First Impressions

We arrived this afternoon at Las Cruces Biological Station after a six-hour drive out of San Jose and through the mountains. It was a sunny morning and the views were spectacular. We stopped for breakfast in the mountains where we stood in the company of clouds and had to put on our warm layers. It started to rain around 11 am and did not let up until about 8:30 pm - which is not uncommon for rainy season in Costa Rica.

On Tuesday, we spent the day at OTS' offices at the University of Costa Rica in San Jose. We met the office staff, our professors and did more formal introductions of ourselves to our classmates. Got the run-down of the semester - our entire schedule got turned upside down from what was advertised in our orientation packets. Everyone is really excited for what we'll be studying this semester. We also took placement tests for Spanish class and got to sit outside, nap, play cards and read during lunch.

We officially start class tomorrow with some afternoon lectures on the history of Costa Rica and a short introduction to microbiology. I'm in the company of some really talented students and faculty. There is no doubt in my mind that the academics here will be a challenge. I'm glad to be in a place where I can completely dive into these topics that are so interesting and not be encumbered by extraneous responsibilities that often spread me thinner than I prefer to be.

I have been journaling some of my thoughts the past couple days, but I do not have my journal with me at the moment. Next time I sit down to blog, I will be sure to transpose some of my journaled thoughts and impressions for your reading enjoyment. All for now!