My first week flew by. I cannot believe it is already over. It was an amazing week filled with surprises. There were definitely ups and downs, times of frustration, and times of pure joy. I have a feeling the whole year will be a rollercoaster ride. I am sure I will have times where all I will want is to be at home in North Carolina, taking hot showers and eating something besides rice and beans. I am sure there will be times where I won’t ever want to leave this beautiful country. I am challenged everyday. I am constantly pushed out of my comfort zone. Immersing fully into another culture is difficult. I miss comforts that I have always taken for granted, soundproof walls, hot showers, being fortunate enough to afford a variety of foods. I miss my family. I miss my friends. However, I am surrounded by amazing people who genuinely care about me and are grateful for the work I am doing. Feeling appreciated is worth all the uncomfortable moments. There are moments where my Spanish runs out and I have no idea what is going on and all I want to do is scream! Luckily, Ticos are extremely laid back and helpful. They are patient with me and help me understand their culture and their language, so it is only fair that I am patient with them.
My host family is incredible. They are constantly going out of their way to make me feel at home and comfortable. My 13-year-old host brother loves helping me make materials for my classroom, which saves me a lot of time. He and I spend a lot of time together. My host sister and I are the same age and we are interested in the same types of movies and music. She is taking a break from university and she spends most of her time helping her mom clean the house or she keeps her grandmother company during the day. My host father is a truck driver. He transports the sugar cane that is produced in my town into the city. He is very quiet, but very sweet. He always has a smile on his face. He enjoys playing cards, which makes me feel at home because my dad and I always play cards. My host mom is amazing. She is constantly bouncing between our house and her mother’s house. She seems to love taking care of people, and she does it so well. If I mention that I have a headache my host mom is immediately on the phone. Five minutes later the town’s “doctor” (medicine man) is at our house in less than five minutes diagnosing me, massaging my joints, and making me drink nasty teas that amazingly do get rid of my headache. When I return from my three mile hike back from school in the afternoon my host mom immediately rubs my shoulders and comments on how she doesn’t know how I walk all that way with the weight of my book bag. In these moments she reminds me of my mother who is always there to massage my shoulders after a long day. I am so thankful to be living with a family that considers me part of the family and takes care of me. Besides the immediate members of my host family, I have the rest of the town, most of who are related in some way to my family, who also go out of their way to make me feel welcome. People are constantly inviting me into their homes for coffee or inviting me to experience their day. “Laura come milk cows with me…” or “Laura come with me to kill the pig for the party this weekend…” I never turn down offers to milk cows, but I have not yet accepted an invitation to watch my dinner die. I am not sure if that is something I will handle well. I love meat too much to have an excuse to become a vegetarian so, for now, I politely decline those invitations.
My students are really beginning to get the hang of English class. This is the first time the school has ever had a full time English teacher so I was worried it would take a while to sink in. However, I am very pleased with how quickly my students are grasping words and ideas in English.
I still don't feel as though I am getting enough sleep. I go to bed at 8 and wake up at 5:30. However, in those hours I am awakened by a variety of noises... last night, I swear, every dog in my town was barking for hours... not even the earplugs can save me.
The lack of sleep is my only complaint. Other than that everything is great!!!
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