San Jose

“The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.”

            ~ PSALM 145:18

And so my adventure begins.  I have spent my first three days in Costa Rica in San Jose.  So far it has mostly been overwhelming, but I am starting to enjoy things as well.  For my first assignment, I had to go to the market and buy a fruit.  This may not sound that difficult, but the whole language barrier thing made it an extremely stressful experience for me.  I was given a picture of an unknown fruit, and had to figure out the name, the growing season, and the uses.  Turns out my fruit is called “zapote” and is only in season in December and January…  So I bought a “nanco” instead.  After the market incident we each had to present what fruit we got and what we learned about it.  We then had a lecture on flowers and fruit, and I learned so many new terms I thought my head was going to explode.  The day ended with a fruit sampling from the market! 

My fruit

Fruit and vegetables at the market

A busy street

Yummy (and not-so-yummy) fruits from the market

My second day in Costa Rica we learned about urbanization and the ecological impacts associated with it.  We then set out on a self-guided walking tour of San Jose.  Though apprehensive after my previous market experience, this outing turned out better than expected and I actually ended up having a little fun!  We visited all sorts of fun places and parks, and even interviewed (sort of) a few people about their energy uses, despite the fact that neither my walking partner nor I spoke more than a handful of Spanish.  Here are some highlights from my day.

The National Museum of Costa Rica

Butterfly garden!
I found lots of interesting flowers but only one butterfly...

I'm pointing to San Jose, the capital, and where I am staying.

We somehow managed to find the University of Costa Rica
even though it was off the map!

I found water, and just had to jump in...

Inside the National Theater

Outside the National Theater

The Post Office!

The "Stamp Museum"

The day ended in a downpour and I became quite soaked.  That’s what I’m here for though!  That and the sloths.  Tomorrow morning I am heading out bright and early to leave San Jose and travel to the Pacific coast for a two-week field trip to learn about the diversity in different ecosystems and to explore Costa Rica.  I will not have internet or phone service till I get to Monteverde, where I will spend the majority of the program.  We will be spending most of the time camping in National Parks for the field trip and I am looking forward to it immensely!