So today was my first Official day of class at Veritas University. For the past two days, I have had to attend long rear-end orientations about safety, health, and the differences between Costa Rica and the US. [let me just tell you guys there are SOOOOOOOOOOOO many students in my program. With ISA there are 67 of us. Yeah all 70 of us will be going on all of our weekend excursions together. Lets just say its gringo ville. then there are several other programs in addition to ISA that were at our Veritas orientaion yesterday. Soooo many gringos. To be completely honest Im almost having a reverse culture shock. Its strange for me now to be in a large group of short-wearing, LOUD english speaking, white people. I almost feel a little uncomfortable. I guess seeing large groups of gringos when I would walk downtown by myself when I was working at the clinic made me realize truly how annoying we really are.] Okay back to the orientation, had I only been there for three days like everyone else, it might not have been too bad. but sitting two days in a row for at least three days listening to things I've already heard (I had an orientation the day after I arrived here) and learned on my own after being here for six weeks, I might not have wanted to shoot my brains out. Just kidding, it wasnt that bad. And I got some great food on Sunday. Sheesh, its raining here as I type this. Like downpour. As usual. And I have to say, in class today we had to tell the things we like and dislike about Costa Rica, and I have to say that the constant rain is one of the only things I just dislike about this country. I am soooooo over the rain. Please dont be raining in SC when I get back in a few weeks. Please, oh please Mother nature, spare me this. I feel like having to deal with rain everyday for twelve weeks is enough to merit me a favor from Mother Nature. so over it. Sorry, dont like to complain, but yeah. Okay so anyway, my class schedule looks a little something like this. I have medical spanish class everyday from 8-12 and then on mondays and wednesdays, I have a Costa Rican Healthcare class from 4-8 in addition to my spanish class. Yeah Mondays and wednesday, I'm basicallly in class from 8 to 8. its gonna be pretty intense, but I guess a one month program is always a little intensive. And from here on out I have excursions every weekend until I come home. so I'm gonna be pretty busy from here on out. Which honestly I dont mind. Because I think I'm in that past-6-week-blues-zone. Im getting a little more ready to come home everyday, but i'm hoping my studies and excursions will keep me occupied until August 7th. Dont get me wrong, its been a wonderful experience, and I've learned alot, I guess the newness has somewhat worn off. Anyway, yesterday we had an oral interview to decide which level of spanish: beginner, intermediate, or advanced, that we were going to be placed into. I was literally second to last in our program to go. yeah remember 67 people. Anyway, somehow I got placed into the Advanced class. I seriously asked the interveiwer "Are you sure?" at the end, but apparently it wasnt a joke. I wanted to be in intermediate but whatever. Well today I got to class, and there are about 12 of us in my class. Let me just tell you that 5 of them are hispanic in some way or another. Yeah, completely fluent. so basically, I'm the handicapped gringa because of the fact that my darn lineage is from europe. such a disadvantage. There is one dominican girl, two mexican girls, the other kid from clemson who I just realized was colombian and salvadorian, and then this other girl who is half cuban. But you know, you just do the best you can. I know I'll never be as good as the spanish speakers, but you know what, no one in my family speaks spanish, I dont really ever have opportunities (like close friends) back home that I can just blab away in spanish, and I havent been speaking spanish my whole life. So I'm just going to do the best I can do you know. I feel like I am going to learn a lot of spanish though. For real, I found out in my class, I have to teach adolescentes about how to use a condom (yeah, i'm gonna have to get up and do a whole discussion in spanish about this to young people). I mean considering the pregnancy rate, its probably necessary no matter what my level of spanish is. I also have to do a presentation to little kids about one of the systems in the body (yeah, try explaining the nervous system in Spanish to small tiny children). for one of my two "exams" my teacher is going to bring a "patient" in and I have to have a complete consult with them. And our last, exam is that we have to research a disease, and our teacher is going to bring a patient in with those symptoms and we have to tell them what to do. HOLY CRAP. Yeah its gonna be pretty intense. Today we learned what questions we need to ask like if we were a doctor and we were talking to a patient. I think its going to be a very "application" type class. We are actually going to apply what we learn, not just cram more information into our tiny folded brains. I feel like I'm going to learn a lot in this month though. I go to my other class for the first time tomorrow. Its in English. thank the lord. Because for four hours in the afternoon after I've already been in class for four hours that morning, Im not even going to want to think in spanish. Well just wanted to give you guys the DL on what my classes were like. I love you all and MISS YOU SOOOO MUCH. Cant believe I'm in my SEVENTH week here. After this one, I literally only have a month. phew. I feel like i'm running a marathon. I'm hoping that I might get my second wind soon. cuz I need it to get through my classes for sure. Anway love you all. PURA VIDA!