I had my first (of many, I'm sure) moment of being totally overwhelmed today. I completely blame it on the fact that the streets have no names.
Before you get all descarado (read: sassy) with me, the streets that are named on here are absolutely not marked and no one besides Google Maps knows what they are called. What Ticos say: "Uh, well, go down the street with the Casa Del Pie, until you get to the hill or the place where that store used to be. Then go toward the Mas por Menos." (Note: these are real landmarks in my neighboorhood, but these directions are not real, as proof as how much I don't know what I'm doing.)
To aid in your sympathy, I live in the upper right corner of this map where it says "Parque Residencial." The neighborhood is called Residencias Malaga for no discernible reason, and the streets are numbered but do not correspond to the addresses, and the addresses do not go in order. I got to the area all right (after taking the Sabanilla bus from San Pedro to Montes de Oca, instead of the Vargas Araya one I took yesterday, until the Mas por Menos stop. If this sounds like a lot of words it's because it is.)
Ellen, a Grupo de Kansas member from the East Coast lives in the same area as me and she took me on the bus because I have learned a lot less in the past few days, apparently, than she has. She got us right to where we needed to be. Confident and self-assured, I sped-walked down a hill and to my house. I kept the expressionless face of people who live in cities (no smiles for the boys, which I can do in Lawrence but not here), clutching my bag in front of me and away from the road. I got to my house and it wasn't my house. I looped the neighborhood and found a closed mercado, two parks, a guard house, about a million cute puppies in garages, a school, more hills, and some kind of wall. Then I realized I really had no idea where I was. I mean, I was still in Malaga, but Ellen was long gone and all I knew was my address (which corresponds with virtually nothing in my location). Having no phone, friends, and the sun was going down, I just walked in circles until finally — finally — I found it. Glorious 18B.
My mama tica (Costa Rican mom), Lily, greeted me at the door. And I cried. I couldn't even explain what had happened because can you imagine translating mentally "I'm a visual learner and not having maps and street names is not my jam"?
But let me level with you. I have the best families on the planet: one, in Kansas, whom I miss dearly, but another in Costa Rica who love me without limits and requirements. Lily hugged me and promised to help me find my way on Monday. Not only this, but after dinner we talked for a long time about how her and Mauricio (mi papa tica) pray for God to send them a student, and how they have hearts of serving and just want to make this experience the best for everyone. And that things will be hard, but this is my opportunity to experience and grow and learn (from much more than classes). And they both let me know of this and show it, how much they care about me already. What comfort to have family here, too.
In summary: I like cardinal directions, grid systems and sufficient cartography. But way more important than those is the adventures and love and learning I have and will experience.
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