25 cosas en 25 días

Today is my 25th day in Costa Rica, and here are 25 things I've learned so far.

1) The rumors are true... there really aren't any addresses.

I learned this pretty quickly, when we were informed that our hostel's address was "700 meters west of the hospital". On day 1, we learned how to navigate through San Ramon using only the sun as a reference. I guess it was finally time for me to learn my cardinal directions, at age 23.

2) How to mentally convert colones to dollars.

Thankfully this one was easier than I expected. All you have to do is double the cost, and turn the comma into a decimal. It's not exact, but it's close enough. 5,000 (cinco mil) colones is about $10 USD. I'm finally starting to get a hang of what's affordable and what's overpriced with one glance at the price tag.

3) Early to bed, early to rise is the only way to live here.

The sun sets by 5pm every night here, so if you wait any later than 7am to get out of bed, you've nearly wasted your entire day. I've had to convert from my night owl tendencies to early bird habits, so I can make the most out of the days here.

4) You might not get what you want, but you get what you need.

Instructor Dustin told us this on day 1, and I didn't want to believe him. I really thought what I wanted was what I needed. Like a lot of us, we think we know what we need... but we really don't. Once the interview process begun, my idea of what I wanted scattered into a chaotic mess in my brain. I came in believing I wanted one thing, and by the end of week 1, I thought I wanted something entirely different. I decided to take a step back, remember why I came here, slow down, and let the universe put everything into place for me. It may not have been exactly what I wanted, but I truly do believe it will be exactly what I need.

5) Comparison is the thief of joy.

I'm in a program with 4 other people who became life long friends within a week. During that same week, we were competing for jobs, hearing about each other's job offers and location placements, and figuring out what our own life will look like for the next year. It was so easy to look at the next person and wish you had the opportunities they were receiving. It was so easy to lose faith, hope, and gratitude for the opportunities that you were receiving. I felt the growth the moment I realized this. When you come back to gratitude, everything falls into place for you.

6) You're bound to make an "embarazada" mistake.

If you're familiar with the Spanish language, you may know what I'm referencing here. A lot of people assume 'embarazada' is a cognate, translating to 'embarrassed', when in reality, it translates to 'pregnant'. On my first day in Costa Rica, my taxi driver asked "esta casada?". I remember that meaning 'tired' last I checked... So, I respond "si, un poco". It had been a long travel day, and I was indeed, a little tired. When he gives me a confused look and repeats, "un poco casada?", pointing to his ring finger at the same time, I realize my mistake. 'Casada' means MARRIED! 'Cansada" means tired. I am not a little married. I am not a lot married. I am not married, at all. I'll never make that mistake again!

7) Eating out can be affordable, and delicious, if you eat at the sodas.

Sodas are the small, local restaurants that serve typical Costa Rican food like gallo pinto, casados, and platos fuertes. I eat out for either breakfast or lunch, multiple times a week. Back in the states, that would break by bank faster than I could finish a meal. Here, my favorite soda, just one block down from the hostel costs me 2,500 colones (as long as I don't treat myself to a juice) for gallo pinto with scrambled eggs, a tortilla and maduros. And, I get blessed with seeing Janet, one of my favorite abuelitas! Try to do the math on that one...

8) The afternoons are the coolest part of the day.

Thanks to rainy season and its lovely afternoon rainstorms, you can expect the temps to drop at least 5 degrees once 2pm comes around.

9) Do not expect to have AC...anywhere. Except at the bank.

Honestly, this has not been as miserable as I was expecting. Now, after a late night of drinking... those AC-less mornings are miserable. And on the rare days we don't get our afternoon rainstorms, also miserably hot. As long as you're taking cold showers and not expecting to sleep under the covers at night, the no AC life is doable!

10) You can be alone without feeling lonely.

Moving to a new country with people who speak a language you barely know and leaving everything you know and love behind could arguably be the loneliest thing one could ever choose to do. But when you throw yourself into the loneliness, into the experience, and into the discomfort of change, you realize it's not so lonely being alone. There is so much growth and so much opportunity in being on your own. With no one to fall back on, you realize how strong and capable you really are.

11) Geckos, cockroaches, and ants are everywhere. Everywhere.

You won't survive here if you are afraid of the wildlife. And I don't mean the wildlife in the wild. I mean wildlife in your room, in your kitchen, and on the ceilings. I knew bugs were going to be something I would have to be brave about moving here. The last house I lived in while I was in Oklahoma City prepared me well for moths, earwigs, southern U.S. bugs of the sort. Geckos were the norm in Texas during the summers. I can even do spiders. But the roaches? The roaches... Absolutely not. Okay, in the streets, I'll mind my business. Y'all do your thing. Even if y'all want to come check out the hostel's common areas at night, I'll turn a blind eye to it. But in MY ROOM??? That'll be a fat hell no from me til the day I die. They could at least pay rent if they're going to rain on my parade.

