Survivor Atenas

Well I am finally here! And I will say it is a dream come true. No really, it is. I've always wanted to be on Survivor and now I feel like I finally am. First of all, the living conditions are nice but somewhat rustic. The showers are freezing. The bugs are many. The nights are hot and the mornings are cold. Alliances are being formed, all we need now is Jeff Probst. En realidad, all of us 36 students live in one dorm together, 5 people to a room. Our days are long. Breakfast is at 7 am and is followed by classes, activities, lectures, field trips, community service, swim tests, and meals until 9 pm at night. Throw in the running that myself and about 6 others do before breakfast and you've got yourself an early morning.

But I can't complain because I love every tired minute of it. The stars are bright. The weather is beautiful. I can pick fruit off the trees at our center any time I want: oranges, bananas, or starfruit. Every bite of food I take here is 10x more flavorful than all the bites combined of US food. The people in the program are so cool-not a person I don't get along with. Tomorrow we leave for our first field trip tomorrow. Off to hike through a national park and then a rain forest on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica, and then a banana plantation tour.

The research projects look amazing - I'm hoping to get on one that researches tourism and it's effects on the socio-economic situation.

Tonight we did community outreach and played soccer with kids in Atenas. Their field was dirt with added garbage, sticks, and rocks. And they all were playing barefoot. All one v one's turned into a tornado of dust in which the ball would disappear. The lights were on but dim, so sight was tricky (especially with the added dust in your eye). Though it was the worst conditions I have ever played soccer in, it is one of the best experiences I've had on the pitch. It made me feel so grateful for the opportunities I have and the fields, boots, etc., but all for the love of the game.

Lastly, the most important thing to note about Costa Rica. Toilet paper DOES NOT go in the toilets. This has created mad problemos en the dorm toilets. Ew.