A Day in the Life.

Just so you can get an idea of a kind of typical day in Costa Rica...

Today was a pretty relaxed today, just how I like it J We start class at 8, but luckily for me, who is always late, we don’t always start exactly on time (this is a cultural thing, we call it ‘tico time’).   Class this month is pretty relaxed.  Classes here seem to be less about grades and pressure and more focused on things that are relevant to us…like cultural things that we don’t understand, slang, etc.  Today we had an assignment where we had to describe how to play a type of card game…and then we got to play it! (this really had legitimate learning value too haha…grammar) The games got a little intense, at one point someone got my finger and it was bleeding. But being the little competitive one that I am, I wanted to keep playing (not that I was winning anyway, ha). But after getting blood on a few cards and the table, I decided to go and hunt down a band-aid, lol.  About halfway through the four hour class, we get a little break which is a nice chance to catch up with people.  In class today, we also listened to a student’s presentation and practiced numbers (which sounds dumb, but number quantities can be really big here…for example, 10,000 mil = $20, so it can be hard…plus ticos just talk so fast!).  So it’s a really practical class, and I love how our profesora laughs ALL the time, it just makes everything seem so much funnier. 

After class, a couple of us went to a restaurant, which is pretty typical.  I keep trying to convince myself to save money and eat at home more often, buut I figure I’m only here three months, so why not.  It’s a fun chance to hang out with people, and the food is always great.  Today, I got a Panini de pollo, something I can’t remember, and bluecheese (my grandpa would be proud J), some awesome potato wedges, and a chocolate chip muffin with ice cream. YUM.

After, I came back for a few minutes to my house and then went to work out with a couple friends in the park.  One of the guys made a ‘circuit’ and it was definitely a good workout.  Came back home, worked on a little homework, dinner in a few, and then a dance class.  (I did sign up for yoga, but I decided that I really do not like yoga and don’t want to torture myself anymore.  I respect people that do it, it’s hard, but no para mi, graciasJ 

That’s kind of a typical afternoon here (minus the working out part, haha), and normally a little bit of hanging out with my host mom’s grandson, Julian, he’s a cutie J And some days I have photography class.  But I like that it leaves quite a bit of time to hang out, chill, do homework, go to the store, movies, mall, whatever.

Last night, we went to a restaurant/bar that had a live band that played salsa music.  The couples all dance salsa, and at least at this place, they were all SO good! It is so fun to watch.  It inspired me to start going back to dance class ha.  None of danced last night though, our dance skills are not quite up to Costa Rica par, and the ‘gringos’ do not need to stick out more than we already do haha.  Maybe one of these days J  I’m going back to that same place Thursday, because one of my friends from the states is playing in a band there with her Tico brother! 

Hasta luego…(oh—a little vocabulary: gringo=person from the U.S.; tico=person from Costa Rica :)