Cuidad Quesada Sorority House

I arrived in Costa Rica a little before 11 AM Central American time today (10/5/08). The sun was shining and even from the airport I could tell I was going to LOVE this country. After customs and baggage claim, I was met by our CCS driver and one of my new friends, Erica (Spokane, WA). She and I waited for awhile and then were joined by Mattie (from Ont, Canada). Gradually after a few hours of people watching and chit chatting we were joined by the rest of group (6 women total) and we headed North to San Carlos. It was about a 2 hour drive from San Jose to Cuidad Quesada (that town in which we are based.) As we drove through town there was a parade happening... what a great welcoming!

It began raining shortly before we entered San Carlos. And by rain, I mean POURED. Thunder, lightning, cats and dogs... the works. But it was nice. I like it. It just feels so fresh. We pulled up to the CCS house and we were greeted by all the women who were already here. So nice! The front has a courtyard with pretty flowers and sitting area. All the windows and doors are open, so the breeze and the rain is part of the home. However, that doesn't mean we are lacking in safety; there is a large gate surrounding the property. There is a large sitting area in base where we can all gather (and where the wi-fi works). So really it's quite nice and homey.

After getting settled in it was clear that there were only females in the house. 15 women total. So it's pretty much a sorority house. Which is fine by me and everyone else. We are gonna have a blast. After getting to know each other and discuss what we want to do while we're here (besides our volunteer work at orphanage, schools, colleges, centers for people with disabilities and day cares) we all decided that Tamarindo would be the spot for the upcoming weekend. So that means beaches, surfing, discos and fun fun fun! The women who have been here for awhile are planning the trip and I trust them to design a weekend that will make us all happy (and be cost effective). It's almost like having a home based travel agent!

I'm sharing a room with 2 other women and we all have bunk-beds. How campy! All the more reason this feels like a sorority. This isn't lavish living by any means. There is no AC but plenty of fans around to blow the air around. We dine outside, al fresco, which I love. Of course there is a roof over the dining area, but it's so nice to enjoy weather and the beauty of the area while eating. mmm mmm good. There is also NO HOT WATER. I found that out after dinner when I decided to shower. Brrrr! I'm sure after a real hot day though it would be quite refreshing.

Tomorrow AM begins our orientation to San Carlos and the Costa Rican culture. We will also be given a more detailed description of our jobs while we are here and the location(s) of our placements. Besides our placement jobs we have the option to take Spanish lessons twice a week. We can also take dance lessons and sign language lessons. All of which is excellent in my book. I want to get as much as possible out of this trip (that I am so blessed to be on).