Before departing, I asked my mom and sister for the final words of advice. They told me: eat lots of chocolate, relax and take off your shoes (I think, that last piece of advice was for the airport security though). Before I took off, my mom read psalm 121 to me, which was very comforting while traveling.
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| "the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore." Psalm 121:8 |
Living with another family is a part of the “all in” experience, especially because they talk only in Spanish. It requires complete focus at meals. Sometimes the family starts talking very fast and I have no idea what is even going on. Luckily, they have a daughter named Pamela who helps translate, when the information is very important. I have had many lessons in Spanish about the usage of Por vs Para and the correct form of the words.
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| In Mi Casa in Costa Rica with my host Family |
On Sunday, my host family took Taylar and me to La Feria de Zapote - a huge festival in downtown San Jose. This is a carnival with rides, tons of food and, most excitingly, bull chasing. Yes, people volunteer to run and to be chased by bulls ,after the bulls have been electrocuted to make them angry. Anyone could go into the arena to be chased by the bulls , but the only way to get out is to get hit or thrown by the bull. We were standing by arena’s exit and we got to see the aftermath: the bulls definitely got the best of the volunteers.
On Tuesday,
Taylar and I had a three hour break in between classes so we went
walking around the town. It was an adventure trying to navigate the
city, use our Spanish and also find the supermarket. On the way we found
a super good smoothie station that had $2 or (1050 colones) smoothies
that were made with all fresh fruit! Discovering little shops is one of
my favorite parts because the locals are so nice and always wanting to
help!
Things I experienced this week
- Throwing toilet paper into the trash can instead the toilet
- Costa Ricans are probably some of the worst drivers on the planet
- The sun here is glorious, but NASTY. Costa Rica is located ten degrees North of the Equator and the UV factor is at least double that of Florida or Arizona ( I learned through a few sun burns).
- Most meals consists of Rice and beans with a side of rice
- Family dinners last for over two hours because it is expected to just sit and talk
-Taylar and I averaged 36 honks/ cat calls in one day
- If you don’t know what to say, reply Pure Vida
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| All CMU study abroad students after our first day of school |
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| Breakfast is at 7:00 am every made by Jessica the maid of the house |
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| Many food items, such as milk and eggs are not refrigerated |
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| Beautiful weather+ fresh fruit= One happy girl |
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| Walking to school on our first day |
My Pura Vida
of the week is learning to let go of what I can’t control and accept
what life hands me. Finding happiness in whatever situation.
