Well, crap.

So apparently we’re a lot more efficient at this travel business than anyone gave us credit for, because we ended up arriving in our host town a bit earlier than our host family expected us.  Apparently, they thought we’d get hung up in customs or at the bus station and have to hole up in San Jose for the evening.

But our dirty, sweaty selves made it in record time – thanks to the help of a couple friendly strangers and sheer luck.

We took a cab, plane, another plane, another cab, a bus and finally a truck to get here, but we are here.

After waking up at the ass-crack of dawn this morning (thanks east-coast time zone), we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast and cup of excellent coffee overlooking some distant volcanoes, went on a tour of our new small town, were introduced to the other interns and employees here, grocery shopped in a nearby town, ate chicken burritos for lunch, and are finishing up the day doing some office tasks in an attempt to earn our keep.

I promise we will be sharing pictures soon.  But I actually have to take some first.  There’s been a lot to soak in.  And a lot soaked, period.  At one point today I thought I could wring out my shirt.  And no, it wasn’t raining.  But we did witness our first torrential downpour this afternoon, complete with sideways rain, nearby lightning strikes, and about a half-a-dozen mini power outages.  No one even blinked.

We’ve been overwhelmed, but excited.

Exhausted, but eager to learn.

Sweaty, but happy.