Dia 2

Hola otra vez! (Hello again!)

It’s day two of my three and a half month journey and boy am I shot. Don’t get me wrong; I’m having a wonderful time, but speaking el español all the time gets…exhausting. 

Today started off well with few hours of orientation. I was able to get in a wonderful 2 minute shower that was warm-it was fantastic! I will never take warm water for granted again. There’s nothing worse than expecting hot water to come flowing out of that shower head and instead being sprayed with water that is two degrees above freezing as I had encountered the night before. 

Orientation introduced us to what to expect from our familias, the program, academics, food, and money (Costa Rica’s currency is the colóne which equates to about 500 colónes=1 U.S. dollar). But no matter what we were told, nothing could truly prepare us for the insanity of meeting our host families. At 2:30, we rounded up the troops with our bags in tow and rode a private bus to a church I believe where the families were waiting in a banquet hall. On the way there I saw a Tico man riding his collected horse up the rode-it was awesome. Anyways, this is where the insanity began. There were bags all over the place with people speaking Spanish and trying to find their familias. I was anxious and was so nervous about what to say to my family.

My host sister, Mariana, found me first. We greeted each other (a “kiss” on the cheek with an embrace. The kiss is mostly you making the noise of a kiss on the cheek without any contact, which made things more do-able). Then I met my mom-Joys (short for Jocelyn), Dad-Luis, and saw Alejandro-my brother for the second time as I met him in Eau Claire with his girlfriend. To say the least, it was awkward. I was stressed about a bag I couldn’t find and I realized how tongue tied and nervous I was. I ended up sneaking away after a bit to the bathroom to collect myself and remind myself that my Spanish wasn’t supposed to be perfect and that my family would like me. I calmed down and marched on back to face a long night.

We left shortly after that to go to my primo’s (cousin’s) birthday party. His name is Santiago and he turned 2 today. What a gordito he is (loving term for chubby). I mostly sat around and people watched along with interacting with some of the younger cousins as they thought I was an interesting new thing to be around. The birthday party was similar to those of the United States however it was so lively and kept moving constantly. The adults participated even though the activities were more kid focused. My host mom put on a costume and danced around the room-hilarious. There was a never-ending supply of food. It just kept coming. I was even sent home with 2 bags of dulces (candies). They even had a piñata. It was an awesome experience even if it was exhausting and a little awkward. I tried my best to speak as much Spanish (and good Spanish at that) but I still have a lot to work on. I know things will improve, speaking wise and I look forward to the day where I don’t get run down just talking! 

Now I’m lying on my bed in my host room typing away as the family winds down and gets ready for bed. I can’t wait a dormir (to sleep). Got church tomorrow morning!

Hasta Luego!

Love, Kristin