The first week of class

A blue morpho butterfly I found near campus

The first week of school was somewhat surreal. The tico students that attend Veritas regularly start school a week after all the study abroad students and therefore it felt like the campus was filled with gringos. We all kept getting lost and confused, so it was probably a good thing that we had time to adjust before the tico students came. I am taking 4 hours of Spanish every morning from 8-12 AM. So far it has been somewhat overwhelming considering that my profesora Liannette doesn’t actually speak a word of English. There are moments when the entire class, which consists of 10 girls, is trying to understand a random verb and she can’t explain it to us in our own language. I am also enrolled in Costa Rican Colloquium: History and Culture, Land Vertebrates of Costa Rica, and Tropical Ecology. Fortunately, those three elective courses are instructed in English. It seems at times that those few hours are the only break from Spanish I get here. Each of my elective courses has field trips associated with them. My two environmental courses have two overnight trips each where we go to the rainforest and the dry forest. My history class has field trips built into the week to such places as the art museum and other cultural attractions in San Jose. I really enjoy my professors thus far. They seem to all want us to learn as much as we can while we are here and each of my teachers places a high emphasis on hands-on-experience, much like Cal Poly. They also seem to have a fairly strict grading system here. If I miss more than one Spanish class or two elective classes, I automatically fail.

International student fiesta and tropical dancers

            Having class from 8 AM to 8 PM every day has proved slightly exhausting. I have spent most of my breaks during the day going to lunch or exploring to locate the nearest grocery shop. I probably walk multiple miles every day… well, I have to work off those rice and beans somehow. My tica mama is perfect. I am already in love with her. And, she completely spoils me and my roommates rotten. She cooks delicious meals for us, cleans our rooms, and does our laundry. She even made me gluten free cake the other day. I don't think I have ever seen her not smiling and she keeps telling us that all she wants is for us to be happy. 

           

Tuesday evening I went to tropical dance class after my night class. It was hysterical. The teacher made ridiculous comments the entire time. There were a fair amount of people there, we filled about half of the lower floor of the architecture building. She taught us the basic steps of salsa, meringue, and machata. The mass of white people shuffling along the ground attempting to dance was comical. Such a fun extracurricular activity!

            On Thursday night, Veritas held a fiesta for all the international students in the courtyard. What an interesting school function it was… there were bottles of beer laid out on tables in the corner and both students and professors alike were dancing while a DJ elevated on a table was blasting music. At one point, they brought in two separate groups of drummers and exotic dancers that performed for us all.       
I feel like I have already been here for a month... so much has already happened and each day is filled with new encounters and experiences! 

Orientation

The students in my study abroad program

The view from my university

Initial observations:

• I live with 4 other international students studying at Veritas: Macey, Lainey, Katie, and Jessica
• My host brother, Diego, just graduated from Yale and speaks excellent english (thank goodness...)
• Warm showers are a luxury that I don't seem to have in Costa Rica
• I thought I walked a lot at Cal poly… that was nothing in comparison to San Jose
• Getting lost is so much easier when nothing actually has a formalized address
• The main landmark that I use to get from my university to downtown is a KFC
• I love my host mom and I am pretty sure I am already on my way to gaining 10 pounds, her cooking is excellent and yesterday she made me gluten and lactose-free cake. She spoils me
• I am going to learn Spanish no matter what, especially since my spanish teacher doesn't even speak english
• You can hear geckos squeak at night, but I have yet to see one...
• Cars will NOT stop for a pedestrian regardless
• One of my favorite parts of San Jose is that it is surrounded by volcanoes and mountains
• My roommates and I made our host mama s'mores last night and she freaked out as the marshmallows expanded in the microwave
• It's a good thing I like rice and beans
• Graffiti here is everywhere!
• I still am not sure how to tell the bus driver when to stop... yelling "parada" hasn't worked
• "Pura vida" is the most versatile expression in Costa Rica
• It is really windy here...
• Our leftover food goes to the birds in the courtyard of my host home
• San Jose has all these little parks tucked away between the busyness of the city
• Staying with a homestay is one of the best parts of this adventure so far, my host mom walks us to school and kisses us goodbye

The past two days consisted of orientation to my new home, San Jose, and to my new university, Veritas. There are 12 students in my study abroad program, however there are around 300 international students at Veritas that study through other programs or independently.

Walking tour of San Jose

Two days ago, we were given a long walking tour of San Jose and downtown that lasted for about 3 hours. Our tour guide took us basically everywhere of significance... important parks, the national center with the Supreme court and library, restaurants, the city center with a park and cathedral and theater, the downtown walking mall, the artisan market, and much more. My roommates and I took the afternoon to walk ourselves all the way back to the artisan market. After our shopping, we decided to risk our luck and take the bus back to our neighborhood. Fortunately we located the right bus.... however, it was slightly difficult getting off.

