¡Hola!
This is my very first post for my blog about my time in Costa Rica! For the next three months, I will be studying at Universidad Veritas and living with a host family in San José. I will also go on several adventures around Costa Rica, from ziplining through the Monteverde Cloud Forest to spotting animals on the Pacific beaches of Manuel Antonio Park.
A view of San José from a balcony I found at Universidad Veritas.
Since the excursions have yet to happen, I thought I would tell you all about my first few days in San José. (It’s kind of long, so if you want, just look at the pictures :))
On Sunday night, I was picked up from the airport with other AIFS students, and we were taken to Universidad Veritas, where we met our host parents for the first time. My host mother (or mama tica) Stephanie, picked me up and we rode to her house, which is about a fifteen minute walk from Veritas. There I met my host sister, Juliana, and we chatted until it was time for me to go to bed. One of Stephanie’s rules is that in the house, we have to speak Spanish all the time. We only use English when I absolutely cannot understand what she or Juliana are trying to tell me. I like this rule because it will help me to improve my Spanish.
Monday morning, Stephanie and I had breakfast and then she showed me how to get to Veritas. After that, I had AIFS and Veritas orientations.
In the afternoon, AIFS took us on a tour of San José, where we were shown points of reference such as KFC, San Pedro Mall and the Diamond Gym.
Museo Nacional de Costa Rica in downtown San José.
Later, we took a walking tour of downtown San José and went through this really cool market where we can buy authentic Costa Rican souvenirs. I will definitely be going back there! Afterwards, we met Elizabeth Escalante, our resident director for AIFS, and went back to Veritas. A bunch of us needed supplies and phones, so we walked to San Pedro Mall. We exchanged money and purchased phones from Movistar. My phone reminds me of the Nokia Shorty I had in middle school.On Tuesday, my classes started. Everyday for the next four weeks, I have four hours of Spanish (the basic level). Then I have my electives Intercultural Communication and Theory of Latin American Tropical Dance in the afternoon.
Mi primer almuerzo en l’universidad, una flauta con pollo.
During lunch, I met una Tica se llama Isabella, y su madre Laura (lo siento, sometimes I may mix Spanish in with English). She is from Guanacaste, which is northwest of San José and very warm. Isabella and the other tico students start classes next week.
After Spanish class on Wednesday, I went out to my first Costa Rican restaurant, which is in mi barrio, Cordoba. I had ceviche pescado, which I was told consists of raw fish cooked in citrus with a lot of cilantro and tomatoes (or something like that). ¡Es muy deliciosa!
Mi ceviche pescado.
Later, I had my first mural painting class. For the culminating project of the semester, we as a class will design and paint a mural in some community space nearby. (I love the idea of this project because my friend, Lauren, and I did a documentary on graffiti and public art last semester. Check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hd-kGJ-DKiQ) This way, I can truly leave my mark on San José and Costa Rica!
Later, AIFS took us to a restaurant where I had gelato for the first time. It was amazing!!! Me gusta comida, todo el tiempo.
So that’s my first few days in a nutshell. Keep checking if you want to learn more about my host family, my excursions and encounters, and even some tips for if you might want to visit Costa Rica.
¡Pura Vida!
Pura Vida 