Starting Out

It's been a crazy last couple of weeks--MCAT, medical stuff, family vacation, Jessie visit, packing--but I'm finally in Costa Rica! I wouldn't say settled yet, because we leave for another part of Costa Rica bright and early in the morning, but that will kind of be the norm. This semester involves lots of traveling between the capital (San José) and different biological stations in other parts of the country. While I'm excited to see diverse areas of Costa Rica, I've already realized that unpacking and repacking bags is going to get old really fast.

Today was lots of time spent sitting in a classroom as we had orientation. Snake boots, taxis, rice and beans and of course the syllabus were all topics of conversation. It was a long day, but we did have breaks in between when we had the chance to chat and get to know each other. Altogether, there are 23 students, 3 faculty and one TA. We all live and travel together except on break, so we'll be getting to know each other well!

Tomorrow is a six hour bus ride to an OTS biological station near the Panamanian border. Once we're there we'll do some shopping for last minute supplies (and those all important snake boots!). I will try to start taking pictures soon!