The itchy, twitchy spider

I have had a twitchy right eye for three days and now I have an itchy neck. I have been blessed with nice skin (thanks mom!) but I get fricken rashes on my neck and chest like it's my job! For the past 2-3 years I have been getting heat rashes pretty much every time I am in the sun. I remember last summer waking up at 1am itching like crazy and having to go to CVS right then for anti-itch cream. It's the worst! So, I have a SWEET (and itchy) red neck right now. The neck issues I can explain, but why the twitchy eye? It's a mystery.

This is my last week for one of my classes, too bad its the one I like best. I am very proud of myself though... I am getting an A in both my classes, and for being in the 2 highest possible Spanish classes in the program, thats pretty damn good. Yeay for me! (Yes, I did just brag..) I suppose my late nights have paid off so far.... but they also call for a vacation....

Stay tuned for more details, but I am working on changing my flight because I want to stay an extra week! I have a good week with nothing going on at home and nothing really to return for, so as long as I am down here, I might as well stay! I am going to Bocas, Panama this weekend, and will check it out to see if I should return for my week of vaca. I'll be hanging with my girl Lilly, which I am so glad for, because I don't want to leave her yet!

I am still freaking out about bugs. This is so gross: I was getting ready for bed on Monday night and I opened up my closet for my pjs and BAM a fricking bug the size of the PALM of my HAND was crawling around in my closet. (pic!) To be honest, it could have been a cockroach. I am trying not to believe it, but it damn well could have been. I sat there stunned for a second and then called Ali to get our tico dad to kill it. OMG. Plus, while we were at the hotsprings, I saw another bug the size of my hand right by my foot, and some further away that seriously might have been BATS! I am pretty much guaranteed every night to see at least one of the two spiders that live in my room (THANK GOD for high ceilings), probably about 3-4 ants, and about 10 flying bugs. There was a gecko in one of my classrooms today and my teacher tried helping me catch it to bring it home to eat all the bugs, but it was too fast and I didnt want to hurt it. I truly LOVE Costa Rica, BUT I will be really relieved when I don't have to worry about bugs like this at home.

Alright, I have to get back to my homework. Love to all!

Mi Fortuna

I AM SORE! I had a "hard ass" weekend.. literally. Almost everything I did hurt my ass. Friday night we drove up to the AMAZING Baldie hotsprings. These are natural pools heated by the inner earth- Arenal Volcano! They were so so amazing. So warm, so nice. They made a little resort out of these hotsprings so there were waterfalls and beautiful little hidden passages.. it was so romantic- engaged friends of mine, this is an IDEAL honeymoon spot! We had such a good time exploring and going down waterslides and just hanging out..

Saturday we got up early and went to La Fortuna Waterfall. Again, so amazing. One of the other girls and I rode horses to the waterfall, while the rest of our group drove in a bus. This was the beginning of my sore ass. My horse's name was Sarita, and had a behavior problem. Luckily, I still got it when it comes to horseback riding, and I was able to control it (mostly) but definitely was running more than walking. It was so amazing though. Riding a horse is like riding a bike, I was able to pick it back up where I left off like 10 years ago. I was told I had "good form" which was a nice compliment considering last time I rode a horse I literally couldnt walk for like 2 weeks. (Remember girls when we lived in the "partment" and I was on codine and couldnt fit into any of my pants from my legs being so swollen??) It was sucky. This time though, while in pain, I am doing fine. We saw a perezoso which literally means lazy, but is the name for a sloth. This is why I love the Spanish language- it's so literal!!!



Upon arriving at the waterfall, we were told that there were 400-something stairs to walk down, which you guessed it, means there were 400-something stairs to walk up.... so on the way down it was all fun and games.. we played in the cold water, explored a little, but then had to hike back up. Let me tell you, it was not easy. Part 2 of my sore ass. As though riding the horse was not enough to make my legs want to be left at the waterfall, these steps kicked our butts! Then we had to ride the horses back to the barn. OUCH. So worth it though.. It was truly amazing.

