Experience a la Tica

Tag: San Jose

  • What’s on in July?

    What’s on in July?

    This is going to be a fun month!

    Events coming up include the University cinema’s “Month of Laughter,” music festivals, a national surf championship, traditional Costa Rican and American celebrations and a “Night at the museum(s)”.

    4th of July Picnic
    For all the Americans who are going to be in Costa Rica for the Independence Day, the American Colony Committee organizes this annual picnic at the Cervecería Nacional near the International Airport from 9 am to 1 pm. Enjoy a piece of homeland culture with food, music, shows, sports and a flag raising ceremony. Fireworks at the Avenida Escazú at 7 pm make this day complete.

    Under Rock Festival
    This music event is lead by five different bands and a DJ rocking the stage at Mundoloco el Chante in San Pedro on the 4th of July at 7 pm.

    International Calypso Festival
    For the second time the Calypso Festival happens in the Caribbean town Cahuita this weekend, July 4th-6th, including national and international music acts, sports, games, and more: the festival has something to offer everyone.

    Fashion Week
    Visit the most important fashion event of Costa Rica this month. From July 10th to 13th national and international designers present the new trends with live runways, shows and workshops at the Antigua Aduana in San José.

    Art City Tour
    This event gives you the chance to see many of the museums and galleries in San José for free from 5 pm to 9 pm on July 16th. The provided shuttle take you from one spot to another.

    Precolumbian Art
    Pieces of pre-Columbian art you can see at the museums in San José during the Art City Tour (Photo by redcultura.com)

    Two traditional Costa Rican events
    The week-long festival of the Virgin of the Sea (July 13th to 20th) in honor of the patron saint Carmen comes along with horse parades or colorful regattas in Puntarenas and in Playas del Coco. Another event is the Day of Guanacaste (July 25th) celebrating the annexation of Nicoya from Nicaragua with rodeos, parades, typical food and music acts in different cities.

    Gran Final Reef 2014
    On the long weekend, July 25th-27th, the best surfers of Costa Rica flock to Playa Hermosa (near Jacó) to show their skills and try to return home with the title “National Champion”. The competitions will take place from 7 am to 4 pm daily and are accompanied by shows of “Las Chicas Reef”, concerts and parties in the surrounding beach bars, an air show and last but not least the big award ceremony.

    University Cinema
    July’s theme of the free movies on the campus is “Month of Laughter”. Comedies like Some like it hot, La loca historia del mundo, Shhh! Top secret! and many more are shown on Thursdays and Fridays starting with a discussion at 5:30 pm and the actual screening at 6:30 pm at the Auditorium of Law (Avenida 13, San Pedro).

    Also check out the regular events going on around the capital.

  • Events: Football and more

    Events: Football and more

    Cool upcoming events include an international food fair in Coronado, more than 100 activities in the capital and of course the World Cup.

    Food: “Feria Internacional De Comida Típica”
    Sick of “Gallo Pinto,” yet?  Or maybe ready for another serving? The International Fair of Typical Food offers Costa Rican favorites, and also Caribbean and Latin American specialties from 10am to 6pm this Saturday, June 21st at the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture in Coronado.

    Culture: “100 en un día”
    This event on Saturday, June 21st in San José consists of many activities voluntarily organized by citizens who want to turn their home into a nicer and livelier place one small step at time… times 100! Learn indigenous handicraft techniques in creative workshops, see water of all colors coming out of the cities fountains, get free hugs, listen to the stories of homeless people, watch folkloric dance, get to know San José during a mini city tours, be a part of a flash mob or have a picnic with random people… Check the event map and schedule on the website or just go and stroll around in the central streets and parks to see what’s going on.

    Exhibition: Soccer stadiums of the world
    In honor of World Cup madness, an exhibition called “Las catedrales del fútbol” shows where the magic happens from a different point of view. Architecture and impressive capacity come to life with flag-waving fans, the joys and frustrations of thousands piqued by a tiny ball… All captured in these photos.
    Visit the exhibition until August 1st in the Centro Cultural de España in San José (Calle 31, Avenida 13).

    World Cup: Where to watch the games
    Last week we celebrated the win of the Costa Rican team in the sports club Los Jaúles.  Today at school we had an awesome time cheering for our team in the game vs. Italy!! If you are looking for another place to see  matches, here are some tips from the staff in Coronado: Just in short walking distance down the street from the school you´ll find the bar “Los Socios”, for the weekends the karaoke bar “Las Cantares” above the supermarket “AM PM” and last but not least we recommend the bar and restaurant “Las Villas San Isidro” (from the church pass the park on the main street, turn left at the gas station and again left on the second street). If you look for something bigger: In San José is a large screen broadcasting all the games on the Plaza de la Democracia, right in front of the National Museum.

  • ¡Oé, oé, oé!

    ¡Oé, oé, oé!

