On Saturday(a week ago) my sisters and I were supposed to go to a concert in San Jose. Of course, the concert got pushed back because of rain and thunderstorms, so we ended up going Sunday instead! We stayed in Cartago, a province in Costa Rica, where they have family Saturday night. I was really excited to stay there for the night because I had my own room, no chickens outside my window, and a fairly comfortable bed. My host sisters were extremely surprised to see that I actually slept in that morning, and I was just happy I was able to catch up on some much needed sleep! So we went to the concert Sunday night, which was definitely a different experience for me. First of all, we had to take the city bus to the stadium(the biggest in central america) and to say the least, I would much rather have walked. The bus was so crouded that even when we hit our max capacity, the bus driver continued to let people on. Everyone was up close and personal for the duration of the ride as you stood there holding on for your life and tried not to hit the person next to you as you tried to rest your hands, since we were standing and had to hold on to the railings above us. Although, it was an experience so I am not going to complain. Just explain what happened! So when we arrived at the stadium, we bought ponchos because it was raining again and made our way around the entire stadium to the entrance for the center of the stadium where everyone gets to stand close to the stage! The performers were Marc Anthony and Cheyanne. Both Spanish singers, of course! Even though I didn't understand the lyrics, it was still cool to be able to hear their culture through the music. It is funny to me, because they grew up listening to spanish music and english music(there are always english songs on the radio) but my host sisters only know the songs on the radio(Ke$ha, Lady GaGa, Justin Beiber,etc.). Although, my host dad knows a lot of the good music from before I was born. Anyways, they ask me pretty often if I ever listen to spanish music on the radio when I am in the United States. When I have to explain to them that we simply don't have a spanish influence on the radio, it is one more reminder of how much the US has an influence on the rest of the world. For instance, when talking to other exchange students and commenting on how good their english is, they simply say that in their country, it is a must to know english because all of the world is basically centered around the US right now. I have always felt a little uneasy hearing that.
Visa
On monday I had to go to San Jose to spend the night and wake up early to get fingerprinting done for my visa. In the morning we were woken up at 5:00 to be ready to leave by 5:30. Of course, we were all ready by 5:30 because that was when we were told we would be leaving. That was a mistake. All of the exchange students, including myself, forgot about Tico Time. For those who don't know what this is, Ticos(Costa Ricans) are basically known for being late. At around 6:00 we were still waiting in the lobby and we saw a volunteer come out of his room, he had clearly just woken up, and was going to into the bathroom to take a shower. We ended up leaving at 6:30 in the morning instead. When we got to the place to get our fingerprints done, I was in the last group to go so my friends and I ended up waiting for about 8 hours to be able to go into the office. Although, even though it was not very fun waiting and going through that process, it feels good to know that I finally have everything finished for my visa and I officially live in Costa Rica!
Doctors
This isn't very important, but I thought I would mention things that have been going on with me physically as well. For a while now I have been sick on and off for no apparent reason. I would throw up for a couple days, then be fine for about a week and a half, then throw up again, then be fine...and I went through this cycle about four times before I finally agreed to go to a doctor. I had been sick while getting my fingerprints done, so that was the last straw for me. When I got home Tuesday evening I told my family that I was sick once again, and again they asked me if I wanted to see a doctor..I said yes. I went to the doctor and apparently something was continuously inflamed..or something..this was all in Spanish so I picked up as much as I could. What I do know, was it had to do with the food since it is so different from what I am used too. The doctor gave me the option to take medicine for the next 30 days, or to get a shot in the butt. I chose the medicine! So, I am on medicine now and already feeling better. And that is my adventure with that...once again, I hope everything is going well in the States and for the people reading this blog who are not from the states, I hope everything is going well in your country also!
Two of my host sisters and I at the concert!
Another picture from the concert! At some point I will take a picture of the entire stadium, since it is the biggest in Central America!Tieta Keetle
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