After our adventure to the waterfall, we packed up and went to a town called Monteverde. We took a boat here as it was closer by "lake". We arrived in time to eat dinner and after our long and tiring day, we were in bed by 8pm! We woke up early the next day for a canopy tour- which was AMAZING! We went ziplinging all over the world it seemed like, but again, hiking up mountains hurt my ass. There was a tarzan swing that was SO scary, but so fun.. We also "supermanned" one of the ziplines and flew across the world as though we were him. The rest of them were so beautiful, but in the typical sitting position. The long ones were the best and we were so high above the trees. I recommend this to everyone! (Except if you're afraid of heights!)

I am so glad I got so see such beautiful things, but missed my normal group of friends. This weekend some of the classes had class field trips so we were all split up.. Next weekend we will be split up again, but our very last weekend here we are planning a last trip together.

This is my last week of Spanish class and I have one more week of Dialect class. I cant belive how fast time has flown!

Daniel in the Tech dept at Veritas fixed my computer, and it is like new- in fact better! He did say there was an issue and he lost some of my files (actually all of them) but he is going to send something to the US and have it fixed and then send it to me in Chicago so I can have all my files back. Because of this he didnt charge me, but I feel bad so I am going to at least buy him a coffee tomorrow.

I hope all is well with all of you. I feel like I am not that far away but also that I am in another world. Being so far away and being alone here really makes me appreciate who I have back at home. I appreciate you all reading my blog and caring what I am doing and caring that I am ok. Thanks for being in my life and thanks for loving me. :) Believe me, it is returned. LOVE to all.

Mi vida, mi amor

I finally got to go out in San Jose last night! It was so nice to not have homework for the weekend! First we went to a bar to watch the futbol game: Costa Rica vs Mexico. Mexico won but you should have seen the crowd when Costa Rica scored a goal... there was beer flying everywhere and they sang a song, "ole ole ole ole tiiiccooos tiicccooos." Then we went to another bar to dance.. I sang some karaoke too and now my voice is pretty much gone.

Yesterday we also went to the market. I have to tell you, my gag reflexes are in high gear here, I always feel like I could puke at any minute... At the market there were certain places we had to walk through quickly, like the chicken market where there were fricken chicken claws and the fish market where there were fish heads stairing right at you.. UGHH! Otherwise the market was fun.. Martin cracked me up all day yesterday because he bought white leather shoes- exactly like those that PeeWee Herman wears in his big adventures. OMG.. I also almost came home with at least a bunny, possibly a chicken again (like the time in mexico when a little chick was my prize for winning picking the right duck out of the fake pond..)

I am also realizing how lucky I am to have such a great Tico family.. My roommate is also really sweet. I have heard a few stories about some students who have had to switch houses because either their family was bad or their american roommate was horrible. Yikes. Mami is so amazing and she always calls me "mi amor, mi vida" (my love, my life). If you say this combination of words, people take a double look at you to see if you are Costa Rican.. It's so sweet. Kiki (my tico dad) is also so nice, he is always helping me with my homework and talking to me.

My classes are going well.. I got an A on one of my presentations, but that is all I know so far. I really like both of my teachers, even though I am nearly drowning in work. Yesterday when we left our class our dialect teacher did the typical Tica thing and gave us kisses on the cheek as we left. So cute. The culture here is such that if we need a coffee in the middle of class, we can just go get one. :) I really do love it here.

We are about to go watch Motorcycle Diaries and then I am off to the volcano and La Fortuna waterfall. I also think I am able to get my money back for the other volcano so it looks like I am going to Panama next weekend! I am so excited!!!

While I am out of town this weekend, my computer is going to be in the tech hospital. The Tico that fixed it says it needs more work, so for $20 he is going to take it home this weekend and clean it up and make it like brand new. Pobrecito computer.

The post cards are all on their way to you... I hope you all have a FAB weekend. Besos!!!

The sad half-way point

I am officially half way through my time here. That makes me so sad! I don't want to leave, I have not learned enough yet! I guess that just means I have to come back... :)

I got to talk to all of my parents in the last few days. Besides a few emails here and there (and facebook) it's pretty much the only contact I have had with the "outside" world and it was nice to hear from "my people."

