The last days of freedom

Sorry I've been a little absent the last couple days. We had our last day of orientation Friday -- mostly procedural stuff like the library and Web access that I won't bore you with. But then we had our official welcome party Friday night, and that was a lot of fun. They had a handful of alumni there, so it was good to talk to them and ask them questions. We went to a local bar, and it was funny to see the professors and staff let loose and dance with the students. At one point this carnivale-type performance swept into the bar, led by a handful of guys playing the drums, and followed by some men and women dressed in Vegas-style feathered getups. It was really cool. Apparently these same people perform in the local parades.











A few students decided to organize a beach trip for Saturday and arranged a 14-person van to take us a few hours to the beach. Unfortunately, the beach day turned into a rain day. It was cloudy when we set off, but we were hopeful. We stopped along the way at this one place known for its abundance of crocodiles, and it did not disappoint. We walked onto this bridge and saw one massive crocodile sunning himself on a little muddy island, and then on the other side of the bridge, we counted 18 crocodiles in the water and on the land! It was really kind of freaky, and they were just lying there with their mouths open.



When we got to the beach, it was pouring rain, so we went and ate lunch. It was still pouring when we finished, so a few of us found a cozy lounge bar with a view of the ocean and sat on some couches and read for a couple hours (I brought Harry Potter with me to re-read, and I found another of the students is a huge HP fan! yeah!). Most of the group decided to go in the water anyway, despite the rain. It's a pretty big surf beach (most of them are in Costa Rica), and the waves were bigger than I'd ever seen (then again, the closest body of water I grew up next to was Lake Michigan). Some of the students rented some boards and attempted surfing. Being the "landlubber" that I am, I stayed far, far away from such activities.

The true excitement (fear) of the day came on the drive home. The van wouldn't start when we were ready to leave, so a handful of students pushed it until the driver could kick it into gear. (The driver was actually one of the university admission officials who also handles all the transportation stuff.) So, that got us started, but then about an hour and a half into the drive, it started getting dark, and we playfully reminded Eddy (the driver) that he should turn his headlights on. He replied, sorry, but the lights actually aren't working, and we're trying to get to Puriscal, where another van will meet us. We started getting a little nervous. (Mom, this is the part where you don't read.) We were driving through mountainous terrain, which is typically a little dangerous even in daylight. The little bit of twilight we had quickly turned into pitch blackness. There were absolutely no street lights, and we were on winding roads through the mountains with absolutely no lights. The hazards weren't working, the taillights weren't working, the defrost wasn't working, and the windshield wipers weren't working -- and it was raining. Eddy was of course driving very slowly and carefully, but our biggest fear was other traffic whipping around the curves and not being able to see us. Finally, a truck came up behind us, and Eddy signaled him around and asked him to lead us into the nearest town. The truck driver was very nice, and he turned on his hazards and drove in front of us. Then about 15 minutes later, for no apparent reason, everything in the van started working again. The headlights came on, and the windshield wipers and defrost started working. We met the other van in Puriscal, but by then we were only about 30 minutes from home, so we just followed the other van, in case the lights went out again, but they were fine the rest of the way.

But now I'm back in my apartment, safe and sound. We already have our first readings for class on Monday, so I better crack open a book and dust off those cobwebs! Here's hoping going back to school is like riding a bike.