Sliding in...slowly

As the title suggests, little by little I feel myself sliding into the culture here.  Yesterday was a beautiful day and I got to see the university for the first time where I will be studying everyday, but not before grabbing a cup of cafe con leche.  Many of you know I have developed quite a coffee habit, and as far as I know my family here are not big coffee drinkers, not to mention the coffee here is much different.  As a result yesterday morning I took a nice stroll down to the meeting place and was conveniently early standing right next to an outdoor cafe.  I took a seat at a nice wicker table under a canopy of huge viney trees where I was greeted warmly by the waiter and sipped a lovely cup of coffee.  After meeting briefly at the hotel we proceeded up to the bus stop and got on the 24 to the university however we got about one third of the way up the hill and apparently the bus couldn't handle the weight so we had to get off and get on the next one.  Once on the road again we arrived in no time and met up with Alvero the site coordinator.  We took a walk around campus and got the lay of the land.  It is small, but beautiful.  Lemon trees sagging with fresh ripe fruit, flowers, and palm trees line almost every inch of campus.  There are many small cafes on campus for meeting and chatting with friends, a post office, bookstores, and all the other usual things you find on a college campus. 

When we returned from campus, we went our separate ways, which for me meant lost.  I walked around the city for at least an hour which was fun at first but grew tiresome.  I stumbled upon the market where there is stall after stall of fresh meats, fish, and flowers.  It is a chef's dream.  When I finally arrived home I found Elana cooking up spaghetti.  Just what I needed.  I was famished!  I ate an unreal amount of lunch and headed for a siesta which ended up lasting an hour longer than anticipated.  Ah well, part of the culture I guess.  I then took a long walk around town, still trying to get my bearings, and found a beautiful community.  There is a sort of park area near the port where many people walk, sell things, and meet with friends.  Many older people were sitting in chairs just chatting, and the further I walked I couldn't help but smile at the sense of community and love.  I then stumbled upon a concert taking place at the amphitheater along the park.  I love this city!  I stayed to watch for a bit, but then headed to the hotel to chat with my friends.  They moved to their apartments today, I wanted to know about plans for the night, but when I returned home for dinner, I was too tired to do anything but watch Lady and the Tramp on youtube haha.

This morning I got up and headed to the beach where I laid in the sun for a few hours, went for a long walk, and then home.  It has been a very relaxed Saturday.  I had lunch with Manolo, papa, and we chatted about many cultural differences and made a lot of jokes.  I could get used to this.

Standing in awe of my God given ability to adapt,

Sigourney