San Juan del Sur is a surf town on the Pacific coast just two hours drive north of Costa Rica. So, why am I here? I am living in San Juan del Sur mainly to study Spanish, but also to experience a few weeks in a beach town and hopefully get some scuba dive training in in my spare time.
About San Juan del Sur
Located on the Pacific coast of Nicaragua, in the south near Costa Rica, San Juan del Sur is 87 miles south of Managua. Known for excellent surfing, stunning mountains, and party hostels, San Juan del Sur is a vacation spot for locals and foreigners alike. While the ocean is good for surfing, I can also scuba here, although Corn Island, Nicaragua’s Caribbean claim, is more known for scuba.
Living Space in San Juan del Sur
I am living with a family two doors down from the school, as arranged by the school, which is great. I get to live cheap in a convenient location, 3 meals a day, and I practice my Spanish with the large family in whose house I rent a room. Here’s more about my homestay in San Juan del Sur.
Daily Schedule
My schedule Monday – Friday (today was Day 2 of 3 weeks):
- 7am alarm wakes me up
- 7:30am breakfast is served. It is coffee, fruit and a couple of soft rolls (almost like hot dog buns)
- 8am school starts – it is 2 doors away so a 1 minute walk. It’s one on one training and so far, so good! I will do a separate post after a few more days of class
- 10am Pausa (Spanish for recess) We can have coffee, chat with other students, whatever we want during our break. I did both today, and more! Break is 20-30 minutes, then back to lessons
- 12noon school is over, back to the house for lunch
That’s my extremely hectic schedule! Nice life, right? The school offers actividades (activities) 3x a week and I can choose to join depending on my interest. These generally run from 2-6pm. For example, it could be a trip to a beach outside of town, a cooking class, or a hike. Otherwise, afternoons, nights and weekends I am free to do what I want.
Goals while Living in San Juan del Sur
What I want to do is find a place to dive and get more advanced diving in – the next level is Rescue Diver. One of the dive companies I communicated with before I came has not responded to me since I arrived, and the other divemaster is not in town this week and has been really slow to respond, so tomorrow after lunch I am going to try to find a physical dive shop. I understand they’re on “island time” but I am still on a mission!
As I mentioned earlier, this is a surf town so there are lots of opportunities to take surf lessons. If the diving doesn’t work out for whatever reason, I can always try surfing! The excursions from the school seem fun, and the weather is great so I am still happy.
Hopefully that explains why I am spending three weeks in a beautiful beach town in Nicaragua – wait, why did I need to explain that?!
Here’s a photo that may give you an idea of why I am living in San Juan del Sur. It’s beautiful, right?
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You never need a reason to enjoy life and better yourself!!! Enjoy your 3long weeks there!!
Thanks April! I will take your advice since it’s so good!
Que buena, Melinda, mi amiga! What a great way to spend a few weeks. Super to be immersed in a Spanish speaking country/family/school to learn the language. Good luck on your diving exploits. I look forward to your next post!