So I’ve been here for two weeks now and am starting to get adjusted. I think I’m finally getting the currency down. When I went to the ATM for the first time, it gave me the option of putting in an amount in dollars or colones. I panicked because I had no idea how many colones I needed. With this option, I though, great, I could put in a dollar amount and it would give me colones! Unfortunately that wasn’t the case. Instead of taking out 116,000 colones, like I should have, the machine spit out $200. Oops. I won’t make that mistake again! The first week I also experienced my first Costa Rican rainstorm. It rained really hard for about half an hour right as I was walking to school in the afternoon and my skirt and shoes got pretty soaked despite my umbrella. Oh well, pura vida! Most of the time it is pretty sunny and warm and then it rains like crazy for a short time each day.
Classes seem to be going well so far. There’s a lot of reading and when the professors ask if we have questions, I can honestly say I don’t have any because I didn’t understand anything to begin with. Not really, but kind of. :) I’m getting in full time Spanish mode, though it is difficult, hopefully I’ll have improved a bit by the time I come home in December.
We arrived in San Ramón during a time of festivities in the town center. Around the church they had a bunch of celebrations going on for a few days and we observed the dancing and enjoyed the food and local handmade jewelry. We watched the parade of the saints entering the church, which was an interesting and unique experience. Luckily it was very sunny and warm and didn’t rain on us until after the parade.
On Friday, we went to a field trip to a reserve in the forest. It took a little over an hour to get there and it was beautiful. When the pick-up truck came to get us at the bottom of the mountain, I said, “Are you serious? 10 of us are going to fit in that?!” Amazingly we all fit with 5 of us in the cab and 5 brave people riding in the back. The ride was so muddy and bumpy, someone described it as an “Indiana Jones ride times 10.” The reserve was pretty rustic, and I felt like we were at summer camp sleeping in bunk beds and playing cards, but the food was pretty good. During a mid-afternoon coffee break, we were served arroz con leche (kind of like rice pudding for all you non-Spanish speakers). We went on a 3-hour hike up into the rainforest, my first hike since the field trip I took to Table Rock in 2nd grade. It was tough and I slipped in the mud more than once, but I was proud of myself when we were done! My rubber boots had mud inside them by the end (possibly because they’re 2 sizes too big), but it was fun. It didn’t rain too much and we saw a couple of frogs and lots of trees with prickly needles on them (sadly no monkeys, though). It was very picturesque, exactly what you would think of when Costa Rica comes to mind. I was sad to leave on Saturday morning, but I look forward to more field trips and experiences like that. On Saturday, I definitely wanted to get the experience of riding in the back of the truck and I’m so glad I did. It was so much fun to go down the mountain as the green trees fly by. I thought wow, I’m really in Costa Rica right now, and wished all of you could be there at that moment to see what I was seeing.
On Saturday, Roland’s host brother, Helí and his girlfriend took 4 of us to a bar to watch the big Costa Rica vs. Mexico soccer game. Unfortunately the game didn’t go in our favor, but it was a fun experience to be watching the game among Costa Ricans. Helí is in a band and loves music, so when he heard I love Tom Petty, he requested a few songs for me and we sang along. He then took us to a karaoke bar on a hill and I had no intention of singing as we went in, but he finally was able to talk the 3 of us girls into singing Alanis Morisette’s “Ironic.” It’s much easier to remember the words when I am singing alone in my car. We sounded horrible while trying to stay on key and sing the words amidst our uncontrollable laughter, but it was a memorable first karaoke experience.
On Sunday, I had another first experience. A group of us signed up to do a 7K run and I thought, sure, why not, it’s something to do. I went into it with no expectations. I had no idea whether I was going to walk or run, or what it would be like at all. When we showed up, people were running up and down the street and stretching in preparation. These were some intense runners and I got really nervous, I thought it was going to be really laid back, and honestly, I wanted to do it to get the t-shirt that came along with signing up! Emily and I decided to stick together and our goal was not to be last, and luckily, we weren’t. We came in before a few others, including a 72-year-old man who got a trophy for being the oldest participant. :) The others in our group are more serious competitive runners and did well. Mary got a log trophy for placing 2nd for women and had a large scrape on her leg to show for it. When she went up to receive her trophy, they asked where she was from. When she replied, “Portland, Oregon,” there was a confused awkward silence and I started laughing. She then clarified that she was from the United States and that was greeted with applause. It was a good experience and I’m really glad I did it. We went up some steep hills, and I had some sore muscles the next day, but the views were amazing and the weather was sunny and beautiful.
This week is a busy one. On Monday, we had our first dance class. I was very nervous at the beginning because I’ve never meringued before, but once we got started, I got into it. We were all tired and sweaty by the end of our 2-hour class, but we really enjoyed ourselves and can’t wait for our next class this Friday. We will have 4 dance classes this month and will be learning some salsa as well. I definitely don’t expect to be an expert, but hopefully I’ll have some moves to show for it by the end. We’re also trying to plan a trip to the beach this weekend. We’re hoping to go to Jacó since it’s close (about a 3 hour bus trip). Right now we’re in the stages of finding a cheap place to stay, which can be stressful, but it will be worth it once we get there. Hopefully we can make it there successfully without getting lost. I can finally find my way to and from school without getting lost and I’m starting to find my way around town a bit more without walking in circles and getting completely turned around, I’m pretty proud of myself!
I miss you all and hope things are going well for you at home! Hopefully I’ll have more adventures to write about soon. Ciao for now y ¡que les vaya bien!
Our group at the PDX airport at 5 am!
The Iglesia (church) in San Ramon during the parade
Dancing children during the parade!
On our way up to the reserve
After our hike!
