HOLA! LLANO: A SHORT LLANO BONITO VISUAL ESSAY
This is a brief summary of a short visual essay of my global experience internship in Llano Bonito, Costa Rica.
By: Sherry Ing, GEO International Internship Costa Rica Summer 2015 participant
Tag: internship
TOP OF THE MOUNTAINS
TOP OF THE MOUNTAINS
Proal is a health-based association that marriage the idea that nature and people are in the same circle of life. I and a fellow Centennial student are doing our internship here. On the day of arrival in San José, the Capital of Costa Rica, we landed in the Juan Santamaría International Airport. Our pick up ride was waiting for us with a sign written with Centennial College and our names.
We quickly exchanged our American dollars into Costa Rican Colones at a bank between the ride from San José to Llano Bonito. I soon figured that it is easier to exchange the majority of my American dollars into Colones because I will eliminate the need to calculate the exchange rate when I purchase something here. From there we headed to our homestay family and it was quite the sight through the twist and turns of the mountains among the rain. At one point the hills were so steep that we had to backtrack and give more gas to drive up the hills that also lead to a sharp turn.
When the rain stops, a misty cloud covers the mountains, but soon clears out and several mountains peak appears again. Would you consider living in a mountain? Why and why not? Comment below and I look forward to hearing what you have to say. 🙂
Living in mountainous Costa Rica,
Sherry Ing
Massage Therapy student at Centennial College
First Impression and experiences of Costa Rica
Hello Readers,
It has been about almost two weeks since arriving and there has been ups and downs. First off, the weather and scenery is amazing! I can’t get enough of the beautiful postcard perfect scenery.
After arriving to Costa Rica, I realized the life in Costa Rica is like those stories from my parents about the olden days and life when they were a kid. The long walks from home because of the distance from school, the jobs that they must do in order to help the family, and many more stories which I see in Costa Rica.
The road trip from San Jose to Borinquen Mountain Resort and Spa was long but there were so many interesting things and scenery I found.
After a long drive up the mountains and arriving at the Borinquen, there were many great views I found even though most of them were trees but the sunsets are postcard perfect!
There are too many experiences I want to share! More pictures and experiences to come!
LT, Student of SHTC at Centennial College
Countdown to Borinquen Mountain Resort & Spa, Costa Rica
Hello Readers,
My name is Lillian. This is my first post before leaving Toronto. After months of ups and downs in emotions, the date of departure is 5 days away. I am very excited to be going to the Borinquen Mountain Resort and Spa in Costa Rica. This is the first time leaving family and the familiar city I grew up in. I know I will be missing the comfort of my home and the familiar surroundings but this adventure is one I am willing to take for my own personal growth but as well as for my future in the Hospitality Industry.
Going away is hard for many people especially when you will be gone for 3 months. At the same time, taking an opportunity like this will allow me to see how much I will be able to grow personally and professionally. I am looking forward to the different culture, landscapes and the food, of course. I can’t wait for the adventure that has yet to come.
– Lillian, Student of SHTC at Centennial College
Arrived at Beijing
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It has been 10 days since I arrived in Beijing. Although I had been here for 7 years before came to Canada, it still took me some time to get used to life in Beijing. Weather, food, language, traffic could become problems for most new-comers. Moreover, in mainland China, we can’t get access to social media such as FaceBook, Twitter and YouTube, instead, there are QQ, Q-Zone, and Pengyou Net which are quite popular here. 1. Weather Winter in Beijing is similar to that in Toronto, cold and dry weather could last from November to next March, and wearing hats, gloves and scarves is highly recommended here. During the first few days I got to Beijing, the air condition reached the worst in the year, so I had to wear a mask when travelling outdoors. After the light snow yesterday, the air turned clearer and fresher again. (Those are my outdoor outfits.) 2. Food One of the good parts to be in the capital is that in Beijing, we have a collection of gourmets all over China. Therefore, you can eat Chinese style sauerkraut from the northeast, lamb kebab from the northwest, noodles cooked in different ways from central China, fresh fish and shrimp from the coastal area, not to mention those various kinds of snacks. Rice, noodles and steamed buns made of flour are the main food in Beijing. Compared to Toronto, meals and dishes are saltier here in Beijing, so every time after eating out, I’ll have plenty of water. (That food looks nice and taste nicer.)
3. Language Again, Beijing is a metropolis, so it is very common to see people from different countries speaking different languages. Mandarin is used in everyday life in Beijing. However, there are different dialects as well. Therefore, it’s not strange to hear a local-looked person speaking Mandarin with accent nd a foreign-looked person speaking fluent Mandarin. For new-comers who don’t speak Mandarin, it’s highly recommended to learn some very basic words such as “hello” and “thank you”. And don’t be panic if you can’t speak Mandarin, most people aged under 30 can speak some English because English courses are compulsory in high school in China. Moreover, the local people are very friendly and they are very glad to offer you help. 4. Traffic Traffic in Beijing is my major concern, even though I have my driver’s license in China, I still can’t drive in Beijing. It seems that cars and people are everywhere here and makes the city very crowded. During peak hours, it could be very slow if you use ground transportation. Therefore, Beijing has this complicated but efficient underground subway system. Just see the difference by putting two maps together.
During this trip back to China, I’ll be mainly in charge of building up an alumni networks for Centennial College. For alumni of Centennial College, please contact me by QQ:2361731172, email: centennialalumni@hotmail.com or follow us at http://www.pengyou.com/centennialalumni. Thank you for your concern and I will post more interesting experiences and stories later! |
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