Orientation

Today started out with a nice Costa Rican omelet with some fruit and coffee.

Ana lives in a really cool little compound with her family. It is just me and her in her house, but her house backs up to an open area where there are a couple other houses leading into it. She has a huge family with around 20 nieces and nephews! 

Right as you enter

The kitchen that she never uses. She prefers the community one because it has gas instead of electric stoves

Looking in from the back

Today they were hosting a baby shower for one of her family members, so I helped them set up tables and chairs and balloons. Unfortunately, I could not stay for the festivities because I had to go to orientation.

Just before 1, Ana walked me to the university which is less than a 10 minute walk away. I then spent the next 6 hours listening to stuff that I had already heard before, but finalized my classes and got to explore a little during my break.

Took a walk through the forest on our break

UCR Campus

 I am taking classes Monday through Friday from 8-11am. I am going to take Latin America and its Cultures, Forest Entomology, Latin American Literature, Tropical Forest Ecology, and Society and Environment. I also am going to take an evening dance class since I am so flat footed.

All 42 of us (I believe, something like that) then headed downtown for a dinner which was very good. It felt weird though, speaking English most of the day. Not what I came here for. Nonetheless, I met some cool people and got acquainted with the university.

When I got home I found myself actually relieved to speak Spanish. I then walked with Ana down to a bar and had a few beers with her. There are two bars within 150 feet, pretty cool! The address to the house is actually 50m norte de la paceñita, or 50 meters north of the paceñita (a bar).