First Days

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Hello! I’m just getting my bearings for this new setting, but I feel like I’m off to a good start. Some highlights from the past six days:

Getting to meet my host family, which includes my two host moms and two host sisters who both came for a study abroad trip like I did, and decided to come back and stay with the same family.

My first Costa Rican breakfast. Every day this week I’ve tried new fruits at breakfast, including jocote, dragon fruit, and nance. Also, I never liked coffee before but it is amazing here, so I drink a cup every so often.

My first Costa Rican lunches and dinners! I keep forgetting to take pictures, but I’ve been eating a LOT of rice, usually with a mix of vegetables and some meat on the side. A good amount of caldos too, which are soups with lots of broth and big pieces of meat and vegetables.

The view from the window in my room.

Getting to meet all the other students in the Grupo de Kansas, and the coordinators, Zaida and Isa. We took a tour of the campus on Friday and our clases started on Monday. The campus is huge, but there are buses that are free to students, just like at KU. I take the bus to class with another student from el Grupo de Kansas. It costs 405 colones a ride, equal to .70 U.S. dollars.

Going to the La Paz Waterfall Gardens on Saturday. The bus ride was two hours through the mountains to an animal sanctuary and waterfall hike. My favorite thing I saw is a tie between the butterflies (because they climbed right on to us!) and the toucans (because they’re just really cool). Getting to see a baby capuchin monkey was also a real treat.

Getting to try a coconut desert, cheese, and agua dulce (hot water with cane sugar).

Finally unpacking my things on Sunday, and getting settled in my room.

Our first classes on Monday, history and writing, and actually understanding almost all of what the professors said!

Studying in a coffeeshop with my classmates and writing my first essay.

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The first sunset I could see from my window, when the clouds cleared for a bit.

And that’s my first blog post! So much has happened in the last six days, so many firsts that I can hardly believe it’s been less than a week since I left the Kansas City Airport. Five months is the longest amount of time I will ever have been away from home, and I am so grateful that this week has been full of blessings and not too much homesickness.

I’m going to try to post at least once every three weeks, though it will probably be more often during this first month. Thanks for following along with this new journey I’m on!