Monday my host mom walked me to school, where I met the other students in the ISEP group and we had a full day of orientation lectures (which were really boring). But after a cafecito (an afternoon coffee break) we got to go to a dance class for two hours where we learned to salsa, merengue, swing, and more. None of us were very good, but it was fun because we all tried. The room was super hot, so we were all sweaty and exhausted afterwards. Ana picked me up and we walked home.
Tuesday was a VERY long day. You know how, in the movies when things are bad, someone will say, "At least it can't get worse," and then it starts raining? That kind of describes how Tuesday went. Not that it was all bad. It was sunny in the morning, the first time I'd seen the sun here, and we got to tour the campus (it's huge). We took our Spanish placement tests, and then in the afternoon signed up for classes. That was really frustrating because the whole process is confusing, and then I found out I couldn't take half the classes I wanted to because I can only take one general course. Then later I had to go to the bank to make these deposits for my visa, only my credit card wasn't working, and I didn't have cash.... Eventually I got most of them paid, and we left. But by then it was pouring rain. So we went around to this shopping area and stood under cover while my host mom tried to call a taxi and her sister and different people trying to get a ride home. No dice. Then there was this HUGE thunderclap and lightening flash and all the power went out. The thunder was so loud it set off a car alarm. So we go up these stairs and cross the parking lot to the McDonalds (yes they have American fast food here) to wait, but their doors are locked and they won't let us in. We try Taco Bell next door, but same thing. So we stand under the overhang of the Taco Bell drive through for about twenty or thirty minutes. At one point the power came back on. Finally Ana decided we weren't going to get a taxi, so we sloshed up the hill to the bus stop and stood there for a while until our bus came and took us to the Hiper Mas and then we walked two blocks home. So we were soaked. Because not only does it rain here, it pours. And it's not like at home, where when it rains really hard it stops after a few minutes. When it pours, it pours for a long time. The whole time we were out in the rain, it did not let up at all. I just stood there amazed that the sky could hold that much water. When we finally got home and after I'd eaten and taken a hot shower, I tried to get online, but the internet wasn't working. It was a very long day.
Wednesday was fun. We toured the main part of Heredia and then took a bus to San Jose, where we walked around a bit and then ate lunch at Pizza Hut; it was the nicest Pizza Hut I've ever been to. After lunch we went to this big, beautiful cathedral, and then took a tour of the National Theatre, which was also gorgeous. Then we took the bus back to Heredia. After that two other girls and I walked to the mall to buy cell phones. We had to wait in line for about an hour, which is normal in Costa Rica, but eventually were able to buy pre-paid phones for pretty cheap. We took a taxi home, and the ride from the mall to my house was only 2,000 colones, or about $4.
This entry is getting super long, and I'm about to Skype with my parents, so I'm going to stop here and write about our weekend trip later. Hasta luego!
Sounds awesome, Holly! I definitely looked for at church yesterday, and then remembered that you probably weren't going to be there... being in Costa Rica and all. Ha. I hope you're having a great time, and that the culture shock isn't too discouraging. Praying for ya!
ReplyDelete