June 2nd, 5:00 pm: As I sat at my grandparent's dinner table with an array of American summer food staples like macaroni salad, grilled steak, and watermelon, I could hardly focus on conversations about my sibling's summer plans. My own would be starting in less than 12 hours. Or so I thought.
June 2nd, 6:00 pm: "Notification: Your flight from OMA to DFW has been canceled. We are working on rescheduling you. Check back soon." And just like that, my adventure has been postponed. After a quick text to my coordinator Rebecca, I realized that there was absolutely nothing I could do to change the situation. I would have to wait until the travel agency could rebook me. In the meantime, I decided to make the most of my extra day at home.
June 2nd, 8:00 pm: The back patio was illuminated by a string of Edison lights, made even brighter by the laughs of my closest high school friends and families. Though I was not expecting a going away party, that's exactly what I got. As I settled into my patio chair, I couldn't help but think that my eagerness to leave kept me from fully experiencing the two weeks I had at home. So, I powered my phone off for the night and enjoyed my bonus summer evening in Pender.
June 3rd, 11:00 am: What better way to spend a free day than eating scotcheroos and golfing? After an outing with Grandma Sharry, I came home to bake a sweet treat with my little sister. A little sugar was imperative to keep me awake during the drive to Omaha that evening.
June 3rd, 8:00 pm: My giant lilac suitcases and overflowing carry-on backpack were loaded into the backseat of my microscopic Mazda for the second time. I hugged both my siblings goodbye, again, and promised my dad that I would be safe, again. As the summer sun set on the fields surrounding my home, I paused to take a mental picture. I didn't know what my new apartment in San Jose would look like, but I had a suspicion that the cornfields I had grown up with would soon be replaced by concrete.
June 4th, 3:00 am: As a pre-law major, I love a good rule, and getting to the airport two hours early is no exception. With my hair in the messiest of messy buns and my passport in hand, I made my way to the American Airlines ticketing desk to check in.
The line to check bags at the Omaha airport.
June 4th, 5:00 am: One of the first things I plan on doing when I am back in the United States is petitioning the Omaha airport to open their coffee shop in Terminal A at 4:00 am. Boarding a flight with no caffeine in your system is criminal. Despite my lack of brain function, I made it onto the plane.
June 4th, 7:30 am: Maybe the lack of caffeine was not bad after all. I did sleep the entire flight. After landing in Houston, I got myself a large cold brew (thank God everything is bigger in Texas) I could find and started to work on the previous blog post. After a while, I got some steps in by walking up and down the terminal. I persevered despite the bible and LSAT prep book in my backpack. So much for packing lightly...
June 4th, 11:30 am: After yet another delay, we finally began boarding our plane for San Jose.
June 4th, 2:30 pm: After an extended period of time at the baggage claim, my bags were deposited on the belt in the city of Alajuela. I wrestled my two massive suitcases outside where Luis Carlos and Silvia were waiting Shywann, the other intern, was already in our IICA van ready to go. To make the two-hour drive ahead of us more pleasant, we decided to stop for lunch at Rosti's, a restaurant chain in Alajuela that serves chicken. I would have included a picture of my first meal in Costa Rica, but I was too hungry to wait. The chicken fajitas were very yummy!
A view of the sprawling city from a side street near our apartment.
June 4th, 6:00 pm: Our arrival marked the beginning of the rainy season here in the mountains. Armed with umbrellas to beat the pouring rain, we dashed into our apartment in the San Jose province. Our place is roughly 5 kilometers (3 miles, or a 12-minute Uber ride) from IICA headquarters. Felipe, our neighbor's grandson, greeted us with a warm smile and plenty of jokes.
My cozy room is complete with a colorful bedspread and matching curtains, a small desk, and a lounge chair. The closet has just enough hangers to store all of my clothes.
June 4th, 7:00 pm: After unpacking and rearranging our rooms, Felipe offered to take us grocery shopping at one of his favorite supermarkets, Masxmenos. His younger brother Miguel accompanied us on our journey. They warned us that everything there was muy carro (very expensive), so we decided to pick up a few pantry staples. The brothers encouraged us to pick up a small bag of their favorite snack, Meneitos. They are very similar to Cheeto puffs in the United States!
On the drive, we learned that like Shywann and I, Felipe wants to study law. He is taking classes for his first year of university right now. Miguel's favorite artist is Frank Sinatra. We listened to My Way on repeat as Felipe navigated the narrow and waterlogged streets of San Jose at night.
A short clip of our trip to the supermarket.
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