Mi horario-My Schedule

Now that school has started I have a busy schedule each day.

6am-I wake up and get ready for the day. A quick shower, get dressed and prepare for the day. I have to do this because my 2 other house mates also need to get ready, we have our own bathroom.

7am-Usually earlier for me. We have breakfast together and it is HUGE here. They have a saying here in Costa Rica that doctors and nutritionists use- "For breakfast eat like a king, for lunch like a prince, and for dinner like a peasant." This way of eating is actually better for overall digestion but goes against everything I'm used to. Typical breakfast is: Coffee, Gallo Pinto, Eggs, Fresh Squeezed Lemonade, Salad with Lemon, Bread, Potatoes, Beans, and tons of fruit! (ill talk more about food in another post.)

At 7:45am we leave for school. It is about a 10 min walk from my house and we have to cross a busy highway which can be hard in Costa Rica. Costa Ricans drive like maniacs...they say Minnesotans drive fast...well I see worse everyday. Here, pedestrians never have the right of way so you always need to be looking, yes they will run over you. On the way to school we pick up some of our friends! They are women and their mama tica's like them to walk to school with men.

8am-Spanish class starts and ends at noon. We have one break from 10-10:30 where we can go to the cafe and grab a coffee and chat, en espanol claro. I am in Advanced Spanish 1. Its actually a really fun class but a lot of work. We have lots of readings and homework. But its fun. We've been learning expressions specific to Costa Rica like "Pura Vida" its the same as "Como estas" here and can be used in many other ways.

Noon-1pm: Lunch. For lunch mi ganga (gang) and I go out to a local soda (small restaurant) near Veritas. Today we went to my host mom's daughter's restaurant and I had the best chicken fajita in the whole world. Along with a drink but I can't remember the name. Down here all the drinks and food are 100% organic. NO PRESERVATIVES! The drink its literally the juice of a fruit with milk and very very sweet.

From 3-5 I have a huge break where I do homework. Usually grab a coffee too. Since I have night class my mama tica makes dinner for me at 5. Its small but very good. And always with coffee and  a dessert.

6pm-8pm:  I have Tropical Ecology. The class is kind of boring now since its just the basics of ecology but I think its going to be a lot of fun. The last two weeks here I am going on weekend excursions with the class. First to the Caribbean side of  Costa Rica to see a rainforest and then to the Pacific side to see a dry forest the next weekend. Costa Rica is separated into halves partially but the fault that runs down the center of the country. On the Caribbean side its very humid and rainy this time of year, the rainy season or winter here. The Pacific is also wet now but not as wet. This weekend I am going to a beach on the Pacific side called Tamarindo.

After 8: My friends and I usually go out or stay in to do homework. Last night was tropical dancing lessons where I learned Salsa, Merenge and Bachata. It was a lot of fun. Other nights we just go out to Pezcadito, a local pub/hangout in our neighborhood. We always walk each other home for safety because here the sun sets around 6pm and rises around 5am. Its very strange for me because I'm used to MN summer sun being out late.

Overall things are going really well. I'm trying to immerse myself in the culture as much as possible. Thanks for everyone's words of encouragement and advice. I appreciate all the love and support I have back at home. I miss you all terribly and although I am having a blast I realize even more how important family and friends are. Pura Vida everyone!