Life

Sorry I haven't written in here in so long! Life here has become my new normal, so I often feel that there is nothing significant enough to write about. Last time I wrote about missing exams because I was sick. I made them all up, and here's how I did (keep in mind I can pass for the US with a 60, and my classes are in Spanish):
Math                   98
English                98
Health                 54
Physics               69
Social Studies     72
Spanish               71
So overall I did well on the first round of exams. Term grades are formed here from averaging your two exams (or one if you exempt the second). Knowing this, I paid lots of attention in class, and I studied really hard for round two which began this week. So far:
English                Exempted
Math                  Exempted
Health                100
I'm starting to feel pretty optimistic that I won't have to do virtual school in addition to regular school when I get home since I only need six credits here. School has a tendency to be boring since we sometimes do nothing, but it gives me lots of time to hang out with my friends. I've come to realize I'm really going to miss my friends from school a lot when I'm gone. They never fail to make me laugh, and I always feel included. When I first got here, I would follow them around because I didn't know where to go, and I always felt badly like maybe I was annoying them. Now, I feel like they want me to follow them around because we're actually friends. Voy a extrañar 10-4!

This past weekend I went to the Lady Gaga concert in San Jose with Eva and Kelsey. Lady Gaga was crazy and ridiculous as I had expected she would be. The concert was scheduled to start at 8, but she didn't come out til 10. Luckily, she had done all the songs that we wanted to hear before 12, so we left at 12 so we could get a taxi before things got crazy outside. We had a great time dancing and enjoying Lady Gaga's craziness. I'm glad I went with Eva and Kelsey because literally no one was dancing except for us, and I wouldn't have done that by myself!

I made a list of things that I will miss and will not miss when I leave so that I can remember the details of my exchange. It's a work in progress, but here are the things I'm going to miss (keeping it positive and not sharing the things I won't miss):

• All of the delicious packaged cookies
• Paying only $6 to take a bus to San Jose
• The beautiful view of the mountains from my house on a sunny day

• My friends from school
• American exchange students
• Gallo Pinto (The beans and rice in the photo below)

• The sodas (restaurant/snack bar) at school
• Often starting school at 10 or 1
• Realizing my Spanish is improving
• Mamones

• Class being cancelled
• My friends from school trying to speak English
• People thinking I'm older than I am
• Hearing people say Pura Vida

For those of you that didn't realize through facebook, I am coming home early. This is something that I have been considering for an extremely long time now, and as cheesy as it may sound, journaling helped me to become extremely confident that I wanted to come home. I have learned so much in my 3.5 months here. I have a good grasp on the culture, and I speak Spanish extremely well. I have met a lot of amazing people on my exchange, and I truly believe that I will keep in touch with some of these people for a long time, maybe even for my entire life. I am extremely happy and confident in my decision to come home on November 26. See you all soon!

Surfing and Osa

Sorry it's been so long since I've written in here. I never felt like I had enough to say. I've done a fair amount of things lately, so I'm just going to write about the things I remember. The weekend of the 6th, I went to the beach for the day with my family, some family friends, and Eva. I'm glad I went, but it was frustrating because we were being taken from beach to beach keeping us from enjoying one. However, all of the beaches we went to were beautiful.

On Monday, I went to San Jose to do fingerprints for my visa. We went to Escazu on Monday to hang out, then really early Tuesday morning, we went to the police station to start the process. There were about 40 of us from AFS, but thousands of other random people. I figured it couldn't be like that every single day, but after asking a few workers, I was assured that it is typical. We arrived around 6:45. The first person to be done from AFS finished around 10. I wasn't even able to go in until 12:15. and I didn't finish til 12:45. We finally left at 2:30, and we were all starving because you couldn't eat until you finished. I would have left at 12:45, but none of my friends were done, so I waited for them. Some of the AFS groups from other days finished at 11 and 1, so my group was extremely jealous of them. At least I got to hang out with my friends!

The next weekend, I went to the beach with Eva, Melanie, Caroline, Annika, and Julie. On the bus ride back from the beach the weekend before, Eva met a surf instructor. Eva, Melanie, and I took lessons from him. It was only $14 each for over two hours, and it was so much fun! Surfing is not easy. I never thought it would be, but it was harder than I had expected. I stood up once, but I wasn't able to ride the wave in. Eva stood up a few more times than me, but also never rode a wave in. Melanie had done it before, so after the second wave, she stood up and rode it in every time. Either way, I had so much fun, and I hope to do it again.

