Arrival: Santa Ana

Nine days later, I am happy to report of my safe arrival into a country that is even more beautiful than I had imagined! From the many glowing reports I have received from those friends and family members who had previously experienced the beauty of Costa Rica, I knew I was in for a treat as I embarked upon a new adventure in the new year.

And so I greet you with a ¡Feliz Año Nuevo! Happy New Year! It seemed quite fitting to bring in this new year of experiences in Costa Rica with the New Year´s celebration here in my ´home away from home´ for 2007!

This first month of residence in Costa Rica is in the beautiful little town of Santa Ana, located near San José. I am staying with the lovely doña Gladys, a woman of great skill in the kitchen (¡Gracias a Dios! Thanks be to God!) and also a woman who has raised a beautiful family. As the holidays naturally bring grown children, and their children, close to home, I have had the pleasure of spending much time with the extended family and friends of my host family.

I am spoiled with my own casita (little apartment) for my month´s living quarters, complete with what I like to refer to as ´my´ garden, which is a lush mini tropical rainforest (or so it appears to this American girl!) right outside my windows! Fruit trees, herb bushes, muchas plantas, brilliant pointsettia trees and, of course, multiple clothes lines which allow for nature´s dryer--el sol--to do it´s thing.

A Spanish language respaso (review) was in order for the gringa before beginning my university master´s courses in Spanish (yikes!) in February, and so it´s up the beautiful green mountainside I go each weekday for an intensive program at Conversa language school. I´m quite certain that Spanish grammar has never been so enjoyable. The school is located atop one of the highest mountains in the area, thus providing it´s pupils with a major disctraction--the view!

Week one of classes is now complete, meaning my classmate and companion, Meghan ¨numero dos¨ (naturally, I´m Megan ¨numero uno¨), and I will now be assigned to a new teacher, so that we will further be exposed to differing accents and teaching styles. We couldn´t have been more pleased with our first teacher, Amira, who taught us mucho--from the grammatical intricacies of the subjunctive to the dynamic between Costa Ricans and Nicaraguans in Costa Rica to the safety concerns for women to how coffee is grown. What an invaluable education one can receive about a country through learning the national language! Little did Amira know that she would also receive an invaluable education from this gringa--how to play Speed Scrabble!! And little did I know that even en español I can carry out a Nelson victory sin problemas! :)

Nine days later, I am quite pleased to have (finally!) begun this exciting new chapter in my life! I am enamored by this country filled with much natural beauty and many wonderfully kind people, who are refered to as ´ticos´ and ´ticas´. Nine days later, I have consumed more fresh fruit than seems humanly possible (yes, be jealous), I have spoken mucho español, I have laughed and conversed with new friends and ´family´, and I have learned a great deal about a great variety of topics. Nine days later, I´m looking forward to the many days ahead!