We are well into the semester now, and after our trip to Nicaragua, 3 more students joined the original 5. We are enjoying the extra activity going on around QERC and are excited to see our numbers grow. Students have been busy working on research projects, classes from SNU, and finishing up their Applied Culture and Integration class here in Costa Rica. We had one visiting professor from SNU here for a week who helped finish up that ACI class, Dennis Williams. He has a long history here at QERC and it was great for us to talk with him about the progress and future of both the semester program and also other developments.
A bit of exciting news for me to share is that my dad and sister Rachel just spent a week with us here in Costa Rica. It was ve
ry special for me to have them h
ere to show off where we live, hike around on the trails in the valley, and spend some good hot time at the beach. The first part of the week we spent here at QERC, enjoying the morning sunny hours, and relaxing the majority of every day. We all took a hike down to the waterfall one day, my dad and I hiked through the cloud forest one morning, and another day Rachel and I rode horses to the peak of some of our trails. Mostly, it was great to just have them here and be a part of our lives here in Costa Rica.The second part of the trip we had even more company. Chad Frosland, one of David’s best friends from college, joined us at the end of the week. We all drove down to the beach together to soak in the sun and hit the waves. First we drove to the top of Cerro de la Muerte, the second highest peak in Costa Rica, and had a clear enough morning that we could just barely see both the Pacific and the Caribbean coasts. We were even able to see the waves crashing down at the beach at Manu
el Antonio, which was exactly where we were going. We took another pit stop at a favorite stop of David’s, a swimming hole with a rope swing. He and Chad took turns swinging into the water, while my dad and Rachel and I took pictures and enjoyed watching the many Jesus Christ lizards on the rocks around us.Finally we made it to the coast, which felt like paradise. My dad, Rachel, and Chad all felt like they were in heaven with the blue water, palm trees, and hot sun after coming from such a cold and snowy winter in the states! We stayed in a beautiful and comfortable hotel right on the beach, complete with a refreshing swimming pool. Most of the time we were at the beach we spent going back and forth between t
he ocean and the pool. :) One morning we spent inside Manuel Antonio National Park, and had the opportunity to see a number of coatimundis, agoutis, iguanas, a sloth with babies (from far away), and lots of white-faced capuchin monkeys up close and personal. We had some great monkey encounters as they jumped all around us, feeding on the trees, and crossing the paths on the ground in front of us. One even stepped on David’s foot as it was jumping across to the other side!One afternoon Rachel and I got massages on the beach, complete with waves coming
up underneath us. While we were relaxing, David and Chad rented boogie boards and hit t
he
waves. Chad had never been boogie-boarding before, and they had such a great time tumbling through the waves and riding them into shore. Another highlight was watching the beautiful sunset a couple nights right over the ocean. 
Our last morning we spend a few hours mostly on the beach, soaking up the last bit of sun we could before heading back into San Jose. On the (long) drive back we happened across a large number of scarlet macaws flying around and hanging out in a tree by the road. We also stopped at a river and saw TONS of crocodiles – I counted 27 at one time!
After our last dinner together, Chad and David drove back to QERC and I stayed with my dad and Rachel the last night and accompanied them to the airport very early the next morning. It was a sad departure, but a really great week with them. Chad just up his week here with us at QERC, and it was good to have him also experience our life in Costa Rica. We too walked to the waterfall, and David and he got some time up in the cloud forest. We enjoyed getting some quality time with him and were also sad to see him leave.
