Wow, I'm so sorry for not posting about this yet! I've just been so busy between studying for exams and living life in Costa Rica that I haven't found time to write about the second AFS orientation camp. For this camp we all met up in San Jose. Because we are now allowed to travel alone, I decide my trip to San Jose could be a good lesson in using the bus system solo. Things didn't go so well. I was supposed to take one bus up to San Jose, but just I was about to get on the bus...
"You have your passport, right Emma?"
"Yeah, I have a copy."
Then it hit me... Wait, shoot! Not only did I forget my passport, but I also forgot all of my money, letter from my principal, and a few other papers needed to get my visa. I was so excited to see all my AFS friends that I really goofed up. So, we got a taxi to bring my stuff to me and then bring me to a new bus station. Honestly, I was so embarrassed and flustered, I had to put on sunglasses to hide the shame. Once I got to the new bus station I forgot to buy the tickets my family had reserved for me, so I ended up being chased down by a very kind man who helped me out even more. On the hour long bus ride to Perez the shame dissolved a little, and then disappeared completely when I worked up the courage to ask the bus driver (in Spanish!) to drop me off at the bus stop for another company instead of the bus stop everyone else would go to. Yep, I was proud. Until I got on the wrong bus. It wasn't my fault though! I asked everyone if it was the bus for San Jose and the ticket guy took my ticket and everything! In the end it all worked out though, I just sat on the floor of the bus (because someone else was in my seat because it was the wrong bus) then I arrived in San Jose an hour early. This is where I really was proud: I had a whole conversation of small talk with the taxi driver! In Spanish! A whole conversation! I was really nervous about my first solo taxi ride, but in the end it was my highlight because I actually had a conversation in Spanish with a stranger.
Once at the hostel I was shown to my room and I fell right to sleep. No one woke me up until everyone had finished dinner and they realized I wasn't there. Everyone had shown up while I was asleep and eaten without me! Thanks, guys.
On Friday everyone else showed up, and it was a pretty boring day because really all we did was get our visas and talk about future AFS trips. Plus, AFS failed to feed us lunch because we were in the second group, which just made me reeeally mad. But in the end I still had a blast, because I got to see al my friends again! And we could speak in English, which you never know how good that feels until you can never do it at all. After dinner we went on a little outing (all 66 of us AFS students) to a supermarket. We pretty much bought the place out with all the candy, ice cream, sodas, and of course fruit that we bought! A group of me and four other girls put our money together to buy a feast and we had an ice cream party in our dorm room. Being in a hostel was really cool because we were all so close together and it felt like a giant sleepover! It was really really nice talking to everyone and comparing our experiences and sharing stories. I realized how lucky I was to have the family that I have, and that I wasn't alone in certain issues pertaining to homesickness, friends, and more. If you're an AFS student going through a rough time, I really recommend you TALK to your fellow AFSers! You're not alone in you struggles, it comes with the experience, and talking really makes everything better.
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| We really ate a lot. |
Like a giant sleepover!
On Saturday we got up bright and early at 6am and were bused off to InBio Park, a "zoo not zoo"that tries to fit all of Costa Rica's different biospheres in one park complete with fish, farm animals, spiders, sloths and more! I guess the point was to teach us about the diversity of Costa Rica while paralleling it to the diversity of our lives here and at home. Really, I just had fun doing our Scavenger Hunt and taking beautiful pictures.
A butterfly landed on my foot!
Amazing.
Find the stick bug!
After that we had night two of our giant slumber party, and before we knew it we were all being taken home again. It was hard once again to say goodbye to my friends, knowing I may not see a few of them again, but we also left with the consolation that we can solo travel together now! In fact, I'm already busy planning a little road trip with one other AFS student to visit and stay with a bunch of other students over Semana Santa. It should be awesome!
Can't wait for all of my adventures to come!
