As a method to further procrastinate the finishing of my paper/ presentation, I decided that now is a perfect time to blog. :) My time in Costa Rica is coming to an end so quickly, and I definitely have mixed feelings about it. I love so many things about this country, but there are also some things that I will be happy to leave behind when I return on Friday. So, I think a list would be the best way to cover everything. I'll start with the things I won't miss and finish with the things that I will miss as to leave on a happy note. :)
Things I will not miss about Costa Rica:
1. The bugs...I feel like every five minutes I see a new bug in my room. Most of the time, I just kind of ignore them...unless they're big freaky ones like the flying beetle the size of a quarter that was in my room last night.
2. Not being able to throw my toilet paper in the toilet...It's just not sanitary. After being in Guatemala, I adjusted to this much more quickly than others in my group...Let's just say that some toilets were clogged in the first few weeks.
3. The rain...I know it's a tropical country, and I know that it's rainy season...but come on.
4. Getting dark at 6pm...again, it's winter. The biggest problem with this is that I don't feel comfortable walking back to my house in the dark.
5. Tico Time...It's kind of charming when you first get here..."Oh, they're late. Those darn Ticos...(insert laughter)." But, after a month, waiting around gets pretty old.
6. Being stared at. I've already explained my feelings about this in an earlier post.
7. The lack of addresses... So the "address" of my house is : From the Musmanni in Santa Lucia, 50 meters north, 50 meters west, and 25 meters south, fourth house on the right side with a red door.
And I'm completely serious. For this reason, there are no mailboxes. If one wants to get mail, you have to have a PO Box. The streets don't have names... at. all. and a GPS is completely useless because 95% of the roads are not in the system.
8. The constant sound of dogs and car alarms...The people here know what kind of car it is just by the alarm.
Things I will miss about Costa Rica:
1. All the great people I've met here...This includes both my Tica family and the friends I've made through the program. It does not feel like I came here 5 weeks ago knowing nobody.
2. The beauty of this country...I've came here expecting to see some pretty beaches, but I was not prepared for how gorgeous this country is. I could look at those mountains every day for the rest of my life and never stop being astounded.
3. The ease of travel.... In the past 5 weeks, I have been to all seven of the provinces of Costa Rica! All for a considerably small amount of money. You can get anywhere you want to go in the entire country for under 8 dollars. Also, there are cheap decent hostels everywhere. I haven't spent over $12 for a night...and the cheapest I spent was $6!
4. The food...I am super lucky to have a host grandmother that is an amazing cook...I've talked to some of my friends who are given butter sandwiches for lunch almost every day. ew. I really do love the Costa Rican food...It mostly consists of vegetables, fruits, rice, beans, and occasionally a meat...The only downside is that there are onions in almost everything. It's fine in my host house, because she just leaves them out. The problem I've encountered is in restaurants. I always ask for no onions, and only once have they brought out my food without onions. And it's not because I'm asking incorrectly...They always repeat, "sin cebollas." Oh well.
5. Speaking Spanish...I've gone through several phases in my life of which language I liked better... French or Spanish. When I was a kid, I always wanted to know french...Then, I went to Guatemala and got on a Spanish kick. High School came along, and because of a less than wonderful Spanish teacher, I decided to take French and have been in love with it ever since. I've really only been taking Spanish because I feel like I NEED to learn it. Now, however, I actually enjoy speaking and learning Spanish. It definitely has not replaced French as my favorite, but it's no longer a chore to speak. I have to say, though, I'm missing French. Every time I struggle trying to say something in Spanish, there's a little voice in the back of my head that's saying, "If this were French, everything would be so much easier."
6. My host mom doing my laundry for me. This one is pretty simple... I hate doing laundry. :)
7. The beaches...of course. They're simply breathtaking.
8. The possibility of seeing wildlife everywhere you go. It's just exciting to know that you could see a monkey in the tree next to you...There aren't many in the cities, but in the country, you're going to see wildlife whether you want to or not.
Anyway, that's my list. I have about 4.5 days left in this amazing country. I have to finish this paper/ presentation, and my final exam is Wednesday! So close!
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