The first week...

There are many differences from what I expected of my first days in Costa Rica and what it was (is) actually like. In all honesty I expected Heredia to be very much like a cute little resort town that had lots of pools and more tourists than locals. However it is not, it is an actual city, a small city but a city nonetheless. I was not expecting to hear bustling cars or to see trash in the streets. In addition, the Universidad Latina surprised me as well. Instead having a large campus, it as actually quite small and reminds me a lot of a high school (especially the white and green because they were the colors of my high school minus the gold). There is one main building with all the rooms and then a field for recreational use whereas at University of Delaware there are multiple buildings and lots of courtyards. Also, I expected a lot more of my Spanish skills. I have taken Spanish since I was in sixth grade and it has always been my easiest class so naturally I expected the Spanish to come flowing when I got here, but that hasn’t been the case. I have more difficulty than I thought I would conversing with my host mother (although this does not mean that between my roommate and I we are not able to get across what we want). The simple sentences and questions I learned in Spanish class seem to escape me when I need them. The meals here are delicious as I expected, but also very different. They are larger and have more starch than I ever hoped for. Lastly, I didn’t actually expect to have any culture shock when I came here, but I have. It is not terrible, but I have had some trouble adapting the last couple of days. Even though my expectations were clearly not right, there is something really beautiful about Costa Rica. After this first week, I am finally really starting to adjust to Tico living and to enjoy the trip.