Countdown Continues....54 days!!!

So as the countdown continues my nerves are beginning to surface. All I can think about is... how am I going to talk to people back home? Will I have access to the internet? Does AIM work in Costa Rica? What is my host family going to be like? What do I need to pack? AH SO MANY unanswered questions. I am a person who likes my things laid out for me and everything planned and have control over everything. But the fact that I don't know a lot is KILLING me. On a happier note. I found these videos on youtube that are from students who have gone through my same program and have given a tour of the area. It is making me excited for it. The beach is literally out my front door. The school is really tiny though, only 5 classrooms. I hope I like my classmates because I am going to be with them for almost every class. I just want it to get here. I think that the minute I step off the plane in Costa Rica a lot of my worries will disappear and I will be ready to take on this  new adventure. I am looking forward to learning how to surf and eating all the wonderful food... (I am going to learn how to surf, for those of you doubting me uh umm). The link is to the video that I found most informational http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeI932pWNaI&feature=related. The only complaint I have heard people have is that for a month during the rainy season the ocean gets cloudy, but then clears up. I think I can live with that complaint...seeing as I swim in the oh so clean ocean on Long Island! I'll keep you all updated on things as the time gets closer and more exciting things start to happen... for now it is the waiting game.

PURA VIDA

Inspiring Quote

One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” – Henry Miller

Costa Rica is definitely going to be opening my eyes to new things. It is going to be the longest I have gone without seeing my friends and family. I always want to be on time and get things done in a timely manner. Well, from reading books and looking things up, Costa Ricans have no idea what time is or deadlines. When things get done, they get done and no one worries about it. I already know this is going to be something that I struggle with. I guess when I come back to the states I will be more laid back, hopefully. Either that or I will be about to lose my mind. A lot of the people that are going to be living around me aren't that well off. I will be living in a beach town, so the income isn't that high, which will make for interesting living arrangements. their culture is so different than ours also. They eat different things, take naps everyday, and stay up late every night. I am excited about the changes and learning the new culture, but I am not looking forward to the culture shock.

GETTING READY

o, I figured I would set up a blog before I went to Costa Rica, no knowing what theInternet connection is going to be down there. For those of you that don’t know I am heading to Costa Rica for a year starting August 20th. I will be studying Spanish as well as international studies at a school there and touring the country. I can’t wait to be immersed in the culture and learn new things as well as meet new people. I will be in Puntarenas, Costa Rica which is on the Pacific Ocean side.

I will also be country hopping as the flights are really cheap. I am going to the Panama Canal for a week as well as a few other places. I have been waiting to study abroad since 11th grade; now it is becoming a reality. With the days counting down my emotions start to show through a little more. I am really excited but at the same time nervous and apprehensive as to what lies ahead of me. I will not know who I am living with until a week or 2 before I leave; even that could change by the time I get there. I am worried that I am going to be missing out on things that go on at home, but have to remember all the wonderful things I am going to be experiencing over there. There is a long list of things that need to get done before I can even leave. I just reapplied for my passport. I need to get my visa and make multiple doctor’s appointments. It is all becoming a HUGE reality. Please be praying that all my paperwork comes through without any problems and that everything that needs to get done does.

PURA VIDA