Kristin's Update

I had a great holiday! It's nice to spend special time with my family before I leave for 4 months. I suppose I should give a little update. Kate's description of Puntarenas, the town we'll be living in while in Costa Rica, is awesome! Students in the USAC program have told me that the lifestyle is very "tranquilo," and that Costa Ricans, known as "Ticos," are easy-going...that will be helpful to Kate and me while we're freaking out and adjusting to our new lives. :) We've been able to contact most of the students who will be in the same program with us, via facebook, and they're all super excited, too! The students who are doing the full year program and have been there since August have nothing but good things to report, and have been really helpful in answering our random questions about everything from packing tips to travel tips to culture info. We can't wait to meet them in person!

I know a bit less about my host family than Kate does about hers. Literally, all I know is that I'll be living with a mother, a father, and their 14 year-old daughter, that they have no pets, and that they speak "basic English." I wonder if I'll be sharing a room with the girl...I have no idea! I can't wait to meet them and make them love me, haha. I'm so excited to improve my Spanish while in Costa Rica, and living with a family is one of the best ways to do that. :)

So, for the next 12 days, I will be wrapping up the final loose ends before we leave. I've just got to buy a few random items to bring with me, go to the dentist, get my hair cut, make copies of important documents to bring with me, visit with some friends, etc. For Christmas, I got a new laptop that's really teeny and perfect to bring abroad, so that's exciting! I'm very grateful. On the desktop, I receive updates about the weather in Puntarenas, and right now, it's 77 degrees there. I CAN'T WAIT TO GO!

here's a photo of my new laptop! it's only 10.1".