It's raining cats and dogs!
Today had a great start with a delicious breakfast of huevos fritos (fried eggs) and tortillas! Then, my housemate Darrian and I headed to orientation at Veritas University. We learned about the differences between the Ticos and Americans, one of which is the concept of personal space. Ticos are closer to each other while conversing, standing in line, and even driving! I'm afraid once I get back to the States that I may come off as a creep- haha! The day started off very sunny, but it started storming about midday. We then ate lunch and took our oral placement exam. I was placed in Intermediate Spanish, which is just what I needed to receive credit hours! I'm hoping the course won't be too difficult. We start class tomorrow. I have Tropical Health Care from 8 AM to 12 PM on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and Spanish from 1 PM to 6PM Monday through Thursday. Not too bad of a schedule, but Tuesdays and Thursdays are going to be killers! I'm definitely ready to get into a routine, though! Anyway, after the last part of our placement exam, a group of us went to make copies of our passports to turn into the ISA office. We soon discovered that most places have limited amounts of change. But Darrian and I received our copies fo' FREE! Sure, it was cheap, but a little bit goes a long way! My happiness soon subsided when I turned in my papers to the ISA office. The secretary informed me that the lady at Customs at the San Jose airport wrote that I was only to be in the country for 30 days when she stamped my passport. She then told me that I could either leave the country for 4 days and return, or I could pay $100 to get Veritas University to write a letter and an additional $60 to get the permit to stay in the country. Now I know what illegal immigrants feel like. Needless to say, I was not a happy camper. Luckily, I met another girl in my program named Jackie who has the same problem. We became fast friends out of spite- haha! Anyway, a group of us decided to take a bus and check out downtown San Jose. It was busy as ever! We saw the Teatro Nacional...
And here's a picture of a street downtown...
We had an interesting experience at the bank. I felt very safe because guards check your purse before entering! Also, you aren't allowed to be on your cell phone inside (I got yelled at). Anyway, we then took a taxi back home where Emilia (my house mom) took Darrian and I to the "super," or the supermarket. It was no Wal-Mart, but it had all the essentials and was considerably cheaper. Emilia informed us that typically stores charge for usage of plastic grocery bags! We ended the night with a dinner of picadillo, pork chops, rice, and black beans along with Criminal Minds. I'm off to bed. Tengo una día larga mañana. Buenas noches!
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