Marissa was so excited to finally land in C.R.!Our seven students were very excited to finally begin this new adventure! Everyone had smiles on their faces and a positive attitude the whole time! Our flight to Atlanta took longer because the wheels on the plane needed to warm up. We took off at least 45 minutes later than scheduled. I tried to take advantage of the time to rest my eyes. When we got to Atlanta, Georgia and texted Ben and Marianne Petty. (Wish we had time to see you!) Then we flew into San José, Costa Rica! It was a four hour flight. I sat by a nice Tica (Costa Rican woman) who didn't know English. She was coming home from visiting her fianceé in Wisconsin. We had a nice chat. A few other students sat by ticos also and took advantage of the opportunity to learn more about them and use their Spanish! Makes this Spanish teacher proud!
We got through passport inspection and customs without a hitch! We stepped outside to a warm 85 degrees and shed our sweatshirts! Our guide Julio was waiting for us. He is a very personable man. He shook each student's hand, introduced himself in Spanish and they introduced themselves also. He had been reading the information about each one that ISE provided in order to get to know them. And it's his goal to know everyone's name! He introduced us to his long-time friend, Henry, who is our driver. As we loaded the bus, Julio spoke in Spanish to the group. He told us that we were going to learn a lot. He asked for the students to please call him "Julio" instead of "Señor". He also told us the importance of sunscreen, bug spray, and drinking plenty of water. The students listened attentively and said they understood his Spanish! We stopped at a little convenience store so everyone could get more bottled water for the day. Then we checked into Country Inn and Suites! Everyone has nice rooms. Some have lofts.
We freshened up a bit and then walked to a commercial area and ate at a Costa Rican restaurant called "Rostipollo's". Some got fajitas, others got chicken, others empanadas and I got chalupas. The chalupas were a fried corn tortilla topped with refried beans, shredded chicken, lettuce and cheese. ¡Qué rico! We all tried maracuyá (passion fruit) frescos. They were very tasty. Others tried patacones (fried plantains- crispy and salted) and yuca (a root vegetable like a potato). The students enjoyed trying the new foods and ordering in Spanish! Afterwards we figured out the bills and converted Costa Rican colones to dollars mentally. It's very nice that we can pay with US dollars. When receiving change back, we got colones.
Afterward, in the mall, students paired up and explored a bit. They ordered frozen yogurt in Spanish. Even though they admitted to making language errors, actually everyone felt proud of themselves for being able to communicate effectively! Win!
We are all excited for a good night's sleep tonight! Then tomorrow we will head to see Poás volcano and hike to the top. Afterwards, we travel to El Roble to meet the families that will be hosting us for the next 3 nights! Señora Bolluyt and I are very impressed with this groups awesome attitudes! They are very eager to meet the families and learn about their culture. Their positive outlook is what is going to make their family stays a success! Can't wait! I will continue posting blogs after the family stay when we have wifi at our next hotel. ¡Pura Vida!
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