Today I learned some latin dances: la salsa and la cumbia. I also saw some crazy Brazilian fight/dancing in the "quad" today. It reminded me of some combo of tae kwon do, gymnastics and dancing. It was so cool!!!

School is going ok.. still crazy amounts of homework. My computer was not doing it's part helping me through this process (mainly, it just working would be nice) so I batted my american eyes at a Tico in the IT dept here at school and he is fixing it for me. I am so grateful, I needed the tech support! I should have my computer back in about an hour.

I was blown away today by a student who did not know WHO BOB MARLEY WAS! I have named very precious things after this man (Buffalo Soldier our college fish for instance! And then there's Marley!) and she didn't know who he was. I immediately interrupted our class and pulled up Three Little Birds on Youtube. She finally did realize who he was, but I was SO shocked and sad at this. All is well now though.

I am so excited for my weekend coming up! I am going to Arenal and Monteverde. Friday night we will be at the Baldie hot springs (sorta like a bath heated by lava!) then saturday we are going to La Fortuna waterfall (I have been DYING to see waterfalls ever since I got here) which we can ride horses to! And then Sunday we are going to the volcano Arenal and doing a canopy tour. I have seen some amazing beaches while I have been here, so I am really looking forward to seeing awesome in-land stuff. Then next weekend I am trying to change my plans. :| I am trying to get my money back from the other volcano trip and go to Bocas del Torro, Panama instead. :) :) :) I have heard so many amazing things about Panama that I cant imagine being so close to there and leaving with out seeing it... I have decided that WHEN I come back to Central America, I am going to the following places: San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua, Tamarindo, Costa Rica and Bocas de Torro, Panama. Who wants to come with????? :)

I will take a lot of pictures this weekend and put some up of the amazing sights I will be seeing!!!

Hope all is well with all of you! 2.5 weeks and I will be able to see all of your faces again. Much love.

Peace, love, rasta

Got back from the beach today and celebrated my official 2 weeks of being here. Believe me, it doesnt feel like 2 weeks. But I do feel like a lot has changed in this short time... for starters, I went from being a business woman to a student. From coming and going as I please to having to stay put most of the time. From communicating in all english, to trying to communicate in all spanish. From sleeping from 10pm to 7am almost daily, to now 1am-6:30am daily. From blow drying and straightening my hair almost every day, to not having picked up my blow dryer or straightener since I got here. From being prissy about my nails.. oh wait.. that I have still managed to hold on to... from being HORRIFIED by bugs to accepting them and just brushing them aside. From walking fast, to walking slow. From coming down here by myself, to having a group of friends... and it's strange and fun to sort of pick up a whole new identity for a while.

I am noticing some social changes in myself as well as my friends since we have been down here also... When we're traveling for the weekend, it's interesting to answer the "where are you from" question. We all say, "San Jose." When did that happen? It's pretty cool. As mentioned above, we walk slow too. We call it the "tico walk" and I will just tell you my Chicago friends, this would not fly in our city. You would get SO annoyed walking behind us now. I have found that everyone moves at a slower pace in general, except when going to the movies. We went to see Harry Potter tonight (yeay!) and I will just say, going to the movies is the only exception to the "tico walk" that I have seen. It's more like a race - in this instance, they would put the "Chicago walk" to shame. It's hilarious.

Some things will never change though. For example, I still picked up sea shells at the beach this weekend, as well as last. I still fed the random dogs and cats from my plate.

So two weekends in a row at the beach... my official word of Puerto Viejo is: laid back. It rained about 70% of the time, thankfully giving up for us to enjoy a nice full day at the beach. But the rain fell so steadily all night that we literally had to use ponchos and umbrellas from bar to bar. It didnt stop us at all though... It sounded exactly like my rain maker that I sleep with at home (and yes, I did bring it...)! I think it added to the character of the place, so laid back, so calming and peaceful. LOTS of rasta. It's exactly like a mini Jamaica. And there were crabs and frogs all over the place!

This also reminds me, I would like to start a list of the wildlife I have seen so far: red and blue parrots!, crabs, frogs, geckos, iguanas, and either a monkey or a sloth or both this weekend. I definitely saw a monkey, but the other times it could have been a lazy sloth because it wasnt moving. I am sure this weekend (at Arenal Volcano!) I will see more wildlife and add it to my list!

