When I first touched down in the Costa Rica airport I was filled with such emotion. This was my first time leaving the United States and I was nervous and excited at the same time. I was scared because I was alone in a foreign country where the airport signs and people spoke a different language. It was a very uncomfortable, but I knew this is what I wanted. I then tried my best to decipher the signs and found my way out of the airport. Outside, there were taxi drivers lined up (probably about 30 of them) asking everyone who walked by if they needed a ride and where they were going. I found my driver and finally got back to my host family. The first time you meet a host family is pretty uneasy at first also, just because you do not know what to expect at all. The first day in Costa Rica was an eye opener for me and helped me grow into a more capable individual. The reason for this is because you are on your own into the most unknown environment you’ve ever been in. The first weekend I went to Manuel Antonio with my program. We toured the national park and went to the beach afterwards. It was the most alluring beach I have ever been on. The national park was outstanding. I saw more unique animals that day than in my entire life. There were some animals I saw that I thought I would never see except on television. The picture below is one I took of a sloth that was hanging out in a tree.
