So, today's entry is going to cover the last two days because I was lazy yesterday and decided not to do one. Yesterday was pretty fun. I woke up, went to my first day of class on Tuesday.

The university here is very different from anything I am used to, which is part of the fun of the study abroad. It basically consists of two compounds on either sides of the street, and has no order whatsoever to the classroom numbers (this is most likely related to their ordering of streets and addresses in Costa Rica, while most streets are named, houses and buildings are not assigned numbers, instead they are designated by what they are close to, to make up an example, there could be someone's house at like 20 meters from the grocery store next to the banco nacional, very hard to find places, haha).

So, after becoming totally lost trying to find just where classroom 621 was, I walked into a very small, interesting looking room. To add to its tropical appeal, what should happen to join us, but a monstrous dead cockroach sitting dead center in the middle of the floor. Now keep in the mind, the mornings here are very hot, and very few if any buildings are air-conditioned. The Ticos tend to just depend upon very open buildings with lots of windows and screened doors and sunroof type windows that are partially covered. So you can imagine how pleased we all were to discover that the fan in the room was broken. So I was obliged to enjoy my first four hour long class in intense heat, but it is all part of the experience, and wasn't too too bad.

Thank god they give us a 30 minute break in the middle of these marathon classes, otherwise my brain might have melted inside my skull, that is an excruciating length for a class, the end result being, I spend my whole day in class.

I then spent my one hour break walking briskly under the beatdown of the intense sun to the bank to exchange some travelers checks, only to discover that they need the original copy of your passport, and a copy will not suffice. But such is life. So I hurried myself back to campus (did I mention that San Jose is super super hilly and the streets are paved quite poorly, thus making a walk feel like a hiking experience, haha) and arrived at my digital photo class quite covered in sweat, fun fun.

The photo class is actually going to be extremely interesting, and very helpful. I have already learned some cool new tricks, and part of the benefit of the class is that with such a small group (5 people) he can teach each of us how to get the most out of our cameras. But that was my first day of classes.

In the evenings we eat with our Tico(did i say that was the name that Costa Ricans go by?) family. Every night there is red beans and rice, the staple of the Tico diet, and then other amazing things. I am overjoyed to find out that we eat plantains every night as well, and have had awesome dishes of fish, or some sort of beef at each meal. The conversation is also a lot of fun. My Tico parents take to heart the idea that Eric and I are their new sons, so we are treated as though we are part of the family. They like to call me affectionately by Juanicito, or as Carlos my host father calls me, Juanicito el Terrible. Every night we talk about many things, and it is always animated and hilarious. They are very happy people, and incredibly kind and helpful. They are always extremely interested to hear about Alaska, and my vocabulary is growing everyday.

Last night after dinner we had our first installment of tropical dance lessons. We began learning the merengue and salsa. Something interesting which I have found out, you need to have rubber legs and hips to be good at these dances. Nestor, a housemate of one of my friends who is from Venezuela, is blessed with such a body. I, on the other hand, am not. I'm out there on the dance floor most likely looking like a geriatric 80 year old attempting this stuff for the first time. But its ok, because most of us in the program look that way. I'm sure it is extremely entertaining for the Ticos to walk by and see us descrating their traditional dances. With luck, 2 hours a night twice a week will make me semi-decent by the end, as long as my old man hips leave me, and are replaced by rubber.

This morning I awoke to a rather cloudy day from the start, which is both a blessing and a curse. Yes, I got to leave out some of the heat, even though Costa Rica is still really hot unless there is rain coming down, but I also like to see the sun for part of the day because this country is stunningly beautiful.

This morning I took a massively long test to try to prove that I should be placed in a higher level of spanish. My teacher doesn't want me to move, but it is largely review for me. I'm not overly concerned with what happens, because the way that the courses transfer in I should receive credit for whichever level, but I will tell you, their spanish 102 is pretty much like 202 back home.

Classes went fine today, nothing too exciting to tell. My photo teacher certainly has high standards. Our homework consists of taking pictures under the guidelines and techniques he gives us, then we submit them and everyone's pictures are reviewed in front of the class. The feedback is nice, but he is a tough grader. We are able to resubmit new pictures up to a week after to improve the grade with the pointers he gives us which is a great help. I didn't receive a bad grade, but I might as well try to get an even better one.

I had lunch for the first time in the cafeteria today. 1680 colones for it, which ends up being about 3.10$, not bad at all. I had like 5 different things on my plate, i knew what 2 of them were. But they all tasted good so I spose I shouldn't complain, I think tomorrow I will ask the names of the dishes. Very delicious though, beats the hell out of cafeteria food at American universities, the Ticos have certain standards for their food or something. And I bet you can't guess what went with the meal!?! Yes, you are correct sir, it was rice and beans, but this time black! haha, everyday here is a new experience.

So now I am pretty much caught up I should say, but its dinner time. More updates and pictures soon to come!

Hasta Luego!