Perfectly Long Days

The days here are incredibly long. I hope they keep feeling this way because it’s almost like you get three days in one. Since the time passes so slowly here, a lot has happened these past few days so I’ll try to cover everything!

Saturday. This was our free day. Not really knowing anyone or the layout of Puntarenas yet, I was actually kind of nervous to have a planless day built into our agenda, but it ended up being perfect! I woke up that morning to the sounds of roosters and birds outside my window. My host mom had told me to sleep in, but I was wide awake at 7 and ready to explore. That’s where I left off in my last post. When I went to meet up with students at the beach I ended up running into another student, Harp, and his host dad who was giving him a tour of Puntarenas. I then proceeded to totally hijack his dad, and jumped in on the tour myself (sorry Harp). We picked up another student along the way and learned a ton about Puntarenas in his dad’s car. He is a tour guide for a living so he knew all of the most important things to tell us: the island across the way that used to be a prison much like Alcatraz and is now a nature reserve, when the Virgin Mary appeared to a group of people lost at sea and the celebration they have for her every year, all of the names of the fruits in the trees, and a few (dirty) words that the locals here use. We spent the rest of the day at the beach. I think I’ll be spending at least a part of everyday at the beach. It’s so peaceful. It was my host mom’s birthday this day so when I returned, there were around 15 people at my house. This entire family (including the neighbors) is so amazing and an absolutely perfect fit for me. I can see many nights in the future spent in rocking chairs on the porch outside their house talking, laughing, and learning. I never imagined that I would be having such in depth conversations with so many people so early on in Spanish, but it’s happening, and it’s a beautiful thing.

Sunday. My friends and I decided to go for a run this morning, and it ended up not working out so well. My body had too much sun, new food, new water, and more physical activity then it’s seen in awhile. I ended up with a migraine by the end of the day (I stopped it before it got too terrible). I ran home before my friends ended their run and was sick for a good while in the morning. My host dad went and got me some medicine, and my host mom pivoted our lunch plans and made me the best chicken soup I’ve ever had. I know that no one is surprised that I, Caroline George, was sick. I’m a little predictable. By the afternoon I was fine, and it was time for orientation! They weren’t kidding when they said that USAC was air conditioned. I’ve never been so content to be shivering-It’s a nice change of pace from sweating constantly even though I love every second of the heat. We went over a few cultural norms: For example, Costa Ricans would rather tell you wrong directions than tell you nothing at all if they aren’t sure where you are going (this had just happened to me an hour before) and men catcalling think that they’re complimenting you (this doesn’t happen to me as much as others-hooray for not being blonde!). After orientation we went to a restaurant and had arroz con pollo which my host mom also makes frequently. The arroz con pollo was a disappointment because of what an incredible cook my host mom is! Every meal feels like a gourmet meal- from ceviche to tuna to steak.

I'm trying to write entries for the entire week so hasta luego for now!