Today was so incredibly close to being one of the highlights of my time with my family in San Jose. Why you ask? First let me give a little background information.
My bedroom in our house is right next to the wash/laundry room, also home to our two dogs. Bonita is a cute little, floppy black thing, but then there’s the other, Pookie. Pookie is one of those little white dogs that always seems to have some dog body fluid staining his fur and that likes to bark. Every morning at 5am I don’t need to set my alarm clock because Pookie will promptly start yipping and crying is that high pitched howling. The thing is that I’m the only room close to Pookie, so it really doesn’t matter to anyone else. So there you have the history.
Today, like many days, my tico dad took Bonita and Pookie out and left them on their little leashes that are nailed into the ground. I was walking back to the house and saw that the neighborhood police, a neighbor, and my mom we all on our porch. I soon discovered that Pookie had escaped. I’m not going to lie, I was a little excited about this. I’ve actually thought about what would happen if I accidently let Pookie out of the house one day. It wouldn’t be a bad thing—he could join a group of dogs that roam the neighborhood and be able to run free. So you could say that I’m trying to look out for the best intentions of Pookie.
After half an hour I was ready to officially celebrate the escape, but it all came to a crashing halt. There was a knock on our door, and there was Caesar, our neighborhood police guy, and Pookie. I thought Caesar was supposed to be on my side after all the times he tries to hit on me. I should have called his phone number that he gave me the first day (see ‘can i have yo numba’).
That is how today was so close to being a tremendous highlight, but no, the prodigal dog had to return—lucky me.
Some of you might be reading this thinking that I’m a horrible person for having such thoughts, but really, I do like animals. I won’t try to free your dog because I think it is annoying. It’s just Pookie, really.
Showing posts with label San Jose. Show all posts
Showing posts with label San Jose. Show all posts
Friday, March 27, 2009
Friday, March 20, 2009
can i have yo numba?
So now that we’ve been here in Latin America for a little more than two months now, I’ve been able to make a few observations—observations about things like cultural values, cues, differences, all that good stuff.
Let me share with you one of my favorite observations.
What is the number one question that I’ve been asked by men of all ages here?
Do you have a boyfriend?
Upon an answer of no to that first question a bit of small talk will ensue ultimately leading to the question, “can I have your number?” When you try to explain that you don’t know it, they are all too willing to give you theirs.
After a few months of this, I’ve come up with my solution. I’m just going to start making up crazy stories when they ask:
¿Tiene un novio? [Do you have a boyfriend]
No, en realidad tengo tres—dos en Estados Unidos, un de Costa Rica porque necesitaba alguien para comprar cena para mí. [No, acutally I have three—two in the States, and one from Costa Rica because I needed someone to buy me dinner]
There you have it, my new response. We’ll see how they respond to that one.
Let me share with you one of my favorite observations.
What is the number one question that I’ve been asked by men of all ages here?
Do you have a boyfriend?
Upon an answer of no to that first question a bit of small talk will ensue ultimately leading to the question, “can I have your number?” When you try to explain that you don’t know it, they are all too willing to give you theirs.
After a few months of this, I’ve come up with my solution. I’m just going to start making up crazy stories when they ask:
¿Tiene un novio? [Do you have a boyfriend]
No, en realidad tengo tres—dos en Estados Unidos, un de Costa Rica porque necesitaba alguien para comprar cena para mí. [No, acutally I have three—two in the States, and one from Costa Rica because I needed someone to buy me dinner]
There you have it, my new response. We’ll see how they respond to that one.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
orange juice and the 80's
There are many days here that are hard—especially with my Tica family. But I am learning how important the little things are.
A lot of times on the buses in between Spanish songs there will be a song in English from the 80’s. It’s so ridiculous, but just hearing a familiar song makes the day so much better. Today I got to sit in a little street side café, drink orange juice, and listen to songs like “Uptown Girl” and “Living on a Prayer.”
The 80’s and orange juice—a great combination to brighten your day.
A lot of times on the buses in between Spanish songs there will be a song in English from the 80’s. It’s so ridiculous, but just hearing a familiar song makes the day so much better. Today I got to sit in a little street side café, drink orange juice, and listen to songs like “Uptown Girl” and “Living on a Prayer.”
The 80’s and orange juice—a great combination to brighten your day.
john stam
I you haven’t been able to figure it out yet, I really like stories—probably more than you would think. I’ve written papers on and studied the psychology and spirituality of stories. We’re people of story, and I love that. All that to say that’s why I end up writing about people so much; I love their stories. So here goes an attempt to share another story.
