Day 2: I'm here

Wow. What a crazy week!  Let's see if I can break this down into a way that makes sense.  I think the best thing to do is to go day by day, so here we go. (Also there will be many pictures)

Monday

All my luggage

This was the day before I left for Miami for two days of training.  The highlight of this day was that I got to go to FroYo with Ana and Lauren, and while we were talking I shared that the experience was not even surreal yet, it was still abstract.  Since last November I have been planning and preparing with LAM for where I'm at now, and on Monday, well it still didn't even feel like it was really happening.  For so long "being in Costa Rica" was just a theory, just what would happen in the great unknown we call "the future". I was physically ready to go, but not really mentally prepared or emotionally prepared for what I was getting myself into.

Tuesday

Me talking with TJ before I left

Me and my parents before my first flight

On Tuesday there was a lot of traveling going on. I flew from St. Louis to Atlanta and then from Atlanta to Miami.  It doesn't sound so bad when you say it like that, but in the moment it was a lot more stressful.  Now, of course all the family that could make it to the St. Louis Airport went with me (so mom, dad, and grandma) and they took me as far as they could.  We had a little photo-op and then I was off!  I was supposed to have an hour between flights, but with the first flight landing late (I didn't get off the plane until half an hour of my time had gone by!), and then needing to take a short shuttle trip to ANOTHER terminal (which my ticket did not say which gate I was departing from, so I had to take time out to read that long and confusing list of departures), and with needing to use the restroom...well, by the time I got to the gate, everyone else had already boarded and there was NO ONE waiting at the gate.  In case you missed it, there was no time for lunch in that time period.  On the plus side, however, unlike my first flight this one was not completely full.  So I didn't have

A pre-flight shot of the plane

The obligatory from-air shot

anyone sitting next to me.  In fact, I had the window seat and the only other person in my row was sitting in the other window seat!  So I had more room to relax (and there was no one behind me so I could recline as much as I wanted), and that was definitely a perk at that point.

When I got off the plane, my Aunt came and picked me up and we went to her house where we enjoyed pan con bistec (basically a steak sandwich). It was the best thing ever.  Though I may have been slightly biased because of my incredible hunger.  DON'T RELY ON TWO TINY PACKETS OF PRETZELS TO BE A SATISFYING LUNCH!  It's not that I thought they would be...I was just a little unprepared for the lack of time I'd have for lunch.

Wednesday and Thursday

Getting gas before heading out

 I'm putting these days together because they consisted of pretty similar events.  My Aunt works somewhat near the building I needed to be in, and so she drove me to the LAM building before work on both these days.  Now, having Jimmy John's as my summer job and working 11a-2p (or shorter) every day DEFINITELY spoiled me as far as what time I had to wake up every day.  It was kind of rough getting up before the sun, but it was definitely worth it.  During my two days working with LAM I got to know the people who had been sending me emails and got to spend time with people who had also spent time abroad through LAM.  Not only that, but we looked at my worker profile and my Myers-Briggs personality to assess what kind of environment I work best in and what some things are that I can take with me (mentally and physically) to help this whole transition process.  After these two days I felt way more prepared to head to Costa Rica both mentally and emotionally.  I wish I had more pictures to show you of my time there and who I was working with, but alas, my iPod was not usually with

 me, and it was never at the forefront of my mind.  I did, however, take a picture of this sign they had on the door.  We had to enter through the back was, and the building is fairly small (three stories) and so this was an awesome touch to make me feel expected and to let me know that I was in the right place.

Friday

The big kahuna. The day I actually left the country.  Now, just so that you can follow along with my energy levels, I'm going to put things in the Central American time zone, which is currently the same as Mountain Time in the U.S. (but once daylight savings time is over, I will be on Central Time).  So I woke up at 3:00 in the morning to get to the airport on time.  I was NOT using the Miami airport, but instead the Fort Lauderdale one, and so it was about an hour away.  

Luckily, the uncle who I was staying with needed to be in a nearby town (from Ft. Lauderdale) for his training for the job he recently got.  This Friday was his last day of training; I don't think the timing could have worked out more perfectly if we had tried!  My flight was at 7:00 am and so I had quite a bit of down time before my flight.  I got through security, sat down, and ate the pastelitos my Aunt had bought for me a couple days before.  I had time to check my email, check facebook, play some Words with Friends--you know, the important things.  The time did sort of fly by (yeah, lame pun) and then it was time to board.  