This past weekend, I went on an optional AFS trip to Osa and Corcovado. It was honestly the most beautiful place I have ever been. Friday I went to San Jose. I went to see Ted with Annika and Julie, then I met up with Hans, Ryan, Tieta, and Raina. We had a great night. The next morning, we woke up at 4:15 so that we could leave at 5 and head to Osa. We spent about 5 hours in buses, then we spent another hour and a half in a boat. Once we arrived, we were able to enjoy the beach until it got dark. There was a lot of rain during the weekend, and unfortunately, this was the first time I've forgotten my umbrella the entire time I've been in Costa Rica. We were split into two groups, and on Sunday, my group went for a walk through the Corcovado National Park. We took about a 30 minute boat ride to get there. All of the boat rides through the ocean were so much fun because the waves were huge. About 40 minutes into the walk, I started to feel sick. I felt really dehydrated, but after eating, drinking, and taking a nap, I didn't really feel any better. Later that day, I started to have allergy symptoms with a fever. The next day, my group went to Isla del Cano to do snorkeling and enjoy the beaches. I didn't want to stay at the hotel even though I was sick because I didn't want to miss anything. While snorkeling, I saw a shark, a sea turtle, and lots of fish. When we got back on the boat, we saw a mom and baby whale, and we saw a lot of dolphins. It was really awesome. We then went to the beach, and I started to feel more sick, so I napped while we were there. Once we got back to the hotel around 3, my friends went to the beach, but I went up to my room to rest. I then got the worst headache I've ever had, so I went on a search for AFS volunteers, a few hours later, someone finally found one and sent him to my room. Even though I wanted to go to the doctor that night, the volunteers were convinced I had the flu, so they said I didn't need to. The next morning, we headed home. Once I got home, I went to the doctor and was diagnosed with bronchitis. I'm just glad I trusted my instinct and went to the doctor. Now I can't go to school again at least until Monday which is bad because I have exams to make up. Hopefully everything will work out!

Exchange Life

This post is going to be about a lot of things, but I'm hoping it will help sort things out for people who are considering going on exchange. First of all, I heard it before I left, but it is so true: Exchange is not the perfect experience that we fantasize it to be. Yes, I am glad that I am in Costa Rica, but there are times I wish I was back in the US with my family. I think everyone sets goals before they leave. My goals were to learn the language, understand a new culture, and make friends. I can say with confidence that I have achieved all of my goals. I don't think it's possible to fully understand a culture in 6 months, but in the 2 months that I have been here so far, I have learned so much about the Tico culture. I speak Spanish fluently, I am understanding most of what it said to me. I have made so many friends here. Friends from the US, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Denmark, Norway, France, Costa Rica, and so many other places. Being here has not only allowed me to learn about Costa Rica, but I have had the opportunity to ask the other exchange students about their culture as well.

I have been dealing with homesickness, and it is not easy! I know this is typical for people living abroad, but I had no idea how hard it would be for me. I have honestly asked myself a few times, "Why didn't I go on exchange in Spain?" The easy answer is that they didn't have a semester program for Americans. Living in a third world country has made me so grateful for what I have, but I have also begun to realize that many of the things in my life are unnecessary. We have cold showers, no air conditioning, windows that aren't sealed shut (lots of slits for air flow), tons of bugs and lizards in the house, and a recently purchased used car, but not always money for gas. These things are typical in Costa Rica. They are not just unique to my family. The only places that I have found in my city with air conditioning are McDonald's and the movie theater. Also, most places don't have ceiling fans. These are just some of surface differences between the US and Costa Rica. Although living in these circumstances is difficult, I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to experience something completely new. Back to the homesickness. As soon as I think I'm over it, it hits again. It's typically not me missing the material things in the US, but it's missing my family. Before I left, I knew I have an amazing relationship with my parents, but now that is even more solidified for me. I miss my parents more than I thought possible. It's nice to know they will be there when I get home, but it's hard to be without them now. Luckily, all of my friends here are really supportive, and it makes it a lot easier.

Going on exchange is extremely expensive. You pay a big chunk of money before you come. They also tell you that you have to pay for things like your uniform, extra trips, your visa, and food when you're not with your family. I figured this wasn't that bad. I have spent SO much money since I've been here. It's ridiculous, and I feel awful about it, but I only spend it on logical things. I have bought one shirt since I've been here, and two presents for people. Other than that, I have only spent my money on food, trips, and adventures. Okay, maybe I could have held off on a few of the coffee drinks I have purchased. Or maybe I didn't really need to buy that piece of cake, but going to cafes is a great way to be social here. Maybe I didn't need to go to the beach last weekend or Naranjo yesterday, but the mini-trips are the best part of my exchange so far. What I'm saying is that if you're planning on going on exchange, it's expensive. Even if you manage to raise all of the money for your tuition, you need to be prepared to be spending money. But this does not mean it is not worth it! Yes, I'm spending a lot of money, but as long as I don't return to the US with the same habits, I know it'll be okay. I already spent a ton of money to get here, so I might as well spend more while I'm here to make the most of my experience!

