I'M HERE!!!!!!

I have arrived!!!!! And I love it!!!!

I woke up this morning around 3:35 am (after falling asleep after 2:30 am) to get ready. We left the house around 4:15 am to head toward GSP. Dad stopped on the way and got me some breakfast. When we got to the airport it wasn't busy at all, so me, mom, and dad sat in a waiting area until about 45 minutes before my plane was scheduled to leave. We said our goodbyes, and they watched me go through security until I had to go up the escalator into the terminal. Somehow none of us managed to cry!!! Believe me, this is quite an accomplishment for our family!!!

I got to the terminal, and was worried initially because we were scheduled to begin boarding around 6:15 am, and as of 6:30, we still had not boarded. The plane was tiny and not half full, so they let us on right before it was scheduled to leave, and we departed promptly at 6:48 am. Mom and dad stayed around to watch the plane take off, and I actually saw them as we were leaving!

The flight was pretty good. I slept on and off most of the way, but didn't really sleep that well. We arrived in Houston just after 8 am, and then I had a very short time to get across that MONSTROUS airport from Terminal B to E. Somehow I managed to do it, just in time to board the plane! I got on and luckily there was no one in the middle seat!! (I had a window seat.) The flight from Houston to Costa Rica was 3 hours or so, and I tried to sleep but never could get comfortable. They showed 17 Again on the plane. AND there was a stewardess named Tonya!!

We arrived in San Jose and when I got off the plane I knew I wasn't in South Carolina anymore! The air was a bit muggy and warm, but not nearly as hot as it is in SC! I got in the airport and it was crowded with tourists. But there was tropical music playing and coffee smells drifting in from everywhere, and I loved it immediately (again)! The customs line was LONG, so that took a while, but once I got through I had to go get my bags, and then go through customs again, and then I stumbled upon another student with the program! We talked for a few minutes and then went outside to see if we could find anyone else. There was a man there with a USAC banner, so he helped us and directed us to where the other students were. The students from Puntarenas and San Ramon were all in one location together. We waited there about 2 hours for all the other students to get there. Then they loaded us up on separate buses and took us to our destinations. The ride to San Ramon was beautiful. Everything was so green and lush!

We arrived in San Ramon and went immediately to the university where we were introduced to our families! My host mother, Alba, and her son, Alonso, were there to meet me! They were very nice and we loaded up my luggage in the car and headed toward my new home!

My house is VERY close to the school. I can walk VERY easily! I am so thankful!!!!

I love the house and the family!!!!!!!! I will be posting some pictures of my room, and hopefully of the rest of the house too. I have my own room, with a big desk, armoire, and a single bed. I have a couple of comfy chairs in here too, and a TV!! There are also a lot of bookshelves filled with their books!! My host mom enjoys painting, and she has a picture in my room that she painted. I will post a picture of it too because it is BEAUTIFUL! She has paintings she has done throughout the house.

I knew that we would get along great, because one of the first things she said to me, in Spanish of course, was, "My refrigerator is your refrigerator." She told me that I was welcome to anything in the kitchen...food, drinks, plates, etc. She showed me around the rest of the house and out to the patio area. They have a large open area where they have some fruits and veggies growing and where they keep some other stuff. (Don't worry, mom, I WILL post pictures.) They also fix up and rent out these apartments next to their house.

She then sat down with me and her son and talked a little bit about some random things. Then she offered to take me for a drive around the city!!! Of course I accepted, and so we did! She took me up on a mountain to a point that overlooks all of San Ramon. It was breathtaking! We drove around for a while and I really enjoyed it! She also told me about a big festival that just started that lasts through the end of the month celebrating the patron saints. Apparently it's a big deal!

We came back and I unpacked. I gave her and her husband the book I bought for them - a book with mainly pictures of all kinds of places and things to see in SC. They liked it. She then got out a bunch of picture albums and showed me pictures of a lot of her family and of the beach. Her family has a small house at the beach with a small pool, and they visit there often during the summer months when the mosquitoes aren't so bad.

A bit of good news - they do have wireless at their house! It just runs a little slow. So far I have figured out that I can only do one thing at a time. GMail and Facebook haven't adjusted to my change of location yet and don't really like to cooperate, so if I am slow responding to anything on either of those I apologize! The blog doesn't give me trouble, and neither does Skype. I will probably keep Skype on. It's easy to use and it seems to be the only thing that works consistently. Then again, I've only been here a few hours. We'll just have to see!!! Seriously though, find me on Skype, and TALK TO ME!!!! My user name is tonya.c.smith.

Well, I was almost done with this post, until my mom invited me to ride with them to go pick up the daughter from a party she was at. We stopped at the big festival downtown to get CHURROS. YUMMMYY!!! Bet you wish you were me right now, don't you mom and dad?!!! The fiesta was really cool. Riding through the town made me think of Anderson for some reason. It seems pretty safe, and size wise, it's probably about the same size as Anderson. There were a lot of people walking around and hanging out in the central area of town....looks like it could be fun to hang out there! I am exhausted or else I would go out there. I have been awake since 3:35 am, after 1 hour of sleep, and then a couple of poor naps on the plane...I am just plum tired, as mom would say! I am probably going to head to bed soon. It's 9:37 at home, but only 7:37 here. So I feel like a fuddy duddy crawling in bed soon, but I am T-I-R-E-D! We have a long day ahead tomorrow. We have orientation at the school and a tour of the school and of the city. Should be fun!

I think that's everything from my day so far. Buenas noches!