Arrival and First Day

It was a very long day, but the group arrived safely and in good spirits. Everyone was absolutely starved, since our connection in Charlotte consisted of hurrying to the gate, catching our breath, and getting on the next plane -- no time to get anything to eat. The CPI personnel quickly took action, though, and used a cell phone to call ahead to have pizza delivered to the school so that the group would have enough energy for the placement test and orientation session. The pizza was delivered via motorcycle, but the important thing was that no one passed out during the placement test. Everyone took a quick written test and then had to go individually to speak in Spanish with Cecilia, the academic coordinator at CPI. Some emerged from Cecilia's office with a glazed-over, "deer in the headlights" expression on their faces, but all were placed in classes according to Cecilia's knowledge of the CPI system and her considerable experience with students learning Spanish. The orientation started with a quick tour of the school, and the locations of the restrooms and water cooler were of special interest to most everyone. Next, CPI staff members Mayi, Jennifer and Muni discussed everything from where and how to exchange money to cultural differences and what to expect from a "Tico" (Costa Rican) host family. At around 4:30, the host families arrived to take the students to their host homes.

Evidently, everyone crashed very early because there were numerous reports of waking up at ungodly hours (1:00 AM, 3:30 AM, etc.) on the first morning and feeling like it was time to get up. Of course, the extremely early sunrise and frequent crowing of roosters are not really conducive to sleeping in. Good thing, because class started at 8:00. The students were all smiles by 10:00 -- but that probably had more to do with the snack break (fresh pineapple, watermelon, and mango with little tuna sandwiches and coffee or juice or water) than with the classes themselves. By noon, it was time for lunch in town, and everyone had survived the first day at CPI.

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