Let's Begin at the Beginning

Finally! I've got my journal from the trip and I'm going to start writing down some of the fun things I did and cool things I saw! I hope I've sufficiently built up the anticipation!

Day 1: San Jose, CA to San Jose, CR
So the first day in San Jose definitely set a standard for the rest of the course. I was basically thrown into a whole new culture for the first time without having my parents there. I have to admit that I was pretty nervous, because I don't speak much Spanish (and by much I mean I know maybe 10 phrases that I casually throw around). We stayed in a pretty nice hotel called the Don Carlos, and the staff was very gracious and kept an eye out for us.

We spent the morning at the Natural History Museum, which was somewhat interesting. Then we had the rest of the afternoon to spend to ourselves. We split up and set off to explore the interesting city. I somehow managed to order food at this delicious little restaurant called La Flor. We wandered around the tourist market filled with colorful bracelets, comfy-looking hammocks, wooden trinkets, and lots of merchandise featuring Imperial, la cerveza de Costa Rica.

If you ever find yourself in San Jose, Costa Rica, and you want a break from the local fare, you should check out Cafe Mundo for some excellent Italian food!

 And here are some pictures of San Jose. Enjoy!