Well, we were off to school today. It's not far from the house, but you still need to go by public bus, which is very inexpensive, comfortable and dependable. (Yes, I am in Latin America and I still think those adjectives I just used are appropriate.)
If you're thinking that Costa Rica is just southern Mexico, think again. I do know Mexico very well and Mexico, it is not. The locals (ticos) have their own culture and history. Honestly, I was very surprised at the vast majority in San Jose that look very European. And the Spanish is easily understood. It just fascinates me how the language develops so differently in the various Latin nations. But that is a topic for some other days and a easily a doctoral dissertation. (I've already made a contact in the Instituto Linguistico at the UCR. He's an assistant aiding a profe with a Creole/Spanish/English dictionary. Creole is a language spoken around Limon on the Carribean coast. I was promised a sneak preview.)
The general orientation today was useful. Lots of do's and don'ts. I have had the good fortune to travel extensively, so I was familiar with most of the general info, but for many of the participants this is their first out of country experience. A few minor schedule adjustments were presented and they actually were a step up so to speak.
The food at home is wonderful. I ate out today at lunch and the food was again wonderful. Remember what things taste like when they aren't frozen or out of a can? You can multiply that by 10 and then you can imagine the fruits and veggies here. And always a choice of great fresh juices in lieu of the usual Coke. Kind of no choice but healthy here.
Meet some of the others on the program too. Everyone seems to be faring well. One guy brought his own B'ball and a few of those who can still move quickly @ 4M ft. ASL (cuatro mil pies sobre el nivel del mar) went off to the university gym to play. I'll have to find out how that went!
Manana es otro dia con nuevas experiencias. Le doy la bienvenida.
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