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