Orientation in San Jose

I arrived to Costa Rica at 7AM after my overnight flight and I was exhausted! I shared a cab with 3 other students to get to the hotel, checked in, ate breakfast, and crashed for a very satisfying nap. Around noon, I woke up to the arrival of other students, and went out to get lunch with them.

My first meal in Costa Rica! Arroz con camarones

Afterwards, I went to the nearby park with a group and chased this cute family of ducks around on a pedal boat. They were so cute! The park also had horseback riding, but I felt bad for them since they looked so sad and dejected. The rest of the evening was spent talking and getting to know other people. We ate dinner at a relatively fancy restaurant and spent the rest of the night enjoying our free time.

The program started officially with the 2-day orientation, which included introductions, paperwork, lectures from each instructor, a visit to the market, a swim test, and our fruit assignment. We were assigned a fruit to buy to share with the class and present its natural history. My fruit was the maracuyá, passionfruit! After I ate lunch and explored the artisan market with my dear friend Isabel, I came back for the fruit presentations. We had such a great feast of fruits! The group's favorite was definitely guanabana, an amazing soursop that was incredibly addicting. The final night in San Jose was dedicated to lectures and preparing for tomorrow's departure. Adventure is in store!