First Week in Heredia

I'm a little late on writing but I am technologically illiterate so it took me a while to figure this out. And bare with me on my lack of organization or creativity.  This is mostly meant to be a virtual scrapbook so I don't forget all of my experiences here.

I arrived in Heredia, Costa Rica on Saturday May 21st. As I got off of the plane feeling terrified of this experience and exhausted from approximately 15 hours of travel, I met my host family for the next 6 weeks.  My host mother was waiting with a sign with my name on it and a bouquet of flowers. I was able to hold some very minimal conversation concerning my trip, the weather, and my family at home.  My brain was just tired due to a travel overload.

The first thing I noticed was that there are barely any rules when driving. Turn signals are not used consistently. There are few speed limit signs, which I cannot decide means that there are no speed limits or that they are not put up because they would not be followed anyway. Though the ride home made me a little nervous, I arrived safely and more quickly than I would have in the United States.

Upon arriving at the house, my house mother showed me to my room which is connected to the house but not really part of the house. I have to go out into the garden to get to my door, which has it's own lock. It is a very simple but comfortable room with a bed, dresser, desk, closet, and my own bathroom. I am more than happy with the accommodations.  My house mother promptly took me into the kitchen and began making me try every fruit in the house.  I certainly wasn't going to argue with that.

Then she showed me around the house. Everything is pretty much the same as in the United States.  The only two differences in appearance are: the entire house is gated and the doors are always open.  The gates enclose the garage,walkway, and front door in order to protect against crime. The doors are almost always open during the day because it is always warm out.  This is nice because it eliminates the need for air conditioning or fans.  However, it does let some bugs in, which does not seem to bother anyone because there are plug-in mosquito repellents and they just shoo all other larger bugs out the door.

On Sunday, my host father showed me around Heredia. We walked around Mercedes Norte, where the house is located, and we also walked to the Universidad Nacional, where I would be taking classes for the next six weeks. On our walk I learned two things: there are no address as in the United States and pedestrians do not have the right of way. For addresses, Costa Ricans do not have house numbers nor do they use street names. They give directions based on landmarks and distance. For example, If I need to take a taxi home, I have to say that my landmark is the cemetery and then tell the taxi driver how many meters in each direction I am. This is quite confusing for me because I am not familiar with the area or the common landmarks. As for pedestrians, saying that they don't have the right of way is an understatement. My host father saved my life at least 5 times on the 15 minute walk to the University.  Pedestrians dart across the street wherever they can in order to avoid traffic. Cars do not stop or even slow down if someone is in the street.  My host father explained it best when he simply said "Costa Rican drivers are crazy. Be careful because they will kill you." That is not a joke or an exaggeration. Pedestrians trying to cross the street in Costa Rica can be compared to the video game Frogger.  I am getting a better but I have still had some instances where I was too cautious and missed an opportunity to cross and others where I was overzealous and almost got hit.

The two things that have been the biggest adjustments have been: the meals and the bathroom situation. The meals are much different than in the United States, both in content and in timing. I am used to eating two meals per day; lunch and dinner.  Here, I feel like I eat four meals per day. When I wake up, I eat a gigantic breakfast. A typical breakfast consists of a plate of fruit, some type of bread with butter, jam, and cream cheese, eggs, and gallo pinto.  Gallo pinto is an absolutely delicious mixture of rice, beans, onions, and other spices. This is served and mixed with the eggs. This sounds a little odd but, luckily, I am in love with food and would eat or at least try anything. I have to say that this is a tradition that I think should be brought back to the United States. I honestly feel more energetic and ready to do physical activity or go to school after a big breakfast. It probably doesn't hurt that I drink about 3 cups of the delicious Costa Rican coffee, which I now drink black by the way! I learned to like it strong, just like my liquor ;).  Lunch is the biggest meal of the day in Costa Rica. It generally consists of rice and beans and a meat of some sort. There's no set menu, but it is always large in order to provide enough energy for the rest of the day.  Then, at three, there is a coffee and snack "siesta".  Usually the coffee is served with some type of bread, whether it is just bread and butter or some sort of pastry with fruit or meat inside. Dinner is the smallest meal of the day. It usually consists of rice and beans (yes, again) and a small amount of meat and a salad.  The foods are similar to that of lunch but the portions are much smaller.  I think this meal set up is more logical than in the United States. It makes sense to eat most of your calories during the day when you are active rather than at night when you are getting ready to relax. Also, it's great that the food is fresh and healthy. I love waking up every day to a fresh bowl of fruit (though I could do without papaya, it sort of tastes like carrot baby food to me but I continue eating it a) because I am a pig and refuse to waste food and b) because I'm hoping it is an acquired taste). However, my family doesn't really abide strictly by these regulations.  My host father is constantly bringing me food. Two nights ago it was some sort of dulce de leche fudge and last night it was a Costa Rican taco, which was a massive amount of pulled pork, cabbage in some sort of vinegar sauce, and tomatoes between some tortilla chips (love it, obviously). Ok, I think I've talked about food enough... for now.

That's all I have time for right now. The other four people on the trip and I are off to Manuel Antonio, a beach and National Park on the West Coast, until Saturday.  Hasta luego!