If you plan on doing an academic exchange is Costa Rica, don't plan on learning anything. I have already learned each and every thing that we are doing in math, English is obviously muy facil, I've already learned everything in health class (although I did get to watch a Hispanic woman giving birth...), and Spanish  class is a mix of things I've learned in English classes and Spanish 3/4.  Also, don't plan on there actually being school on a regular basis. There are so many holidays here, so there is often no school for those. If a teacher doesn't show up, there isn't a substitute, just no class. This happens more than you would think. I am in section 10-4 at my school. I feel really lucky to have been placed there, because I like everyone in my class. I'm with the same people all day, so I think my experience here would really different if I was in another class.

Those are all of the general things I can think of for now, so now I'm going to tell you about what I've been up to! Last Saturday was independence day here. Friday night, I went to my "niece's" school to watch her do a typical dance. She was so cute in her outfit, and my other niece was wearing a matching one. They looked precious together. After her dance, I went to the center, and there was a huge fireworks display. I kept thinking it was the finale, but it kept going. Some people thought it was too long, but I enjoyed every minute of it!

We didn't have school the next Monday, so I went to the beach with Ryan, Eva, and Caroline. We had a great time hanging out. Unfortunately, the lifeguards didn't really let us swim because of the current and waves. I felt comforted by the fact that there were lifeguards, and we still had fun.

Yesterday, I met up with Ryan in San Jose, then we went to San Ramon to meet with Kelsey and Tieta. We saw Kelsey's house, then took a quick bus ride over to Palmares. We happened upon a parade, so that was awesome. We ate lunch in a delicious cafe, then took another quick bus ride to Naranjo. Tieta lives there, so we had been planning on just walking around in her city. Then we realized that there was amazing bungee jumping in Narnajo. After asking for directions 100 times, we finally made it to the bridge. I had an absolutely amazing time! Kelsey and Tieta jumped once, but Ryan and I jumped twice. We got free t-shirts, and they recorded our jumps for no extra cost. They gave us the Tico price because we're exchange students, so we saved a ton of money. They have a membership card, like a buy 9 get the 10th free kind of thing, except theirs is so much better. Pay full price for the 1st, then 50% for the 2nd and 3rd, then get the 4th free! This means that when we go again, I only have to pay $27 for 2 jumps! I definitely plan on going again. It was an amazing experience! When Ryan and I got back to San Jose, we had over an hour until I had to go to the bus station, so we walked around and explored. We went into McDonald's to use the bathroom (you typically have to pay to use public bathrooms here, but not at McDonald's). I put my phone on top of the toilet paper holder so it wouldn't fall in the toilet, and then I left it there... I realized about 10 minutes later, but when we got back, it was gone, and no one had turned it in. I don't know why anyone would even want my phone. I bought the cheapest one possible when I got here, but nevertheless, it's gone. I then almost missed my bus. I was freaking out in the taxi on the way to the bus station, but luckily, I made it with about 3 minutes to spare! All in all, it was a great day!

The Past Week

Last Wednesday I experienced my first earthquake ever! It was a really cool experience for me, but unfortuantely, it was not a cool experience coutry-wide. I was sitting in English class talking to my friends (in Spanish) when the ground started moving. I honestly didn´t notice until everyone started screaming because it didn´t start off too strongly, but it got much harder. Everyone started screaming and running for the door, so I got up and let everyone go through the door first so I wouldn´t get trampled. The entire school went to the soccer field. I was shocked to see so many people crying, and it made me feel bad about the smile that was plastered on my face. Note: Before coming to Costa Rica, I said that I hoped to experience an earthquake and have everything in my town be okay. Because of this, I truly enjoyed this experience, and I think many of the other exchange students did as well.

This past weekend, I went on a trip to Tortuguero. On Thursday, me and my friends took a bus to San Jose. We went to Starbucks and a huge mall in Escazu. These things made me so happy. Then that night we went to the hostel and met up with most of the exchange students that were going on the trip. Friday morning, we left the hostel at 5:30, and we left for Tortuguero. I had a lot of time to relax on the bus rides and on the trip as a whole so that was nice. Also, I saw a bunch of awesome animals like turtles, monkeys, sloths, a crocodile, an otter, and the type of lizard that walks on water (and yes, I did see it walk on water). I also did zip-lining. I had done it before, and I think it´s fun, but not that exciting; however, they had a tarzan swing type thing that was really fun. All in all, it was a good trip, and it was nice to see some other exchange students.