I just have to say, I am so excited to become a teacher. Since about 90% of the other people in the program are at a lower level Spanish than I (thats right, I'm a bad ass (or just old..)) I have actually been teaching a lot of people some of the stuff I know and have learned. As simple as it sounds, I taught one of the kids how to order in a restaurant a few weeks back, and this morning at breakfast, I heard him use what I taught him. I complimented him on it, and he said he has been using it ever since I taught him. I have actually taught him a lot so far, and I am so impressed to see him using it! It's so awesome! :) I know that being a Spanish teacher is my calling and I am so excited to start my new career.

Anyway, it's been two weeks. :) 3 more to go. I am half way done with my classes and thank god because they are stressing me out so much. But all in all, so far I absolutely love it here and would never trade this experience for anything else.. I would do exactly this again, especially if I knew it meant I didnt have to use my blowdryer anymore! How freeing.

Much love always.

Einhorn and Finca

I don't know how this happened, but I some how became some kind of tech-genius. (Nyaaaa) When tech things go wrong in my classes, I always fix them. Mind you, it's usually a plug that is out of place, or a button that needs to be hit, but my Tica teachers are very un-techy. These things are just ironic, but riddle me this: As I told you, over the weekend I dropped my camera in the sand and I got sand all inside the lens and it wouldn't close. I wanted to get it fixed for this week and weekend, so I went to an electronics store. I ended up buying Endust and trying to blow the sand out of the lens with that, but it didn't work: it still wouldn't shut. So they sent me to another store that was supposed to be able to open it up, clean it out and fix it for me. So I ventured into San Jose again to this camera store only to find out that they couldn't fix my brand of camera. I felt out of options, so I asked if I could borrow their mini-screw driver to open it up myself. I figured that I would either have to get a new camera or try and fix it myself, worst case scenario here would be getting a new camera anyway. So they looked at me like I was crazy, but they handed me the screwdriver. I unscrewed about 10 mini-screws and opened up the camera. I used my Endust that I got from the other store and tried to clean out all the sand myself. You should have seen the amount of sand that came out of the camera (I must have done this before..). After I was satisfied with my job, I re-screwed the camera back together, turned it on and VIOLA! the lens shut! Now I am certain that I am a tech genius and to prove it, below are some pictures!



We went on a field trip for my Culture class to a finca de cafe (coffee farm) today. It was SO cool. Did you guys know that it takes 3 years to make that lovely cup of Starbucks? That's right, it takes 3 years from the time the seed is planted until it's toasted brown and ground up for your morning delight. This particular farm's biggest client is Starbucks. Here you see pictures of the entrance into the finca, the beautiful field and a picture of my class (how small!). Also, check out the cutie sidewalk with coffee beans cut out! Adorable.
The mountain of white bags you see, and then the picture of me sitting on them is the Starbucks delivery. You got it right my friends: I'm sitting on YOUR coffee. :)


















There was also a butterfly garden here! There were such sweet little butterflies here, and I got a picture of the prettiest blue one! For consistancy, look at the cute butterfly sidewalk! Aww.

My week has been pretty busy: a lot of school work. I was up until 1am working on a project and I am probably going to be up about that late again tonight. Hope all is well at home and where you live. Love y'all.

Tama-Lindo

I got back from Tamarindo last night at about 8pm. I had one of the best weekends of my life!

Our ride there was about 5 hours but it was fun because there were about 20 of us on the bus and we were talking and laughing and for once, seeing the mountains from inside them, instead of outside. We were all excited to "be on vacation" this weekend and everything was new and exciting. We actually drove through the clouds! Here is a pic of us in the bus...

We got to our hotel, which was not the best place I had ever stayed in, but it did the job. Our AC was broken and we didn't have any towels, but since I have been here, I have just not cared about things like that... we used our beach towels when we needed one! (I think we were also too lazy to go get another room...) I stayed with a girl named Lilly who has quickly become a great friend of mine. She is interesting and well traveled and an Art major in Salt Lake City. She is a hippy/surfer chick who just learned how to surf. Basically, she is a damn good time. She is trying to convince me to "backpack" in Panama with her when I am done with school here...

