Counting down

It seems like I just got here, yet I'm nearly done with my first class. We only have two more days of lectures, and then on Friday we give group presentations. And then we have Monday off (it's a Costa Rican holiday), so a bunch of people are already planning a beach weekend (myself included).

We're still not on the UPeace campus yet. Apparently they built a whole new road (using gravel) and the rains have kept it pretty muddy, and since its on a significant incline, this is considered unsafe. Yet they say it's been improving (we've heard that before), and supposedly we'll be on campus on Friday. I'll believe it when I see it.

I'm adjusting pretty well to Costa Rican life. The coffee is stupendous, and I have a daily fix of rice and beans. The school gave us the contact info for a local woman who teaches Spanish lessons, and I plan on setting that up soon (only $5 for an hour if you're in a group, and you choose your own group and your own meeting times). Speaking of good deals (you all know how I love a good deal), I heard (from my classmate's host mom) about a hairdresser who charges $5 for haircuts and something like $15 or $20 for highlights. And the same host mom told us about a masseuse who comes to your house and does hour-long massages for $20. So I'm all about those! I wandered around Ciudad Colon Saturday afternoon looking for a watch shop because my battery died, and I found this tiny little closet-sized shop, and the guy changed my battery in about 10 seconds and only charged me 700 colones (about $1.40). I paid $7 for the same watch battery in the States.

Well, enough about that. Back to paper writing for me...