Getting to Know My Surroundings

This week we spent a ton of time getting to know each other and getting to know the area where we are living.  We spent Monday in San Rafael, Tuesday in Heredia, and Friday in San Jose.  We started in the smallest area and kind of learned the skills to get around a city that speaks a different language.  We did a "plunge." We were partnered up with people, groups of 2 in San Rafael and groups of 4 in Heredia and San Jose, and we were given a sheet of paper with places and things to find.  It was a great way to get to know the cities on a more personal level than a tour.  One of the best things we did was climb to the top of a fort in Heredia.  We had to walk into the munipality building and ask the guard there if we could get in. He unlocked the door for us (we think because we were Americans) and let us go to the top.  There was a tiny little metal staircase that wound up to the top. There were small little platforms every 12 feet or so and arrow slits that came out the side.  We made it to the top and had to push open a heavy glass door.  Thankfully Lars was in our group because I'm not sure us girls would have had enough strength.  At the top we could see over all of San Jose and San Rafael, and it was gorgeous!  When we were in San Jose it rained so incredibly hard.  I walked through a puddle that came up to the middle of my calf!  It's the year of La Niña so the rains are even more intense right now.

On Saturday we moved in with our host families.  All of them came to the center for a catered lunch and tour of campus.  We ate Brasilian food from Bossa Nova in San Rafael.  It was really weird to just meet my host mom all of the sudden and then go to her house that is now my home too.  My host mom's name is Marta. She is in her mid-forties, owns a motorcycle, works as a police officer, and lives alone... kind of.  Her family used to own a cafetal (coffee farm), but since other countries sell their coffee for so cheap, it was not a goo business in Costa Rica anymore.  So several years ago her family sold most of their land, but kept a chunk to build houses on.  There is the "big house" where Marta's mom Julia lives and Marta's 22 year old son José lives there as well.  He is mute and just kind of does whatever he feels like.  This big house is connected by a big empty covered garage area to Marta's house.  Right outside the big house is another small house where Marta's sister Euhenia lives.  Euhenia has a 10 year old daughter named Alexa who is really cute.  Across a field there are two more small houses where Marta's sister Eloisa lives and in the other house Eloisa's daughter Lisa lives.  So there are a lot of related neighbors basically.  It's nice to have them around because Marta has to work a lot and I don't like being alone.  I get a small room to myself and share a bathroom with Marta.  When I first got there she showed my all around to the different houses.  Then we took the bus into Heredia and picked up a microwave that she had just bought to replace an old one.  We just kind of hung around the house that night and talked.  On Sunday she had to work from 7 am to 7 pm.  She told her sister Euhenia to make meals for me, but other than that I didn't have much to do.  I went to the Catholic mass in Heredia at 11 am.  Euhenia told me how to walk there so I didn't have to worry about catching the bus.  There was a big carnival thing going on at the park because of Día de los niños (Kid's Day) so there were tons of games and music.  I played marbles for a little while!  When I came out of church there was a drum line.  I walked home in the rain.

Now classes have started so I actually have homework and reading to do.  My vacation time is over and now it's time to learn.  I will give more information about my classes in a different blog soon.