So we got to the hotel and went to eat at a nearby restaurant. We got a "bottle" of wine, which was really 3 mini-glasses and some pizzas. Pizza is big in Tamarindo, we learned. After dinner, Lilly, and 2 other of our new friends Bryant and Nelle, and I went to this bar called Monkey Club. Here we tried to Latin-dance the night away.

The next day, Saturday, we woke up and went directly to the beach. We purchased lawn chairs and an umbrella for $10 for the whole day. We layed here all day, jumping in the beautiful ocean and playing in the waves occasionally. The beach was comfortably filled with people, surfers, vendors and dogs and it was surrounded by beautiful, lush, green mountains. The beach was on the Pacific north coast of Costa Rica and the water was VERY warm and clean. After a lazy morning of sitting on the beach and playing in the water, Lilly, another girl Nicole and I took surf lessons!! They were so much fun. Our instructor was very helpful and we all stood up on the first try!!! We had a two hour private lesson for $35 and it was well worth it! Lilly was a rockstar surfer (we learned later that she is a snow boarder so it was much easier for her) but I definitely will need some more practice. I was pretty good for my first time, but certainly not able to do it with out being pushed by my teacher.

After surfing we went and got a quick dinner (pizza again actually) and went back to the room to wash the ocean off of us. We later found "board burns" and that surfing causes sore ribs. For the rest of the night, the "surfers" of the day bonded over how sore and tired we were and poked each other in the ribs to be jerks because it hurts SO bad. It feels like a mixture of sore muscles and bruises, and I actually can't lay on my stomach still... It was so much fun though. :) :) My surf instructor below...

Later that night we went out to a few different places. We started at a small beach bar which was beautiful. I took a lot of pictures here because it was so pretty. I felt so euphoric from the whole day that I was in love with everything. The streets of Tamarindo at night are so worth the trip on their own. It's such a cute little town with Christmas-esque lights strewn across the streets and cute little store fronts and restaurants. After this beach bar, we went gathered the rest of our group and went to a few other bars. Highlights include: us thinking that Martin "had game" and realizing (today) that he was accidentally talking to a hooker all night; walking along the beach at night; meeting a lot of fun people; ladies night=free drinks; dancing; late night swimming at our hotel pool; lots of laughs and so much more. I did accidentally drop my camera in the sand, and now the lens wont close, but at least it wasn't in the water, per my usual MO. I'm going to have to get it fixed though (a little computer duster should do it)!

Sunday morning we woke up and headed back to the beach, in the same spot, and hung out until we had to leave. We tried surfing again, but being so sore from the day before and the much more crowded area made for not so great conditions.

I purchased a lot of jewelry, which really isn't like me. I got 2 bracelets, a necklace and a ring. I havent been wearing my "good" jewelry because if I got robbed, I would be devastated to lose it, so I spent like $4 on a little wooden ring and wear that instead. :)

The ride back to San Jose was a bit of a mess. Our ride to Tamarindo was 5 hours, the ride back was 7. There was so much traffic from the weekend get-awayers going back into the city and a lot of people were complaining about not being able to do any homework because they got home so late... etc. If they were smart (like me!) they would have done it before the weekend started. I was completely relaxed on the way home and was not bothered by the traffic in the slightest bit. The entire weekend was so serene and perfect for me. Plus, Lilly and I were laughing at stupid things the entire way home, so I had fun.

I am DEFINITELY going back to Tamarindo and you all should go too. I know that some of you are surfers, so you would definitely love it there, but even those of you who aren't, will love it. I recommend it 100%, don't have any complaints about it; it became my favorite place ever! Even if you are not into beaches, some of the other people in our group went horseback riding through the mountains and saw some monkeys! There is so much to do there, that I cant WAIT to go back. Who's coming with me?!?!

The amazing weekend left me with some sunburn, surfer-blonde hair, mosquito bites, sore ribs and surfboard burns but all in all, it was truly amazing.

Now its back to the real world: MUCHO school work and rainy San Jose (which doesn't suck). My first week here has been amazing so far, and has flown by so fast. Next weekend: Puerto Viejo on the Caribbean coast..... :) :)

Much love!

