first night

I'm here!! I can't even believe it! I met my group around 4:30 yesterday in the Miami airport. Everyone's awesome. We have people from all over the country with us. We sat in the airport for what felt like an eternity, but it was a great chance for all of us to get to know each other and find out where everyone was going to be for the next 10 weeks...we're all going to be living in different sites around the country. After landing in San Jose we met up with our Program coordinator Leilani then boarded a bus. The first thing I saw in San Jose was a DENNY'S and a HOLIDAY INN...not at all what I expected to see LOL! After about a 30 minute bus ride we stop at a hostel called Casa Yoses....10 of us shared a room and a bathroom. We're in a really nice part of town and the homes are beautiful.

I'm told this is probably the only place I"ll be able to take a "hot" shower for the next 10 weeks...I wouldn't call the shower "hot" but it was "warm." :) I got a little bit electrocuted...the hot water is produced by some kind of rigged electrical wiring. I made the mistake of touching it while the water was running. I just felt a slight buzzz....nothing too major! We're not allowed to flush toilet paper down the toilet which is hard to remember, but you just throw it in a waste basket by the toilet.

I was the first one awake this morning...of course. I'm so used to being up before the sun that I didn't even realize it was 4:30 A.M. local time when I got in the shower! The sun was already starting to come up and my clock on my phone said 6:30....it didn't automatically update. I'm sure my roommates loved me!

After my shower I went outside and called my mom and dad...the cell cost 1.99 per minute....so I racked up a $40 phone bill this morning...for one call. I'll have to be more concientious.

Julie and I decided to take a walk around 6:30. We saw some beautiful homes and guess what....I saw a Mormon church on our walk! It was HUGE and absolutely beautiful. What are the odds?! Right now we're just waiting for everyone else to wake up and get ready for the day. Breakfast is served at the hostel around 7:30. I can't wait to eat!

As for the rest of the day...we'll be leaving here around 9 and taking a 1.5 hour bus ride to Orosi where we will spend the week in training. We'll also meet our first host families who will be hosting us for the week while we're there.

I still can't believe I'm here and I know the next 10 weeks will fly by! I'm going to have to take advantage of EVERY minute!!

Last Day in Augusta

I can't believe that today is my last day in Augusta until August! This morning, my co-workers threw me a surprise going away party on the air! It was awesome :) They are the best co-workers anyone could ask for! I'm really going to miss all of them...

I've still got A TON of packing to do. I think I have everything I need...I just have to fit it all into my suitcase....which poses a challenge! How's a girl supposed to pack for a two month trip in one suitcase and a backpack? Hmmm...

The itinerary for tomorrow should go a little something like this:

Leave Augusta regional in the morning
Get to Miami around 3:30.
Attend a pre-departure meeting with the WorldTeach team at 4:30 in the Miami airport.
Leave for San Jose, Costa Rica, around 8:00 p.m. and get into San Jose around 8:30 p.m. local time. From there we will be bussed to a hotel where we will stay for the night.

On Saturday we'll be taken to a town called Orosi for one week of training. While we're there we will be staying with host families. After the week's over, we'll be taking buses to our individual WorldTeach sites! I'm really looking forward to getting there and meeting the students I'll be working with.

My parents are in town. They came in yesterday to help me pack and see me off! They are the best parents in the world! They brought me lots of Spanish/English teaching supplies to use in the classroom. They'll actually help me A LOT with my Spanish as well...so that's awesome! I guess the next time you here from me I'll be in COSTA RICA!!

Gettin' Ready!

This is the first blog I've ever attempted, but I think this is the very best way to keep in touch with everyone while I'm gone and keep y'all up-to-date with what I'm doing down in Costa Rica.

I can't believe the trip I've been talking about for the last 6 months is just 4 days away. I still feel overwhelmed with how much I have to get done before Friday. I'm a combination of anxious, excited, nervous, excited, scared, and did I mention EXCITED?! :) I leave Augusta around 11 a.m. Friday and fly down to Miami. That's where I'll meet up with the rest of the group headed to Costa Rica. We'll all fly there together and get into San Jose around 8:30 p.m. local time.

For those of you who don't know, I'm going to Costa Rica to teach English for the summer. I'll be there from May 29th to August 8th. I'm going with a program called WorldTeach through Harvard University. There are about 30 of us going, and we've each been assigned to different schools throughout the country. My assignment is in a town called Quebrada Grande in the Guanacaste province. I'll be teaching 7th through 11th graders. There are about 110 students at the school...about 800 people in the town all together. I'll be staying with a host family that lives about a 10 minute walk from the school. The family has two daughters age 19 and 15.

While I'm away Arielle Clay will be filling in for me on the Morning Show and the 11 a.m. midday newscast. She's awesome! She will do an excellent job!