanish, I am still enjoying being able to hep my classmates when needed, but now, another student and I are reading short stories and writing reflections on them which is nice because I love reading, and I am having the opportunity to practice my Spanish while doing something I do on my free time.
This past Thursday our field trip was to Arenal Volcano and Baldi Hot Springs. Arenal was fun, it was great to see the volcano another time. I remember driving past Baldi the last weekend and just thinking to myself that it was such a beautiful resort and I just couldn't wait to go to the hot springs. When we arrived to Baldi I could not wait to get into the water! And once in, I didn't want to leave. And as we made our way up the pools and the rising temperatures of the pools, we made it to some water slides. I could not have been more excited! I did each slide at least three times, and I have to say that it was the highlight of my day! Being able to have the adrenaline of the slide and turn around and have the volcano right there!
And on Friday about 15 of the students headed out to the province of Limon, the Caribbean side. Everyone was so excited about the heat, warm waters, and the beaches! The hotel we stayed at was in Puerto Viejo, which we later realized was about only an hour away from Panama's border. The hotel was also just a 2 minute walk from the beach. There was also Playa Negra (Black Beach), which was absolutely beautiful beyond belief! It was a gorgeous beach with black, sparkly sand and warm waters. I would not leave the water until I truly needed to, but for me, I was 100% in my happy place. There was a lot of rain every early morning, but around 9-10AM it would completely clear up. And we keep getting lucky, and there was also an earthquake Saturday morning. When everyone was waiting for the bus to head back to San Jose, I would have to say, it was a very difficult good bye to the beaches and heat.
The classes have been great! AJ 25 is definitely a little bit of a challenge because of the different kind of writing that is done in the Criminal Justice field, but it is interesting to learn what is expected, and now have a minor variety of forms to write. The class was told that in Criminal Justice it is factual writing, and that it can and sometimes should have an opinion but you need hard facts and evidence to support your opinion. Like I said, it is a bit difficult, but I am enjoying it.
In Spanish, I am still enjoying being able to hep my classmates when needed, but now, another student and I are reading short stories and writing reflections on them which is nice because I love reading, and I am having the opportunity to practice my Spanish while doing something I do on my free time.
This past Thursday our field trip was to Arenal Volcano and Baldi Hot Springs. Arenal was fun, it was great to see the volcano another time. I remember driving past Baldi the last weekend and just thinking to myself that it was such a beautiful resort and I just couldn't wait to go to the hot springs. When we arrived to Baldi I could not wait to get into the water! And once in, I didn't want to leave. And as we made our way up the pools and the rising temperatures of the pools, we made it to some water slides. I could not have been more excited! I did each slide at least three times, and I have to say that it was the highlight of my day! Being able to have the adrenaline of the slide and turn around and have the volcano right there!
And on Friday about 15 of the students headed out to the province of Limon, the Caribbean side. Everyone was so excited about the heat, warm waters, and the beaches! The hotel we stayed at was in Puerto Viejo, which we later realized was about only an hour away from Panama's border. The hotel was also just a 2 minute walk from the beach. There was also Playa Negra (Black Beach), which was absolutely beautiful beyond belief! It was a gorgeous beach with black, sparkly sand and warm waters. I would not leave the water until I truly needed to, but for me, I was 100% in my happy place. There was a lot of rain every early morning, but around 9-10AM it would completely clear up. And we keep getting lucky, and there was also an earthquake Saturday morning. When everyone was waiting for the bus to head back to San Jose, I would have to say, it was a very difficult good bye to the beaches and heat.