Transportation

One thing that you can’t look up on the internet about Costa Rica is transportation. To some extent you can find a name of a bus station or taxi company with a phone number. But navigation of buses or finding a house or even a restaurant can prove to be difficult. In Costa Rica there are no physical addresses. The houses don’t have mailboxes. The streets might have names, but there are no street signs. Everything is by landmark! To get to where you are going you just have ‘to know.’

Taxis are easy, for the most part. Just like a taxi anywhere, as long as the taxi driver knows or can get a hold of someone who knows where you want to go, you are good to go. They are honest and won’t try to cheat you (unusual,  I know!).

But BUSES are a different story. My friend Michaela and I decided we were going to cook dinner for my family and were going to take a quick trip to Walmart during the break we had between chapel and class. We asked the receptionist at our school how to get to Walmart, and she told us to hop on the Perifetica and it will be across the highway. This Perifetica was one of four bus routes that run in a loop. This route went to Walmart. We get to Walmart and find everything we need without problem, with the exception that my NO-AD sunscreen was $16… never again…! We cross the street and get back on the same bus that routes the loop that will bring us back to school. Little did we know that this loop was more like a circle around the city! It took us over 1.5 hours to get back to school! It took so long that we had to switch drivers! Turns out there might only be 4 different routes, but each route runs clockwise and counter-clock wise. Needless to say we did NOT buy the bumper stickers that read ‘I heart pedi" on them.

Every day I learn something new I guess :P Learning more and more Spanish daily, slowly but surely. My host family is still as wonderful as ever and I’m having a blast going to the beach or visiting waterfalls or coffee plantations on the weekends! Though I know ya’ll are experiencing a nice transition into fall, it’s still in the 80s here, and I’m getting tanned!

Determinations

I’ve found that Costa Ricans, in general, are a very laid-back people. In my world, these people appear unorganized, but the closer you look you just realize their internal clock or preperational skills are just… different.

For instance, the school is not good about informing you what types of clothes to bring. Or when is the best time to schedule your flight. Or that it literally rains EVERY DAY. But it’s just because they are a go-with-the-flow type of people.

Laundry day is determined by the weather. It’s not a certain day, or how little or much laundry you have… or rather how Allie is wearing her last clean shirt. It’s all dependent on whether it’s sunny outside, because otherwise the clothes will not dry on the line!

Another things are laws. The police don’t enforce any. I heard rumor that it’s LEGAL to drink and drive… just not to be DRUNK and drive. The saying here in Costa Rica is you can tell a drunk driver because he drives straight. The joke is because the roads here are bad; there are many potholes and speed-bumps that people swerve to avoid.

Even the sidewalks are dangerous as people steal the manhole covers (mostly the small one, where you actually wouldn’t fall in, but just sprain your ankle.).

On my walk home I pray it’s not raining because I have to walk up this steep sidewalk! I have no idea what there were thinking when they built it…

Another thing the government has control of is ‘car schedule.’ Each license plate has a specific number that it begins with, and it determines on which day of the week all cars with that particular license plate cannot drive that day. They are forced to use public transportation, ie. taxi or bus! At one point, the law was taken away, but an up-roar came from the taxi drivers and buses that they sales had dropped significantly.

Anyways it’s definitely an adjustment for me. I love to plan things out in advance, to have a schedule and follow it! Maybe I will come back a changed person :P

Día de Indepedencia

Hola! Tomorrow is Central American Independence Day! The eve of Día de Independencia whole city gathers in their own communities with lanterns at 6 o' clock sharp to sing the National Anthem. They come dressed in the colors of their flag, and with homemade lanterns lit, symbolizing the Guatemalans that marched through the city urging the people of Costa Rica to support the independence from Spain.
Unfortunately it's raining right now, so I'm not sure how much parading or lanterns I will see, but I'm sure my house will be filled with song. Tomorrow I will go and see my host nephew, Matty, in a parade with his Pre-K and he will be a 'flag-waver.'
The young students of the school ventured into the city Wednesday, and that was a fun experience on the bus! Much like the driving in Mexico or China (or really, any country that's not America :P) the bus drivers are very aggressive. Lots of honking and flying over speed bumps and swerving to avoid potholes. Super fun :) The city itself is only 350,000 people, even being the Capitol! But the country has only under 5 million. Downtown, there aren't any sky-scrapers or tall building due to the earthquakes.
We walked around downtown which isn't very different from really any bigger city. It was very colorful; many flags and banners are up for the Independence Day this weekend! We went to the Mercado Central, where they sell anything from raw meat to guitars to horse saddles to fresh flowers.

Below is a ribbon shop!

All the souvenir type things sold there were almost all hand-made. I didn't buy anything that day, but I will be back :)

The crime in Costa Rica is sometimes a problem. Many people here have been assaulted if not once, than more than that. I was so scared to take out my camera! In Costa Rica, the people can't buy guns or even knives! And the police are easily bribed. I feel mostly safe though, except at night! Which just gave me an excuse to use my first taxi alone. My spanish is very poor, but all the people here are so patient with me and kind! I think I was the first in my group of peers to use a taxi alone and I have the worst spanish out of all my friends! But it all turned out ok :)

School has gone by some what slow. Some times me and other students feel like we have been in Costa Rica for much longer than just one week! We all agree it's as if we have known our host families for months instead of days! 

Costa Rica es Pura Vida!

Well these first fews days in Costa Rica have been a blur of new and exciting sights, tastes, and feelings(literally!). I arrived at the airport in San Jose without problem and I found my host mother, Emy very quickly! She is very sweet and treats me like her own daughter! I have a Dad, Carlos, two sisters, Madiella (26), and Carla (30), and then a nephew, Matty. NONE of them speak english except for Emy. This gives me lots of motivation to learn very quickly!

SIGHTS: Costa Rica is very beautiful, as you can imagine. No wonder it is a popular vacation spot! You are surrounded by mountains. In the morning, it is often clear blue skies, but the afternoon September-December will rain... every day! All the houses are very colorful, and stacked up against each other.

TASTES: With new countries, comes new food! And this makes Allie very happy :D I love learning about different cultures through what they eat! The second day I was here, we took a trip to Wal-mart, and there were so many foods I had never seen before! Everywhere I looked I would point and ask "Qué es esto?" "Qué es esos?". In response Emy would pick up the food and either explain to me what it was and then purchase it, or just let me eat it right there in the store! My new favorite fruit so far is Mamón Chino, also known as Rambutan. You may have tried one if you have been to Hawaii or anywhere in Asia.

FEELINGS: Within an hour of me being in the country I felt my first earthquake! The Wednesday before I arrived, Costa Rica experience a 7.6 Earthquake, so the days after they have been experiencing waves the after effects. I honestly didn't even realize what I had felt at first, as I was sitting in a car and thought maybe the car had started, until I realized no one was in the front seat! Emy then turned to me with wide eyes and asked me if I had felt the earth quake! Well, I guess I did!

I still have so much to write but I will save it for later posts. I have school at 12-3 every day, and I will try to walk there today! I will write soon!