Tortuga!

… No, not the Pirates of the Caribbean Tortuga, but a sweet proliferous bouquet of another sort! About a forty-five minute boat ride from the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica, this Tortuga is a tropical paradise sans pirates, the delight of which I breathed deeply on Saturday.
We had to be up and ready to get on the bus by 6am, earlier than a school day! Somehow all thirteen of us (four student teachers from Westmont and nine from ASU) made it to our meeting place on time, and we climbed into two fifteen passenger vans, not really knowing what to expect. We all wore our bathing suits beneath sweatshirts and long pants; it was chilly and overcast in Moravia, but we were crossing our fingers for nice weather at the beach.
Our hopes were not disappointed. As we got closer and closer to Jaco, where we would meet our speedboat to the island, the temperature rose, and long-sleeves and sweatpants made way for tankinis and board shorts. When we finally stepped out of our stuffy vans, the sun was out and incredibly warm. Everyone scrambled to apply sunscreen, as we had been advised that skin burns more easily closer to the equator.
After that, things only got better. While we waited for our boat on the beach, a few of the girls tentatively tested the water. Being used to the frigid Pacific a few thousand miles north in Santa Barbara and the melted-snow temperatures of the Mokulemne River in Lodi, I could hardly believe what my toes were telling me: not quite bath water, but incredibly warm and pleasant.
Next, we had a forty-five minute boat ride out to the island. I kept thinking … this is January, and I’m here for school, so how is this happening?
The island itself was exactly what you might picture a tropical paradise to be … white sand beaches, elegant palm trees with coconuts ready to drop, and turquoise water beneath a clear blue sky. Our guide, Oscar, drove us within sight of the island, but before settling there, we had something else in store … snorkeling.
We sped through the warm waves a bit further until we reached a few large rocks. Each equipped with flippers, mask and snorkel, we eagerly jumped in to explore underwater. I’d never been snorkeling before, so this was all new and amazing to me. Costa Rican sea life probably doesn’t compare with that of Hawaii or Australia, but for me it was bliss. Electric blue, orange, lime green, pink, yellow polka dots—there were fish of every color down there, as well as spiny puffer fish, eels, starfish, and sea cucumbers. I couldn’t get enough!
Back on the island, we enjoyed grilled fish and chicken with rice and vegetables, along with fresh pineapple (the best pineapple I’ve tasted is in Costa Rica), watermelon, papaya, and coconut. After eating way too much, we dozed under the palm trees listening to island music for a few hours before heading off to do more snorkeling.
Needless to say, despite being exhausted and a bit sunburned, we left feeling quite content and grateful for a wonderful day. I’d heard amazing things about the country before coming to Costa Rica, but it’s always better in real life. From what I’ve experienced so far, I can’t wait to see what’s in store the rest of the semester, not only in regard to traveling but also to cultural experience (I’m continually learning and developing my Spanish) and to my professional development. Tomorrow, classes officially begin at Lincoln School, of which we were reminded when we met a fourth grader from Lincoln playing volleyball on the island. I can’t wait to meet my students and actually start teaching. Travel is certainly fun and eye-opening, but even more so I look forward to the relationships I’ll be cultivating while here. Part of what made yesterday so wonderful was sharing it with friends … I believe I’ve been particularly blessed by the peers I’ve been given in my fellow student teachers.
Well, there’s so much more to tell, but I will continue posting when I get the chance. Until then, “Pura vida!”