Week 1 in San Pedro

I arrived in Costa Rica last Friday which brings me in at just over a week of being here. The experience so far has brought me a mix of emotional responses inclusive of: excitement, frustration, loneliness, uncertainty, awe, inspiration, idleness, eagerness, shock. I have no one means of describing just the single week I have been here, so I will just mention the main parts of my experience so far.

Spanish language classes are going very well. I have class M - F from 8:30am - 12:30pm. Considering that I have not been a student since 2005, it has been an adjustment to (a) sit in class for 4 hours (with a short break halfway through) that is (b) in a different language. But the Spanish teachers have said that I am learning very quickly. As I listen to Spanish speakers around me, the language starts to sound like music to me and I can't wait to be able to speak more fluidly.

The first day or two that I was here, I didn't know what to do or think and found myself a bit idle and unsure of whether I had made the right decision to come to Costa Rica. But I have since actually had mostly "ups" and I'm exploring and experiencing more than I expected in such a short time. I owe a lot of that to the other mid-20s foreigners currently living with my host family. A little about the host family itself: the mother is Yolanda, and she has two sons Andres and Aaron, and a daughter Andrea. All kids are in their 20s or early 30s. It is fairly common in Costa Rica for children to stay living with their families (in lieu of moving to different cities as young professionals typically do in the US). About the rest of the people: Hector, 25, who is Honduran, Juan, 26, who is Argentinian (both are working in the area), and Ryan, 21, who is a fellow US-er who is here on semester abroad studying International Relations. These three guys have been my saving grace and have introduced me to the "hot spots" for mid-20s locals. And so unexpectedly and without intention, I have actually gone out at night or explored fun places more in my one week in CR than I ever did for 2 or 3 weeks in DC. Also, one of my friends from DC has actually been in CR for a couple months and she came to San Pedro for a few days before she returns to the States. So it was wonderful to spend some time with her.

The highlight of my activities so far was on Thursday afternoon when I took a taxi with Juan and Ryan to a beach in the province of Puntarenas. It was over a 2 hour drive and spent only about 3 - 4 hours at the beach, but it was well worth it. There may be nicer beaches in CR but as this was my first beach trip, I loved every minute and sight. Pictures are forthcoming.

I've noticed that once you meet one traveler, it's a domino effect and you begin to meet more and more of them. It's very inspiring (or surprising) to learn about where they come from, how and why they got here, where they have been, and where they are going. Each traveler I have met has a different purpose and yet all have a common purpose at the same time, which fundamentally returns to the desire to seek happiness. Among the surprising stories: I met a girl who has been travelling for maybe a year in Central/Latin America and she managed to hitch-hike with some friends from Honduras across the border to Nicaragua one night because they realized they did not have enough money to stay at a hostel. When I was at my DC-friend's hostel in San Pedro, I meet a Canadian who only decided to come to CR about a month ago. He runs his own company back in Canada but decided he had enough and bought a 1-way flight, only booked the hostel the night before he came, and now has been here 4 days but doesn't have a concrete plan and the length of his stay here is indefinite. Although I would not put myself in either of these situations, I am pleasantly surprised and also humbled by the different stories I've heard in such a short period of time.

Below are just some last thoughts for now. Thanks for reading!


What I Like So Far:
- My host family and housemates which totals 8 other people in addition to myself
- The way that meat is cooked here (if served at all) is very yummy
- Other than the diet not being that healthy, it’s extremely tasty
- The layout and look of the city is exactly as I wanted, I like the houses and colors of buildings.
- Food is generally cheap
- A cab ride that would’ve been about $15 bucks in DC, is only about $4 in Costa Rica

What I Dislike So Far:
- San Jose and within certain miles surrounding it, is kind of polluted. The air is reminiscent of what I experienced in Los Angeles but maybe not as bad
- The diet is way too heavy on starch; vegetables are hard to come by unless I cook them myself
- The diet lacks in sufficient amounts of protein
- The plumbing in my host house is horrible! I often take cold showers and only after finnegling with the faucets for 5 minutes or so

Best Meal So Far:
- Casado con Pollo a la Plancha: rice, beans, cabbage salad, fried plaintains, grilled chicken

True to What You May Have Heard/Read:
- Passing cars/motorcycles honk at you a LOT and passing men say random things (usually inaudibly so I’m not quite sure what they’ve said) to you when you walk by
- Punctuality is nonexistent. No seriously. A group of people in the house plan to leave at a certain time to go out somewhere, but then as we’re about to leave someone gets a phone call and we all wait while the person talks on the phone for 30 minutes, before we actually head out. We also told a friend we would meet her at 7:30pm one night, and didn’t show up until about 8.

Things I am grateful for (specifically about being here in Costa Rica):
I am grateful to Juan, Hector, and Ryan, and also to my DC friend Lisa for making my first week filled with many new experiences.

Fun Word of the Day:
(Spanish – English)
mierda – shit

Words Not to Confuse:
“playo” and “playa” (for non-Spanish speaking people: the former is a derogatory term, the second means beach)


© Copyright Stephanie Lin Wu