Favorite thing # 1

One of my favorite things about Costa Rica is all the walking around. There is something about being so connected to the ground and taking everything in as you on walk by. I have enough time to study the shops, markets, and people if I’m just walking by. In the states I feel like I was ALWAYS in such a hurry to get somewhere. I needed to be on time, so I spent my days rushing; here, it’s the exact opposite. Not that I’m any less punctual here (that is just something in my blood), but there is something more relaxed about the atmosphere… Although I’ve concluded that everything moves slower here unless you’re driving. I guess people drive like maniacs here to make up for moving more slowly the rest of the time. Every time I cross the street, I feel like I’m taking a chance with my life. That is honestly the only thing that has made me feel unsafe so far.

There is one downside to the walking I must mention though. I inherited the Ellsworth gene of excessive sweating. If I spend more than 15 minutes in the heat walking, I’m done for. It looks like I just left the gym. My pits and back are wet, my face is a mess, and it’s pretty much unavoidable. I’m not thinking this is something that is going to go away, so I guess I’ll just have to embrace it. The more I sweat, the more weight I’ll lose right?

Today, Kirby and I went on a little outing for our internship. She is doing some research on disability services in Costa Rica, so I told her I would come with her to a rehabilitation facility to get some resources. We had to take a bus to the middle of San Jose then another bus to a smaller "neighborhood on the outskirts of town . We had to walk through the hustle and bustle of downtown, a part of San Jose I had not experienced yet. I loved it! The neighborhood we live in is set out just a little ways, but there is not much to it besides residential homes. The street we were walking on downtown was a brick road with just people traffic. The cars don’t drive on that street. This area of San Jose was pretty Americanized, with its McDonalds, Wendy’s, Payless, Aldo, Express, PacSun… and so on, but I cant wait to spend an afternoon walking in an out of the shops, and sitting on a bench people watching. My blond hair sticks out here, so I try not to wander too much, because then people think I’m lost, but it will be nice to spend some time experiencing the hustle of downtown San Jose.