San Jose Orientation

I can't believe it's already September! This past weekend, I had an orientation with AFS. We took the 6:30 bus from Perez Zeledon to San Jose, a three-hour bus ride, and we live the farthest away out of the people at this orientation, so we ended up being the last ones there. We had about 5 hours to talk with all of the exchange students which was really nice, but it made we wonder why we couldn't have slept longer and gotten there later. We started having the boring orientation stuff after lunch. First we went over all of the rules of AFS for literally at least the 5th time. We then started talking about things like risks and risk management. We played charades with topics of sexual misconduct. I don't know who thought it was a good idea to have teenagers act out sexual scenes, but we all got a good laugh out of it. 

We went to the hostel around 6 that night. We stayed at Hostel Toruma, and it was great! It had a really nice pool and outdoor seating area. Also, I got lucky. I got placed in a room with friends, and we didn't have a shared bathroom. We had our own shower with hot water! This was the first time I have taken a hot shower in 6 weeks, so I definitely enjoyed it. We all hung out, and I had a great time talking with everyone. We played a ridiculous game that night that the Italians taught us. All of us stood in a circle. Each boy was given a number, and each girl was given a letter. Someone stood in the middle and called out a number and a letter. If your number/letter was called, you ran to try to kiss the other on a cheek. For example, if there is a boy standing in the middle, the girl who was called runs and tries to kiss the guy in the middle on the cheek before the guy who was called can kiss the girl on the cheek. This was absolutely hilarious to watch and play, but I don't know if this is a game I will be teaching to people in the US. 

On Saturday, we went to Inbio Parque. We had a bunch more boring orientation stuff, but then we were sent on a scavenger hunt. Ryan, Abby, and I decided to split from the group and take the hour and a half to explore. I am definitely glad we did, because we had a great time exploring and taking funny pictures. They ended up not naming a winner for the scavenger hunt because everyone did so badly. After even more boring stuff, we finally went back to the hostel around 5:30. There was a talent show at 8:30, so my friends and I took the whole time to prepare. We ended up doing a medley of Mother Lover, Sorry 4 the Wait, Baby Got Back, and Super Bass. I'm not going to lie. I was absolutely terrified to do Sorry 4 the Wait by myself because I really didn't want to get in trouble with the volunteers, but luckily, it was all extremely well received! The volunteers couldn't stop laughing, and all the other exchange students were cheering us on. We ended up winning, and they wanted an encore, so we did it again. I felt reassured that I wouldn't get in trouble, because the volunteers recorded it. It felt really good to do it so well and to win. We were rewarded with pride, cookies, and lollipops.

This morning, the last thing I wanted to do was leave, but knowing I will be back in San Jose on Thursday made it a lot easier to leave.

Food

This post is going to be mostly about food, but I also wanted to comment on how ridiculous school is. I didn't go to school on Friday or Monday, and I didn't miss anything. Yesterday, I went to school with the intention of staying until 1 when I would leave with my friends for their dance competition. I ended up hanging out with them all morning while they got their hair and makeup done, and we left earlier than I originally thought at 11:30. Today, I went to school planning to leave at 11:30 because my class had an exam that I don't need to take. I got to school and thought it was weird we weren't going to math, so I asked about it. My friends said the teacher wasn't there so we didn't have to go. Another 45 minutes later, they told me the English teacher wasn't there either. It was now 7:45, and I wasn't scheduled to have class until 9:10. At 9:10 I would have music then orientation (we literally do nothing, and we only have it 40 min per week), so I decided it would make more sense to go home then to stay at school for an hour and a half doing nothing when I would only be waiting for music class. While waiting for the bus, I played Uno with my friends. It seemed kind of funny to play Uno with people who actually spoke Spanish. Tomorrow, school normally starts at 1, but there is an exam at 1, so I don't have to go until 2:30. I am pretty much never in school at this point, but everything should be more normal starting next week.

Onto the food. A typical breakfast is gallo pinto (beans and rice) with eggs and bread. I used to prefer my eggs scrambled, but I now really enjoy huevos fritos cooked thoroughly.

This breakfast was given to me at orientation, but it's pretty typical; although, my family gives me way more food than this. I am always stuffed! There are a lot of cool fruits here. I will definitely miss them when I return to the United States.

Mangustan

Granadilla

Mamones, my personal favorite

I have also really been enjoying trying yummy drinks! There is a cafe that we go to all the time called Cafe Delicias, but I just tried a new one called Valley Coffee which is way better!

Capucino Frio con Sirope Vainilla

 Cafe Shiver, YUMMM

Pina Colada

As you can see, pretty much everything is delicious! Unfortuantely, this means I need to start working out while I am here (: Everything is good here in Costa Rica, and I hope all is well with all of my readers!

