He Llegado a Costa Rica

As I am typing this blog, I am watching the rain pour down in torrents. This is a normal occurrence in Tuis de Turrialba. I wake up to a rooster crowing at 4:00 in the morning and then turn over and try to go back to sleep until 7:00. In the mornings, the sun is shining brightly, the birds singing, the dogs barking, and the temperature is perfect. Then it begins to feel more humid thorughout the day. It normally rains in the afternoons, but will clear up as if it never rained in the evenings. The climate is tropical, and the neighborhood where I live is called "La Selva" which means forest.

La Selva

This is where I get on the bus every day to go to school. If you walk up this path, my house is just to the left.


I arrived to a fiesta at my host family's house on Saturday night. Mecho and Macha have four daughters. They were celebrating the 35th birthday of Laura, their daughter who lives in the house with them. I had just missed the mariachi, but was there in time to meet everyone. I was immediately introduced to every family member and neighbor who was at the fiesta. It was a great introduction to Costa Rica and the family. They tried to teach me how to dance, but I don't know that that was a huge success. On Monday, I went through orientation at the school and went on a tour of Turrialba, the main city near Tuis.


Turrialba


This is a picture of the central park in Turrialba.




There is a family and two other girls who are studying at CISA also. More students will be arriving this weekend. Since most of us are at different levels or arrived at different times, I have a one-on-one class which is great.



CISA



This is the building where I study Spanish.





These are a couple of different views from the school. The blue building in the distance is the school in Tuis.


I have enjoyed my time here so far - the culture, the language, and the people. My body took a little longer to adjust to the climate and differences though. I felt kind of sick on Monday and Tuesday with a fever, headache, and stomach ache. However, I feel much better today! This evening, I will join the other students for a cooking class on how to cook a Costa Rican dish.