Estoy aqui, por fin

What a journey! So I've been up for the better part of 48 hours... I went out with friends in Cleveland last night (Friday), and tried to go to bed about 1:30am...

...Only I couldn't sleep! It was really annoying! All in all, I probably got about 1-2 hours of sleep in the past day or two. Hopefully I'll sleep well tonight!

Anyway, the travel wasn't bad at all. I was surprised to not be stopped at customs in the U.S.- I packed my carry-ons SOOO full o' stuff!! The flight to Philly was uneventful and easy, and then it was onto Costa Rica... Fortunately, I sat next to a VERY nice woman and her daughter (from Philly) who stayed with me through immigration and customs (I was a tad nervous). From there, I soon found my liaison between airport and school.

Ingri, my "personal driver" for an hour, gave me a lovely little driving tour of the city. We conversed easily in decent Spanish (if I do say so myself!). I actually understood about 75-80% of what she said! :) She explained that Nicaraguans, not Americans, are Costa Ricans' main source of grief these days... And she said the relationship between Costa Ricans and Nicaraguans is akin to that of the U.S. and Mexico. (She explained the relationship initially; I drew the parallel.) Apparently, Nicaraguans work here for more money in menial jobs, then send money back home to their families. They are not liked by many of the Costa Ricans here, as it's said they live in crowded houses, use up resources, etc... This sounds horribly, horribly familiar. (I thought I'd left that behind!!)

Once I finally made it safe and sound to my own apartment, the loneliness and shock set in. What am I doing here?? I don't know anyone. (It's OK, Mb. You're OK.) Why did I sign up for this?? I want to go home!! (Breathe, Mb... Breathe.) This place seems dirty and overcrowded!! Where's the paradise I wanted?? (Nothing is perfect, Mb... Let's slow that heart rate down now...)

Yeah.

So I was starting to allow myself to cry heartily when... the front door unlocked and opened!! Luckily, I was in my bedroom, so I could wipe my tears before meeting the roommate.

Gold! I struck roommate gold!! Sabria, a native of Holland, was friendly, intelligent, fluent in 4-5 languages... and had already explored San Jose the past 2 days on her own. Hallelujah! Not only do I have someone to help me when my Spanish gets weak, but she also was able to walk with me to the grocery store, the mall, and the city in general.

To better things, I had also planned to meet up with a girl, Isabelle, in the afternoon. Sabria came with me, and the three of us walked around for a few hours. I even did some brief grocery shopping: PB & J, bread, and water... just in case. We all came back to the apartment and talked about all kinds of stuff. (Isabelle is from Germany, so I was able to get a few different perspectives today.) It was a mellow, enjoyable afternoon.

The evening came too early (6:30pm= pitch black outside!)... I decided to unpack and unwind; Sabria made an AWESOME salmon and vegetable dinner. I really couldn't have asked for more.

We spent the rest of the evening on Facebook (this free WiFi's gonna kill me!), watching "House" dubbed in Spanish, watching YouTube videos of AMAZING dancers, and snacking on the trail mix I brought. (Turns out they don't have trail mix in the grocery stores here.)

Anyway, overall, I'm looking forward to starting classes Monday. I'm homesick and miss my culture, crazy as it is. I haven't had to speak much Spanish lately, since the two gals' common language was English. This is good and bad, but I know I do need to keep practicing to improve.

Ok... I'm EXHAUSTED, and Sabria and I have decided to go for a light jog early in the morning. For now, I shall leave you with the mini-tour Sabria narrated of our apartment:

One more day!!!!!!

So in less than 24 hours, I'll be in San Jose, Costa Rica... Can't believe it! I just said a teary farewell to my mother, who is now driving to Virginia for our cousin's baby shower. Tonight is my last round of Cleveland goodbyes, then my obliging father drives me to the airport at 5am tomorrow...

Here goes!!

Let the packing begin!!

So I leave in just a few days now, and I have to decide how to pack... Do I take just 2 carry-ons, or do I check a bag, too?? Eeek!!

Last stop: Cleveland.

So I'm currently in The Motherland: Cleveland, Ohio. I've traveled to: Albuquerque, Amarillo, Tulsa, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Mackinaw, and finally... home. I leave a week from today (!!!), and I can't wait for all that will follow! This farewell tour has been wildly successful, with me able to see those I love the most. :) Cheers, and I should only have one or two more stateside updates!!