Day 1

Kayla and I have arrived! It’s crazy to believe we are really here. After getting into Juan Santamaria International Airport we waited for our bags to show up and headed through customs. Before we stopped to exchange some currency. In Costa Rica the currency is in colones; 500 colones is similar to the U.S. dollar. They have a slew of coins and bills. Much to my surprise and delight the 10 mil colones features a picture of a sloth. That bill’s a keeper. I was surprised at how easy it was going through customs, much different than in the United States where you have to basically take apart everything to make it through. Here however, we simply had to toss all our belongings onto a conveyor belt and walk on by, all the customs workers were just sitting around chatting with each other. When we followed the exit signs out of the airport we were graced by the warm sun and a crowd of people waiting for someone, as well as the boatload of taxi drivers jumping around asking, “Necesitas Taxi?”

Kayla and I weren’t quite sure who it was that was going to be picking us up, either Papi or one of the sons, but there were so many people we didn’t recognize anyone. All in a matter of minutes a man came up out of nowhere with a phone number, asked us if we were volunteers and called Papi to come meet us. Before we knew it Papi was embracing us both and saying, “Welcome to Costa Rica!” This calming feeling came over me and I could not stop smiling the whole drive to Guácimo.

We drove through 3 out of the 7 provinces in Costa Rica to make it home; Aleguara, San Jose, y Limón. While we drove, Papi told us facts about Costa Rica and pointed out beautiful sites. It is breathtaking here. You can go through three different climates in just a short while. My favorite part on our way home was driving through the rolling green hills of rainforest. I felt so small amongst the giant walls of foliage! There was one point where we where climbing higher through a hill and the air got immediately crisp and it started raining, but within a few minutes we were back to sunshine.

When we were nearing Guácimo, Papi called Mami so we could talk with her and tell her we were close! She was so excited. After about a 2 hour drive, we made it to Guácimo, a cute little town. When we pulled up to the house Mami was waiting outside to greet us. We got a little tour of the house, which is gorgeous and has stone pathways and driveway, made by Papi. It is beautiful. He is honestly famous here.

A few things I have noticed that are very different from the United States are:

1. Drivers are a lot more daring on the roads here. A lot more. We saw a huge semi-truck that has just completely toppled over on the side of the road. From what I have experienced driving places so far in Costa Rica, there have been endless opportunities for accidents. People also pass each other a lot more, no matter what the traffic is like from the other way. But, that being said, drivers appear to be very generous in letting one another pass. There is a mother load of autobuses here, which seems to be what people prefer to travel in; otherwise there are lots of motorcycles, small vans and trucks.

* Small story time: once when we were caught in traffic the car ahead of us parked his car got out, and walked up to the car in front of him, leaned on the window and just had a casual conversation until traffic was moving again. It was awesome, I might try this in America…just kidding, but it was just another sign of how friendly this place is.

2. There are fruit stands everywhere! “Fruterias” they are called. There are various sizes of shacks with tasty treats to offer. One very popular fruit here is called “Pipa,” which is very much like coconut and you see there are trees full of them everywhere. One common treat is “Agua de Pipa,” which looks like a sandwich bag full of milky water and a slice of the fruit. I have yet to try it, but I can’t wait! Another tasty fruit here is a lemon with a sweet instead of a sour taste.

3. Bathrooms. I had heard before arriving in Costa Rica that the bathrooms are very different, but you can’t really know until you experience it. To use a public “baño” you have to pay money, about one American dollar. Also, toilet paper doesn’t get flushed so you just have to dispose of your toilet paper in the trash.

4. Animals. I am not quit sure what type of bird it is, but there’s a blackbird that makes really high-pitched sounds, almost like a siren, that I hear a lot. *Guess what!? I actually found out that the “bird” sounds were coming from small lizards in the house. There are a lot of dogs and I am amazed they really do look different from any dogs I have seen. Also there are many pet stores. To top all of this Mami told me that last week there was a sloth climbing on their fence. Let’s hope this happens again.

5. Lemons are sweet and oranges are sour. The “sugar” that comes with the oranges is actually salt.

6. Stop signs are more like suggestions.

7. You will be greeted by security people ready to search you before entering a glass case, which will then get you inside a bank.

8. There are hardly any clocks. I love it.

9. Radio cars? These exist. Cars with large speakers on their roof blasting music through all of Costa Rica. You can have the person driving play a special request or give a little message to someone you are with.

10. Plants. I have never been in a greener place.

11. All water is cold, showers, sink, everything. Cold showers feel great after a long day in the sun.
12. Dish soap is hard, kind of like a dish of butter.
13. Everyone greets you with a hug and kiss, no matter what. It really connects everyone and I think it is so awesome. I am probably going to give you all a kiss on the cheek when I'm home again, so get ready.

14. Oh, everything is in Spanish.

Kayla and I are excited to get into school and to start teaching!

There is much more I have prepared to write-everything is so new and exciting, but also challenging. I love it. I will not drag this post on, but I pray that you all are well.

Pura Vida