The 14-hour flight from Auckland to Costa Rica passed over shorter than expected. So, I spend a long time on the immigration in Houston. They kept moving the queues, which caused chaos. I stayed in a hotel near the airport so I could take the short flight to San Jose, Costa Rica the next day.

Arrived in San Jose, I waited again for about 2 hours to immigrate. However, I had nice conversations with the people around me. When I arrived at the hotel at the airport, I freshed myself up a bit. With an Uber I drove the 20 minutes to the city center to look for a dinner place. Luckily, I met people and after dinner we strolled around in the capital of Costa Rica.

Early in the morning I was picked up by Interbus which took me to Tamarindo. In the middle of nowhere we stopped because the people were divided into different buses. Somehow it worked and I was on the right bus which took me to the Wayra language school in Tamarindo. I was greeted warmly there. They told me everything about the operation of the language school the next day and was taken to the student accommodation called Casa Carolina. It was already afternoon and I was very hungry. So, I found a restaurant on the beach with my feet in the sand and enjoyed Ceviche. Since I had a kitchen available, I did some groceries. I spent the rest of the day settling in and eating in the evening. After dinner, also on the beach, I met another colleague whom I had already met during the immigration in San Jose.

At 7 a.m. I went to the language school, which was about 5 minutes walk away from my new home. After the placement test, we were divided into classes. Since I was a beginner, I was had the afternoon class A1.2. We also received some information about the school and Tamarindo. For example, if we want to go to the other beach, Playa Grande, across the river, that we please use the boats. They already had people swimming over and it happened that a student was bitten by one of the crocodiles living there. There was also a crocodile in close to the school on the beach which was in a water hole. Of course, I had to go to visit him later on. So, I went home again and back to school after lunch. I also met my house mate who were all from Switzerland. In general, there were extremely many Swiss people in Tamarindo and in the language school. In the evening I went to the beach to play some volleyball.

So, the first as well as the second day passed. For dinner I enjoyed a Casado, the typical meal here with rice, black beans, plantains, lettuce and meat or vegetables. The sunset on the beach that evening was breathtaking. Later there was music in the Club Pacifico and so I went dancing. The next morning, I got up early. I wanted to go surfing again. The waves were alright and I had to get used to the board again. Since the waves should be better in the evening, I went with one of my colleague rights after school. The waves were great and the sunset on the sea was even more beautiful.

The first week went by in a flash with surfing in the morning, evening and school and homework. On Thursday evening there was a night market with delicious food and probably everyone of Tamarindo went. On Friday some of the school went out to dinner together because some of them left the next day. I went dancing in the Club Crazy Monkey. Saturday after surfing and lunch, we went to Playa Conchal in the afternoon. Unfortunately, I didn’t know beforehand that we were going to a beach and so I didn’t take a beach towel or bikini with me. I still enjoyed the beautiful beach full of shells. In the evening there was a village festival with bull riding in the village of Brasilito. We ate and drank something before we took the taxi back to Tamarindo.

I booked a tour for Sunday. At 6.30 am I was picked up by bus from the front door. We went to the Rincon de la Vieja National Park and volcano area. Legend told, that a woman married a man from a hostile tribe. They had children. Since her father did not tolerate this, he killed the children. The woman was sad and fled to the mountain where she was known as a witch. It is a huge area and the volcano is more like a mountain than the typical picture of one of the boiling mountains. The area here is also very active and you can hear, see and smell the volcanic activity everywhere. After a walk we went swimming in a waterfall. Since the sea in Tamarindo is always warm 26 degrees, the cool waterfall was just awesome. Later we went to a natural spa where you could sit in the various hot springs and rub yourself with mud. The day passed very quickly.

The last week of school also passed quickly. Surfing in the morning, cooking and playing games as well as doing homework after school and on Thursdays at the Night market again. The school itself was half out and therefore very hot. Except one room had air conditioning in which we luckily mostly had lessons. The hours were very exciting and entertaining, so learning was really fun.

Friday afternoon was always an exam at school and we played some games, all in Spanish with other classes. Shortly before 5 am all of the afternoon classes sat together and we, who had the last week, were able to give a closing speech in Spanish. Diplomas were handed over and photos were taken. In the evening we went to eat pizza and have a drink at our house under the pavilion. Since I was sick, I went to bed early.

Also, on Saturday morning I didn’t do too much except packing, having lunch and waiting for the Interbus to pick me up. The bus ride was quick and I had arrived in the same hotel in the evening as when I arrived in San Jose. The people there were so warm and recognized me immediately. We talked for a bit together and they made me something for dinner. For the next day, my flight went at 7 in the morning. At the hotel they made me a sandwich and gave me coffee until they drove me to the airport. And so, these two weeks passed in Costa Rica, despite the difficult start, far too quickly. Especially when you have settled into the Pura Vida. Nevertheless, it was a nice and eventful time for me.

Costa Rica is a little more expensive than I expected. In Tamarindo, because of tourism, a lot of people can speak English. However, I can still use my Spanish every now and then and I am sure that I can use it for Mexico. What I saw from the country was beautiful. People are so relaxed and you get carried away with the vibe. Life on the beach was nice anyway and I could really get used to it. I will carry with me in my heart the great moments, the sunsets, the sound of the sea and the feeling of my feet in the sand. Thanks Costa Rica that I got to know me differently.

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