a different life

It goes without saying that living here is quite a bit different than living back home in South Carolina.

I want to highlight some of the differences below. Keep in mind that these are my observations, and they may be subject to personal bias. These characteristics may not be typical of all areas of Costa Rica.

• Humidity - This is probably been one of the hardest things for me to adjust to. South Carolina is pretty humid yearround, especially in Charleston! But let me tell you, you have NEVER experienced real humidity until you have been to Costa Rica. On really sunny days, it's not quite so bad. But most days here right now, since we are in the rainy season, there is a constant cloud cover, making you feel almost like you are smothering sometimes. It also makes you sweat worse, and it's difficult for things to dry. For example, last week during a break in class I had some water to drink, and since I am clumsy and unable to eat or drink anything without having some sort of remnants of it on me somewhere, I spilled some water on my shirt. Over an hour later, my shirt STILL was not dry. Crazy, huh? Also, the humidity makes it difficult for my hair to be anything but crazy. I prefer to let it air dry, and unfortunately it could take the whole day to do that here. It also makes my hair really frizzy on occasions when I dry it and TRY to straighten it.
• Bugs - They are everywhere. Lots of small little tiny ones that you can't see, but that have big teeth for sure. You can't feel them biting you until a few minutes later when your arm starts itching, and sure enough you look only to discover that you were some tiny little creature's breakfast. There's just no way out of this situation. You just have to grin and bear it. Their ventilation here is dependent on open windows, which stay open 24/7. This also doesn't help the bug issue. Speaking of A/C....
• Air conditioning - Not common here at all. Some hotels on beaches have it, but really it's not necessary here. The climate doesn't change too too much year round. There are never periods of extreme cold, and keeping the windows open makes the heat bearable. Varying the amount and thickness of the clothing you wear also helps you adjust to this. I am hot-natured anyway, so sometimes it would be nice to have A/C, especially in the mornings when the sun is coming up and is warming everything up!
• Toilet paper - Though the water here is potable, thank goodness, systems here still cannot handle toilet paper. All TP has to be thrown in the trash can instead. It's really not bad once you get used to it, even though I've been flushing toilet paper all of my life.
• Coffee - The Costa Rican depends heavily on this precious gem, and so do I. The coffee here is IMPECCABLE, better, in my opinion, than coffee in the US. It doesn't burn doing down your throat, and it sits well in your stomach. Sometimes coffee back home is too strong or is just weird, and it makes me jittery or makes me feel sick. But the coffee here does NOT. I'm sure there are some brands that would do this to you here, but none that I have had so far. Drinking coffee is like drinking water, and sometimes here I think I drink more coffee than I do water.
• Noise - It's noisy here, moreso than back home. It's noisy at 6:30 am, and if the sun or my alarm clock has not woken me up by 6:30, then the noise surely will. I'm not sure why the noise is so. People do beep their horns a lot more here, not as a rude gesture but more like a greeting to other drivers while you are driving. There is construction going on around town. There's also a daycare across the street to my house, which GREATLY contributes to the noise factor. There are a LOT of dogs here, and their barking always contributes to the noise.
• Dogs - Speaking of dogs, they are EVERYWHERE. And most of them are stray. Dogs walk in and out of places since doors to everywhere usually are open here. Dogs have walked in and out of my classes here before, and the teachers who are from here just ignore it because they are used to it. It's perfectly normal here. This may sound strange to you. Yet NONE of the dogs I have encountered so far are violent. None. Does our restraining them so much in the US perhaps make them behave more ferociously? Hm....
• Health care - I haven't learned too much about this yet here, and I am looking forward to the chance to do that with my internship. They do have a universal system of care though, and doctor visits for anything are SO CHEAP here. My host mother had to get some cancerous spots removed on her hands, arm, and leg, and for the consultation AND the biopsies, they paid a flat $60. Yes, $60. No interest, no payments. My host parents have told me that ANYONE here can get any procedure they need! Isn't that great? One of my aunts here had breast cancer and had to have her breasts removed. She is currently in the process of reconstructive surgeries and it's crazy how inexpensive yet how GOOD the surgeries are.
• Clothes - I'm going to do a whole separate post on this, because it's very interesting to note the differences in styles here and in the US. I will say, though, that I miss having all of my clothes. I'm learning how much I really do need and how much I can live without, and it's been humbling and and good for me so far.