Settling In

I've been here for about a week and a half now. I've been easing my way into things here just taking everything in. There's a lot of that to do. Every day I am discovering something new and some of the things are just mind blowing. But I'm never surprised by anything here because thats just the way I expect it to be. When I walk through San Jose it is a constant reminder that I am not in a first world country. But at the same time I never feel like I'm in danger. Although I am doing most of my exploring during the daylight hours. There are definitely parts of San Jose that I would not venture into after dark.

I don't have a job yet and I'm starting to get a little restless. Its fun to walk around exploring the city but I definitely need to have some other purpose while I'm here. Plus it will be a good way to meet more people. The sports book is still a possibility. I got a number to call from my new friend who works at one of the sports books but he doesn't seem to be very reliable. On Monday I think I'm going to look for a job at one of the American schools here. I'm going to ask if they need any substitute teachers or if any other part time position is available.

By the way, the family has another person staying here. He is actually a student at this American school. He's a 16 year old kid from Taiwan but his parents are diplomats and he grew up in the US and then they moved to Costa Rica. But now his parents are in Spain so he's staying here. I have a new room this time because this kid, James, is in my old room. I actually like my new room better. I kind of have a whole loft area to myself this time. I hardly ever see this kid. He hides in his room all the time. I think I've seen him twice in the 10 days I've been here. Weird.

I am definitely picking up a lot of Spanish everyday but I still have a long way to go. I'm doing really well with reading Spanish because I can take my time to decipher the language. Its much more difficult when I'm listening to someone speak and the toughest part is when I have to speak on the spot. Every morning I read the newspaper in Spanish. One of the stories this week was about a Costa Rican girl who is competing in the Latin American Idol. Vote for Maria Jose!

Oh yeah, one more thing. I am using Skype on my computer to send text messages and to call people. I can still receive texts on my cell phone but sending them is more expensive from here. So feel free to text me anytime and if I'm near my laptop I can respond. When I send these messages it will show a random list of numbers as the phone number, not my phone number. So if you see something like that its from me. And you can't reply directly to that message, you have to send it to my regular number.

Pura vida!
JB

Pictures

Here are some pictures from last year when I was in Costa Rica. I mistakenly left most of my pictures on the computer here last year so I didn't have them until I got back. I haven't taken any new pictures on this trip yet but when I do I'll post some.

This is my Captain Jack Sparrow picture. Bring me that horizon!

I found these Ticos one night singing some songs around a campfire on the beach so I decided to join them. When I walked up they were singing "Wish You Were Here" so I immediately felt welcome.

The waves are about to come crashing over me.

These are just a few of my favorites. Maybe I'll put some more up later.

JB

Spontaneous Adventure #1

Its so funny how things just happen. Last night I wanted to watch the West Virginia football game so I went to a bar that had the Dish network. They put the game on one of the TV's for me and I sat at the bar to eat, drink, and watch the game. Near the end of the game some dude sat at the bar and asked me who was playing. I found out that he worked at one of the sports books. So I think he might be able to hook me up with a job. He was telling me about the sports books and they sound a little shady but I kinda like that. I don't think I'll be the guy they send to break peoples legs or anything!

We did a couple shots of a Costa Rican liquor called Guaro. I think its something between vodka and tequila. Then we went to another bar and met up with this guy's friends. They also work at the sports book. It turned into a crazy night and I met a lot of cool people. It was a great spontaneous adventure.

I'm a little surprised at how quickly I was able to meet people here. I knew I would but I thought it would take a little longer because of the language. All the people I met spoke English though. I think my primary purpose for this trip is to learn about the culture, soak it up, and become a part of it. So far, so good!

JB

I've arrived!

Hola friends! Well I feel very relieved to be done with all the preparations for this trip. I can finally just "be" instead of thinking of what I have to pack or where to store things etc. I have to say that even my energy level was almost running on empty over the past week. I'm still trying to figure out how I was able to be in so many different places and still manage to pack up everything I own and decide which of those possessions were worthy enough to accompany me on this journey.

So I'm in the land of Pura Vida again and I'm feeling very welcomed here. As soon as I stepped out of the gate into the airport there was some guy playing a saxophone. It sounded very soothing and it seemed to wash away any stress that was left lingering over me. I had a ride waiting for me and the family here was very happy to see me.

So now I guess I'll get started on looking for a job of some sort. The family had some suggestionsf for me. I may end up working at a sports book! So if you want to place a bet I'm your man. I have no idea whats going to happen tomorrow and I love it!

JB