"Studying" Abroad

This past Saturday marked the halfway point of my study abroad program in San José, wow. Time really does fly by when you're having fun. I cannot actually believe that I have less than 6 weeks left of school and then only a few days traveling around afterwards. Looking back over the past month and a half, I am amazed at everything I have been able to do.

So far I have:

• Zip lined through the tree tops on the longest zip line in Central America

• Stayed in a hotel on a volcano
• Seen monkeys in the wild from less than a foot away
• Learned how to use public transportation (I can now easily use the public bus and taxis with ease - yes, this was hard for me before)
• Slept in a hammock by the beach and woken up at 5am to watch the sunset
• Eaten rice and beans for 95% of all meals I've eaten here - gallo pinto, white rice, yellow rice, red beans, black beans - you name it, I've eaten it.

If that's not a pretty good list for a six week span then I don't know what is. However, I refuse to leave Costa Rica without trying to learn how to surf so we shall see how that goes. 

I have definitely adjusted to the slow, easy pace of living here and am really loving it. In the US, everybody (or most people at least) are always in a rush and multitasking in order to get everything done. Here with tico time, usually people are late and behind schedule. My Spanish professor

Typical Costa Rican food

didn't show up till 30 minutes after class was supposed to start today but none of us Americans were complaining. Life is so laid back, people seem to be a lot less stressed and I'm kinda loving it.

To anyone still on the fence about studying abroad or possibly considering it, I would highly encourage it. While there have been trying times, my new outlook on the world since leaving the US is truly priceless. Living in a foreign country has been such an eye opening experience and I believe that no matter where someone travels abroad (I will convince anyone I can to visit Costa Rica), they will gain an understanding of the world beyond any they could have had living in the United States. Being taken out of your comfort zone in a new and strange country is definitely hard, but it rewards you with more than you could ever ask for or realize, and for that I am so grateful.

Just kinda happy

Pura Vida,
Serena