Pura Vida!

Hola!


Well three days have already passed, which is crazy. I'll start on my adventure trying to arrive here. (In advance, I'm sorry if things are very choppy or don't make sense. There's is so much to say and my brain is fried from trying to communicate) 


Friday Emma took me to the airport at 6:00am so I could fly to Chicago. That flight was super smooth. Come Chicago- a completely different story. My flight to Dallas was cancelled. Apparently American Airlines called my house at 7am saying my flight was cancelled. Thanks AA. But I was able to catch the 10am flight so all was good. There was a lady from TX that adopted me on the plane with her other 18 co-workers :) she gave me some crackers and chocolate and reassured me I'd be fine during my time here. Yay friendly Texans! 


The arrival here was also smooth, I traded some money at the airport (which I should have done at a bank instead :/) and was escorted a la casa de mi familia. The ride there was quiet frightening- he drove in the middle of the road while people flashed and honked. I'm safe though! Oh, and there are no street signs- they get around my landmarks and approximated measurements. It's quite an experience trying to get around. 


Mi familia tica is very nice and patient with me! Mi mama tica (Rosario) is 82 and sews for a living. Her son, Ronald (about 49) lives with her- he's an accountant. He does most of the translating from quick, complicated Spanish, to Spanish words for little kids in a very slow speed. :) I have met many people including the majority of Rosario's family. It's very family oriented and everyone is kind and welcoming- I love it! 


The food here is amazing! It's very simple but very fresh and delicious. There's lots of fruit (papayas, guavas, and other familiar fruits), rice, chicken (sometimes hot dogs and bologna- rarely other meats), and dulces (little sweets). I haven't had chocolate or ice cream but that's ok! :) There's beans at least 1 meal a day. I'll need to eat FiberOne for a long time when I get back...


Costa Rica is beautiful! When they say rainy season, they do not exaggerate. We have a beautiful, cool, sunny mornings! But come early afternoon. Sometimes it can seem like a monsoon. (Makes time for lovely siestas) The city of Heredia is very safe and you can drink the water with no problems. It's quite lovely! 


I went to church with my family on Saturday night. Their sanctuary is beautiful and the church filled it entirely! :) You don't get a bulletin and there is a lot of signing- which I love. The church is kitty-corner (?) to their house. There's a soccer field across the street, and a school on the other side of the church. In the distance is a beautiful view of the mountains. I love sitting outside and watching people play soccer and looking up at the mountains. It's wonderful. I'll post pictures a different day. 


Sunday was good because Jenna and I finally met up! After a mis-communication of where to meet :) we walked around together, caught up, and soaked up some sun (maybe too much). There's so much more exploring to do! We're going to take a walking tour of Heredia with a group.


Oh, and I did karaoke. Why? Because someone asked me- Porque no? :P Gr. So Ronald, el amigo (I don't know his name), and I walked to the bar behind the house. (Don't worry- I didn't drink!) I sang Lady Gaga's Bad Romance and everyone was cheering- very fun. El amigo that pressured me to sing had to sing a song too. Lot's of fun. Ronald was like estoy enfermo (I'm sick) *cough, cough* it was funny. :) We'll see if it happens again! 


Ok, last day! Today was my first day of school. I'm in level 1 (which is perfectly fine- there are about 3 levels) and there are two other girls in the class. My teacher is very good, correcting us as we go, not letting any mistake slide. It's excellent practice! Any one who wants to learn/ perfect their spanish- COME HERE!!! CPI Costa Rica!!! I have hw tonight and the funny thing is I'm super excited to do it! haha.  


That's all for today. It'll be shorter from now on. :) Email me if you want- hshockey1@gmail.com and I'll answer questions. 


Miss you all! Adios!