Here comes the sol

The snow is gone and pura vida is in the air, where else could it be but Costa Rica!

The flight here was great. The first part from Chicago was moved up an hour so I made it to Charlotte, NC a little earlier—nice considering that before I would have had only an hour for connection.! On the flight to San José I sat next to a Tica (woman from Costa Rica) who also happened to be an anthropologist living very near to my host enough. How many anthropologists are there studying in Costa Rica? Apparently just enough. So, after we got past the shock, we talked for a while and she gave me some good advice. Like don’t count your money in front of a large crowd, or try not to carry your bare laptop while on a bus. It should not be hard!
I live just outside of San José with a family of four. La mamá María Jesús, la papá Jorge Monge, and two sisters, María José and Betzabel. They are 13 and 9—serious trouble. When I made it through the airport maze all four of them were waiting outside a crowded glass room holding a sign with my name. They were some of the last people lined along the window but as soon as I saw the mom she smiled—which is international ; )
We have been eating way too much and catching so much sun. I love it! This morning we went to a market where the streets are lined with fruits and veggies and hurried ticos. Filling up the trunk of the tiny stick shift was not hard to do. (Oh and to whom it may concern I’ve seen one red Geo so far and expect to see more—they are about the average size of the cars here. Though people drive as if they are huge trucks.) Might makes right… right?
Classes begin on Monday at the ACM—days wake up early and stay up late so I´ll be getting used to the first part! Well, I should get going. The internet café is filling up and I’ve already been here an hour. Hope to hear back from everyone, and enjoy the rest of the snow!

Pura vida
Anna