Studying abroad is such a common experience for college students, but I feel as though no one ever talks about the feelings they have at the beginning of this long journey. When I was deciding on where I wanted to study abroad, I rarely heard about the unpleasant aspects of each host country, but now that I am here, in Costa Rica, I have a few thoughts of my own from my first week.

1. Airports are very boring and the food is expensive

I would never have expected to be so unexcited when journeying to another country, but while we waited for our connecting flights the excitement to get there disappeared.

2. Airplane seats will never be comfortable

One would think that they would be able to sleep on a plane but no, airplane seats were made for five-year-olds who are about three to four feet tall and they still probably aren't that comfortable for them.

3. My host country is beautiful...

Automatically when going to a shiny new place, most people think that it is beautiful and wonderful and all that jazz because it's new. In all honesty, I live on a beach next to the jungle so I am pretty sure I am living the dream. I definitely do not just think this country is beautiful, but it really is.

4. ..But it is nothing like the United States

Costa Rica isn't the moon or anything so the people here use everything the states uses for transportation, like, cars, buses, bikes, trains, planes, etc., but, if you use a bathroom in someone's house, things get a little different. Here, you cannot flush toilet paper, ever, so there is always a trash can next to the toilet for your dirty paper. Although it seems disgusting, I was told it's better than the alternative if you do flush it.

5. Homesickness is definitely a thing, even on the first night

Day one, night one, I was ready to go home. I called my mom, almost in tears, saying how this was not the place for me and pretty much wanted to fly back to my comfort zone in the states.

6. Air conditioning is something I take for granted

So, year round it is roughly eighty to ninety degrees outside every day with one-hundred percent humidity as well and there's no air conditioning in most places. Now, as a person who came to Costa Rica from the Midwest, this heat actually hurts.

7. So are hot showers

Even though I am in that heat all day, it would be nice to have a decently warm shower every once in a while, but all I have is ice cold water so I guess that will do for now.

8. Everyone knows I am American

I know this doesn't sound like a bad thing, but I think it is especially when I am trying to utilize my Spanish and everyone only responds to me in English.

9. Machismo cultures are very real

Going off of everyone knowing I am American, the men here definitely know I am by cat-calling me on a daily basis due to my hair and skin color. Costa Rica has such a machismo culture one would think this country created it.

10. Host moms cook amazingly well

I realize that many study abroad students have lived where I am living, so my mom definitely has a lot of experience, but seriously?! How does someone cook so good that I am eating the things I normally cannot stand?

11. Ants like all things related food and drinks

So my roommate and I found out the hard way that the ants around here probably don't get to eat a lot, so they take advantage of the times when visitors, like us, accidentally leave out their white chocolate covered Oreos. Costa Rican ants really like those Oreos.

12. I never want to leave

Despite the toilet paper garbage cans, the cat-calling and the ant infested Oreos, I never want to leave this beautiful country. This experience is (slowly) making me realize that people can live very different lives and still truly live.