Bananas.

Day ten of my freedom and now concluding my first full day in San Joquin de Flores. Still adapting to the spanish keyboard, so please excuse any random characters that pop-up. Per the usual, I am amazed at how much the world has to show me. In that spirit, here`s a short list of lessonsl learned in the past 36 hours:

• Do not forget about the uneaten banana in your bag. Costa Rican immigration will confiscate it and will publicly scold you something fierce. Rogue fruit is not a joking matter. Also, authorities do not appreciate you laughing while being frisked. I mean really, it was an innocent piece of fruit...you´d think I was trying to smuggle in a Colt .45. Sheesh.
• On that note: packing fruit = security breach. However, carrying on a razor, tweezers, nail clippers, liquids not sealed in individual baggies and just about everything else on the forbidden items list?? A-OK!
• Always pack lightly: this makes you seem like a very cool, very adept exotic traveler. My classmates were positively astonished to learn I had only packed one small(ish) carry-on bag for my two week stay. Little do they know I will resemble Encino Man by the end of this week.
• Airlines have managed to do the impossible: make flying more expensive, yet less enjoyable! Por ejemplo: my ticket cost a mere $300...but with a cool $400 in fees/taxes tacked on. Also, no more television/movies (bring books) but good news: you can now pay $6 to watch DirecTV! Fortunately, airline food is still reliably heinous (hey, I take comfort in the familiar). Although my airline no longer offers a vegetarian option. So. There´s that.
• On your first night of a homestay, it´s good to tell your host family one clean, and one dirty joke. My captive audience of three actually laughed...probably at my poor spanish, but still.
• The name ¨Phyllis`` is nearly impossible for anyone, in an country, to properly pronounce or spell. You can now call me `Philips`` because that´s what I´ll be for the next 13 days.
• Similarly, it is also universally entertaining that I am one-half of a Philip - Phyllis couple. This never gets old to anyone.
• The coffee here will make you a believer. Or at the very least, a cranky addict. Seriously though, it´s like drinking straight from the chalice of Heaven. Costa Rican coffee is truly the stuff religions are built on.
• Always, always save your blog draft. Otherwise, you will lose the entire damn thing and be forced to start over after you unsucesfully try to insert a picture of a stupid freakin´banana.