Switched Family & 19 days!

I believe the countdown is now at 19 days for when I arrive in Miami! So that would make it 21 days until I leave for Costa Rica! I also have a new host family for health reasons within my old family. Fortunately, I am in contact now with both families! My old host mom gave me her number so that I will still have the opportunity to meet her and her family! Now I have 3 host sisters who all seem incredibly nice; two of which  I have been talking to about what to expect and what life is like in Costa Rica. One of them told me my spanish was really good! Unfortunately, I had to admit that I had been using google translate in order to understand what she was saying and to help with words I couldn't find from spanish class..oh boy. Trying to talk to them really makes me realize how hard this is going to be! That just makes it all the more exciting, though! It is so great to have everyone's support and I still can't believe I have this opportunity.

Adios!

Tieta Keetle

Just Going Through The Motions

The countdown begins at 30 days! Only 30 days until I leave for Miami..!! As evident as it is in the title, I am just going through the motions of getting ready for the semester I will be spending abroad. The Health Form Addendum, Activity Waiver, looking for clothes and mosquito nets.. the whole package! Everyone asks me if I'm nervous.. but honestly it doesn't seem real yet. It most likely won't until I am greeting my family with a half frightened, half overly excited smile and a quick "Hola!" It's going to be so exciting!! Things are happening. Good things. It's amazing. This will be my first time flying on a plane without someone I know! It will also be my first time out of New England, let alone the United States and speaking Spanish consistently! Wow, lots of firsts..and that is definitely not all of them.

I can't wait to be uploading pictures of my host family and all of the animals and bugs I see! Haha, there will probably be lots!

Host Family And School

I forgot to mention that I found my host family and school!! I haven't gotten a chance to e-mail them yet, since my Spanish isn't very good, and I'm waiting for my neighbor to help me who is fluent in Spanish. I have one host brother who is about 4 or 5 months younger than my actual brother who is 18, and a host mom, and a host dad! They all seem incredibly nice and I can't wait to talk to them! I will be in a rural town called Naranjo, Alejuela Costa Rica! Two months is not a lot of time to get ready, yet it seems like all the time in the world and I keep waiting for the day to come when I fly to Miami and meet everyone else going to Costa Rica as well!

Just A Little Over A Month

There is just a little over a month until I leave for my new life in Costa Rica! So exciting! I've been able to fund raise just about everything for the tuition of $10,000 and the money was sent in a few weeks ago! I've been researching, getting my plane ticket to Miami, Florida, getting vaccinations, and reminiscing with friends about everything I will be missing in the 6 months I will be gone, yet how much of a great experience this will be. I'm beyond excited, and a tad nervous. I try to subdue the nervousness by realizing how this will literally change everything I know.