bits and pieces of life in costa rica

Well, I have almost made it through the first week of classes! Tomorrow is just ICADS in the afternoon, so it’s nice to have the morning free. We are all starting to slip into a routine, and feeling more comfortable with everything. I am glad that this portion only lasts 5 weeks. I feel like this is the academically intensive portion and then after this it will calm down a little, or at least change formats. I’m starting to have actual friendships with people so that is really nice.  There is a girl who’s host mom is my host mom’s mom, so my grandma. So we are always together, and hearing things about eachother’s houses. So it’s nice to have another student around the fam.

Now for some things I have been asked to comment on (hhahahh). The weather has been really nice! Warm, but there is always a breeze coming. Blue skies and nice, and if not beautiful clouds. You can see super high beautiful mountains from anywhere in San Jose. Sooo pretty!  Meals: Rice at every meal, which isn’t bad! In the morning I have gallo pinto (mixed rice and black beans) with a fried egg, a piece of like sausage or ham thing, and sometimes a piece of this bland cheese, similar to that “squeaky cheese” at the Nicaraguan restaurant. Its all good. And lunch is always rice and beans, separate and some kind of meat ( chicken, fish, or beef), and fruit, with a fresca( super sugary fruit drink). And dinner is pretty much the same type of thing as lunch, but different meats. One day she made spaghetti and then in my lunch she put a spaghetti torta, which was like a spaghetti omelet. She cooked the spaghetti with the sauce already mixed in egg. It was soo good!  The other is there is cafécito at like 3ish usually and then dinner at like 8:30 or 9. So after dinner I’m like ready to go to bed. The past couple nights after dinner I’ve been watch the telenovela “soy tu duena” with my family, actually starting to understand the plotline.  and enjoy watching it! hahahahaThe other different thing is that here we are all encouraged to get to bed early or at a decent hour. We really need the sleep with everything that goes on in a day, so I usually am in bed by 10:30 or 11.

There are lots of stores, but you kind of have to know where to go. The other day we went to Mas por Menos, which is owned by WalMArt and supposed tobe the equivalent but it felt more like a super grocery store with other things. But I could exchange money there, and buy toiletries. They have the same brands but in limited choices. I also bought some cookies. Hahah! But you prob already guessed that. Made the afternoon sooo much better! Hahahahah! Ohh geeez! There is also this ice cream  store chain called POPS that is allover everywhere. And the ice cream is really good! So we go there sometimes after ICADS for a treat. You know Americans, always need their sugar or more chocolate fix!

That’s about it for now. I have lots of reading to do, and a Spanish quiz manana. Still haven’t ventured out with the camera. So one of these days, I will take it with me and take what I want. (they encourage you not to take your camera bc it draws attention to you and makes you more of a target than you already are. So after I am suitably comfortable, I will take some pics).