Humiliation, Travel, and the Rock.

Greetings!
I can't believe it's been a week since I posted last...I'm sorry! I've been meaning to post but I've been so busy!

I'll give y'all the highlights.

1. I experienced the MOST EMBARRASSING MOMENT OF ALL TIME. It happened in my first class with all Costa Ricans. We had to get up and talk about our personalities and I was reeeeallly nervous and all around dreading having to speak in front of the class. There was a girl speaking and the professor started clapping, so I thought the girl had finished introducing herself and started clapping with him. It turns out that he was only trying to get the attention of some of my chatty compañeras. So not only did I rudely interrupt my classmate, but I was also clapping loudly alone for no reason.

This would have been humiliating...but on top of that I suddenly got struck with the giggles and I couldn't stop laughing- face red, tears streaming down my face, can't breathe, silent laughs. This managed to draw EVEN MORE attention to myself.

During our class break I put my head on my desk and prayed that God would give me powers of invisibility, when a really nice guy in my class came up to me and told me that he studied abroad in France and he totally understands how I'm feeling. He said I spoke really well and shouldn't be embarrassed by what happened- it could happen to anyone!

2. I went on my first excursion! A bunch of people from my program went to "Playa Hermosa" (Beautiful Beach), it took us about 2 hours on bus and a round trip ticket only cost 8 dollars! I experienced my first Hostel, figured out I didn't bring enough money and had to each a frozen hamburger for breakfast,  and I got my first Costa Rican sunburn! It was an adventure and an awesome bonding time with the other gringos in my group!

The Hostel we slept in, ignore random sleeping girl!

Playa Hermosa, it was so beyond beautiful

Every day I'm struck by how beautiful this country is, both naturally and culturally...but that's for another post.

3. My host family took me to a delicious restaurant and to explore another volcano (my second in a week)!

Mi familia tica!

4. I attended the first of many movie nights with my 9 year old host brother, we watched La Isla Misteriosa (Mystery Island)- which stars Peeta and the Rock.

5. I learned that the Pura Vida motto translates over into a lot of areas that frustrates my inner gringo (trying to find something in the library, arriving to classes on time, getting textbooks for class, cutting each other in line). Its a cultural difference that I'm learning to navigate, its good for me to learn that I can't control of a lot of most things here.


Wow. That was a looong post, thanks for sticking with me. I promise I'll try to be more punctual with my posts but..if I'm not, blame it on the Pura Vida.


;)
Morgan