I don't know how this post will sound because I am so in awe and astounded by the people and culture that surrounds me that words escape me. We arrived yesterday safely in San Jose. As we went through customs, all of our jackets came off and the girls put their hair in ponytails as it is 82 degrees here. There were tons of people pressed against the outside glas of the airport waiting to pick up loved ones; everyone was hugging and shouting. I have never seen a city quite like San Jose before. There are lots of buildings, cars, and even more people. The people are so welcoming, but it is very obvious who the "grengas" (Americans) are.
I absolutely adore my Tican family. I have a mom (Marita) who stays at home, a dad (German) who attend the university and works, a 16 year old sister (Dali) who is in her last year of school, a 14 year old brother (German) who loved his UNC hat I brought him, and a 4 year old sister (AnnaLucia) who is precious. Anna Lucia and I watched Over The Hedge in Spanish last night which was a lot of fun after we had a delicious dinner. Which is another thing that I love here, hte food is delicious. I have already had the most amazing fruit and juice. It's amazing how fresh they are. No one can ever call me a picky eater again as anything that has been put in front of me, I have eaten and enjoyed it.
Tomorrow we have a free day and I think we will go walk around San Jose throughout the markets. Although, I have only been here for 24 hours, I am completely in love with it all.

Here we go...

Hello all! This is a blog I set up to capture all of my many adventures while studying abroad in Costa Rica. I cannot believe the day is finally here, but I am leaving in less than 24 hours to spend 108 days abroad. I am beyond excited, nervous, hopeful, anxious, and pretty much every other emotion one can imagine. One of the aspects of the Teaching Fellows program at Elon that I loved while I was a senior in high school was our opportunity to study abroad, but who knew the past year and a half would have flown by like it did. Everyone keeps reminding me that I will come back a whole new person and will change in ways I can't even imagine -what a scary thought; to change in ways I can't even imagine. While I have hardly anything packed and a million errands to run, I think I am ready. I am ready to open my eyes, mind, and heart to a new culture.

I hope others may enjoy my journey of self discovery, cultural connections, and amazing adventure. In Costa Rica, the main goal of all locals is to live the "pure life" meaning one that is simple and enjoyable. I can only dream of capturing such a spectacular life philosophy during my stay, so...Pura Vida!