Our fist day at the LASP center went really well! Like yesterday, I woke up around 6:30, had breakfast with Monica and mamá and then Monica walked me to LASP, which is only about 10 minutes from our home! We took one of the dogs with us and ran into another student on our way, so it was a pretty eventful walk. The weather here is beautiful, and I'm sure I will be very spoiled by the sunshine and rainbows (which fill the sky nearly every morning) by the time this trip is over.
I arrived at LASP a few minutes late, so the room was mostly full, but I was happy to find that Megan had saved me a seat next to her. We spend most of the day talking more about our families, culture shock, and safety in San Jose. Two members of the “Costa Rican FBI” came to share with us about safety. They both spoke in Spanish while one of our professors translated. I could understand a lot of the Spanish, but listening to them also made me realize how patient everyone around me is being with my Spanish skills. All of the people I have directly talked to have been so considerate, slowing down their speech and explaining things very simply when I don't understand. I can't wait until I am able to easily understand people who don't have to be so careful around me.
The presentation on safety was mostly a review, and it has been helpful to learn a few strategies for staying safe in the city. The biggest thing is to stay in groups and not carry more than you need. Both suggestions seem pretty manageable to me and I feel pretty safe in my neighborhood. After the presentations, we had lunch, broke off into our concentrations (mine is Latin American Studies), and played a few games. Today we also talked about the seminar class we will all be taking, signed up for position paper topics (mine is US-Guatemala relations), and looked over our schedule for the semester. We will be staying here in San Jose for 5 more weeks, until February 21 when we leave to stay in Nicaragua until March 3. Immediately after this trip we will have a spring break and then our concentrations begin on the 8th of March. It looks like my internship starts on March 21 and will consist of living with another host family for about 4 weeks. I'm not exactly sure what the last week of my time here will be like, but I'm excited to experience a Latin American Easter. I can't wait to dive in! The LASP staff gave us packets of reading material and it all looks so interesting. I'm excited for the discussions, research, and adventures I will be participating in soon!
At some point today the rest of my luggage arrived, and I am very relieved to have all of my things with me now. A few liquids exploded during the trip, but in all having my stuff is very comforting. After class ended around 3:30, Trevor (one of the LASP professors) drove me and my mamá home with my suitcase and I unpacked my bag. It took quite a while to find places for everything, but I'm happy to say its done! Monica had a doctor's appointment today (she has been having problems with her arm), so after I finished unpacking I had some downtime during which I organized and wrote this. I'm not sure what the rest of tonight has in store, but I am looking forward to learning how to make tortillas tomorrow!
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