Week 3

Hey all!

Sorry I have not been posting in awhile, I've been extra busy with this advanced Spanish class. It has been kicking my butt. 

Many of you asked about the food I eat here. Most of you know that I will eat almost anything so it hasn't been difficult to adapt to the change in diet. Most of the dishes I eat here are served with rice and/or beans, which I totally could eat every single day (good thing I do). Not to mention the fruit is to die for! Especially the fresh pineapple. I'll post some pictures at the end of my blog of some of the dishes I've eaten. But I have LOVED everything I eat here.

Most of my days consist of class from 8am-12pm and then I spend the rest of my day relaxing and working on the copious amount of homework the Spanish professor gives us. Kinda dumb that they actually expect me to stay in and study in a place like this....

This past weekend was el dia de independencia (Day of Independence) on September 15, so we didn't have school on Monday. If anyone knows about how Costa Rica got their independence, it wasn't through a war victory, their colonizers literally just left (super casual) So independence day here is not as passionate as in the USA, but I did get to hear parades outside my house at 5am... (apparently it's a tradition to bang your drums at the crack of dawn on independence day....)

On Sunday, my host mom told me she found a Lutheran church for us to go to. She was so excited and couldn't wait to see what it was like. Apparently Lutherans are quite the mystery to the Catholics of Costa Rica. We took a taxi and spent about an hour trying to find this place. If you didn't know...If a cabby doesn't know where your destination is, it probably doesn't exist. Nobody could tell us where this Lutheran church was. Apparently there are only two in the whole country, which I find weird since their President is Lutheran. The first Lutheran president of Costa Rica! Wooot. Anyway, we just ended up going to the mall and shopping, ha ha!

I haven't really done much on the weekends yet. A lot of international students here have been traveling around every weekend (where do they get the money?). However this weekend I am going to Jaco Beach! It's on the Pacific Coast about 1.5 hours away from San Jose and I'm staying at a hostel there with 3 of my friends. This'll be my first excursion away from San Jose so I am particularly excited!

Well, that's all I got for now. Make sure to leave a comment on my facebook post about what you would like to hear about!

Les quiero mucho y buenas noches (I love you all and good night!)

Pulled chicken, potatoes, veggies

Egg over hard, black beans, hash brown

It was rainy so my host mom, roommate, and I snuggled up.

View from Veritas, again...

From the left: Camila (a host mom), me, Taylor, and Temisha

Everyday Homero looks at me like this

Independence day!

Tonight's dinner!

"Do More"

Since I've been in Costa Rica, I haven't been wearing many t shirts because no one here does. However, yesterday I wore my GV wrestling national champ t shirt (naturally because my t shirt collection consists mostly of wrestling shirts) and my host mom read the front: "Do More" and asked me what it meant. 

It took me a minute to answer, I knew what it meant to the wrestling team: putting in the extra time and extra work to be better and do more for your team and yourself. To embody a championship lifestyle. 

What "Do More" meant to me was something different, I may not be a wrestler but I am doing more for myself. I am here is Costa Rica, in a place where I know absolutely a small amount of people and barely know the language... well enough to get by anyway... I left my family, boyfriend, and friends behind to go to a school 3,000 miles away for 120 days. This is something many don't have the courage to do and I pride myself in that. 

It's not easy to leave, especially since I've created a nice life in Iowa and at grand view university. It feels weird not attending classes, football games, wrestling practices, and all the other fun fall activities. But I came here to better myself. This trip was about me and figuring out who I am as a person... Afterall, you don't truly know yourself unless you're thrown into a foreign country where you're forced to thrive. 

So my way of "Doing More" is coming here and bettering myself. Though it's a phrase that may not have the same meaning to the wrestling team as it does to me. You bet your ass I'll be back for spring semester  and continue doing more. 

End of my first week of classes

Being in a higher level Spanish has really tested my abilities. Though the professor is kind enough to speak slower than the normal native speaker would, I still find myself staring at her in confusion most days.There are only six of us in the advanced class and every other international student seems to be in Basic 1 or Basic 2.... Must be nice. For awhile I thought about dropping down to Intermediate 2 and feel less overwhelmed and more comfortable. Then it occurred to me:

Firstly, I came here to learn. I wasn't going to get any better if I didn't challenge myself and feel overwhelmed. Secondly, I am in a foreign country surrounded by people I hardly know. Feeling uncomfortable is a part of studying abroad. A part I am supposed to overcome, which I will.

I have been talking to the house maid a lot (yes, we have a maid). Her name is Alba and she is from Nicaragua, doesn't speak a word of English...nothing. 

In retrospect this would be a large barrier, but the only way I was going to get better with Spanish was if I was forced to speak it with someone. She's my someone. And she is a lovely woman, and can cook a hell of a meal!

Camila's surgery went well, she spent yesterday resting and is at the doctor today for another follow up. Her sister has been staying here just to keep an extra eye on her. She had cataract surgery for those of you who didn't know.

On another note: 
I've made a few friends within my CIS abroad group (there are only 4 of us here now, apparently 14 are supposed to come after September). They are a great group of people. I keep seeing all the international students clump together in large, cliquey groups and I am determined not to be that way. If If I wanted to make friends with a bunch of Americans, I'd have stayed in the states.

Well, I have to head to my last class of the week. Make sure you guys comment on my facebook status about what you would like to hear! Love you and miss you all. Ciao!

First few days

The first few days here have been kind of hectic. 

With me jetting to San Jose the day after my brother's wedding, I've been trying my best to settle in and get myself on track. I arrived in San Jose at around 8:00p.m. on Sunday. Thankfully, I made a friend on the plane named Gaby who kindly gave me tips about Costa Rica and helped me through the busy airport to find my transportation. She even gave me her phone number in case of emergencies, what an amazing lady! 

When I arrived at my home stay, I saw a young woman with blonde hair, holding a puppy eager for me to get to the door. Her name is Madelaine, she is staying in my home stay with me. She is from Mississippi, attends Ole Miss and has the cutest southern accent I've ever heard and she is an absolute doll. The dog she was holding is named Homero (you don't pronounce the H's in Spanish so his name sounds like "Oh-mer-oh"). My host mother is named Camila, we call her "mama tica" which means "Costa Rican mom." She is absolutely wonderful. She wakes up every morning with us, offers coffee and cooks breakfast. She is always interested in our days and loves when we speak Spanish with her. I gave her some presents from MN (by the way mom: Camila told me to say thank you, I also showed her a picture of you and she thinks you are so beautiful and skinny!). 

On Monday we had orientation at Veritas University, it was pretty basic, same as any other university...lots of presentations and talking. I took a Spanish placement test that morning as well (which by the way, I thought I absolutely bombed and I was terrified). Turns out, I was placed in Avanzado 1 or Advanced 1: grammar and conversation, which is the second highest Spanish class offered at Veritas! I was convinced they may have made a mistake but I was assured I was in the right class. My spanish teachers at Grand View will be so proud :)

Today was the first day of class. For the month of September I am taking the intensive Spanish course which is 8am-12pm every Monday through Friday. First day was rough, since we are an advanced class we are NEVER supposed to speak English, quite frightening for someone who didn't really take the time to brush up on her Spanish all summer.....however, I found myself able to understand the professor. She was kind enough to speak a little slower for us, gracias! To wrap up my rather long blog about my first couple days: I've been loving it here. The weather has been perfect so far, absolutely no rain (as soon as I wrote that it started raining, of course). My roommate and host mom are amazing women! Can't wait for more adventures ahead! Hasta luego! Until next time!