Downtown walking mall

National Theater

Yesterday, we had Veritas orientation and tours for several hours in the morning. My university is very small and weirdly divided into 7 sections. It is traditionally an art and architecture school, although the international students take separate classes than the ticos (locals). Although the school itself is small, it has everything you would need from computer labs to cafeterias and a library and auditorium. In the afternoon, we were given a tour of the National Theater, which reminded me very much of a European building with elaborate gold leaf lining huge paintings of angels on the ceilings. We also went on a bus tour of our neighborhood, called Zapote. There are so many things to see and places to explore! My roommates and I tried to go to a supermarket after we finished our orientation before dinner. Unfortunately after walking for quite a while and watching the red sun dip below the volcanoes to the west, we had to hail a taxi to take us there. They actually had a gluten free section! Even though it was only a few items, I was impressed. It has been such an adventure already just getting to know this city. I know each new day is going to present a whole new assortment of new experiences...

Graffiti

Three of my four roommates: Macey, Lainey, me, and Katie (left to right)

Day One

This day has presented so many different emotions and a full spectrum of experiences that I have never had before in all my years of traveling. The day began blearily at 2:30 AM when my alarm signaled my body that it was time to prepare for the journey ahead. After two non-discript flights, I entered the country I was to live in for the next three months: Costa Rica.

I was picked up at the airport by representatives of my study abroad program. The driver, Luis, took me directly through the city of San Jose. The mountains that encase the city are covered in thick vegetation and have jagged edges and volcanic peaks that were covered in a soft mist and clouds. The sun rays glinted through the haze, creating a beautiful landscape. San José is not an impressive city with extravagant architecture, but it is much cleaner than some of the places I have been. 

My host home is next to an auto shop and you can see Veritas University just a few blocks down! Luis honked the horn and pulled up. A motherly looking Costa Rican woman approached the gated fence surrounding the home and unlocked the door. She looked so warm and friendly and had a beautiful smile on her face. This must be my host mom, Myrna. She enveloped me in an embrace and kissed me on the cheek. Luis then waved goodbye…

Myrna launched into Spanish immediately. A few young children helped grab my bags as I tried to decipher what in the world she was trying to tell me. I just stood there stupidly and smiled. Myrna directed me through a maze of tiny rooms with twin beds. I got the idea she was showing me where I was to stay. The little boy carrying my bag asked if I spoke Spanish and I told him fervently that I did not. Myrna just smiled and looked at me and said: “You will, step by step.” She guided me into a room with a partial partition in the center and two twin beds on either side. The bedroom I chose is just large enough to fit one twin bed and a tiny desk in the corner. My closet is out at the entrance to a little courtyard. The bathroom is small and Myrna showed me that either I can take a cold shower that is well pressurized or a hot shower that is simply a drip… She pulled my hand across the cramped and cluttered courtyard into the small kitchen. She immediately plopped a plate of food down in front of me: rice, very large red/brown beans, eggs with peppers, plantains, and potatoes. Myrna then sat down beside me and excitedly continued to converse mostly in Spanish to me. A man sitting at the table told her in Spanish that it was clear I didn’t understand anything, however Myrna was adamant that I was going to learn with practice. She used a few English phrases to help me understand her, but affirmed that she would only help me out today. I guess I really will have to learn Spanish well!  A couple hours passed while I sat there listening. Never have I ever tried so hard to understand what was going on around me and never have I been in a situation like this where suddenly I am living with these people and I can’t even speak to them. This was something entirely different. And yet, I love it already. I feel at home and content.

As the day turned into evening, a couple more students arrived. I am sharing my partitioned room with Macey and Lainey is in a room that connects to ours. Myrna's son, Diego lives down the street and two other students are living with him, Jessica and Katie. Myrna takes care of all five of us. She kept exclaiming over dinner how happy she was that we were here. This is incredible. I love my host family and I am so intrigued by this culture and this language. I cannot wait to explore and learn more!

Prepare

Scattered clothing, medicines, adapter plugs, and other travel necessities clutter my floor. Just 17 hours. 17 hours to prepare myself physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually to move to another country. If you had asked me a year ago today if any of this was going to happen, I would have dismissed it casually. And now here I am... about to experience the unknown sights, sounds, and smells of San Jose, Costa Rica. I will be studying abroad in a city of 1.5 million people that lies in the center of a country I don't even speak the language of. But, isn't that all part of this whole experience? Am I excited? Absolutely. Am I nervous? Certainly. Am I ready? Without a doubt. I am so eager for another adventure, and I am convinced that I will not come back the same.