Last Updated on June 21, 2019 by Haley Tolitsky
It has been getting harder to wake up at 6:30 every morning, but this week was full of fun activities. On Tuesday I ate lunch at a local Chinese restaurant. It was interesting to read a menu in half-Spanish and half-Chinese, and the food was a combination of Chinese and Costa Rican food. I had a dish similar to sweet and sour chicken, and it was delicious!
On Wednesday we went to the zoo. In Costa Rica they are not called zoos, they are called rescue centers for the animals. It was smaller than the ones that I have been to in the United States, but there were still many different types of birds and monkeys. Other animals included sloths, mountain lions, turtles, parrots, emus, and other animals I do not know the name of because they do not exist in the United States. 
On Friday, my Spanish classed traveled to Cartago to see La Basílica de Los Ángeles, a Catholic church. The church was huge and beautiful, with many paintings and gold features. Underneath it lie displays of gifts, such as jewelry, medals, pictures, and pins, that people gave to the Virgin Mary. On August 2nd, thousands of people visit to pray and give thanks.
This past weekend, Jess and I went to Jaco for a relaxing beach weekend with our friend, Julie. It is a 2 hour bus ride from San José, and only costs around $5. We stayed at Croc’s Casino Resort, a beautiful hotel on the beach and spent most of the weekend relaxing in the pools and in the ocean. We watched the surf competition at Playa Hermosa, a popular weekend event in Jaco. We also went out dancing Saturday night and had a great time. On Sunday, we took a Jeep to the top of Miro Mountain, a mountain in Jaco that has a half-built mansion. The view from the top was absolutely incredible, and it was interesting to see the different works of graffiti. Overall, this weekend was full of much needed relaxation and exploring more parts of the beautiful country of Costa Rica.
This post was contributed by an AIFS alum, Haley Tolitsky, during the third week of her study abroad experience last summer with AIFS in San José, Costa Rica.
