This morning, I finished packing my bags, cleaned the house, and said goodbye to my Tico family.

A $16 cab ride and here I am, at my new, shared apartment. It didn't take long to unpack. I've spent the rest of the day trying to feel comfortable here. It doesn't feel right, for some reason. I have the place to myself this weekend. One roommate is back in the States till Monday. The other roommate doesn't get here until July. The landlords are in Panama, but they left their dog (Bailey) here outside.

I've traded some comforts. I don't have a fully equipped kitchen, a fan, or a clothes dryer. But I do have cable TV and wireless Internet. My bedroom consists of a futon and a 12in TV. I've begged the landlord for a small desk and chair for the bedrooms and a coffee maker. She said okay, but that's it. I guess it's up to me to get the kitchen up to snuff. It needs some knives and a can opener, at the very least. These things would be trivial in the States, but are slightly more expensive here. I might buy a fan for my room, too. It's getting pretty stuffy, even with the window open.

I'm a little worried about how things will work when there are two other people living here.

Besides that, I'm happy to be in Heredia. I can walk to Hipermas, downtown, and my school very easily. The neighborhood is quiet. There are taxis and buses nearby.

Friday night, one of my students invited me to go out with some of his friends to a bar. I had to decline because of my long, late bus ride home. But I told him that as of next week, I'll be able to go out any time. He promised to show me the hot spots in Heredia. It'll be nice to get out. And it's a nice ego boost to know that my students like me enough to hang out with me outside of class.

Labels: costa rica