Carly: Final Week in Nosara

       Due to the rapid spread of the coronavirus around the world, my family and I have decided to make this my last week in Nosara. I am incredibly disappointed to have to leave 2 weeks early, but given the way everything in the world is going right now, I think it is the right choice for us.
       As I reflect on this experience, I can't stress enough how amazing of an opportunity it was and how much I feel like my perspectives and values have changed and broadened. If you asked me a year ago, I never would have dreamed that I would be living in a small beach town, but I have thrived here. While I miss my city life, I have loved everything about living in Nosara.
       I have lived a very different life here. I came from a life that was completely busy and scheduled. There were rarely times when I didn't plan ahead what I would do. Here, besides school and work, I have no schedule. My friends and I make plans in the moment. Most of the time, there is nowhere we need to be. Every weekend, we stay out all day, walk everywhere, and just enjoy each others' company.
       I have found a really special group of people here. They were so friendly and welcoming to me, and even though I've only known some of them a month or two, I feel like it has been years. We all click so well together, and they have really made this experience what it was for me.
       School at Del Mar Academy was also an amazing experience. Just like at Post Oak, I have found teachers here that care very deeply about there students, which is beautiful to see. It is fascinating to see how an environment can influence a school, because even though DMA is very similar to Post Oak, there are obvious differences, some of which are just based on the location. Since I have gone to Post Oak for my whole life, it has been very interesting to see how school looks somewhere else, even somewhere pretty similar.
       My primary goal for coming here was to improve my Spanish. I have definitely done this. While my speaking is still not great, my levels of comprehension have spiked very high, especially in the last few weeks. Given a few more months, I think my speaking would catch up to this too.
       I plan to continue working on my Spanish and staying in touch with my friends, and I can't wait until I get to come back!

Carly: Limon Field Trip

       This week, I have been on a field trip with Del Mar to Limón, a province on the caribbean side of Costa Rica. It has been a great trip, and seeing a different part of the country has been amazing! We visited San José, Limón, and Puerto Viejo. There was a lot of history to learn in each place, and Puerto Viejo had amazing nature. We saw tons of animals like sloths, monkeys, snakes, and bats, and also got to snorkel and see stingrays and sharks! This side of the country is much more humid than Nosara. While some of the landscapes look similar, the different wildlife makes it easy to tell the difference.
       This trip was supposed to be for the whole high school, but unfortunately the 11th graders were unable to go. While this was very sad for me as I have been spending most of my time with them, it was also a good opportunity to step outside my comfort zone and become closer with some of my friends in the lower grades. It was also really interesting for me to see how a field trip is run at a different school. Since I have been at Post Oak my whole life, I have gotten very used to the expectations and rules on our field trips as well as the types of activities we do. It was really interesting to see how a different school handles their field trips and what kind of things are important to them.

Carly: Caminando en la Playa

       Hay muchas cosas que me gusta mucho en Nosara. Uno de estos es la opción a caminar a muchos lugares. Yo siento ligera y libre desde puedo ir la mayoría de los lugares en mis pies. Hay muchos caminitos lindos y me gusta mucho explorarlos. También, me gusta caminar en la playa, especialmente durante del atardecer porque es muy linda y hay mucha fauna. Siempre veo monos, iguanas, aves, y muchos otros animales interesantes. Mi otro tiempo favorito a caminar en la playa es después del atardecer. Toda la gente salen la playa, y es pacífica y linda. Mis amigos y yo caminamos mucho en la playa durante la noche. Podemos escuchar las olas en el mar, ver las estrellas, y ver muchos cangrejos en todos partes de la playa. Es muy divertido.

Tomé este fotografía cuando caminaba en la playa durante del atardecer. 

Ayer, vi monos durante de mi camino a casa.