October 16, 2009 —
IUPUI is Indiana's premier urban research university. The campus enrolls more than 30,000 students in 21 schools and academic units.
News Releases for Meghan
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Did 20 Weeks Just Fly By?
December 4, 2009 —
First off, I’m back in town! My flight went well, I arrived in Indy on time, and managed to have only one hiccup: I was 17 pounds over-packed when I weighed in at the San José airport. I added some books to my carry on and left some of the heavier, more replaceable items on the counter (when the employee asked what I wanted him to do with them, I said that he could have them… what else could I have said? Did what I say really have an effect on what he did with them?).
Preparing for Indiana
November 25, 2009 — As the semester wraps up, I’m looking forward to coming home. I’ve missed things like the luxury of hot baths, the freedom that my car holds and the smiles of my loved ones. Tomorrow morning, my study abroad advisors are coordinating a meeting about reverse culture shock (a phenomenon that travelers may be subject to upon re-immersion into the home culture). Everyone in my program was instructed to prepare certain questions to get us thinking about home. Mine include: What am I looking forward to with the most anticipation? What am I least looking forward to? How would I like my family and friends to treat me when I arrive home?
Full storyThe Weekend of Three Islands and Nearing the End
November 18, 2009 —
This past weekend, I went on an excursion with my study abroad program to Isla Venado, Isla Tortuga and Isla San Lucas. They are islands located on the pacific side of Costa Rica in the Nicoya Gulf.
Volcan Arenal
November 13, 2009 —
Last weekend, I had the pleasure of seeing a volcano. It is an active volcano (fortunately or not – you choose), but I didn’t see any lava the one night I was in town. I stayed in a hotel room with three friends. I did, however, get to spend some quality in the hot springs at the base of the volcano.
Costa Rican Pride
November 6, 2009 — I’ve been thinking about what it means to have national pride nowadays. I am in a class titled ‘Culture and Globalization,’ which discusses the effects of globalization on the world, and specifically in Costa Rica. Globalization encourages an identity different than the identity found naturally in a country.
Full storyTaxistas (Taxi Drivers)
October 30, 2009 —
I usually take the bus to get to and from my house to the center of town, but sometimes take a taxi. It is advised to take taxis after it gets dark (around 5:30p.m.). I also take them if I need to get somewhere in more than 25 minutes, if I’m running late, or if it’s raining pretty hard and I don’t want to stand at the bus stop for five or ten minutes. Incidentally, I found out last week that my umbrella isn’t exactly waterproof. I waited for a taxi at the university’s taxi stop. After ten minutes, the repellency of the umbrella must have given up. I kept it up anyway, if only for looks.
Water in La Suiza (my neighborhood in Costa Rica) and Guatemala
October 26, 2009 —
Being abroad, I am more aware of what is going on in other parts of the world. For example, the fall in Indiana is the rainy season for Costa Rica. In Costa Rica, there are two seasons: the rainy season and the dry season. It should be raining every day here, but lately it hasn’t been.
The Golden Heart of San Jose
October 9, 2009 —
On Wednesdays I don’t have classes. I usually take the day to do homework and recover from the intensity of my classes, but this Wednesday, I decided to take a solo trip to San José in order to explore a couple of the museums.
Emphasizing My Foreignness
October 2, 2009 — In Costa Rica, the coin system is completely different. There are 500, 100, 50, 25, 20, 10 and 5 colón coins. To make matters a bit trickier, there are multiple versions of the 20, 10 and 5 colón coins. I read in last week’s newspaper (www.nacion.com) that the government is beginning to cut down on the chaotic coin purses by phasing out the silver versions of the 20, 10 and 5, leaving Costa Ricans with only gold-colored coins. The shift will happen after I leave.
Full storyThe Cacao Tour and Huge Ants
September 25, 2009 —
Last Friday, I went on a cacao tour. Cacao is the chocolate seed that is processed and then put inside your venti nonfat no whip mocha and your candy bars. I think I saw a video in third grade summer school about chocolate and how it grows, but a hands-on tour was much more fun than any video.
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