Today is my third day in Costa Rica so far and I already love the country, people, and food. I landed on Saturday, absolutely exhausted but was welcomed warmly into my Tica Familiy immediately. I am living in a part of San Jose called Zapote with a host family and already feel as if I am a part them. I live with Alfredo (Tico Dad), Eugenia (Tica Mom), María José (daughter), Alfredo Junior (son), Luis José (son), and three other students, Chelsea, Tasia, and Sierra. María Jose and Alfredo Junior are around my age which makes it very easy to spend time with them. As for Luis he is just eight years old but loves playing games, joking around, and talking with us international students. Eugenia and Alfredo have been hosting international students for about six years so they know all the in and outs. She is a veterinarian and he is the manager so they are home most of the time which is very nice to be able to talk to them at any moment of the day. They know some english but we primarily speak Spanish because that is one of the main reasons I am here, I want to be able to speak it with no problem to the locals. They make us breakfast and dinner everyday and so far everything we have eaten is delicious. I think the fruit is the best part, all of it is fresh and sweet. We eat fruit primarily at breakfast but also for a little snack after dinner, even the dehydrated type (my new favorite snack).
On Sunday we went to church, shopping, and out to lunch with the whole family. The family has included us in practically everything. Chelsea and I went to their Catholic Church with them and although I am not Catholic they welcomed me warmly and I'm glad I was able to take part. The music in church here is much more upbeat and tropical. People sway and dance a little bit, there is young children everywhere, and it is very lively. When we went shopping I noticed the difference in prices for certain things here in comparison to the United States. For example, shampoo, conditioner, and sunscreen are WAY more expensive here and the beer and wine (which I can actually buy legally now!) are a lot cheaper. Everything here is within walking distance which makes it easy for college kids with no cars in a new country.
Speaking of cars...let's just say the driving is A LOT different here than in the states. The stop signs don't exactly mean stop here but rather, slow down a little. If someone thinks they can just squeeze by another car there is no hesitation whatsoever. Honking here is not negative whereas if you are honked at in the states it means you are in the way, doing something someone disapproves of, going to slow, etc.. Here, honking happens much more often and could be that someone wants to squeeze in a lane or even sometimes to say thank you to another driver that lets you go. Lots and lots of honking. Something I learned very quickly is that pedestrians don't have the right-of-way. In the states if you are looking to cross the street normally the car passing by will stop to let you go. In Costa Rica you make sure no car is coming when you cross because although they won't hit you they come pretty damn close. I learned that one pretty quickly.
There are also lots of other differences between Costa Rica and the United States but I'll leave those for another time. ¡Pura Vida!
On Sunday we went to church, shopping, and out to lunch with the whole family. The family has included us in practically everything. Chelsea and I went to their Catholic Church with them and although I am not Catholic they welcomed me warmly and I'm glad I was able to take part. The music in church here is much more upbeat and tropical. People sway and dance a little bit, there is young children everywhere, and it is very lively. When we went shopping I noticed the difference in prices for certain things here in comparison to the United States. For example, shampoo, conditioner, and sunscreen are WAY more expensive here and the beer and wine (which I can actually buy legally now!) are a lot cheaper. Everything here is within walking distance which makes it easy for college kids with no cars in a new country.
Speaking of cars...let's just say the driving is A LOT different here than in the states. The stop signs don't exactly mean stop here but rather, slow down a little. If someone thinks they can just squeeze by another car there is no hesitation whatsoever. Honking here is not negative whereas if you are honked at in the states it means you are in the way, doing something someone disapproves of, going to slow, etc.. Here, honking happens much more often and could be that someone wants to squeeze in a lane or even sometimes to say thank you to another driver that lets you go. Lots and lots of honking. Something I learned very quickly is that pedestrians don't have the right-of-way. In the states if you are looking to cross the street normally the car passing by will stop to let you go. In Costa Rica you make sure no car is coming when you cross because although they won't hit you they come pretty damn close. I learned that one pretty quickly.
There are also lots of other differences between Costa Rica and the United States but I'll leave those for another time. ¡Pura Vida!