Disculpame, solo puedo hablar un poquito de Espanol...

Well I made it; I’m finally in Costa Rica! After 9 hours of traveling I’m safely at el Hotel Balmoral in San Jose, I have found my group and am making friends fast (I think…). San Jose is a beautiful place in its own way. Today we all had a chance to walk around (in groups Mom, never by myself don’t worry!) and although I’m completely out of my element, I really like this place a lot. Gorgeous mountains create a backdrop for this city full of people, speeding taxis, narrow one-way streets and even narrower sidewalks. Pretty much everything is in need of some repairs, except the grand city buildings like the church, the theater and the bank. The architecture on those buildings is incredible, but when we tried to investigate the churches more closely we realized we were about ten steps away from walking in on a funeral! I’ve never worked to hard to maintain a solemn composure and move that fast in my entire life!

Mamon Chino--a fruit that I ate!

So far the food has been absolutely delicious—I haven’t met a plate I didn’t like! Rice and beans are served with every meal (even breakfast!) and the fresh fruit is delicious. I’ve gotten to eat plantains cooked in a different fashion with every dish, so I’m a pretty happy camper. I expected Costa Rican cuisine to dominate, but there are US fastfood chains everywhere! KFC, Quiznos, McDonalds, even a Taco Bell can be found every couple of blocks or so. Today we went to El Mercado Central (the Central Market) which is kind of like their version of a supermarket. There were pet booths (don’t worry Ellie, I didn’t touch anything), souvenir shops and tons of produce vendors—all with the freshest fruits I’ve ever seen. 

Men held entire fish heads high up in the air so shoppers could see the catch of the day, and the coffee bean growers enticed our group of girls over for free samples of their latest blends (which was delicious).

As we strolled around and took our time absorbing San Jose, I noticed a main theme among the men’s and women’s fashions—there is no such thing as “too tight”. Jeans appeared painted on, t-shirts stretched so tight absolutely nothing was left to the imagination, and all the women wore heels (an impressive feat given the treacherousness of the sidewalks). In our Chocos and sundresses there was no doubt about it—we stood out. And the funny thing was, even though these Costa Rican women were putting it aalll out there, we were the ones getting catcalls, stares, and even a horn honk or seven. That’s definitely a cultural norm that will take some getting used to…

The Fat Lady escaped from her portrait at Hogwarts!

Today we were introduced to all our teachers for the semester and given a brief overview of everything that we’ll be doing. We have one more day in San Jose, then it’s on to a 2.5 week camping trip, and then to our homebase in Monteverde. I absolutely cannot wait to get out in my wildlife element and start exploring!

In a fit of pre-departure excitement...

...I have chopped 8 inches off of my hair. As I was rinsing out my hair in the shower this morning I was thinking about how much shampoo I'll need for the semester, and how much room it would take up in my bags, and what I was going to have to sacrifice in order to have clean hair (probably my shitkickers, and no way am I leaving those behind!), and then I realized...less hair = less shampoo!
And also I was told by a program alum that since Monteverde is so humid, some of the girls with longer hair grew mold in their heads because their lengthy locks could never fully dry. 


ICK. 


Knowing that if I didn't follow through on this impulse immediately I'd chicken out, I threw some clothes on and pedaled my bike to the nearest hair-cutting professionals. The lady was very sweet, and so persuasive she talked me into letting her take 8 inches instead of my intended 5 ("because really dear, with that humidity it's just going to grow back so fast! And you want to make a good impression on your host family with beautiful healthy hair, don't you?"). 
So now, enough hair to make a chiuaua sweater sits on CostCutters's floor, and I sit on my couch with the shortest haircut I've had since I was 15 years old. 

Bring on the humidity!

Warning: I do not promise to be interesting, humorous or post frequently.

Dear Friends and Family (and future self, who is probably reading this some time in February), 
Today is July 26th and there are officially 26 days left in the countdown until I leave this great nation to go explore 2 new ones. I'm Costa Rica-bound first, where I'll spend time living in a research station in the middle of the Cloud Forest in Monteverde, and a few weeks as the guest of a host family. During my time at the field station I will do the most hands-on learning I've done since Animal Science 101 (SO to my livestock production loves, if any of you are reading). I'm told classes will take place during hikes, next to waterfalls, and up in the canopy of the rain forest. After I soak up as much as the Cloud Forest has to offer, I'll board a plane for Sarteneja, Belize. There I'll spend a month interning at a Manatee Rehabilitation and Rescue Center on the coast. I spent 2 weeks in Belize during high school and miss the country so much, I can't wait to get back!
I can't believe I only have a few weeks left until I leave my wonderful Wisconsin. Most of the time I only feel excited to just go, but every now and then my gut twists when I remember I have to leave you all for so long. I know the time will probably fly by faster than I want it to, but the idea of leaving everyone I love behind for this adventure is pretty intimidating. I feel like I still have too many loose ends to tie up--an apartment to move out of, supplies to pack, and I still have to choose a rain forest research topic for my semester project! But I suppose I do have 26 days to cross my t's and dot my i's...all right self, on your mark, get set, go!