Pura Vida!

Well, I have been here in Sabanilla (just outside San Jose) for almost two weeks now, living with a Costa Rican family and studying ... and things are going swimmingly! I have been fortunate enough to be placed in a lovely home with the most wonderful ticos around! ("Tico" is a colloquial term for a native of Costa Rica.) I live a short bus ride away from the Costa Rican Language Academy, where I have Spanish classes for 5 hours every day. Additionally, I have 2 or 3 hours of Ethnobiology, Tropical Medicine and Global Health classes everyday at the OTS headquarters (which is also close by). Needless to say, I am exhausted. The Spanish course is intense and my brain hurts from thinking in another language 24/7, but I am learning so much! The total immersion into Costa Rican culture is absolutely wonderful and I am really enjoying my time here.

Luckily, I have been able to squeeze in some fun in between all the classes and studying - last Sunday I went on an awesome zipline tour of the rainforest canopy in San Ramon, and this past weekend, I was able to recharge my batteries on a lovely trip to Tortuga Island with some of my classmates. We had an amazing time snorkeling, playing beach volleyball, and relaxing on the gorgeous beaches of the island.

Amazing experiences such as these definitely make the never-ending classes and homework worth all the trouble. And thankfully, I need only suffer through one more week of these exceptionally long days of classes, because we are moving back to the Las Cruces Biological Research Station next Monday! My Spanish course ends this Friday (which means I will be studying for the final exam all this week!), so we will be back to our normal class schedule at Las Cruces, (without the 5 hour Spanish classes ... gracias a Dios!). I am really looking forward to getting back to Las Cruces, our tropical paradise, and the company of my classmates once again. Although, I will really miss my homestay family (especially my mama tica's amazing cooking!) and the comforts of having my own room here in Sabanilla. 

But no matter where this crazy course takes me, I have fully embraced the tico lifestyle and am loving every minute of my time here. There is a phrase widely used here in Costa Rica, which has become my new mantra - "Pura Vida!" - literally, it means "Pure Life", but the meaning is closer to "full of life" or "this is living" ... as good-old wikipedia explains, "Costa Ricans use the phrase to express their philosophy of strong community, perseverance, resilience in overcoming difficulties with good spirits, enjoying life slowly, and celebrating good fortune of magnitudes small and large alike."

So wish me luck on my upcoming final exam, and adios and Pura Vida for now!