Fiesta!

Tonight I had my first experience with the whole dance/party scene in Costa Rica! We had a "crash" party for all the Tico and International students at Veritas. The music was great, I got to dance! (yay!) And, I noticed that drinking in Costa Rica isn't at all like it is in the United States. People in Costa Rica do drink, but it's just a social thing, for enjoyment, and they're generally not just drinking to get drunk. It's refreshing! Although I still have little desire to participate, it's nice to see. And tonight I got to meet a few Ticos! And our house brother, Andres, who is a student form Guatemala, introduced us to a few of his friends! Meagan & I were really grateful to have him around. Overall I'd say the night was a success, although I do wish I could have gotten to know some Ticas. I met a couple girls, but at a party like that where it's hard to hear and everyone just gravitates towards who they already know, it's kind of difficult. But, I'm determined to make some friends while I'm here!

Honestly, I think that I have a kind of mental block when it comes to putting myself out there and investing in people while I'm here. I guess it's because I know I'll only be here for 3 months, and when I add that to how different this environment is, I get overwhelmed and want to just go back to my comfort zone. Sometimes I wish I had someone to literally push me out of my comfort zone...like tonight when I was just staying in a circle of people from the US. I did meet some new people, but I could have made more of an effort. Making the most of every opportunity is harder than it sounds! But..anyways, during the party, a drum corp came into the plaza and it was some of the best music I've ever heard! A couple steel drums, and various others - if I knew the terminology I would be a lot more specific - but, they played and danced for a while! I don't know how they kept it up that long, but it was awesome! Definitely the highlight of the night. The music here is quickly becoming my favorite type of music!

Update on the class situation - the program leaders for CEA were awesome in helping me figure out how to get the credits I need! So, although it took a while, as of now, I'm pretty sure that it's going to work out fine! I'm waiting to hear back from my UA advisor, but meanwhile, I'm just enjoying where I am and trying to do well in the classes I have. Speaking of class, I have to be in class at 8am tomorrow - so, buenas noches!

Love,

Courtney

(World Traveler in Training)

Rain, rain. Siempre esta lloviendo..

It's true. It has rained every day since we've been here! We get sun in the morning and maybe through lunch time, but then, rain! And lots of it! Apparently it's a tropical storm that's just camping out here for a while, and it's also the end of the rainy season. So I'm very grateful for my umbrella and my rain jacket! And of course, my Chacos! :D

On a more serious note - today was the first day of classes, and I had several interesting experiences. ...

My class schedule turned out to be really complicated, and basically every class I wanted to take conflicted with another one. I was frustrated yesterday, but now, I'm just trying to figure things out the best I can and go from there. Every morning when I wake up, I just started the habit of quoting scripture to myself - and, woah. It's amazing. I don't know why I would ever start my day differently....oh, wait! I'm so selfish - I've always woken up thinking about myself! What I had to do, what I needed or wanted, etc. What a revolutionary idea to begin the day thinking about God's word! It's so humbling to realize how much I make my life about me. God is slowly starting to break me of it, although I know it will always be a struggle. Anyways, classes aren't exactly what I had hoped for, but we'll see what happens!

Today in Spanish class, we had an hour-long conversation about God. It was pretty intense. One of the girls in my class brought it up, and since the last 2 hours of class are conversation anyways, we just ended up talking about what we believed (in Spanish of course) for quite a while! There were a couple agnostics, an atheist, three or four Christians and Catholics, a Lutheran, and a couple who said they didn't really know what they thought about the whole God thing. It was hard because I wanted to express myself more fully than I was able to in Spanish, but still, the conversation was at the very least, thought provoking. At the same time though, I was just in prayer the whole time because honestly, it broke my heart. I realized today how many people there are who don't know the unsurpassed peace of knowing Jesus Christ. It was the most intense religious conversation I've ever participated in, and there was definitely a lot of either apathy or hostility to Christianity. The general feeling was that of, well that's nice that your beliefs work for you, but everyone finds their answers in different places...live in the moment! Seize the day! Of course I agree that we should live life to the fullest, but for a bigger purpose than just today! If that's all there is, what is the point? You guys can be praying for me that God would give me boldness, more opportunities to talk with other students, and also, the words to say! Most of the questions they were asking were way to big for me to answer! But nothing is too big for Him.

~*~

love,

-Courtney

(World Traveler in Training)

Lots to process!

