I MADE IT!!

I have way too many things I want to tell everyone about it's not even funny. I might develop carpel tunnel syndrome just from this one entry...

I finally arrived in San Jose last night around 8pm after a good flight sitting next to some good people. Both guys were my age, both down here (seperately) just for the adventure. Neither knew much about how long they were staying or what they'd be doing, so they were pretty laid back. One of the guys even frequented the annual Rainbow Gatherings. Google it. Trust me. Anyway, once I landed a nice man in a creepy van took Kelly and I to our new home to meet our new mommy. By now, I was exhausted after only getting two hours of sleep the night before, going to the beach on my 6 hour layover in Ft. Lauderdale, and not being able to sleep on the plane didn't help.

I was greeted very warmly by Oky, my host mom, and Lauren, another student teacher staying here. Lauren was excited to be able to speak English to someone since Oky pretty much speaks only the basics, so she helped us answer some of our questions. Yes, we have a maid that comes every day and does our laundry every so often. Yes, she knows where a bank is. Yes, there is another girl, Erica, here too from University of Alabama that came here with Lauren.

The house is BEAUTIFUL, something I would pick up and put somewhere in Tampa for myself in 10 more years. The whole length of the house to the east is glass and windows, and although there is no air conditioning, so far there has been a nice breeze that blows through the slats in the windows. The sun shines through into the living rooms all morning, and there is a nice view of the whole backyard, lime tree included!! In the late afternoon when it is hot, the sun is on the west side of the house so sitting in the living room is very comfortable and relaxing. Oky is also super sweet, and we manage to communicate using our limited understanding of the other's language and the even more limited usage of it. All the other students know about as much Spanish as me, so between the 4 of us living here now, we piece it together!

My room is very comfortable, about the size of my room at home, with a bookshelf, small dresser, bedside table, and twin bed. It also has a closet with tons of shelves, and I have my own bathroom! I can open the slats in my window too for a nice breeze, and since my room is on the west side of the house, it is warmer in the afternoon and it has a view of the front patio, other houses, and the tippy tops of the high, pointed, green mountains.

After a good night's sleep, Oky cooked us a very typical Costa Rican breakfast this morning called pinto gallo, or literally "rooster spots." Of course, I loved it...it was black beans and rice with a fried egg, and when you mix it together it looks spotted, like a rooster's feathers. We also had fresh bread, homemade juice (I think) and a banana. Fresh fruit here is bountiful, which I know I'm going to get used to REAL fast! :)

Today, Erica, Lauren, Kelly, and I decided to explore the city after breakfast, and we wanted to find our school too. We met Erica halfway between her house and our house at a bank, so I got some colones while we were there. Then, walking all uphill, we trekked to Erica's house, which is right down the street from our school. Today was very sunny and warm, with a perfectly cool breeze, but walking uphill gets hot after a while!

After a little water break at Erica's, we walked over to Country Day School. From the moment we walked through the gated campus, we all began to get excited about teaching there! The school is built into the natural landscape, with plenty of open air spaces. Each grade has their own hallway, which is more like a little common outside area, with each classroom door opening to the outside. Small group reading tables and cubbies occupy the cement walkway outside the classrooms, and my hall even had a sink outside! There is a big playground with a beautiful view of the valley, and there's even a stream that runs next to the campus. Flowers and trees were everywhere, and everyone was so friendly! I definitely felt a lot more excited and comfortable about teaching there after our little visit.

Next stop, lunch at a seemingly dumpy restaurant that actually turned out to be very pretty and laid back. I of course loved my lunch of fajitas and ironically, french fries, and the others tried ceviche and chalupas or something. It was all open air but closed in like a regular building if that makes sense. I could get used to feeling like I'm outside all the time too!!!

Eventful day, and now we're back at the house, where we received our fourth roommate, Stephanie, who's from UGA. Oky will be home soon to make our dinner and I am EXCITED for that! :) Also, a weekend beach trip to Jaco (on the Pacific coast, google it!) is in the works, so maybe I'll be surfing my heart out by noon tomorrow!

Pura Vida,
Jessica