Nightmare in the Air

Okay, so the nightmare is not actually IN the air, but at the airports inbetween. This story begins 29 1/2 hours ago in San Jose, Costa Rica, where I boarded a small bus with a few of my classmates and was taken to the San Jose airport, where occurred Problem 1: when I went to check my bag, it weighed 14 pounds too much and rather than pay $100 for the extra weight, I sat down in front of the counter and started digging through my luggage removing the heaviest things. I got the bag down to 50 pounds, but gained an extra carry-on bag that was definitely not meant for extended use. The handles keep ripping, so I retie them. They've gotten gradually shorter and shorter until now they're just big enough to hold on to.  Problem 1 solved. My flight didn't actually leave for another 5 or so hours, so I curled up on a bench hugging my two bags and slept on and off for two hours. I bought a cinnamon roll (a cinnamon roll from La Canela costs about 70 cents, but a cinnamon roll from an airport Cinnabon costs $6. :p), then got up to walk around and met some friends from school that I spent an hour or so with before my flight was to leave. I was waiting at my gate, but it was getting REALLY close to departure time and we hadn't started boarding, so I double checked with the attendant and discovered Problem 2: my flight had changed gates. I frantically speed-walked across the airport (luckily, it's a small one) and managed to get to my flight in time. Whew! Problem 2 solved. The flight went well enough and we landed in Miami and began the process of Passport Check and Customs. There were a billion zillion people, few of which knew exactly where to go. I waited and waited in line, and by the time I was accepted into the United States, I encountered Problem 3: my flight for Denver had departed. I waited in another long line and was able to get my flight re-booked. Problem 3 solved. And on to Problem 4: my next flight, from Denver to Salt Lake, was with another airline and with my new itinerary, I was not going to make it in time. I tried calling the airline, but the automated man-voice just referred me to their website, which was of no use to me as I do not have a laptop. So I flew to New Orleans and spent 5 hours writing in my journal, reading, and attempting to sleep on two chairs in the drafty airport. I had pancakes for breakfast, went through security, and got on a flight for Dallas/Ft. Worth. Once there I had just enough time to catch my flight to Denver. Once in Denver, I went to the ticket counter and was so lucky because there was a flight leaving within the next hour and one seat had just opened up. Problem 4 solved. I was so relieved and I went through a very long security line and made it to my gate. My watch showed I had a few more minutes, so I quickly visited the restroom. BUT (Problem 5) when I handed my boarding pass to the man at the gate, he looked at me oddly and said, "you just missed it." He pointed out the window at the airplane sitting right there, not moving, but with the door shut. My watch was slow. At this point I had been traveling for 28 hours and away from home for over a month. Until now I had been slightly stressed, but okay. But when I realized I had missed my plane home by just a few minutes and I didn't know how long I would have to wait to catch another one, I started crying. I was embarrassed because the lady behind the counter probably thought I was being a big baby, but she was super-nice and gave me some tissues and a bottle of water and told me it was going to be okay. She turned out to be right; she was able to book me on a flight that left only an hour and a half later. Problem 5 solved. So here I am at my gate, very ready to be home. I made it through more than a day of travel, from San Jose to Miami to New Orleans to Dallas to Denver and unless, heaven forbid, something else goes wrong, I should be back in Salt Lake City within 2 hours.

My last night

It´s my last night in Costa Rica! I am going to miss this place, my friends, and my host family, but I´m super-excited to see my family and kitties. I have a lot to write about, but I really need to go to sleep, so I´m going to have to do it later. Love you all!

Buena Vista Lodge

   A few hours ago we returned from a weekend at Buena Vista Lodge. We did a lot of fun things there, including: horseback riding

hot springs, including mud bath

super-fast quarter-mile-long water slide

stroll on the hanging bridges (just me, Chelsea, and Robert)

during which we had the remarkable opportunity to observe some curious monkeys, up close and personal

(I´m sorry, I filmed these sideways and until I figure out if I can rotate them and how, you´ll just have to crick your neck for a minute or two. But trust me, it´s worth it)

   I should totally be in bed, but I won´t have much time this weekend and wanted to update. Earlier this week we went to the Children´s Museum, Costa Rica-style. There were a TON of kids and a TON of stuff to look at. We walked around for two hours and didn´t see everything. My favorite part was the dental health section, including the most awesome cartoon starring kids armed with loaded toothbrushes fighting little plaque monsters. I laughed and laughed.

