San Jose, you say...

(First of all, let me apologize in advance for typos and missing punctuation in this blog from here on out.  I have some serious muscle memory in my typing and the keyboards here are throwing me for a loop!)

So Im here!

The flight went perfectly - no delays or issues of any kind.  The worst thing about it was that I had a middle seat. :)  I flew through immigration and customs and took a certified airport taxi to my very safe, clean, and friendly hotel (Aunt Connie!)  It has been a great day so far.  Im trying to soak in things like restaurant service and cold beer while I am here today and then pluck up my courage for the adventure of tomorrow.

I will be heading out in the morning to try and track down my new home.  This involves many a bus and taxi, and also involves my walking up a dirt road toward a house of people whom Ive never met.  Yikes!  This is definitely the part of the trip I am most nervous about.  But Ive asked the front desk for help starting off, and they helped me have a better idea of the second and third legs as well.    I have faith its going to be scary only in a meeting-my-family-for-the-first-time kind of way.

About San Jose:

My immediate comparisons to Perù are unavoidable.  It even smells the same! I have no idea what the smell is that links the two, but as soon as I got into my taxi it hit me. Some other things that are giving me Perú flashbacks:

• creative traffic / pedestrian patterns
• street - as in middle of the street on the yellow line - salespeople (This is genius! What else should I do while waiting at a stop light?)
  
• unimaginably wonderful smelling bread shops
• heels heels heels on ladies
• older ladies being walked arm in arm by younger escorts
• the dubious (to me) but apparently lovely novelty of my having non-brown eyes
• fresh produce on every street corner

Im sure that as I get to spend more time here, Costa Rica will distinguish herself as having her own beautiful personality.  I cant wait to get to know her.


Sending love every which way.