Arroz y Frijoles

Well hello!

I am in San Ramon now by the way. I have a new family, new classes, and lots of new Costa Rican friends. It’s only been a couple of days, but I have already learned a lot about Costa Rica and the “Ticos” that live here.

Here are some super neato fun facts:

1) People here are muy muy friendly! Whenever you meet someone new, they will give you a “beso en la mejilla” (a kiss on the cheek) and un “abrazo” (a hug). In other words, there is not much personal space here! That is good for me. As a notorious invader of personal bubbles, I feel at home.

2) Ticos like to drink coffee. A lot. It is freaking amazing.

3) They also like to drink alcohol. A lot. Maybe not so good for me haha.

4) Everyone here wears Hollister. Everyone. They have no idea that Hollister is actually a tiny hick town where the High School mascot is a freaking Hay-Bailer.

5) Life here is much slower than in California. People like to take their time eating, enjoying life and hanging out with their friends. They live by “Tico time”, meaning they show up at least 20 minutes late for everything.

6) Costa Rica is a place where umbrellas are a necessary fashion statement. It rains here almost every day. Actually, the word “rain” is a misnomer. The sky basically pukes water until streets turn into rivers and hills become mud slides. My tiny San Diego umbrella is no match for sky vomit. I end up getting soaked a lot.

Hasta luego, amigos! I will write more soon!

Here's to Red Eye Flights and Denny's Coffee

I have arrived.

Day one in Costa Rica.

So far I have had two experiences: 1) taking a taxi to Denny's 2) sitting in Denny's writing emails and sipping unlimited coffee.

I'm sorry if that sounds lame. It kind of feels lame too. But I guess beginnings aren't always as glamorous as you want them to be. I am getting picked up by a bus at 1:00 pm. That means I have four more hours to drink coffee and kill time before things start to get interesting.

P.S. Costa Rica is about 10 years behind in the music scene. So far the soundtack to my Denny's adventure has consisted of Brittney Spears, Christina Aguillera, and "Give it to me baby, uh huh uh huh". Oh the culture shock....

P.P.S. The view outside my airplane window this morning revealed an incredibally gorgeous country. Everything is alive with vibrancy and color. Rust red rivers meander through emerald hills, ending unceremoniously into a glassy sea. Bulbous white clouds pose gracfully against a flattering backdrop of smog-free sky. I'm definitely not in Southern California anymore!

Take One:

Disclaimer: if this attempt to record my experiences trips on the first crack of life’s sidewalk and falls flat on its face, please don’t judge me too harshly. Let it be remembered that I am not an English major, I have never kept a blog, and I own several pathetically uncompleted diaries sulking in the dresser drawers and dusty cardboard boxes of my childhood home. That being said, I do love to write; and I promise I will get myself into a wide variety of awkward, embarrassing, and possibly hilarious situations that you might enjoy reading about (if only for the purpose of mocking my pathetic life).

So. Eight more days of American life. Eight. That is a small number. In characteristic Kelsey Luoma fashion, I have barely started getting ready for this trip. I think I remember getting a packing list in the mail at some point, but I honestly could not tell you where it is (probably stuffed in a box somewhere collecting dust and wasting away in inanimate sorrow). I would feel guilty about the heinous procrastination that is just now starting to inject burning panic into my veins, but honestly the past three months of my life have allowed for little else. This summer has been a hurricane of intense life experiences: working full time, living away from home for the first time, training for (and subsequently running) a marathon, taking an EMT course, exploring the Western United States on an epic road trip, and, of course, getting ready for Costa Rica. Insane? Ridiculous? Stupid? Probably. Well, what can you do? That’s life- or my life anyway: a hectic flurry of experiences fueled by prayer and caffeine. Again, please don’t judge. Only Jesus is supposed to do that. Also, caffeine is good for you, I promise.

Well, I guess you will be hearing from me again soon! Peace out blog friends.

P.S. Today I met Helberth, my new Costa Rican home stay brother, on Facebook. Also, I learned how to laugh in Spanish: “Jajajajaja” or, if the joke is really
hilarious, “jejejejeje”.