Domingo y mi primer día de clase!

Yesterday I woke up and had breakfast with the family. Usually its hard to have a lot of people to come together at the breakfast table because schedules are so different but Mama Ana, her daughter, her daughters boyfriend, and her niece were all there! It was so nice to sit and talk to everyone. Mama Ana asked me if I wanted to go to church with the family. She told me later that in all her 5 years of hosting students, she has never invited one to go to church but she said I am a very open person (haha I probably talk to much) because I talk about going to Michaels church, my sisters church, and always trying new things. So she invited me to go. I was nervous because the family is Catholic so I didn't know what to do and when if its all in Spanish. In English, I understand what to do, but Spanish is a different story. To my surprise, only the host father Roberto goes to a real Catholic church. But the rest of the family goes to a church like 5 stones, or Southbrook, very contemporary! It was awesome! It was outdoors but under a tent. The church is very new so they have church under a huge tent and they are building walls around the tent. It is so nice to be at church and have a cool breeze blowing on you constantly. After church everyone stays around and talks and there is a little ice cream stand! It is sooo cute! My brother Fabian bought me a strawberry ice cream on a stick. These things don't have artificial colors or preservatives, I love Costa Rica! I learned from Mama Ana that she now attends this church but it is not common at all for Costa Ricans to go to a contemporary church. She was so happy I liked it. When I got home and ate lunch, I decided to go to the mall to find a cell phone. Its about a mile walk from my house and I can't figure out the bus system to save my life (I don't even know where the bus stop is) so I just say whatever and walk everywhere. The mall Paseo de las Flores was massive I couldn't find anything! I found a cell phone store and bought a number and minutes (about $5 and you have to show your passport to get it) and I was like um ok what about the phone and he had one but it was like $120, I was like no way. So basically I bought a chip and had no cell phone. I then found out to not buy a cell phone there because the prices are all jacked up. I went back home and took a siesta because I couldn't think about that phone anymore. After dinner I started reading the book Jane Eyre. I'm not a very good reader and usually don't have time to do it but in Costa Rica, life is more simple and so yay! I can read a book I have always wanted to read! I woke up at 6:45 to eat breakfast and go to school. You may think wow thats early! But the sun rises at like 6am and everyone is up early, its actually very easy to wake up! My first class was from 8-11, Spanish Stylistics. It was like any other class, but there was like 12 people in it. After that I went and got a cell phone. Its hard finding these things so the first place I saw that displayed their prices, I bought one, a Motorola, it had color! Linsey says its bobo haha. I like it though! It was like $60! I ate lunch on campus since I had my next class form 1-4. Lunch was like $3 for a huge plate of food and a gatorade. After lunch I had my next class. Latin American Culture studies, it was alright too, basically its like a history class, I like history. After class Linsey and I went to find the Mercado (The Market) Its like half underground or something, I need to take pictures. You can buy anything from meat, fish, spices, rice, beans, or sweets here! I love all the panderías (bread stores) here, they smell sooo good as you pass them! Anyway, in the market, meat is like hanging everywhere, gross. Nothing I haven't seen before though. Afterwards Linsey and I tried POPS, the only successful ice cream chain here in Costa Rica. I heard the ice cream was the best. It was good, but almost like the stuff you can buy in the grocery store. Maybe next time I will try the yogurt. Afterwards, it was the perfect temperature for a run. I ran up my street and it was 5 o'clock traffic everywhere which meant every time I tried to breathe, a bus passed by and spewed smoke at me! Ay! I got back and took a cold shower. Most Costa Ricans take cold showers because they say it is better for you, I have heard that before. So now I feel great after a cold shower! Muy interestante. Well, the only class I have tomorrow is Latin American Cuisine! Yay for cooking class. I have it 5pm-7pm so does that mean we get to eat what we cook? I hope so! Hasta Luego!

                                          The tent church!

                                People eating ice cream and the ice cream stand after church

                                            That's a crazy scary sky!

              The street I live on, be jealous haha, gates and bars everywhere you go!

                                           My bobo cell phone, I kinda like it, old school!