    When Costa Rican player Marco Ureña sent a third point into Uruguay’s goal during Saturday’s World Cup game, a nation of spectators already thought to be the happiest people on earth became the most elated people on earth. No one expected the Costa Rican team to hold its own against Uruguay, let alone trounce the 2010 semifinalist team in a 3-1 upset. We watched the exciting second half of the match among the crowd at Club Los Jaules, (a sports club in Coronado where AT students enjoy complimentary membership). We snagged this video of the club’s lounge erupting with joy right after Costa Rica scored the final goal.

    ¡Oé!

  • ¿Qué pasa, San José?

    ¿Qué pasa, San José?

    Here’s a round-up of cool stuff to do around the capital for the month of June:

    Exhibit: The recently completed Jade Museum opens its doors
    Pre-Columbian objects as well as Jade carvings shine light into the lives of our ancestors. Check out the new modern 4-story and interactive exhibits. The Museo de Jade welcomes visitors daily from 10 am to 5 pm.

    Film: Month of Environmental Cinema
    Free screenings at the University of Costa Rica continue throughout the month, celebrating environmental cinema. A few of the selections include Blackfish, Into The Wild, Océanos and Soylent Green, plus many more. Every Thursday and Friday in the auditorium of law (Avenida 13, San Pedro), discussion begins at 5:30 pm and movie begins at 6:30 pm.

    Fair: On the way to carbon-neutrality
    The future of renewable energy, recycling and minimizing the climate change are presented at “La Feria Ambiental”, an interactive fair featuring dancers, musicians and theater groups. At Casa del Cuño, Antigua Aduana from June 5-7, 9 am to 7 pm.

    Festival: Patron Saints are honored with festivals throughout the country
    Towns named San Antonio, San Pedro and San Pablo will celebrate their patron saints this month with carnival parades, rodeos, concerts and other cultural activities. These rollicking “fiestas” are a yearly highlight and locals keep dancing to Salsa and Cumbia far into the night. In some towns the celebrations are accompanied by religious processions. June 13 is the Day of San Antonio (festival in San Antonio de Belén from June 4-15), San Pedro and San Pablo are honored on June 29.

    Exhibit: “Heritage of Arts” / “Herencia de Arte”
    The temporary exposition shows work from world-famous artists such as Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol and Paul Gauguin, among many others. The exhibits come from all over the world and include 2000 year-old pieces as well as contemporary art. At the National Gallery until June 28, Monday to Friday from 8 am to 4:30pm and on the weekends from 9:30 am to 5 pm.

     

    Some more awesome things to do in San José every weekend:

    Cal2
    Folklore dance performance at the Park Morazan in San José during the weekly event “Enamorate de tu ciudad” (Photo by Enamorate de tu ciudad)

    Fall in love with your city / Enamorate de tu ciudad
    Every Saturday the Costa Rican Department of Culture and Youth fills San José parks with action. Get to know the city’s lovable side, its acrobats, musicians, dancers, skaters and comedians, its drummers, deejays and hula-hoopers. Join the party by trying out some handicrafts, slack-lining or taking informal dance lessons. When you work up a sweat, cool down with a “granizado” or “copo” (grated ice flavored with syrup). Every Saturday from 9 am to 5 pm in the park La Merced and in the three other parks close to each other: España, Jardín de Paz and Morazan.

    Green, greener, Feria Verde
    Local organic farmers, fair trade chocolate producers, bee masters and artists meet at this weekly market to proudly present their hand-made products. Taste some freshly smoked salmon, delicious pollen (yes, you can actually eat it) or popsicles with whole fruits inside. Every Saturday from 7 am to noon at the Polideportivo de Aranjuez.

    Live music at “El Sótano”
    This bar, café and restaurant is a well-known spot for latin, jazz, blues, rock, reggae and funk. If there is no live music, there’s always good vinyl spinning, and often art exhibitions, dance and theater performances. The Bar Sótano/Amón Solar is in the Amón district of San José (Calle 3, Avenida 11), open Thursday to Saturday from 8 pm to 2 am.

    Sunday concerts
    “La Banda de Conciertos” organizes a weekly music event in the center of San José. Listen to an orchestra of more than 40 professional musicians while enjoying the sun in the park. Sundays at 10 am in the Central Park and every last Sunday of the month at 11 am in the National Museum.

    Cardio Dance and Tae Bo
    Dancing, boxing and martial arts come together for this intense workout, which strengthens and tones the whole body. Free weekly lessons every Sunday from 9:30 to 10:30am at Polideportivo Aranjuez.

     

  • New adventures

    New adventures

    Welcome to our new blog!

    Here at Academia Tica we  pride ourselves on high caliber in-classroom instruction, while our students and staff remain active participants in the community outside school walls. For us, language learning is not just about traveling, passing a test or getting a new job — it is about cultural understanding and friendship most of all. This is at the heart of why we have been in business more than 25 years and why we still love what we do. Between one campus on the Pacific Coast and another in central Costa Rica, we have lots of amazing experiences to share and we hope this blog will help show what language learning and pura vida are all about!