Yes, I know. It's been exactly five (count 'em, five) weeks since I have been in Costa Rica and I have not written anything. It's a little harder than I thought it would be to keep up with homework, traveling, reading, writing, & just dong normal, everyday things.
A LOT has happened in the past few weeks. I'll try to give a good summary without cutting out any juicy details, and I'll also try not to write a novel.
Let's just say, the Ticos (Costa Ricans) didn't waste any time. They picked us up straight from the airport to go to our designated houses. I kept fairly calm as I waved hasty goodbyes to the other Gringos (Americans) and hopped in a taxi with my host cousins and another American student, and we made our way to our new homes.
The first night is definitely noteworthy. My host mom and the maid, Joanna, along with little 3-year-old Andrés were there to greet me. I tried to nap for a few hours, but I was full of adrenaline and excitement and, let's be honest, a little fear. I was also a little nervous because there was going to be a birthday party for Gustavo, Andrés' father, that night and I didn't know if I was ready to take on a whole crowd of Spanish-speakers quite yet.
Although I was exhausted during the party, I practiced a little Spanish and tasted some food I'd never tried...was asked to dance multiple times by a Tico man who had had a teeny bit too much to drink (I politely declined), had my first shot of taquíla with the whole crowd watching (thank goodness I was able to handle it with grace), and and participated in the most intense piñata smashing I've ever seen. Finally, at 2 a.m., I collapsed in my bed, dreading the next day's 8 a.m. orientation for school. Unfortunately, I woke up at 5:30 a.m. because I forgot to change the time on my iPod, which I am using as an alarm...
I'll spare the emotional details about the first couple of weeks. Briefly--the first week was crazy slow; I figured out what bus I'm supposed to take to the university, where the library is, how much stuff costs, and, most importantly, where to buy coffee. I also just tried to get to know my family a bit and to adjust to their way of life. The last thing I want is to be THAT American student, and so far things are working out really well.
The next weekend, we went on a group trip to INBIO Parque and Volcan Irazú. The park was really nice, with all kinds of animals and plants, I just wish we would have had more time there. It was pretty rushed. Volcan Irazú is beautiful if you can see it; unfortunately, we could not due to the incredibly fog. It is the highest volcano in Costa Rica, so the clouds are pretty thick and it's tough to find the right time to be able to see down into it. All in all though, it was a great trip and a great opportunity to talk with and get to know a few students in the program.
Jumping ahead....
After becoming at least slightly familiar with Heredia and the university, we decided to travel outside of the city a bit. (When I say 'we,' I mean myself and the other students in my study abroad program). Our first big excursion was to Manuel Antonio. It was the most beautiful place I have ever been in my life, by far. We took a tour of the National Park where we saw sloths, spiders, snakes, birds, monkeys, and all kinds of plant life. After that, we spent a glorious six hours or so in the ocean. I can't tell you how beautiful it was to just kick my feet up in the ocean and float, hour after hour, in the warm Pacific water...like floating on top of God's own breath.
Something cool that I was able to experience in Heredia is Costa Rica's Independence Day on September 15th. There were innumerable people in Central Park and all over the streets of Heredia. The main event is the parade of school children dancing and playing music and walking on stilts...it was very cool to see the differences and similarities between celebrating Independence Day here and in the States.
The most recent excursion was to Malpais and Montezuma, two beaches that are very close to one another, and very beautiful. The water was so strong at both places that we could not do much swimming, but just sitting on the beach was amazing. Our first night, we stayed in a hostel in Malpais where tons of surfers from all over the world were staying, so we were able to meet all kinds of people...from California, Australia, France, Israel, Holand, Norway....
The second night we stayed in a hostel right on the beach in Montezuma, where the waves were so strong that our hostel was in danger of being flooded (fortunately, that didn't happen...but one of my sandals and our room key did get stolen by the sea). The most amazing thing in Montezuma is the waterfall--we hiked down a creek, up a slippery slope, through a slightly dangerous path on the side of a mountain, and finally, to the top of a tri-level waterfall. We spent a few hours up there, soaking in the beauty, swimming beneath the falls...and I may or may not have jumped off of a 50-foot waterfall : ) The feeling of jumping off was like....I don't know...like I was the first person to ever do it. Like God had just created the world and he gave me a playground. Icing on the cake--I trekked back barefoot.
Well...that's all the big stuff I suppose. Otherwise, I'm really getting to know some cool people in my group. Most are from America, there are a few from Denmark that I hang out with a lot. Everyone is cool though. Also, I finally met some Tico friends the other day, so hopefully I'll be practicing my Spanish even more than usual.
Thanks for reading this ridiculously long update. In the future, I will write more consistently so that I don't have to post a novela.
¡Pura Vida!
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