I have arrived!!!

Soooo I am in Costa Rica! Ok, so this morning I woke up and said goodbye to Michael as he went to Vegas for the weekend and then I headed to the airport. First of all, my bag weighed 54 pounds... definitely had to take out that hair dryer. So naturally my carry on luggage was sooo heavy! Linsey had two bags overweight so I took some of her clothes, we made it work. So after getting past checkin and security it was about time to get on our flight. We took off at 11:22am and it was only 3 hours and 40 minutes to Costa Rica. I sat next to a Tica and she said don't trust anyone in San Jose... comforting. Haha, its ok, I saw the movie Taken so i'm not about to tell a random guy my address. Anyway, we arrived and I looked out the window and saw beautiful mountains. I couldn't wait to go! The line in customs was like forever, then we got up to get our information checked and well... we don't have student visas. (Little side note if you ever travel abroad in Costa Rica. You need to apply for a student visa like a month before you leave... Two days before I left I stumbled upon the checklist of information I would need for my visa and after many phone calls, I realized that I won't be getting a student visa. HAHAHA woops, at least Linsey and I are in the same boat) So anyway, we told the cute Tico in customs who complimented our Spanish that we would  only be in Costa Rica for 40 days... which is true because we are going to Nicaragua, and then returning back to Costa Rica. If you want to leave Costa Rica, its $26 dollars... they really want you to stay here I guess. But that trip will eliminate the need for the student visa which was $200! I'll take the $26 fee. So we after customs, we got some cólones, the local currency and then went out looking for our families. We went outside and the USAC (University Studies Abroad Consortium) team was waiting for us. Immediately we were speaking Spanish! They led us to our family and Linsey and I said hasta la vista! My family greeted me with a hug and cheek kiss... I love this culture! Then we drove to Heredia. The weather might I say is amazing. Its dry and 70 degrees! My family says its cold! My family's house is beautiful. I have my own room and also internet! My host father loves to cultivate and has a beautiful garden, so much like my dad who loves the outdoors! My host mom is so nice and soo sweet! They have two kids, a daughter who is 20 and a son who is my age! Cool! The best part is, I live so close to the school! I can even walk! Haha, many people might think thats dumb but I have always wanted to walk to school! Its only a kilometer! Which actually saves money so I don't have to ride the bus! Also, running is very popular here and something I have lately been getting into! I am so excited!!!! I have already been speaking soooo much Spanish and my host family is pleasantly surprised and keep telling me I speak very well! Wow, thank you UNCC teachers for preparing me for this! Well, my host mom is cooking dinner right now and it smells amazing! I have already had a cup of coffee, wow, it was soooo good! As I was unpacking, the feeling of 4 months finally set in and I realized who I was going to be missing very much... my family, my friends, and Michael. But everyone is so supportive and I could not ask to be surrounded by anyone better. My host family is Catholic which is awesome because since Michael is Catholic, I know a lot about Catholicism! Well, its dinner time and I'm super hungry, hasta luego!