I have successfully navigated the Labyrinth...at least for a few days. ;-)

Well everyone, I´m sorry it´s been a bit since I´ve posted...it was a slow weekend but enough has happened that I feel good about updating. I´m still having a great time here in CR...thanks to everyone for your thoughts, comments, and prayers as I´ve started this journey. Things are going very well here. I have successfully (with friends)navigated the maze that is San Jose (at least the parts I need to visit), and I have completed the first day of both my classes. Things are very different here...for instance I would never drive. There are some obscure rules, and people do obey the stop lights, but it is not a pedestrian oriented culture, so if you´re in the middle of the road, you will get hit.

As I said, classes are going well...thus far they have all been in Español, and that has been difficult but rewarding. I already feel as though my Spanish is improving simply because I am speaking it all of the time. I am in about the middle of the road as far as skill levels here at LASP. There are many gifted students from all over the country, and it has been a pleasure to get to know them. So far the food is good. I have enjoyed (almost) everything that Mama Hebe has made me...what strikes me about the people of CR is their sincere graciousness and kindness towards us. There are many fine people here. I tell you what though, I may never want to see another bus again after this semester...I´m spending about 3 hours a day on a bus, and that is just way too much! However, I haven´t gotten lost in the city due to the most excellent directions of my host mother. I feel almost as though I´m starting to recognize places, although many things still look very similar to my gringo eye!

It is something different to become familiar with the Latin American reality...things are so different here. People here lead very different lives than those of us in the U.S. I feel very blessed to have had the opportunity both to grow up in the states and to travel abroad to recognize what I have. I think everyone should.

So far, only a little bit of homesickness, but that usually occurs when I´m tired, have a headache, hungry, or frustrated with the fact that I have to work so hard to understand and be understood. Ah well... I miss everyone but I am having a GREAT time here. It´s been such a blessing already.

Love you all and miss you bunches. Keep reading!

I´m here!!! What a journey that was...

Well folks, the good news is I made it to Costa Rica!!! There´s not really any bad news, except that I had the worst day of travel I´ve ever had in my life! (No exaggeration). It started off with a wake up call from my digestive system at about 4:30am...and what I thought was just a bad order of chicken from dinner turned out to be a full fledged stomache virus which plagued me intermittently throughout the day. Next, I received a phone call at 5am informing me that my flight had been cancelled and I was being rerouted through Dallas, which wasn´t a problem except that DFW is one of the most unfriendly airports I´ve ever been in. However, after a plane breaking down right before the flight, lost luggage and WAY too many trips to the airport bathroom, I am here in San Jose, Costa Rica! I have never been so glad to see a bed in my life!

All I can say is WOW...the country is so unique and beautiful. I woke up this morning to the biggest rainbow I´ve ever seen right outside my window. There are many nice people studying Spanish here, I have had a good time getting to know them and the LASP staff over the past 24 hours. Another boon to the day is that my host family has internet, which was a major concern (in fact, the only reason I can post now is because my host brother showed me to their computer). Speaking of which, I have a lovely host mother named Hebe Rubina, a 20 year brother named Luis, a 10 year old brother name Mateo, and twin sisters named Ruth and Sara, both are 7. They live in a nice home on the outskirts of San Jose (I can´t say where exactly because I have no idea where I´m going in this city). I have my own room, which is great, and tomorrow will be spent exploring downtown in groups. As far as tonights activities, i´m spending some quality time with mi famila ticana (Costa Ricans are referred to as ticanos).

Well I´m off for now to spend some time with the fam. So far I´m having a great time in COSTA RICA!!!!

Talk to you all later!

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, it's off to Costa Rica I go!

Well the time has come...I am off to Costa Rica bright and early in the morning! I am filled with both anxiety and anticipation as a prepare to take the trip. Honestly, I would just rather not be so stressed out...between getting my bag together, recieve multiple vaccinations for every awful disease under the sun, and trying to spend some quality time with Rachel and the fam, I am ready to be on that plane and relaxing tomorrow. If you are reading this, it means that you are interested in my comings and goings whilst I am abroad (;-) that's for you Rachel). If so, you'll be interested to know that I will be posting here approximately once a week (perhaps twice if I have some interesting stories to tell). I hope that this blog will provide some answers for people about what's going on with me without forcing me to send those annoying chain e-mails or having to answer multiple messages repeating the same info again and again. Unfortunately, I have to pay for my internet in Costa Rica; consequently, I will have to be judicious with that time, making this blog even more useful, as it will allow me to decrease my time spent online.

While I'm here, I would like to answer a few questions that everyone has been asking (prompted by my mother, God bless her).

1) I will be staying with a Costa Rican family in San Jose, the capital. I don't know who they are yet, but they've volunteered to keep an annoying college student for a semester so they must be pretty nice.

2) I will be taking classes for some weeks and traveling for the others. To my knowledge I will be going to Nicaragua and Panama. (Those weeks I'm gone I probably won't post)

3) If you'd like to send me anything like an e-mail, please feel free. I would welcome your thoughts, prayers, and encouragement while I'm away.

4) I will be out of the country from tomorrow, January 12 to April 27, 2010.

5) I would LOVE to receive snail mail, of any kind, but please do NOT send anything of value should you choose to mail me, as international land mail is not very reliable. Please send anything to this address:

Paul James
Programa de Estudios Latinoamericanos
Apdo. 54-2070
Sabanilla, San José
COSTA RICA

Ok then...I think I've covered most of my bases. Feel free to leave me a comment with anything you feel like I have forgotten. It will probably be a few days before I have internet access again, but I will try to find a little internet café somewhere in San Jose and answer any comments or e-mails as quickly as I can.

Much love to you all, and keep my in your thoughts and prayers this semester!

¡Buen Viaje!