Alphabet mosaics outside the museum

   The next evening after class, we went to the movie theater. We were lucky that our "mom" arrived early to buy us tickets, because there were a zillion people and everything sold out until 9:00. We (Adriana, Maria, Fernando, Chelsea, and I) saw Cars II 3D! It was fun, but I wish I´d understood more of what they said.

   Today I told Emily from Baltimore that what she calls "lollipops" we call "suckers." She thought that was pretty funny.

Four Hours in Eden

On Saturday we bisited a place called Tabacón a.k.a. Paradise. It`s a resort with hot springs up by the Arenal volcano. I will never be able to express its beauty, whether in words or pictures, but I`ll give it a shot. It`s basically a gigantic network of pools, rivers, and waterfalls - all super-HOT. There are tropical flowers and trees EVERYWHERE and so many different pools that it is not crowded. Sometimes it feels like you`re in your own private jungle, Swiss Family Robinson-style. We had about four hours to lounge, climb waterfalls, and do whatever.We were treated to a luxury buffet before heading home.

Sunday we had a free day and were able to go to church. Sacrament meeting was first and I bore my testimony very basically in Spanish. I`m sure it was rife with mistakes, but Elder Scheffler from Ogden told me that the congregation understood. He ALSO told me not to use tú in Costa Rica. For anyone who doesn`t know, in Spanish there are two pronouns for `you,´ the formal usted and less-formal tú. In school I`ve gotten used to using the tú form, but Elder Scheffler told me that in Costa Rica, tú is not used and is sometimes considered offensive. I wish he`d have told me that two weeks ago! Hopefully I haven`t offended too many people.

This lady was always smiling...until we asked to take a picture.

Later in the day Chelsea and I had a little picnic in her room while watching Disney Pixar movies in Spanish and doing art projects. Chelsea drew a great picture of our sister Maria José and I colored it.
I am sad to be missing the 4th of July parade & fireworks with friends and family. Love you all!

Mi vida bien

Hola from Central America! Things are going really well for me. We´ve been having a lot of fun in grammar class lately. Our teacher Jorge is really fun and we´ve played some fun games. And I just used the word ´fun´ three times. I just can´t think of another word to describe it! The girls in my class are...well, fun and I like them. There is usually one boy in our class, but he hurt himself playing volleyball at Punta Leona and has been staying home all week. So we are Las Chicas de Jorge. Argh, I just remembered that I have to give a presentation in class tomorrow. Suddenly the class seems less fun.

  For conversation class on Wednesday, we went to el Museo de Jade – as in the stone – in San Jose. It was interesting, though a lot of the same thing. Hundreds of little jade carvings that, while amazing, all look pretty much the same to me. Then today all the Weber students went to the National Museum where we saw artifacts/furniture from Pre-Columbian as well as Colonial times. The morning field trips make it even harder for me to stay awake in class.

  Before the National Museum, Chelsea and I went to the street market. I´ve been told never to buy anything in Costa Rica without trying to haggle the price down, but my upbringing makes that hard for me to do because it seems so RUDE. I tried to haggle with the first lady I bought from today and she just looked at me and said, “no,” and that was the end of my haggling for the day. Good news: I found some earrings almost exactly like the freebies Chelsea got on her first day. I feel like I´m spending a ton of money, but 10,000 colones is really only about twenty bucks. I like it when I have my money in coins because I feel totally rich. The bus costs a little over a dollar a day and a typical meal is five or six dollars. We go to the movies every Wednesday because it´s 2 for 1, which is about two dollars apiece! Last week we saw X-Men (Spanish with English subtitles) and last night we saw Kung Fu Panda II (Spanish).  The theater is at the mall, which is smallish, but 5 or 6 stories. Each store could fit inside a store at Layton Hills at least twice, which means there are many many stores and they´re all packed in close.

  ATTENTION FAMILY: Can you think of anything specific that you would like as a gift?