Hasta Domingo

I might have a little culture shock. I feel like my best Spanish was my first day and I also feel a little isolated. They say that the Ticos see so many people come and go that they don't really try to make an effort to befriend the gringos. I usually sit alone between classes, in the sun, where all Ticos hang out. It's not really a society of solitude so the fact that I am the only one sitting alone adds to my feeling of isolation. I also feel this way because it's not really safe for me to do anything by myself. I can't walk home between classes and I can't explore the neighborhood because its not really safe to walk around by myself. So I just pretty much stay on campus during the day, and with everyone's different schedules, I am often alone. Its not that big of a deal, but I still notice it. I think once I venture outside of San Jose and get closer with people on our weekend trip, it will get better.

My classes are also kicking my butt! I have 3 presentations next week: one Wed, one Thurs and one Fri. It is a lot of pressure and overwhelming at times, but I just tell myself that my class will be over in about 3 weeks. I can do anything for 3 weeks.

Every day I meet more and more people. We always talk about where we are from and where we go to school. As I am technically not in school right now, the conversation inevitably goes to age, where I tell them that I am 26. The response from them is always, "Wow, I would have never guessed. You look 21, maybe 22." Is this a good thing?

There is a store here called Pequeno Mundo (small world) and it's AMAZING. They sell everything from tents to plates to bathing suits to car seats to candy, and its all VERY inexpensive. I bought a dress and a bathing suit there yesterday for about $16. It's a store where all the American stores send the goods that don't sell, or when they have to push out merchandise for a new season or something. It's like a Marshalls, but better!

I leave for Tamarindo in the afternoon tomorrow! We will be driving about 5 hours and then checking into a hotel, then probably going out. The next day we will be at the beach ALL DAY, then probably going out again in the night. :) They say it's a hippy surfer town with a lot of gringos and that it's beautiful and fun. I CAN'T WAIT. I wont be bringing my computer, but I will write on Sunday or Monday and let you all know how it went! I will also post pictures!!!

xoxoxoxox!

Vampires in the night

Today was my first day of classes. My Culture class in the morning was good-LONG-but good. We got a half hour break in between the 4 hours of class. I then had three hours to kill so I had lunch with some of my new friends and I ventured out to the mall to get a watch since I cant use my cell phone to tell time. Then I just sat around, soaking up the sun, waiting for my other class to begin. So far I am learning a lot and enjoy my classes. They aren’t going to be easy, and I am sure in a few days/weeks you all will be witnessing me pull my hair out over my blog, but again, I’m here for a reason. But ahhh, to take the Tropical Marine Biology course…

So I woke up at about 2am last night and felt something BITING MY NECK!!! I immediately pulled it off but it took some work because it was attached to my skin!! Of course, being TERRIFIED of bugs, I am freaking out that it laid eggs in my neck or something!! AHH! Ali checked me out, I am still alive, and no babies are sprouting from my neck, so I think I am going to make it. Yikes though!!! Maybe moving to the rain forest wasn’t the smartest idea for a person terrified of BUGS! Of course, no regrets though.

I have noticed a few more cultural differences that I’ll share with you. First of all, Mami makes us dinner every night, but doesn’t eat with us because they eat a huge lunch and then maybe a small snack or a sandwich for dinner much later in the evening. Also, Ticos have no regard for personal space and love touching you when they talk to you. My second class has 3 students and a teacher and we sat in a circle that was SO close together. If I stretched out my leg I would have kicked my teacher. Standing in lines is the same too: they’re right on top of you. I don’t mind it, but it is definitely different and noticeable. I keep wanting to scoot back or something, but I stay. Ah submersion. Ticos are also VERY politically incorrect. As you might have noticed from my other posts, they call me a gringa. They don’t mean anything negative by it, but if they say that about me, just think about what they call Asians, or African Americans. That’s how it is around here though, so I am sure that no one is offended. At home though, it would certainly not fly. Mami also makes all of our juice from scratch. Yesterday she had a whole pot full of starfruit and other fruits and today we had the juice for breakfast. The other day, we had homemade pineapple juice. O.M.G. is it good. Lastly, whenever I meet a Tico, we always fake-kiss on the cheek. Every person. Its interesting because now some of us American students greet each other like this.

