Day 1: The Journey's just getting started - Jeshua Aponte

Echoing the words of my Math professor "It's that time! It's that time!" He used that phrase to get his class excited at 7:30am, and the Horizons crew embodied its sentiment perfectly. Today would be our first day in Costa Rica! but before we got to meet our homestay family, try the food, and go on incredible adventures, we had to overcome our greatest hurdle yet: the airport.

After meeting up at the Krach Leadership Center at 11:45pm the day before, we took a lighting-fast shuttle to O'Hare airport. Once we were there, bags were checked, and security was cleared, we got on flight #1.

When we landed in Miami, we had the opportunity to visit a Lego store, and get some delicious Cuban cuisine. Even when faced with a two hour layover, playing UNO made the wait go by incredibly fast. Then, we boarded the plane and were on our way to Pura Vida!

Just before the second flight landed, I saw the landscape from the plane, a glimpse into the adventures to be had as soon as that machine hit the ground. After flight #2 finally landed, we were in Costa Rica! We picked up our bags and met the ISA guide Angie and the bus driver Cho.

One shuttle ride later, we got to meet our host families. My host family is composed of Damaris, her husband Carlos, their dog Copito, and Parrot Lorito. When I first arrived home she treated me and my roomates to fresh bananas, mangos, guayabas, and even some delicious guanabana juice. Furthermore, she gave us bread with Guayaba marmelade (which confused me a lot because it was stored in a tomato sauce container!). Then, once we were all settled in, we spent some time conversing and Carlos took us to explore el barrio where we lived.

Later on in the day, Damaris' daughter Natalia and her son-in-law Chris, along with their two kids came to visit. They brought Tamal de Elote (think cornbread, but very fluffy) for all of us. They, along with Carlos, took us out once more to explore Heredia. Our group of 4 got to see the plaza, which is used to host a lot of events. They also took us to a small supermarket and showed us different local places where we could shop for souvenirs, and have a bite to eat.

When we returned home, it was dinnertime! As our introduction to Costa Rican cuisine, we ate Pasta con tomate and garlic bread. Finally, we went over house rules with the family, said goodnight to everyone, and our first day in paradise came to an end.