Adonde Paseo? Adonde Pasea?

Adonde Paseo? Adonde Pasea?

I love this place. I love my new friends, both gringos and ticos. I love my host family. I love my late-afternoon workouts in the most beautiful garden and freshest air. I love the food. I love my bus rides. I love everything here (except maybe the hills that I ran yesterday that made my quads super sore!)

Today was our third day of orientation with ISEP and Universidad Nacional (UNA). Our group consists of eleven students from all over the USA, two students from UNA, and our ISEP resident director. Orientation consists of language placement tests, tours of the campus and city, tips for studying at UNA, safety tips and precautions, and many other helpful hints. Today, we walked to a bus in downtown Heredia and from there we took the bus into San Jose. We relaxed at a famous park (very big and beautiful), ate lunch at a seafood restaurant, and then went to Museo de Salle, Ciencias Naturales. The museum displayed the natural history of Costa Rica and had collections of fossils, dead animals, real fetuses, dead insects, rocks/stones, and pottery. I enjoyed the museum because I am not much of a “go to the museum and read” girl. So, walking around and just observing was perfect for me. The best part of the day was after our four mile walk around the park and museum.

We arrived at our bus to take us home to our university and instead of being empty like in the morning, the bus was full of people. There were enough spaces for most of us to sit next to strangers. So, we did. I sat next to a kind tico man. The first thing he said to me was “adonde paseo?” I had no idea what this meant. I proceeded to ask three or four of my friends in front of and behind me and none of us knew what the phrase translated to in English.

After much deliberation, discussion, and loud laughter, the man sitting next to one of my friends told her, in English, that it was like asking “where are you traveling?” or “are you a tourist?” or “where are you coming from?” The man who translated this for us was just observing our laughter and discussion, knowing we thought he did not speak English. Once he helped us, my friend ended up talking to him for a while. I ended up talking to the man beside me and answering his original question. And our resident director helped us understand the full meaning. The bus ride home was simple. We enjoyed ourselves. We learned a new phrase. We made new friends on the bus. We shared the tangerine that my Mama Tica packed for me as a snack. We had fun!

When I arrive at my house after orientation, tired and with blisters on my feet, I cannot do anything but smile. I look forward to catching up with my family about my day and telling them everything that I did. I cannot wait for all the days to come; the stories to share, the phrases to learn, the words to repeat, the friends to meet, and the connections to make with people on the bus.

One view of my university.

The university greenhouse. One student in our group said our campus feels like a zoo....and it is true! There are different types of plants and flowers everywhere.

Son-In-Law and Granddaughter of my host parents. She loves to take pictures!

P.S. Today I rode the bus to and from the university all by myself! But, my host dad did tell the driver (who I just found out is his cousin) where to drop me off in case I forgot to pull the cable! He also surprised me and met me at the bus stop after orientation. Mi familia tica es el mejor!