I am getting more and more excited to see other parts of the country. From my school, I have a good view of beautiful lush mountains. I can’t wait to see them up close and explore- and of course, see the beaches!

You will all be interested to know that I have been showering a lot. That’s right: me, showering, a lot. :) It’s so humid here that I always feel sticky and gross. I have decided that lotion only adds to the problem so I wont be using it as much.

I am staying in tonight, like a good girl, and doing my homework. Mami had a friend over (she does every day, mostly more than one!) and Kiki is watching futbol: currently Canada and El Salvador, but before he watched Costa Rica beat Jamaica. Just like an American man, he was yelling at the TV. :)

Que tengan buena noche!

Pura Vida!

So I arrived in Costa Rica yesterday at about 3pm and all I have been hearing is “Pura Vida!” It is the response to “How are you?” around here. It literally means, “Pure life.”

So much to write about!! First, the addresses around here are so different than in the States. They’re like, “50 west, 100 south, house number 88”. And the streets have no names.. In fact, the U2 song, “Where the streets have no name” was written about Costa Rica. Little fact for all of you. :)

My house is really cute. I have my own room in the front of the house with a queen sized bed, a desk, a tv, and a big closet and it connects to the other student’s room through double doors. Right now they’re locked and they have a curtain on each side of the doors, but its cool that if we want to, we can open the doors. (More about Allison below!) We have one bathroom for all of us to use, and a nice sitting room in the front, nice kitchen and another sitting room in the back of the house, and then the “parent’s” room is also in the back of the house.

Here are pics of my room:

Mostly, I feel pretty safe.. Our house is secured by about 3 iron gates and a door, and each gate and door has a lock. Mami gave me a set of keys and told me to come and go as I please, but always lock the doors! The gates are always locked, even when someone is home. My room has windows facing the street and there are iron bars across it also. All the houses around here are like this. It's not that it's such a dangerous area, it's just that about 20% of the population is under the poverty line (living on less than $2 a day) and they take advantage when they see an opportunity to get more money or something to sell. They tell us over and over again to only bring a little bit of money, leave your passport at home, don’t bring your camera to school….just ways to try and always stay safe. And there are always taxis around; they tell us to only take the red taxis with the yellow triangles. My university also has a shuttle service every day that goes until about 9pm and it’s really nice because we can take free dance classes, or martial arts classes, or cooking classes at night, then they will drive us home. I have only felt unsafe walking home from school today, even though I was with people. One street on the way is a little shady. Being blonde is also not the safest thing in the world, since I am pretty much the only rubia here. But more than that, they say because my eyes are light, I will never be confused with a Tica and thus, get a lot of unwanted attention.

Today we had orientation at the school. I also took my oral exam and was placed in the advanced level, which is exactly what I needed for the classes I want/need to take: Culture and Dialect. Estoy contenta. Classes actually start tomorrow; my Culture class is from 8-12 and my Dialect course is from 1-4ish. Here is a pic of my school.

It’s very strange to be thinking in English right now, and it’s only been one day. I am so used to speaking in Spanish already that it seems like I am now translating words from Spanish to English, even as I write this. It’s very cool.

The family that lives directly next door is Mami’s daughter in law. She has three kids and a dog named Skippy, and an exchange student from Michigan named Martin. He’s 20 and the first time I met him, I thought he was a native. He speaks perfect Spanish and never in English, but he is American. We are in the same 2 classes together, so I am excited that I have a friend to walk to school with (especially a guy who looks like a native because it’s safer) and someone to help me with my homework if I need it. The kids next door are super cute and the little boy, Diego, is 3 and apparently in love with all the gringas that come here.

Last night I went out with Martin, his host mom, and her sisters and their “foreign kid” Shasta. She is also 20 like Martin, but turns 21 on the 17th so we are all going out and celebrating her birthday with her. She has been here 3 weeks already but immediatly when she met us, she started speaking in English. When she is around Americans, she doesnt use her Spanish so she hasnt learned that much yet. They say over and over again that if you don’t speak Spanish with your American friends, you wont learn as much. I guess for this reason I am also grateful for Martin because he is always speaking Spanish. Anyway, last night was fun. We went to a bar and had some beers and talked and laughed at the new words we were learning and it was funny because the music was almost exactly the same as we would hear at home.