Observations

I ended up not going to school Friday or Monday, so I had a really long weekend! Life here has become extremely normal, so I'm not going to go into detail about what I have been doing. I am mostly hanging out with friends, reading, watching tv, or using the computer. Luckily, in two weeks, I will be able to start travelling without my family! This is a really good thing because my family can't afford to go anywhere with me, so I haven't really had the opportunity to explore. Since I don't have anything too interesting to talk about, I'm just going to make a list of observations and things I miss. I hope you enjoy!

• Taking a cold shower is like diving into a cold pool, you just need to do it quickly and get it over with.
• I saw my first frog today, and it was HUGE; however, this was okay because I've been here for a month, and this is the first time I've seen a frog.
• I haven't seen a sloth or a monkey yet ):
• Taking the bus is frustrating because there is no schedule, so you often end up waiting for 30 min, but sometimes it only takes 2 min. It's very unpredictable.
• I miss the freedom of having a car, or even someone in my family having a car.
• Rice is eaten with almost every meal, but at least twice a day.
• I actually have to make my bed in the morning.
• Our clothes dry on a line after being washed, so it is not uncommon to find a bug in your clothes.
• Half of the shows on TV are in English because my family has cable.
• People don't get bills in the mail. They just go and pay where they owe money.
• It rains EVERY DAY, and when it rains, it rains hard and for a long time.
• Dirty toilet paper is put in the trashcan, not in the toilet.
• My shower here is disgusting, so I have to wear my shoes.
• I also have to wear my shoes in the house or else I will "get sick". At least that is what my host family says. I still don't understand why.

Never in School...

Life here has been good. I´ve been homesick the past few days for some reason that I can´t quite put my finger on. I was totally fine last week, so I thought I was done with the whole homesick thing, but I guess not! I think being homesick is just a normal part of being on exchange. I now speak fluently, but I don´t understand fluently. It´s still better than nothing! I didn´t have school last week on Wednesday, Thurday, or Friday. I hung out with my exchange friends a lot, but on Wednesday, I hung out with my friends from school. At first I had a really hard time understanding them, but eventually it got easier. We went to El Tenedor to get pizza, then we went to McDonald´s to get ice cream. These people love McDonald´s! It´s nice to feel like I have friends at school. Sometimes I feel like I annoy them because I pretty much follow them around, but they invite me to do stuff with them outside of school, so I guess I don´t annoy them too much.

I got a package from my parents filled with American food and new flip flops. This was perfect because I miss American food, and my shower here is disgusting, so I have to wear flip flops in the shower. (If you want to send me a letter or package, ask for my address. Shipping on packages is crazy, but I love cards!) There is actually a lot of American food here. Costa Ricans love Oreos and Rits crackers. It´s also really easy to find Pringles, Jif Peanut Butter, MMs, and Skittles. I was shocked to find Munchies in the supermarket. They are definitely my favorite snack for traveling. It´s nice to have all of that American Food here, but it kind of goes to show that you can never really escape the US.

Sunday I spent a decent amount of time studying for my math exam that I took Monday morning. I feel like it was easy, but I could be wrong because everyone else in my class said they thought it was hard. On Monday, I realized we are in the very end of the second trimester at school. This is a great thing because it means I don´t need to take any more of these exams! Because of that, I also don´t have to go to certain classes until after the exams. It definitely takes a lot of stress off of me since I don´t need to prepare for the exams.

Today is Mother´s Day in Costa Rica, so I don´t have school! We´ve just been hanging out around the house all day, and we made brownies. I think we are going to a Mother´s Day service at church later. This will be my first time in a Catholic church. I´m kind of excited because I think it will be interesting, but I´m nervous because I don´t know what to expect.

Five more months here, and I´m looking forward to exploring Costa Rica!

Birthday and More

I am officially 17! Unfortunately, that doesn't really mean anything here because I could already see R rated movies here. My birthday did not start out as I had hoped it would. I ended up crying for about two hours straight because it was my first birthday without my family. I had already been missing my family a lot, so the fact that it was my birthday just made it a lot worse. I was still crying when it was time to go to school, so my family and I decided that I didn't need to go. We went to a feria and bought lots of fruits and vegetables. We bought mamones, granadillas, and another cool fruit I don't remember the name of. After that, we bought food and supplies for my party. We then went home and decorated!

Birthday Cake

Decorations

All of my exchange friends (minus Jakob, missed the bus) came to my party, and some of my family came. It was lots of fun. We played Wii and we danced. I'm not a huge fan of dancing if it's not to popular songs (I can't dance any other way), but I was a sport, and I tried to learn. My birthday ended up being pretty great, even though it started off badly.