I had an aisle seat and there was an older lady who had the window seat, but luckily there was no one in the middle.  I was awake for the safety instructions, but after that, I was pretty much out--I was so tired!   I woke up to find the customs forms I needed to fill out wedged between the seat and the tray-table; I had been asleep for almost an hour.  The rest of the trip was pretty uneventful, although there was a group of people in front of me that was pretty obnoxious. Oh well.

Getting off the plane took a while because I was in the third from last row, but once I got off, immigration and customs were a breeze.  The longest part about getting out of the airport was waiting for my bags.  Next came a less sure part, however: finding my ride.  The night before I found out that the person picking me up was not who I had thought it would be, but instead one of the other missionaries here, Liz.  She had sent me a couple emails a few weeks earlier and soon after became Facebook friends.  Point is: I sort of knew who she was (at least, what she looked like) and I was excited to meet her.  As I was walking out of the airport she caught my attention and we were off.  She told me in the car ride that she had pretty much just gotten to the airport as I was walking out.  So that was super convenient!  

I have absolutely no idea how long it took to get to the Rahab Foundation (where I'll be working), but I can say traffic was insane.  Worse than Miami (and Miami traffic was pretty terrible!).  We made it to Rahab, however, and I unloaded my suitcases into the reception area's closet.  We met Laura, my supervisor and roommate, and then Liz headed out.  It was about 11:00 or so; that means I had been awake 8 hours already (ok, 7 with the nap) and I was pretty exhausted, not to mention I was being bombarded by newness all around.  I expected to get a tour of the Foundation, meet the people I'd be working with, then head home to unpack and get settled in for the weekend, and have my first day of work on Monday.  That's not what happened.

I was going home with Laura, and Laura had a whole work day planned.  So after talking with her a little more about Rahab and how it works, I spoke with the head of the Foundation and she asked me all these questions like "Why Costa Rica", "Why this people group", etc.  All of these were questions I had answered before, but never in Spanish!  Everything after Liz dropped me off was in Spanish.  Now, I realize I should have known that (and I did know that), but what I wasn't as prepared for was the fact that no one spoke English.  Usually when I talk to anyone in Spanish, they have a working English vocabulary--or the interaction would be short and relatively insignificant.  This was not the case.  These were important conversations that were happening, and all I had to rely on was Spanish.  My Spanish is good, but nowhere near as good as my English.  It was frustrating to have to rely on basic sentences to portray complex thoughts and emotions.

After talking with these two ladies, I was put into the care of Gabriela (or Gabi).  Now Gabi works in childcare.  Friday was national Kid's Day.  It was crazy.  There were about 20 kids we were in charge of, and there was a special group that came to perform for them, and these kids (ages 10 months or so to about 10 years...but mostly 4-6) were VERY energetic.  So here I am, awake for 9 hours (more or less) needing to help keep these kids entertained, not knowing the rules of the room we were in, or any rules in general, speaking only in Spanish, carrying this (super cute) 10 month old around (I'm really feeling that today), and just trying to keep up, while all my energy is being drained minute by minute.  Not to mention I didn't have a water bottle, it was hot, and Costa Rica is elevated to almost a mile above sea level.  It was quite overwhelming.

When 5 o'clock rolled around, however, Laura and I packed up my bags and headed out.  When we got to her apartment, we unloaded my bags and she told me she lived on the second floor.  Next to us, are the stairs that, at this point, seem a mile high.  As she was getting back into her car to park it, however, one of her neighbors asked me (in English) if I would like help carrying them up the stairs.  Laura and I both said "yes!".  After testing the weight of them (two, fifty pound bags, mind you), he handed me his wallet, his phone, and his keys he had been holding and asked me to hold them for him.  I was more than a little shocked.  That would NEVER happen in Buenos Aires--a testament to how different these places are!

The current state of my unpacking

We walked in and I got shown to my room where I started to unpack...however there's still a lot to go.  This of course brings us to 

Saturday (Today)

I have pretty much nothing to do today but unpack and settle in.  Laura is out for the day (she invited me with her, but I decided I should take a day off to avoid being MORE overwhelmed by everything.  Her best friend, Yami, has just come over and brought lunch.  So I'm going to let you go--this post should give you enough to think about for the next few days.  Be sure to leave a comment below or a Facebook message or post or SOMETHING if you have any questions, comments, or concerns.

Peace and Blessings,

Kiki