12) Chimichurri in Costa Rica is really just pico de gallo.

I learned each country has it's own rendition of chimichurri. In Costa Rica, it's just pico. It has become one of our favorite things to make and keep in stock in the fridge. The tomato - onion - jalapeño ratio has been a work in progress. As have my chopping skills.

13) How to make empanadas.

We learned how to make empanadas from the best. Our instructor's in laws showed us the perfect recipe. Which is no recipe... you 'just know'. We've made them twice on our own without help of the locals, and although they may not come out looking like traditional empanadas, they make for the best dinner nights together.

14) How to make maduros.

Maduros are the sweet, ripe fried plantains that come with nearly every typical Costa Rican meal. They are the best sweet treat to finish off your rice and beans for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Patience is key when cooking maduros, and patience is not a virtue I have in the kitchen.

15) Expect the unexpected.

Find the beauty in the unexpected. Things will never work out the way you are expecting them to, whether it's the weather, your job placement, or your plans for the day. I'm learning to fall in love with the element of surprise.

16) The cars and motorcycles are 100x louder than any vehicle in the U.S.

Now, to be fair... our hostel is on the loudest, busiest road in San Ramon. But, seriously? If you are expecting to wake up and fall asleep to the peaceful sounds of nature, San Ramon is not the place to be. I swear I nearly blow my ear drums out every time someone drives by.

17) People are not nearly as eager about practicing Spanish with you if you're in a touristy area.

We learned this the hard way when we visited Manuel Antonio. It was a world's difference between San Ramon. We are used to people encouraging, entertaining, and correcting our Spanish as we learn to communicate each day. In places like Manuel Antonio, we are like any other American tourist. It's understandable that broken Spanish from tourists is frustrating and draining, but it did make me appreciate the connections we've made in San Ramon, and the opportunity for growth it gives us.

18) We stick out like sore thumbs.

As expected. But don't expect to go outside without turning heads. We may live here, but we'll never be true locals.

19) Any time you ask a question, expect a wishy-washy answer at best.

Pura vida. That'll be the most sure answer you ever get. This is probably one of the most distressing things for me. I have always been someone who needs a black or white answer to my questions. I'm figuring out how to be okay with "meh...sometimes...maybe...kind of...?".

20) Time has no limits when it comes to friendship.

Experiencing this weird sense of confusion, discovery, and loneliness alongside strangers who are experiencing the same thing showed me the strongest connections don't need much time at all. It was only night two when I was sitting in Delaney's room with her and Kenyatah sharing my secrets, stories, beliefs, and fears. By the end of day three, I knew these people were going to be life long friends of mine. We eat together, study together, workout together, cook together, explore together, embarrass ourselves together through our Spanish attempts, and live together. They are the people who make me laugh on the hard days, complain with me on the tough ones, and make the great days even better.

21) Getting real comfortable with hanging my undies on the line.

We do not have the luxury of a dryer here. I had to get really comfortable really quick with hanging my clothes on the line for everyone in the hostel to see. Even the panties. It is quite a humbling experience.

22) The sidewalks are not accessible at all.

This is the first thing I noticed on my walk around San Ramon day one. There is no way someone who is handicapped could get around town on their own. Sidewalks are insanely uneven, cracked and shattered, curbs are raised a solid foot or two above the road itself, and there are uncovered holes scattered all throughout. It made me realize how much I take for granted, being an able-bodied person.

23) I am going to miss rainy season.

Afternoon rainstorms and chilly evening nights are some of my favorite things about Costa Rica so far. I don't know what to expect for dry season, but I will miss hearing the rain on my roof every afternoon, getting stuck walking home without an umbrella when the rain starts to pour down, walking outside after the storm passes and seeing a rainbow in the sky, and even being startled to my core when thunder booms against the mountains.

24) The 5 stages of culture shock are not linear.

Honeymoon, distress, anger, acceptance, bicultural. I think I experience a taste of all of them on the daily. The views, the food, and the people give me that 'honeymoon' feeling. Wishy washy answers and cockroaches scuttling across the floor give me distress. The ear splitting sounds of cars and motorcycles outside my window make me angry. I can't confidently say I've reached accepted or bicultural, there's no way I've had enough time to yet, but I can confidently say I see myself there one day.

25) How to live with less. *Still in progress*

My biggest goal coming here. It's not easy. I'm nowhere close to where I want to be. I still live with a lot, but less than before. We don't have a dryer. We have a total of 2 pans in our kitchen. One knife. No dishwasher. Definitely no air fryer or blender. No oven. No hot water, but I won't complain about that one. Because... no AC either. All of that is starting to feel normal. It's okay to live with less. It's nice to live with less. It's a daily reminder to have gratitude for the little things.