Saturday morning at 4am, my host sister, host brother, brother's co-worker, and I got in the car and left for Puntarenas. It's only a three hour drive if you're in the car, and I slept the whole way. Puntarenas is gorgeous! My host sister and I stayed with her boyfriend and his family. They were all nice and welcoming, but I've realized that it takes time for me to understand new people. I think it's because I have to get used to their accent and how quickly they speak. Anyway, we went to the beach for about an hour. Going to the beach in Puntarenas was nothing like going to the beach in the US. Here, you only take yourself, because you can't leave your stuff on the beach when you go in the water. Luckily, I didn't really want to go in the water, so I was able to bring my music, camera, and a towel. I enjoyed myself, but it was not what I had been expecting. 

Puntarenas

After the beach, we drove up a mountain in Miramar to some restaurant. I ordered nachos, and it was honestly the smallest order of nachos I have ever seen. It only had four chips, so luckily it was only 400 colones, or $.80. The drive up the mountain was beautiful, but the drive back down was just a little frightening. The drive back down was dark, and it was extremely foggy, so you couldn't see where the next curve was. I was pretty relieved when we made it back down to the bottom.

Mountain in Miramar

We took the bus home Sunday, and taking the bus takes much longer. First we had to get from Miramar to Puntarenas (40 min). Then we took a bus from Puntarenas to San Jose (1.5 hours). In San Jose, we had to take a taxi to another bus station to catch the bus to Perez Zeledon. We bought our tickets at 2:29, and the bus left at 2:30. We were extremely lucky to make it (3 hour bus ride)! When we finally got home, all I wanted to do was sleep.

Monday and today were just like any other day of school except today I got to leave at 12:10 instead of the normal time of 3:10, and I don't have school for the rest of the week. Today was the first time I took the bus home from school alone, so I was really proud of myself when I knew my stop and said "parada" at the correct time. I said it really loudly, but the bus driver  managed to not hear me, so we went past my stop. Luckily, I only had to walk about 300m to get back to my stop. When I got home, I hung out for a little bit, then took a nap. When I woke up, none of my family was home, but a family friend was here. I'm pretty sure she's kind of like my babysitter because she came over the other day when my family wasn't home. I don't understand why because I take the bus everywhere by myself, and I'm often home alone after school. Oh well, it's just something I don't quite understand. I speak much more quickly without thinking about it now, so in some senses I feel like I'm already fluent, but then I talk to someone new and realize I can't understand anything they say. Luckily, I understand my host family and friends from school really well, and that is what is most important.

I've been in a pretty good mood this week, so hopefully this is the start of everything getting easier!

Updates

I realized that all of my posts have been really long since I arrived. Because of this, I will try to keep this one a little more brief. My second day of school was infinitely better than the first. I still wasn´t able to understand my teachers, but I had English class, and I really like that teacher. I was able to hang out with the people that I liked, and that made the day a lot better. We had a ton of free time due to teachers not showing up, so I was glad I had friends. After school I hung out with Annika, Julie, and Caroline. I ate a BigMac for the first time and it was delicious!

Yesterday, I didn´t have school, and I don´t understand why, but I´m not questioning it because I don´t mind not having school! Caroline came over for a little bit to hang out. I had school again today, and it was pretty good, but it was really long. I was supposed to have 5 classes, but one of my teachers didn´t show up again. One of my classes was for 4.5 hours. It dragged on for forever. I was really happy after math class because I understood almost everything my teacher said. I feel like I am truly starting to make some good friends. Two of my friends speak English really well, and I asked how they learned, and they said TV and music. I think it´s really cool, however, I still speak in Spanish with them.

I don´t have school again tomorrow because it´s a national holiday. It´s great because every day of school this week feels like Friday. I also only have school on Monday and Tuesday next week, so I will have a 5 day weekend next weekend. My birthday is Friday, and I am very excited! I´m looking forward to starting to do some adventerous things here. I miss my family and friends as I had expected I would, but all is well here!

First Day of School

Today marks one week with my family! This experience is really stressful. I knew it would be, but I didn't realize it would be this hard this quickly. Luckily, I know it will all be much easier soon!

On Thursday, I went to the plaza with Mariana, Caroline, and Annika. After a little while, we left and came back to my house. We played MarioKart, and it was a lot of fun! It's really nice to hang out with the other exchange students. It was fun to be with Mariana and exchange friends because I was acting as a translator. It's a little confusing to go back and forth between Spanish and English, but I was proud of myself.

Friday was my first day of school! I was really excited for it, but it wasn't as great as I had hoped; however, I did meet a lot of really great people that I hope to be friends with. The most stressful part was not being able to understand people. Luckily, it didn't seem to bother them, only me. Another thing that was frustrating was my inability to understand anything my teachers said. I had an opportunity to look at some of the material we're working on in Chem and math, and I have already learned this stuff. That was relieving because I need to pass my classes to get credit in the US. Worst case scenario, if I don't pass any of my classes, I'll do online school and regular school at the same time second semester.

