Arriving

May 1, 2001 -- The summer 2001 Costa Rica SST group arrived last Wednesday on time, intact, upbeat, but rather tired!

Alajuela

The first afternoon was spent exploring CR's second city Alajuela in small groups, checking out the central park, the basilica, the ice cream store, shops and the central market. Dinner was at an open air restaurant serving typical food cooked over an open fire. Everyone gamely sampled refresco drinks, rice and beans, fried plantains, grilled chicken and flan for desert. The group seemed grateful for an early bedtime after their night and day of travel, but 2/3 of them stayed up playing games in the hotel sitting room!

At left, Luke, Stephanie, Emily, and Tricia enjoy gallo pinto and fruit for breakfast.

Thursday was filled with a morning of orientation and lunch in small groups on their own, and of course that exciting mix of anticipation, uncertainty and terror at the thought of meeting host families later in the afternoon.

San Jose

In accordance with tradition, all students sit in a circle at Casa Goshen in to await the arrival of their host families. The host parents, relying on pictures from the student profiles, then choose "their student" from the assembled group. The host mothers have an excellent track record of choosing the right student. We had only one mix up between the mothers of the two Matts! Each student greeted his or her family in Spanish, gave the host mother or sister a rose, and headed out the door for their first night in San Jose.

All students made it through the first evening and morning with flying colors, negotiating gallo pinto (fried rice and beans) for breakfast and the bus system all before 7 am Friday. Friday morning was spent sharing stories and reactions from the first night with host families, and more orientation to life in San Jose, from bus routes to exchange rates to what's available to eat and drink.

After finding lunch on their own, Students headed to Conversa, the language institute, for afternoon placement exams. The group did so well that they were finished nearly an hour early, so they walked together back downtown to meet their host families in front of the National Theatre for the bus ride back home. Maricel, Goshen's Costa Rican assistant, has been very impressed with the students' willingness to speak Spanish, make mistakes, and ask how to say things.

Cartago and the Orosi Valley

Saturday, we gathered again at the National Theater for our first field trip. We started at Volcan Irazu, but were greeted by clouds and rain. Things cleared up a bit, allowing us to glimpse one crater. We then headed down the mountain and into the Orosi Valley, with its meandering central river, fields of chayote and coffee, and a waterfall. In Ujarras, we walked through the ruins of the first Catholic church in Costa Rica (built in the 1680s). Students were also intrigued by the chayote and banana fields planted near the park. (Below, the group in front of a field of chayote). After climbing back out of the valley, we had lunch at the Mirador Sanchiri (along with about 50 soccer players from Liberia!), which has a beautiful view of the Orosi Valley. Miradors (scenic lookouts) are traditionally seen as places for lovers, and it's not uncommon to see signs warning sternly against "public displays of affection" as well as children's playground equipment.

Before returning to San Jose and their families, the students took a quick look at the Cartago ruins and the famous Cartago basilica, which houses a statue of "La Negrita," the patron saint of Costa Rica. According to legend, the dark-skinned Virgin of Los Angeles appeared to a peasant girl in 1635 and those who visit her shrine are healed.

• More snapshots of students at orientation, and in the Orosi valley

The upcoming week holds Spanish classes, lectures about Costa Rican health issues, and about women's issues, and El Dia de Trabajo (Labor Day) on Tuesday.