Oy. Today was intense. I'm getting pretty overwhelmed with everything - the Spanish, being in a new place, and having to change the way I think, talk, and act - street sense here doesn't come naturally - believe it or not, San Jose is not as safe and care free as Sunny Meadows (my neighborhood) in Birmingham, Alabama. =P It makes me appreciate how secure I feel at home! For example, you Bama students will appreciate this one... when you eat on campus, like in the Ferg, you find a table, put your backpack there, go get food, and then go back to the table - and your backpack containing your laptop and who knows what else is still there when you get back with your food! Sometimes we don't even think about it! But, yeaah. Not such a good idea here. A slight level of paranoia is necessary, like it is in any big city. But, I'm sure that as long as I don't do anything stupid, I'll be just fine. The people here are very friendly, and although I'm not crazy about San Jose, (just because it's kind of crazy here), once I get to know the city a little better I think I'll really enjoy living here! My favorite part of the trip so far though is taking trips and getting outside of the city! Plus, when we take trips, it's more likely that I can take my camera! I can't walk around with it normally. Only on excursions, at my house, and when I'm on my way to Photography class. =)

Tomorrow morning we start classes!! My schedule definitely did not turn out as I had originally hoped - I'm not going to be able to take any business classes while I'm here, and that makes me nervous because I'll probably have to take summer classes to graduate on time. But, I'm here because I want to learn Spanish, learn about the culture, and see what it looks like for me to have an international adventure. ;) I think that whatever I have to compensate for once I'm back will be worth this experience! And plus - God is in control, and He is bigger than schedules, classes, and my anxiety. So I'm trying to give it all to Him and see what happens. Meanwhile, I'm just making the best decisions that I can!

One thing that has been on my mind, (which I don't really know how to explain, but I'll try), is the poverty that I've seen so far in San Jose and close by, too. I'm hopefully going to be able to volunteer at an orphanage while I'm here, which is going to be hard, but wonderful - but the general poverty here is so real, and it's different than what I've seen before. About 20% of the families in Costa Rica are trying to survive on less than two dollars a day. And I know that the poor will always be among us, and that there are poor people everywhere, but being so close to it has definitely been thought provoking, and in a way, has made me question and think about a lot of things, like the effects of the fall, why God has me here, and what He is doing.

Anyways, I was just thinking out loud. There is so much to process! It has just been non-stop since we got here. The time I have had alone with God has been so refreshing in the middle of all the chaos!

You all are in my prayers!

Much love,

Courtney

(World Traveler in Training)

Dia Segunda

¡Hola amigos!

Today was definitely a crazy day. I can't believe it is only the second day that we have been here! And although it's overwhelming being in an entirely different environment, and I'm in way over my head with my rusty Spanish, I can tell that it will start to get easier, and after a couple weeks, I think I'll feel right at home. The house I'm living in is beautiful and my host mom and dad couldn't be nicer. The food so far has been amazing - oh my goodness. And this morning we all went to "Cafe Brit" in Heredia, about 30 minutes away. At Cafe Brit there are acres of coffee fields, and there, they harvest the coffee beans, process them, and roast them! Definitely the best coffee I've ever tasted. The tour guides were hilarious - they took us to the coffee fields, the plant, and to where they taste test the coffee. They made the tour really fun and it went by fast! I got a sweet safari style Cafe Brit hat out of the deal too! Que bueno. haha. And everything, although it was raining almost all day, was beautiful. I love how cool it is here!

I just finished unpacking and putting everything away - now, for more Spanish practice! I have my oral exam in the morning, and then on Tuesday, classes start!

Abrazos,

-Courtney

(World Traveler in Training)

On My Way...

Well, the day is actually here!! I've had butterflies in my stomach ever since we left for the Atlanta airport. And now I'm sitting here in the Ft Lauderdale/Miami airport with my overpriced trail mix, considering purchasing an overpriced water bottle, and waiting for my next flight. Good news: I've had a chance to use my Spanish already!! Bad news: I almost applied for a Spirit Airlines Let Us Rip You Off credit card while I was trying to figure out what the hispanic flight attendant was talking about. But, more good news: I did figure it out! So, conclusion: rusty Spanish skills, but there is room for hope!

This morning I got out my new bilingual Bible (yay) and was reading in Romans 7, and also in Philippians 4. Besides getting completely immersed on the beauty of what I was reading, I was also encouraged and challenged by the struggle, calling, and truth in those passages. The Lord's peace really surpasses all understanding. How good and awesome He is!

So, with the Word of truth in my backpack, anticipation for what this semester has in store, and wonderful people at home praying for me and supporting me, I think I'm all set!

Your sister in Christ,

Courtney

(World traveler in training)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Contact info:

Skype name: sunshinekid31

Email address: courtneysdancin@gmail.com

House Address: Courtney Belcher

c/o Kathleen Ruffley

De Propet 125 Norte, quinta casa mano izquierda

San Jose, Costa Rica

My school address is already on here, it's on the last blog I wrote - either one will work!

Address

19 days until I leave!!

Here is my mailing address for those of you who want to send me letters!

Courtney Belcher

c/o DPI

Universidad Veritas

1 Km. Oeste de la Casa Presidencial

Zapote, San Jose

Costa Rica

~ ~ ~ ~

I'm getting really excited! Just getting all the last minute details together, and of course I'm trying to figure out what things actually deserve some room in my suitcase. My plan as of now is to get out everything I think I need, and then divide that in half. Scary. Packing can be stressful. But I'm enjoying it ... partly because I haven't really started yet.

-World Traveler in Training