Yesterday, I hung out with Annika, Caroline, and Jacob. We went to a cake shop in the center of town, and it was delicious! After that, we walked to Annika's house. It's interesting to see all of the different houses here. When I heard about the rainy season here, I had pictured Tallahassee thunderstorms that are strong for less than an hour. I had pictured it incorrectly. When it rains, it doesn't pour, but it doesn't let up for a very long time! Yesterday, it rained for over 24 hours (started raining Friday around 4), and it's raining again today. You can never leave the house without an umbrella!

Today, I just hung out at the house with my family. My nieces came over for a few minutes, and they are so cute! Lucia (1) is still warming up to seeing me, but Emily (5) is so sweet to me! When she got there she gave me a big hug. At one point, we were all sitting down, and Emily came over and gave me a kiss on the cheek. I love having nieces (:

Tomorrow, Caroline is coming over before school (doesn't start til 10), and then I start my second day of school. It's about half as long as my first day, so that should make it easier. After school, Julie and I are hanging out.

Things are tough, but I'm glad I'm here. Now, I just need to focus on making the best of it!

Friends and Family

Things here are going really well. In the mornings, I always miss home, but I am always better by 11 at the latest. In my last post, I forgot to mention a few things. First of all, you have to wear shoes in the house. I don't quite understand why, but my host mom says that I'll get sick if I don't wear my shoes. This takes a lot of getting used to, but now I always wear my flip flops in the house. The bad thing about this is whenever I leave the house, I always forget to change into my cuter shoes! Also, there are always lizards on the wall in my living room. This doesn't seem to be an issue for the family because when I mentioned it, they just said it's good because they eat the flies. I guess that's a good thing because there are flies everywhere that land on you, but the lizards never leave the wall. 

Tuesday, I went with my host mom and Mariana to school to enroll. EVERYONE stared at me the whole time. I guess that is just a little taste of what my new school will be like. It was kind of weird because I go to a public school, but I had to pay to enroll. I always wonder how some of the host families are able to host due to money issues, but I have my answer! I pay for my bus ride each day, and I pay for my lunch at school. Then, at the end of each month, I tell AFS how much I spent, and they reimburse me. I guess AFS pays for anything school related. I got my schedule, and it is so complicated! The important thing to know is that I'm taking 13 different classes. Also, on Mondays I don't start school until 10am, and on Thursdays, I don't start school until 1pm. On the other days, I start school at 7am. Every day, I finish school at either 3:50 or 4:40. It's definitely different than in the United States.

Yesterday was a really great day. In the morning, I hung out at the house with Miguel and Caro. At 2:45, I met Caroline and Annika (two other exchange students) at the movies. I assumed that since we were seeing Ice Age 4, and since it just came out, that it would be in English. I was wrong! The entire thing was in Spanish, but surprisingly, I understood a lot of it. Going to the movies in Costa Rica is way different than going to the movies in the United States. It was more like going to a midnight premiere of a movie. It was really inexpensive. Wednesdays are the cheapest, so my ticket was only $2! Food for all three of us was only $10. Another difference? As soon as we got there at 2:45, we had to get in line to buy our tickets for the movie that didn't even start until 4:10. The line to buy tickets took about 20 minutes to get through, and once we were done in that line, we had to get in another line to get in the theater. Even though the movie didn't start for another hour and a half, the line was already crazy long, but if you didn't get in line, you weren't able to sit with your friends. We were lucky that we got in line when we did, because we got the last three seats together that weren't in the front row. We were in the third row, so by the end of it all, our necks hurt. At least we got to sit together! When I got home from the movie, a lot of my family was there for dinner. It was me, Miguel, Caro, Mariana, Mama, Henry, Jeimmy, Emily, Lucia, and Chema. It was so much fun! First, some of us played MarioKart on the Wii, then we ate. Henry is a big jokester, and I'm finally able to understand his jokes without explanation. It makes them much funnier when they don't have to be rephrased a thousand times. After dinner and hanging out a little bit. I Skyped with my mom for almost an hour. It was so great to see her (and the other people in the room with her). After that, I was able to call my dad using google voice, and it only costs one cent per minute. It was a nice way to end my day.

Today was supposed to be my first day of school. I thought it was a great day to start, because on Thursdays, I don't start school until 1pm. I was mentally prepared, and then I found out that my class has a test instead of our first two lectures, so then I wasn't going to go until 2:20. I just found out that they also have a test for our third and fourth lectures, so if I wanted to go to school today, I would only be going for 40 minutes. Because of this, tomorrow will be my first day of school. They also have a test tomorrow morning, so instead of starting at 7, I don't go until 8:20. As long as I actually go tomorrow, I think it's going to be a good time to start. Another exchange student, Eva, texted me earlier to see if all of the exchange students wanted to go out after school today. Hopefully we will be able to, because it's nice to be able to talk in English to people who are experiencing the same things as me.

