spanishI arrived at Atlanta, 1.5 hours before my departure to San Jose. As I had spent a good deal of time sitting and I have a perfectly functional pair of legs, I decided to walk from the length of the airport from gate B to gate E. There I sat down and starting writing my previous blog, when Chelsey came up and asked me if I was with the School for Field Studies. I was thrilled to meet her. She’s a perky, blonde sophomore from North Carolina with a passion for environmental real estate and one of my favorite subjects, urban renovation. Together, we stopped at Starbucks and then set off in search of our future classmates.
Our departure gate had been changed last minute and there were no signs so about 15 minutes before boarding time an attendant let us know of the change so that we wouldn’t get try to board a plane to Frankford. In line to board we met Visna and Brenna from Connecticut, Lizzie and Zach from Ohio, and Alli and Emily from California (I apologize for previously spelling Alli's name incorrectly). I am so pumped to work with these smart passionate students from all over the US, El Salvador, and Japan. It’s funny, our trip is going to be a total chickfest; of the 32 students only 4 are male. Those poor dudes have to deal with being surrounded by enthusiastic, environmental babes 24/7!
My plane ride to San Jose was socially more interesting. I sat next to a middle aged Costa Rican named Eli. She was very kind and put up with my broken Spanish. (She even complimented me on it! But the fact that she commented on it means she definitely knew I was struggling.) Eli had just finished spending 3 months vacationing in New Jersey and Florida with her husband and two sons. She was excited to return home to Costa Rica to see her other two sons and her daughter. Her esposo (spouse) is working in New Jersey where he can make more money. She commented that she thinks the US is muy bonita (very pretty) and a good place to work because you can make more money. However, she was happy to return to Costa Rica because the people there don’t discriminate against her like they do in the US. (Just because the Ticos don’t discriminate against a native like her doesn’t mean they won’t discriminate against a legal alien like me. Let’s see what happens.)
Sitting next to Eli was a gorgeous, slim Costa Rican pre-med student with dark, shiny hair who had just finished studying abroad in Chicago for the winter break. She had also studied abroad in Alaska. Her English was perfect which made me feel embarrassed about my Spanish. But like I told Garrett Motsko—the kindergartener I watched after school—you won’t succeed unless you try; practice makes perfect. It’s easy to preach such a motto to a child learning to read and play soccer, but it’s a lot harder to follow the advice when you feel foolish for making mistakes.
This ride I scored another window seat. We set out after dark, so I got to see a very different view. The lights on the roads, in parking lots, storefronts, and private homes looked like Christmas. From the ground I would complain that all the light pollution hampers the view of the stars. But from above, the myriad, sparkling colors are dazzling! I expected Costa Rica to be pitch black from above but it glittered as much as the American states.
Upon landing in Costa Rica, we turned in our customs forms (they didn’t even look at them-so different from Heathrow!), picked up our luggage, and then piled onto a Mercedes Benz bus. (Switch to present tense). The thick, humid air comes as a huge shock. Everyone starts sweating and strips off their layers. Yoshi, a Japanese citizen who studies in Nebraska, decides to try to learn everyone’s names by walking up and down the bus. A UMBC Woolie (Welcome Week Leader), I am compelled to join her. I am in total awe of Yoshi, without knowing any Spanish she decided to explore Central America by herself and then take a 2 week accelerated Spanish class in English (her second language) in San Jose. The bus ride is a flurry of introductions from fabulous students like Yoshi. I am in a state of shell-shocked wonder over the new scents, sounds, sights, and friends. The air smells like fruity smoke and along the road there are a variety of crude fences. I am sprayed with water when wet branches hit the top of the bus because they don’t seem to trim the trees along the road here.
We arrive at the Center and carry in the (32 X 3) = 96 pieces of luggage. The entire common room is filled. In the center of all the luggage is a table laid out with fresh papaya, cantaloupe, strawberries, blackberries, starfruit pastries, and gouda cheese. Mmmmm…this is a good sign. We are each given a mug and a room assignment. Here’s a pic of me and my roomies in room number 11.
We all fell fast asleep immediately – despite the warning that we had to wear shoes and use a flashlight if we want to walk around at night so that we don’t accidentally step on a scorpion. Eeek!
The next morning we have breakfast at 6 AM. Victoria, the chef, is amazing! I must learn her secrets. Check out the view from the main house where we enjoy our meals. Doesn’t it look dreary? You’d never want to come here!
Today is a day of introductions. Nolan the director has a Ph.D. and a law degree. Before working here he dealt in international trade. His wife Tina, 5 year-old Samatha, and 2 year-old son all live at the center. His daughter was too busy swinging in the hammock to come out for a formal introduction so I took a pic of her there.
It is breathtakingly beautiful here. Down from the main house is the vista which features two very comfortable hammocks. Across from the vista is the pool, which will be an excellent place to relax after a long day and soak up some rays while reading about natural resource management.
On the path back to the dorms are some of the homes of La Presa farmers. Chickens and rabbits frolic under the Valencia orange trees. It's so cute! They chase each other around, dig in the dirt, and appear to have just a good ole’ time! What can I say? Pura vida!
