Finalmente... ¡estoy aqui!

I just got in about an hour ago and I couldn't be more excited to be here. I wish it wasn't so late, so I could go explore right now, but I have to get up early tomorrow and I barely slept last night.
From what I've seen, San José isn't very pretty, but it looks like there's tons to do! I'll probably spend tomorrow exploring and trying to figure out how to get around on the buses. My cab driver and I spoke in Spanish the entire 20 minutes from the airport to my hotel and I understood almost everything! He mostly told me about how all Costa Rican drivers are drunk, and showed me some of the hot spots in the city center. He was quite the character. I'll fill you guys in on more when I'm not so tired. ¡Buenas noches, y pura vida!
John

PS I have pictures on my Flickr account. http://flickr.com/photos/22205534@N02/

Costa Rica, Here I Come...

Finally, after all these months I'm packed and ready to head out. I can't really decide if I'm prepared mentally for what's to come in about 24 hours. It seems a bit surreal that I'll be out of the States until August, which seems like a really really long time from now. I waited 'til today to do pretty much all of my packing for the entire 6 months, and there's really no doubt that I've forgotten something significant. At least I'll be somewhere described to me "like Jersey, only hot, muggy and surrounded by rainforests". I'm not sure exactly what that means, but I figure Jersey probably has places to buy dental floss and AA batteries, so I think I'll be alright. Aside from a few parking tickets here and there and one monster library fine, I think I took care of just about everything important. As long as I never show my face inside the Edmond Public Library again, I should be in the clear.
My plane leaves for Dallas tomorrow at 1:20 and should arrive about an hour afterward. I'll have at least 4 hours to blow in DFW, then its off to San José. I should get in at around 10:30, which is a little later than I would like. I'm sure customs officials will be thrilled to be working the late shift on Wednesday evening, interrogating clueless Gringos. I, however, will be excited for my first opportunity to test my Spanish airport vocabulary. Here are a few phrases I'll be using:
- Disculpe señora, ¿donde está la aduana? - Excuse me ma'am, where is customs?
- No, no tengo drogas en el equipaje. Solamente tengo ropa, zapatos y articulos de aseo. - No, I don't have drugs in my baggage. I only have clothes, shoes and bathroom items.
- ¿Por que Ud. confisca la maleta? ¡Tengo una receta para esa! - Why are you confiscating my bag? I have a prescription for that!
Hopefully at that point, I'll be able to recollect my stuff and head into San José, which is actually about 20 miles from the airport. I'm staying at a hotel for the first two nights, before I can move in with my host family. I'm a little nervous about meeting my host family, as I recently found out that the husband is a retired US military officer. Once he finds out I'm a hippie, liberal Conscientious Objector, I may have to check my food for loogs. No matter what happens, I'm sure I'll have a bunch to fill everybody in on in the next post. Pictures will be included next time too, I promise.
¡Adios amigos y familia! Les amo,
juanito

Countdown: One Week

Hey guys! So I've got about a week left in Oklahoma before I leave for Costa Rica. I'd love to tell you that I'm about ready to go, but I've still got plenty of stuff to do. I thought about packing some stuff for the first time today, but thinking is about all I got done. Aside from the monumental task of packing for the next 6 months, however, I'm about ready to head out. Weekdays spent in Edmond have been extremely boring, especially lately since everybody has gone back to school. I usually wake up at around noon, then mess around online, eat, practice Spanish, watch TV, go to the gym and sleep (not necessarily in that order). Needless to say, beginning next Wednesday, things should begin to get a little more exciting .

I'll let you guys know a little bit about my trip plans. I will be studying at Universidad de Costa Rica, in San José. It is the oldest and largest university in Costa Rica and one of the largest in Central America with 39,000 undergrads (thanks Wikipedia). I'm living with a host family, who will put up with me for the entire 6 months I'm there. I can only hope they know what they've gotten themselves into. I'm assuming they're filthy rich, drug smugglers who live in an enormous mansion and need me to fill one of their lavish guest bedrooms. Realizing that probably won't be the case, I've curbed my expectations, ever so slightly...

I don't know anybody else going down there from school, although there are at least two other OU students in the same program. In order to force myself to be outgoing, I decided to avoid meeting them beforehand. Let's hope my Spanish can hold up as I legally consume alcohol for the first time. In moderation. Of course. I'll make sure to take lots of pictures so everybody can enjoy the super sights of San José, Costa Rica.
Stay tuned for more...