Pura Vida!

Week 1

Hola from Costa Rica! I got in late on Friday (as in, I was supposed to be in around 8, and I ended up getting in around 10:30, which isn't too bad for "Tico Time"). Ticos are what Costa Ricans call themselves, from the word chiquitico which means small; Tico time means that no one here seems very worried about when things happen. It is absolutely gorgeous in parts here, but at the same time, San Jose is a big city so there are a lot of problems with pollution and such.

I got into the airport, and was almost at customs before I realized I forgot to get a form to swear that I didn't have swine flu. I ran back and got it, and cleared immigration pretty quickly. Stupidly enough, when I wandered outside the airport, I managed to get into a "pirate taxi," which are the taxis not controlled by the government. The entire ride to the Gran Casa Universitaria, I was praying that I wasn't getting kidnapped! When my taxi driver pointed out the law school, and I started seeing landmarks I'd been told about, I felt much better.

I came in, unpacked, and crashed in my new room. I didn't wake up until almost 11 on Saturday, and after an odd conversation with the maids, who know no English, I found out that everyone was gone for the day. I called Randolph, the owner of the Gran Casa, and he took me on a tour, then left me at the Auto Mercado to get grociers. Unfortunately, I didn't have an umbrella yet, and it is the rainy season, so I caught a cab back in the rain.

Saturday night I finally met some people. We went to a restaurant for dinner (fake Fridays, like the US TGI Fridays, but not as good) and then out to a club called Retro Visor for drinks. This club is great, with all kinds of movie, TV, and band memoribilia on the walls.

Classes are interesting so far. I'm taking a watershed management class, comparative international law, and alternative dispute resolution. The law school is very nice, but its an almost 30 minute walk to class, followed by six flights of stairs, so I am very tired each day! The first day we went on an "urban jungle trek," meaning we walked around San Jose and learned where things were (supposedly, but I'm still very lost). I think the only thing I've figured out is where the mall is - very important!

This weekend we went whitewater rafting. We took a bus up to the Rios Tropicales, where they fed us and then brought us down on a tractor to the river. The first day, I was on a boat with a female guide, and while I had a lot of fun rafting, it was a little boring -- no one even fell out! The second day, I switched to a more crazy boat, so one of the girls who had a rough first day, even getting trapped under a raft, could take it more easy. After the first day of rafting, we ended up at a lodge. Some people went on a hike, but I chose to stay behind and take it easy. We had an amazing time drinking, laying around in hammocks, and taking tons of pictures. When it was time for bed, the conditions were VERY rural (no hot water, no water at all after 6, no lights after 10), so I just crashed til the morning.

The next morning, we woke up very early to go ziplining. I was so scared! When I took campers at Timber Wolf Lake, I had to pretend not to be scared so they wouldn't be. But actually, I had a blast! We went down and played in the waterfalls a little before breakfast, then headed back out on the river. The rapids were much stronger, and I almost fell a couple of times, but I can safely say that I would do it again in a heartbeat.

That's all for now! More to come later... as the Costa Ricans say "Pura Vida!"