I'm very happy here, and I think I am adjusting well! 

My First Few Days

I´m at my house in San Isidro del General, CR. The keyboard here looks the exact same, but the buttons don´t all do what they say that they do, which makes it difficult to type. AFS has a phrase that goes something like ¨It´s not better or worse, it´s just different.¨ That is one of the most true things that I have ever heard. The water in the shower is SO cold, and when I say cold I don´t mean not hot, I mean it is colder than Wakulla Springs. It´s really stressful to have no one to speak English with, and it´s hard for me to understand everyone´s Spanish. My spanish is already getting better, but it is still really hard. The food here is really different. I like it a lot, but it´s much richer than the food in the US, so it is hard for me to eat a lot of it.

The orientation in Miami was boring, but I liked all of the AFS USA students, so it was still fun. The orientation in San Jose, Costa Rica was also boring, but it was nice to be able to meet students from all over the world. There were 140 people there. A lot of the people at the orientation shared one huge room with a ton of bunk beds, but me and some other people got lucky. I had my own room with my own bathroom, and the water was fairly warm. Sunday morning, we all got in buses to meet our host families. There are five other exchange students in my town, and one other goes to my school.

It was so nice to meet my family! I have met tons of people so far, and a lot of my family lives on the same street as me. Sunday, we hung out at the house, and I went to other family member´s houses to meet more people. My house is nice, but very small. I share a room with one of my host sisters. Our bathroom doesn´t have a sink in it, and you throw your toilet paper in the trashcan, not in the toilet. Yesterday, we went to the town center. I bought most of the things for my uniform, and I bought a cell phone that I can use here. We went to the market, and I was able to show that I actually have a decent vocabulary. It was a great way to learn more words. Last night, some of my dreams were in Spanish! I was very proud of myself when I woke up. Later today, and I am going to my school to buy the rest of my uniform and to enroll. My first day of school will be Thursday. Two of my cousins go to the same school as me.

I really like my family, and even though it is stressful to constantly be thinking and speaking in Spanish, I am happy here. I love and miss you all!

One More Week!

I can't believe that this time one week from now, I will be in Costa Rica! I just learned that I have another cousin who is 16 and in my grade at my school. It will definitely be nice to know someone at school. When I received the information from AFS about my host family, it said my family had one dog. I have since learned that they have three puppies! They are still so small. I leave for Miami (my departure point) on Monday, so I am currently in the packing stage. This is typically really stressful for people, but luckily, I got most of it out of the way when I left Minnesota. At this point, I'm just deciding what NOT to bring, and that's not too bad. I'm truly surprised that I'm not completely freaking out this close to my departure. I would say I'm 95% excited and 5% nervous. I know that this is going to be an amazing experience!

Host Family!

Emily (niece) and two of the dogs

Host Family

June 29 was an amazing day because it was the day that I received my host family! The email that AFS sent me said that I have a mom and three siblings, but after talking to my host sister, I found out I have a fourth sibling. All of my sibling are older than me, so I know that will be fun, but definitely different than I had expected. Claudia is 20, Caro is 21, Miguel is 23, and Henry is 31. Henry also has two daughters, Lucia and Emily, who are 1 and 5 respectively, but Henry, his wife, and his kids don't live in our house. Apparently, I also have a cousin who is 15, and she goes to my school. I am hoping she will be in my grade at school! I will be living in Palmares, San Isidro del General, San Jose, Costa Rica! My school is named Liceo Fernando Volio Jimenez. The only thing that I know about it is that it is 2km from my house, and the uniforms are navy blue with light blue. I live 40 minutes away from a beautiful beach called Dominical which apparently has great surfing. I am so excited to learn how to surf! I've been talking to my host sister, Caro, a lot over Facebook, and that is making me so excited to meet everyone.  

Two Months and Two Days til Departure

In just over two months, I will be boarding a plane to San Jose, Costa Rica. I don't have the slightest idea of who my family will be or where in Costa Rica I will be living. On Sunday, I have a pre-departure orientation with all of the people from the Twin Cities who will be going on exchange everywhere in the world. I'm excited to meet people who are in the same position as I am.
At this point, I am excited for it all and anxious to receive my host family, but I know that as time goes on, nervousness will take over. I still haven't even began to think about what to pack. I can only pack a total of 66 pounds, and when you're going somewhere for six months, that's not a lot. Hopefully I will learn about my host family sooner rather than later, but I know it will be great no matter what. As I learn more information about what to expect, I will keep you all updated.
xoxo