Hi everyone! The last couple of days have been really busy. Yesterday we took our first fieldtrip. We did not go to Monteverde as I thought, but we went ziplining through the canopy, and then to el Rio Tarcoles to search for crocodiles. We saw several huge ones (and our guide fed one) along with many tropical birds. It was a lot of fun, and the scenery was beautiful.

My friend Molly and me in our harnesses

Today is the celebration of San Ramon. The last week and a half of the fiesta has been leading up to today, so it was very exciting. The city of San Ramon is divided into many districts, and each district has its own saint. This morning, each district brought a statue of its saint in a parade to the church before a service this afternoon. There were about 100 statues, and each was decorated with flowers. They were beautiful. The inside of the church was also decorated with many flowers. There were thousands of people around the church, along with Mariachi bands and dancers. I'm really glad I got to be here for this celebration!

San Ramon, San Isidro, and the altar

Hey Everyone! So far things have been great here in San Ramon! No surprise that it is beautiful here! I really like the town. It is about an hour away from the capital, so it is cleaner and safer. The buildings are all small and quirky, with tiny shops crammed into them. Right now the festival of St. Ramon is going on (good timing on my part to get here), so there is a lot of activity in the town. There has been a lot of music and dancing and parades and food. It has been a lot of fun!

I really like my host mother, Elvis, and her son Mariano. They have been very welcoming, and I can even carry on a conversation with them in Spanish! They have a nice little house on the top of a hill with a good view of the town. I also love my room. It's small, but very comfortable. The food has been great, and the water is clean so I don't have to worry about drinking it, which is a relief.

Classes started today, and I think they will be interesting, but demanding. I think the Spanish class will really help improve my speaking skills. This weekend I will be going on a fieldtrip to Monteverde this weekend, so I will let everyone know how it is!

Leaving soon!

Well, I'm actually feeling somewhat prepared for my trip..... I've been running around doing a lot of errands, but I think I have pretty much everything I will need. Now I just need to pack. When I write again, however, I will be in Costa Rica! Exciting! Oh, and I found out my host family. I will be living with a woman and her son. Hopefully we will all get along.

Location

For those of you who are wondering where San Ramon is, here's a map. It is a couple of hours northwest of the capital, San Jose, and another hour or two away from Puntarenas, on the Pacific Coast.

Getting Started....

Hi everyone! I'm in the process of getting my blog set up. I want to get this situated before I leave, which is in ten days! I still have a lot to do.....