So far, one of the major differences in my life is not using my cell phone! It won’t work down here, as expected, but still, I miss it! All of the people I met today at school are like, “let’s go out!” but we have to arrange plans over Facebook or IM because none of us have phones!

I also found out today what my excursions are going to be! I am so excited for them! I have one every weekend. This weekend I am going to Tamarindo, a beach town on the Pacific Coast of northern Costa Rica. The weekend of the 17th, I am going to Puerto Viego, another beach town on the Caribbean Coast of southern Costa Rica. Both of those excursions were included in my program, but I decided that I want to see everything possible, so I booked two more. The weekend of the 24th I am going to Arenal Volcano (a live volcano!) and we are going to see waterfalls and then the weekend after I am going to Paos Volcano (another live volcano!) with more waterfalls and a butterfly farm. I am so SO excited for all of these. All of them but Paos is over night so I will definitely get to see a lot of the country.

They keep talking to us about Culture Shock. I have traveled a lot in my life, but never for this long, so I dont think I have ever experienced it for real. They say there is a Culture Shock cycle that starts with a honeymoon stage of sorts, then you forget all your Spanish, then you are mad at the world and homesick, then you fall in love with it again. So far, I am not on a honeymoon, but definitely enjoying everything and trying to do as much as possible, and as much as is safe. I know I will never have an opportunity like this again so I am soaking it up, but still, I don’t want to forget all my Spanish one day! That would be horrible.

So Allison is the other student in my house and is a super nice, cute girl from Michigan, attending school at Texas A&M. She isn’t in my program, so I actually haven’t seen much of her today, but we walked to school together this morning. She doesn’t speak very much Spanish, and sort of looks at me like, “whaaa…?” when she doesn’t understand things. She will get better though; she is here for 5 weeks also.

The food here is great. LOTS of rice and beans. Rice in everything…even pudding. This morning for breakfast I had rice and beans, and last night I had rice and chicken, and rice pudding.. but it is very good. And the coffee is OUTSTANDING. I usually don’t drink much coffee, but its so good here. They call parts of Costa Rica the “coffee republic” and its their biggest export. I will definitely have to bring some home for all of you. Also, we can drink the water here in San Jose, so that’s a plus.

It’s the “winter” here, but not like the winter we know. Basically it means it rains on and off all day, but is never cold. Some winter. :) I gave Mami and Kiki some presents, one being a book of Chicago with a few pictures of how WE do winter. Very different.

Well this is long enough, but hopefully you get the idea of life here so far. I am having a good time, learning a lot and am so grateful for this opportunity. I will attach some pictures too so you can see what’s up! (I actually forgot my camera to PC cord, so for now I have to do this at school.. but I promise I will do it!)

Besos!

Hello, webcam

Joe got me a going away present- a webcam! I am so excited, now I just have to learn how to use it.

Today was my last day of real work. When I come back from Costa Rica, I will return to Pepper, but on an as-needed basis.. it's the price I had to pay. I have trained my replacement for about 3 weeks now, and I have complete faith that she will do well. :) Good luck Lauren, and the rest of Pepper. Thanks for everything and every one of you.

Bit of an emotional day too.. I found out that I passed my basic skills test (yeay!) but I did not pass my Spanish Content Test: by 5 points :(. I feel pretty stupid and sad about that. I think it will set me back because I am not sure when the next time I can take it is, especially since I AM LEAVING IN 3 DAYS!!! I hope I can still start school in the fall; if not I will be heart broken, but I know this is the right path, and it will happen if I keep trying.

I am in the very beginning of the biggest change of my life so far. I am sure to have TONS of good times, but also some not so good times (as with my test)... I can't promise every post will be light-hearted and fun, but I will promise to be as honest as possible with all of you. We can celebrate my victories, and commiserate over my losses, together. Hopefully it makes for good reading. :)