I've been in Costa Rica for two solid days, 48 hours and counting. It's been a bit of a whirlwind already. Here's what's happened.
I flew from LAX on Avianca airlines. My flight was scheduled to leave at 1:45am on Thursday, July 13th so naturally, I got there at 10:45pm on Wednesday, July 12th. I'm really glad I did because Avianca was swamped and I didn't actually get through the check-in line until 12:04am. I was not a happy camper, but at least I didn't miss my flight. It was incredibly inefficient, but I had I feeling I was going to need to get used to inefficiency. Also, my bags were overweight. Checked bag: 54 pounds. Carry-on backpacking pack: 27 pounds. Personal laptop bag: 21 pounds. Grand total: 102 pounds of stuff. I think I might have over packed. Luckily I got through without having to pay any extra fees.
My flight was also interesting in that we landed somewhere (it never told me on my ticket, but I eventually found out we were landing in Guatemala), but I was supposed to stay on the plane to get me to Costa Rica. I fell asleep on the plane before we even took off since I was exhausted from moving out of Santa Barbara, driving down to LA, packing my bags for CR, going to the airport...yada yada yada. I even slept through most of the people getting off the plane in Guatemala, and people boarding for the flight from Guatemala to Costa Rica. I just cracked my eyes open a bit to make sure my bags were still in the overhead compartments. Mad Eye Moody taught me one thing: constant vigilance.
A few hours later, I landed at the airport in San Jose and went to baggage claim with a huge PURA VIDA sign welcoming me to Costa Rica. I grabbed my checked bag and headed out to customs, then out of the airport to find my driver, David, waiting for me. We went to the car and started chatting on the way to my homestay in Barva - Heredia. Heredia is a province of Costa Rica, and Barva is one of the neighborhoods that make up the state of Heredia. It's a small neighborhood, and it's really interesting.
The first thing that surprised me about Barva was that it is incredibly residential. There is no separation from residential houses and businesses: tiny restaurants (called Sodas) are directly next to homes, which are next to car shops, schools, soccer fields, small stores, doctor's offices, cell phone stores, fruit stands, etc. There is no city zoning or different coding standards, everything is just built where it's built and people are happy with it.
The second thing that surprised me about Barva, and Costa Rica in general, is that everyone takes the time to chat with one another. They could be the best of friends or complete strangers, and you wouldn't know the difference. When the driver dropped me off, he chatted with my host family for a while and I thought they knew each other from previous students that he dropped off. Nope, they had just met, but took the time to get to know a little bit about one another.
The third thing that surprised me about Costa Rica was my host family. They are incredibly sweet and very charming. However, there is a massive language barrier and I wish I knew more Spanish to connect with them. However, they were surprised that I knew some basic Spanish and were happy to have some mode of communication, albeit a weird version of Spanglish with horrible grammar and many misused words on my part. One of them, Yorleni, speaks about as much English as I speak Spanish, so we are able to figure out what each other is saying and translate to other family members.
One thing that I was very curious about was the food. I have never seen a Costa Rican restaurant in the States, and had no idea what was common for Costa Rican cuisine. Once I got to my host family's house, probably around 11:45am, they asked if I was hungry and if I wanted almuerzo (lunch) . Of course I did. Menu item: fried rice with some chicken and carrots, black beans and salted tomatoes on the side. Costa Rican food is good, but really heavy with lots of oil and salt. I enjoy meals now with my Nalgene bottle and normally drink about a liter of water with each meal. At least I'll stay hydrated.
I hung out with my host family for a couple hours more hours, getting to know a little about them and met everyone. The grandparents: Haydee and Albero. Their daughter: Yorleni. And her daughters: Nayeli and Violet. The dogs: Goofy and Pepillo.
After lunch and hanging out with the new family, I took an hour nap, then Yorleni and I went on a walking tour of Barva to familiarize myself with the area and to exchange money at the bank. She showed me the way to my school, took me inside the school itself where I met the receptionist, and she also showed me the gym near the school. She was appalled that it was so expensive for a month membership: 18,000 colones, or $30 USD. Then we started on our way home, where it started pouring on us. It was definitely an adventure, but I also realized how small Barva is. I'm from the city, and I thrive in cities, with lots of people walking on the streets and causing mayhem. This place is tiny and cute, but there aren't many people here walking around. I know this town is going to be a big adjustment for me, but I'm up for the challenge and optimistic about what beauties it holds for me.
After we got back home, I changed out of my drenched clothes and took another nap before dinner. I woke up to rapid-fire Spanish downstairs, where I met another family member, Yoleni's sister named Marivel. Her Spanish is very clear, but ridiculously fast. I barely understood 5% of what she and Haydee were talking about, especially since I was so tired from the journey here. By the end of the night, I got to know both of them a little better and Marivel invited me to go out with her and her friends on Saturday. Then I went to my room, and took a shower. I was surprised again that there was no hot water. But it was soothing with the Costa Rican humidity. It's not so hot here, but it is humid.
The next day (Friday), I woke up and explored more of Barva on my own. I walked back to my school to make sure I knew how to get there. Of course I took the wrong fork in the road and got slightly lost, but eventually found my way. I also got hungry and bought an apple for 500 colones, or $0.83 USD. Fruit here is expensive in the fruit stands. Then in the afternoon, the grandparents took me to downtown Heredia by bus. We went to two parks, Parque de Central de Heredia and Parque de Los Angeles, which was a little taste of home for me, even if it was just a name that I recognized. I also got to see the main church in downtown Heredia, Iglesia Immaculada, which was built in 1797. There were lots of people in the downtown area, and I didn't feel as isolated as I did in Barva. We also went to the main market in Heredia, where we got coffee and Costa Rican tamales, and the place was bustling with life until everything shut down at 5:00pm.
Today (Saturday), I'm going to the park near the house to get in a good workout. I feel my body adjusting to the salt and the oil in the food, and I just need to find the balance in my new life here. Tonight, I'm going to go out with Marivel (Yoeni's sister) and her friends to a karaoke bar - we'll see how that turns out. And tomorrow, I'm going on a hiking trip with students from my program. Hopefully Paos Volcano quiets down today so that we can go inside the national park tomorrow. Paos Volcano is on the list of things to do in Costa Rica, so hopefully we'll be able to see it since it's a little out of the way from Barva.
That's all for now folks. Hasta la próxima vez, chau!
