Things to Get Used To, Pt. 1

1. Greeting strangers with a kiss on the right cheek.

This is weird for me. I've seen the double-cheek-kiss in movies, but I didn't realize it was actually a thing. We were told specifically only one kiss, and it has to be on the right side. Strange in theory, but Ticos make it look really natural.

2. Roosters. All day.

I'm sure that the birds have no concept of time, because in my book, they crow in the morning, and that's the end of it. Instead of that, we have roosters that I first hear at 5am, and they continue all day.

3. Travelling in groups of at least 2, always.

I'm not used to having to have someone with me when I want to walk to campus, to the mall, around the city, etc. Now, because we're in a different country, we're told to make sure that we always have someone to walk with, not to walk outside after dark, and take a taxi if it's absolutely unavoidable. It's easy when I have Hannah as my exit buddy, but I would maybe enjoy a short walk by myself once in a while.

4. My feet are constantly dirty

Unless I have just stepped out of the shower, my feet are 80% covered in dirt. I got excited at first because I thought that I had a tan, but when it washed off, I was a little disappointed. The path that we take to school is all dirt, and we walk it at least twice a day. I don't think I would mind so much if the dirt was easy to get out from around my nails, but that is not the case.

5. Fresh fruit for breakfast, every day.

This is something that I'm super pumped about. We always have fresh bananas from one of Mama Tica's trees (she says that eating them will prevent osteoporosis, and I'm not gonna try and argue with Mama Tica), and usually either papaya or mango as well. Occasionally she'll throw some watermelon or mandarin oranges, which are wonderful. This is something that I'm definitely going to miss when I get back home.

#culture