Punta Leona

This last weekend was spent at the beautiful resort Punta Leona. The best parts:
-a hot shower
-three meals at a luscious buffet (my favorite thing was the rice pudding. I had at least 5 bowls)
-beautiful beaches Playa Mantas and Playa Blanca
-the warm Pacific Ocean
-Total Eclipse of the Heart karaoke with Chelsea
-collecting seashells for over an hour (we found some amazing stuff)
-watching a butterfly hatch

Now it´s back to the daily grind. Today I was so tired, I struggled to stay awake through 2/3 of class. But it was totally worth it.

Un día bueno

Today was definitely my best day in Costa Rica so far! I felt much more confident in class, and we played several fun games. I helped my team win at Guesstures with a word I learned when I played Drawn: The Painted Tower in Spanish. And they say computer games are a waste of time...psh!
After class we went to a bookstore and I bought Sleeping Beauty and, roughly translated, The Great Dance of the Caricaco (I can´t find an equivalent for this word) and other stories of Costa Rica. Then I bought an umbrella and a super-great watch made of coconut wood at a small shop called El Punto. On the bus-ride home we talked to some cool guys from Weber and we´re friends now. At home I talked with my family, had a yummy dinner, then had a good long talk with Chelsea - I feel really lucky that I like my roommate so much. Overall it was just a great day. I hope tomorrow is just as good.
Menu del día:
Breakfast: rice & beans, a banana, and toast with this delicious pineapple jelly they have here
Lunch: spaghetti with tomato sauce, corn soup, and juice
Dinner: Chop Suey with a kind of vegetable on top that I´d never heard of, but liked

P.S. Happy birthday Erica! I love you!



Me with my Mama Tica & Onyx ----->

I´m in the "Internet Room" at ILISA. I don´t have conversation class today, but Chelsea does, so I came with her. My teacher for conversation class is Alejandro Delgado (skinny) Cortés (courteous) and his name describes him very well. My conversation class is 2 hours Monday & 2 hours Wednesday. Grammar class is 4 hours Mon - Fri. I like it well enough, but it is SO LONG. It´s been a long time since I´ve had to sit in class for that long. The teacher is Jorge, who is great and reminds me of Carlton from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. I am lucky that I like both my teachers or the days would seem even longer.
Yesterday after class, Chelsea and I walked to the mall and had personal pan pizzas at Pizza Hut. We looked through some shops, of which there are at least a hundred. It is more crowded than the malls I´m used to. There are stores everywhere and they are all very small. We went to the movie theater, which is part of the mall and has theaters on each level. When we handed our ticket to the attendant, he couldn´t resist teasing the gringas & pretended he wouldn´t let us in. But only for a second. We didn´t realize that the theaters would be so small; we were on time, but had to sit on the second row. We saw X-Men: la primera generación (in English with Spanish subtitles) and it is so great! We´d seen it before, but both love superhero movies, so it was fun. By the time the movie let out, the buses were no longer running, so we had to take a taxi. We were nervous, but all went well and we got home safely. Both taxis I have ridden in while in Costa Rica have had the radio playing way loud, even when the driver is trying to talk to you. It´s not very relaxing. The city is noisy and crowded. There are gates and barbed wire in front of every house, but lots of plants and colors, so it´s still pretty. I intend to get some pictures up here soon, so you can see what I mean.

Too much school

I have survived two days of school. Chelsea and I even got to the school and back by ourselves today without getting lost, though while we were getting off the bus after class, I missed a step or something and went flying across the sidewalk into Chelsea; there were two dozen people on the bus that got quite a kick out of it. :p
I´m in class four to six hours a day now, and it is difficult. I´m used to being able to listen with half my brain and relax with the other half, but when the teacher is speaking en español, I have to concentrate every second and even then I don´t understand it all.

I made it! (Sorry this is so long)

   Hola everyone! I am safe and sound in Costa Rica. The weather is gorgeous, my host family is wonderful, my roommate is great, and best of all, my host family has two dogs and four cats!! I´m very happy with that. But first, a synopsis of my journey here:

