Culture Shock- It does exist

I arrived Wednesday September 4th around 4pm in Costa Rica. Traveling alone from Pittsburgh to Miami- Miami to Costa Rica was not an easy task for me. Once I got to the Miami airport, I had to find the international flight to Costa Rica which was a never ending process. I got my first taste of only using Spanish in Miami airport while going through security. Everyone thought I spoke Spanish perfectly, but that was not the case. My eyes got huge and they continued to speak Spanish (probably because they thought I was a child traveling haha).

Once I arrived in Costa Rica I had to wait for another girl to arrive before I could go to my home-stay. At the airport I waited with one of ICDS's coordinators and her daughter. There we spoke Spanglish with one another. I realized at that point, I have a bit of a way to go before I can really converse in Spanish comfortably.

I arrived at my home-stay around 7pm. By that time it was already dark and I was muy cansanda! I got home, quickly unpacked, took a shower and got ready for orientation which was the next day at Casa San Benito, a retreat where we were spending the night. I had to be at the school at 8am which meant I needed to wake up at 6:30am.

Before I went to bed, my host mom Gabriela gave me a run down of the house rules. She told me when we eat our meals, how to keep my room clean, where the towels were, how to use Wifi and mas! Mind you this was all in Spanish so I was a bit overwhelmed.

I experienced major culture shock on my first night, which I was not expecting at all. My first thought was I want to go home and see my parents! I knew this wasn't going to be an easy process but I didn't think it would hit me hard on the first night.
Luckily it got better :)

*I said earlier that I would speak more about the packing process but I did not have time. I will go into a little detail.

Getting ready for Costa Rica was not simple (my mom will vouch for that!)
First I had to get 6 shots and I went to multiple doctors appointments, which made me very tired and worn out.
I also had/have to get a Visa which in itself is a stressful and expensive situation...
Deciding what clothing to wear and how to dress in order to blend in is difficult when you really do not know the style. What I did find out was that shorts  are not commonly worn by girls. Many girls like to dress nicely when outside (so my usual shorts and T-shirt style did not cut it).
Lastly saying good-bye to my family and friends was bitter-sweet. I know I will see everyone in December but three months is a long time, but it'll be worth it!

*One more thing, I switched my track for the second semester from the Human Rights track to the Health Care track... YAY!