New blog site!

I wanted to add pictures and this site was not allowing me to, so I switched my blog over to:

http://abroadcostarica.tumblr.com/

:)

Read that one instead!

Orientations and more orientations

Yesterday and today were filled with orientations. Yesterday was for ISA and today was for Veritas University. We had to get our ID pictures taken and take an oral placement exam for our Spanish classes. I know I am in "beginner" so I didn't have anything to prove :) There are a ton of international students from all over the US and other countries so it was fun to get to know many of them.

We took a bus downtown with a couple of ISA staff ladies and took a tour of the city on foot. It was crowded and fast paced, but we got to see places that we want to spend more time at in the future. There is a central market that has all kinds of cafes, souvenirs, and food to buy.

There is a volunteer program that we can add on for extra money that places you in a public health clinic or zoo or salvation army. I am definitely going to try and add into that so I get get PA school hours.

We learned about some of the things Veritas University offers. There are latin dance classes for free every Tuesday and Thursday night that I am going to attend. You can also buy cooking classes, yoga, scuba diving certification course, and others. They are going to have a big party for us on October 5th and have Thanksgiving dinner and dance for the international students. The school itself is very nice inside and has a lot of art students.

Classes start tomorrow at 8am. All Spanish classes are 8-12 Monday through Friday and electives are in the afternoons.

The real fun begins this weekend when we travel to Tamarindo and stay in a 5-star resort hotel on the beach!

First Night

Pura Vida!

I took a flight from Dulles to San Salvador and connected to San Jose.  When I found my airline counter at Dulles, I quickly noticed that I was sticking out like a sore thumb. I was definitely the only pale, blonde girl taking this flight to San Salvador. Luckily, I was seated next to an extremely nice El Salvadorian lady who chatted with me the whole time and offered me gum & hand sanitizer. She knew I couldn't speak much Spanish and giggled when the flight attendant asked what I wanted for lunch and I just chose whatever she was getting.  The flight was much longer than I expected because of the time zone changes, but I read and looked out the window and it wasn't awful. 

When I arrived in San Salvador, it was the first time I felt overwhelmed (and not to mention HOT). I couldn't help but walk around with a big goofy grin on my face because I was thinking to myself "what have I gotten myself into!" I only had about 15 minutes before my next flight was boarding so I found a seat and did some routine people-watching. I watched as a policeman led a chubby Labrador Retriever around to sniff everyone's bags. Definitely not as intimidating as the usual German Shepherds. This flight to San Jose was only about an hour so it was just fine.

In San Jose, the airport was nice and it was easy to find my way through customs, immigration, and baggage claim. I walked outside to find two ISA staff members and soon there was a group of 10-12 girls and 1 guy from my group. We loaded up on a big bus and headed to Veritas University where our host moms were waiting to take us to our new homes. I was so grateful that my housemate, Alejandra, spoke English and Spanish because I was struggling to understand. Apparently, our host families were instructed to not speak English to us! I was not aware there would be this rule, but I will definitely catch on faster. I have my own room with a double size bed and lots of closet space. I also have good wifi reception :)

Tomorrow is orientation at our school and it is only a block away. Downtown San Jose is definitely intimidating and crowded, but it will be fun to explore.

Buenas Noches!

The Eve of My First Day in Costa Rica

I have been wanting to study abroad for so long and after a couple of turns in the road the day is finally here. I am finishing some last minute packing and organizing and will be flying out tomorrow morning! It will be a long travel day, but I am excited and anxious to arrive and begin my orientation on Sunday. Classes start Tuesday morning!

Adios!