   I was booked on a flight to Denver Friday June 17 at 7:39 pm. I arrived at the Salt Lake City airport around 6:30 and got in line to check in. But alas. The computers had just crashed. ALL of United Airlines´ computers, around the world, had crashed. It was originally referred to as a "hiccup", then a glitch, and overall a disaster (that last one is my contribution). We waited in line while being repeatedly assured that they were doing everything they could to get the computers back online. 8:00. 9:00: the plane arrives. 9:30: the plane departs. For security reasons, whatever that means. We´re told to go home and try to book the next flight in the morning. Problem: my next flight is NOT United, and leaves from Denver in 10 hours. I was afraid I was going to have to drive through the night, but I found a flight the next morning scheduled to arrive in Denver 20 minutes before the next one leaves. So I pray, and book the flight. I had to pay more than double my original ticket price because the only thing left was business class (for a 1 1/2 hour flight, whoopee). After a few hours of sleep, my mom took me back to the airport. During check-in, the attendant had to call and override something because normally I guess they will not book you a flight that close to your connecting flight. Business class turned out to be a blessing because a) I was able to walk right to the front of the security line and b) I was one of the first off the plane in Denver. Luckily I was seated by a pilot who directed me where to go in the huge Denver airport. And I made it! Such a relief. I was off to Miami, then to Costa Rica. Both flights were 3 hours, but it seemed too short to me because I was nervous to arrive. But arrive I did.
   I was thankful to find my luggage because I was told it likely would get lost. A little mix-up and I got through customs and came to the madhouse outside the airport. I stood and searched through all the people and taxis searching for a sign with my name on it, but no. So I waited. I was trying my best to look confident and not victim-like, but an American guy saw through my facade and asked if I needed anything. He was really nice and assured me I was in the right spot and I was safe. Eventually a guy who I think worked with the airport called the contact number I gave him and I found out that there was some problem and I needed to go in another taxi. So I did, but the whole time I was thinking of the movie Taken and hoping I didn´t walk right into a kidnapping ring. The taxi driver didn´t speak English and after driving for 10 or 15 minutes, he suddenly pulled over for no apparent reason. I sat there while he talked on the phone, got out of the car, talked on another phone, and finally came back and told me in simple-enough Spanish for me to understand that Hellen (the lady in charge) was on her way to get me. Whew! We followed Hellen to the house of my host family the Pachecos and the nightmare was over (not that I was comfortable, because now I had to meet new people in a language I barely knew).
   I met 12-year-old Maria Pacheco, who was very nice to me. We went to a small flute concert that her mother Adriana (who is even nicer) was playing in. I enjoyed the music and mingled, sort of. We walked home and I got a tour. We ate dinner (fish, rice, and salad). The study abroad program was supposed to report my eating habits to my family, but failed (grrr) and the Pachecos seem a bit dismayed that I don´t usually eat meat. I met Maria´s 15-year-old brother Fernando, who listens to heavy metal Christian rock, which makes me smile. I took a shower; there was not a lot of hot water, which will be challenging for me. I have my own room and got a decent night´s sleep. I intended to wake up early, eat breakfast, and go with the family to an outdoor concert that sounded way fun, but surprise surprise - I slept in. :( I was awakened by my newly arrived roommate (housemate?). Her name is Chelsea, she is also from Kaysville, and I like her.
   I quickly got dressed and Adriana (Mama Pacheco) walked us to the nearest LDS church, about 10 minutes away. We met Elder Scheffl...uh, Elder S, who is from Ogden and his companion from El Salvador. We had missed most of the block, but were able to sit in for the last half hour of Relief Society. Honestly, I understood almost nothing, but the Spirit is the real teacher, right? The ladies were SO nice and we got multiple hugs and kisses. A lady in front of me was wearing these cool ceramic turtle earrings and I figured out how to compliment them in Spanish. But Chelsea beat me to it, and lo and behold, the earrings now belong to Chelsea. Can you believe it? It rained torrentially while we were in R.S., but luckily let up before we walked home because neither of us have umbrellas yet. Apparently we need special Costa Rican umbrellas, much superior to wimpy U.S. umbrellas. Sidenote: Adriana and Fernando just came hurtling past me because a sudden rainstorm is threatening their drying laundry. :)
   Wow, this is so long. If you´re still reading, congratulations on your endurance; I´ll try to keep them shorter in the future. Thanks! I love you friends and family!

Pre-trip Feelings

I'm nervous. I'm nervous about the language, making friends, classes, bonding with my host family, my sleep...off the top of my head.

I'm excited. I'm excited about the food, the scenery, the excursions, bonding with my host family, and making friends.

But mostly I'm nervous. I'd rather learn to swim BEFORE I get thrown in the lake, if you can see that analogy. I know that's illogical, but it's how I feel, and my feelings are nothing if not illogical.