Today for Core Seminar we had John Stam come and visit us. This guy is nothing short of amazing. I was made fun of, because my eyes were glued on him the whole time, I talked to him during the break, laughed at every one of his little jokes and puns, and had an endless amount of questions during the Q&A time.
John is an 80 year old missionary and dreamer whose lived in Latin America for the past 60 or so years. He’s lead Bible studies for Sandinista revolutionaries of the Nicaraguan Contra War, knows more about Latin American history then any North American that I’ve ever met, seen how the US has repeatedly stirred up and initiated wars, revolutions, conflicts, and near genocides throughout Latin and South America; spent late nights talking with Fidel Castro about Jesus, and so much more. I told you this guy is amazing.
I want to live a life as full as this guy.
Today for Core Seminar we had John Stam come and visit us. This guy is nothing short of amazing. I was made fun of, because my eyes were glued on him the whole time, I talked to him during the break, laughed at every one of his little jokes and puns, and had an endless amount of questions during the Q&A time.
John is an 80 year old missionary and dreamer whose lived in Latin America for the past 60 or so years. He’s lead Bible studies for Sandinista revolutionaries of the Nicaraguan Contra War, knows more about Latin American history then any North American that I’ve ever met, seen how the US has repeatedly stirred up and initiated wars, revolutions, conflicts, and near genocides throughout Latin and South America; spent late nights talking with Fidel Castro about Jesus, and so much more. I told you this guy is amazing.
I want to live a life as full as this guy.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
everyone needs a girl's night
We’ve entered into the final push of the semester. After next week it’s all downhill, but as for now it’s been a bit stressful. Something that’s made it a bit more difficult for me is my family (tico family that is). This has been the first major wall that I’ve hit since I’ve been here.
A lot of the other students have had a hard time with their families, because they do nothing. Mine is the extreme opposite. There is never a quiet, not-busy, down moment with my family. I’m grateful to have an active family, but it can be tiring. Whenever I’m home, even in my room with the door shut, one of my parents will find some reason literally every 10 minutes to come, knock on my door, and get me. So it’s pretty hard to find alone time. The majority of the time I’m not really talked to, I’m just talked at. My dad likes to explain everything, and I mean everything. This is a tortilla. You can buy torillas in the store. This is how you fold and eat a tortilla. This is a thermos. You put hot food in it like this…you get the picture. Thanks for listening to my little vent.
Yesterday we had our final presentation for our Spanish class. As we were waiting to go in before the panel, one of the girls in my class had the idea of going over to her house afterwards for a girl’s night. So after the presentations Liz, Lindsay, and myself walked back to Lindsay’s house. We played with her little siblings (little kids refresh me), ate PB&J and ice cream, had good conversation (we are girls, of course), and watched Momma Mia. It was a great night, and I felt/feel so refreshed.
Praise God for girl’s nights, PB&J, ridiculous movies, and friends.
A lot of the other students have had a hard time with their families, because they do nothing. Mine is the extreme opposite. There is never a quiet, not-busy, down moment with my family. I’m grateful to have an active family, but it can be tiring. Whenever I’m home, even in my room with the door shut, one of my parents will find some reason literally every 10 minutes to come, knock on my door, and get me. So it’s pretty hard to find alone time. The majority of the time I’m not really talked to, I’m just talked at. My dad likes to explain everything, and I mean everything. This is a tortilla. You can buy torillas in the store. This is how you fold and eat a tortilla. This is a thermos. You put hot food in it like this…you get the picture. Thanks for listening to my little vent.
Yesterday we had our final presentation for our Spanish class. As we were waiting to go in before the panel, one of the girls in my class had the idea of going over to her house afterwards for a girl’s night. So after the presentations Liz, Lindsay, and myself walked back to Lindsay’s house. We played with her little siblings (little kids refresh me), ate PB&J and ice cream, had good conversation (we are girls, of course), and watched Momma Mia. It was a great night, and I felt/feel so refreshed.
Praise God for girl’s nights, PB&J, ridiculous movies, and friends.
Monday, February 16, 2009
spanish thoughts
Every Thursday, during our Core Seminar time, we meet in smaller groups to help process all that is going on. This past week my group was with Javier, a LASP professor who is a Tico. Thus our conversation had to be in Spanish.
It was phenomenal. As we were discussing I found that I wasn’t actually thinking about what I was speaking or working on translating in my head, I was just speaking. I can’t even begin to explain how excited that makes me. It’s the same story with Spanish class. This past week we had in depth, great conversations about the essence and purpose of humanity, sexuality, poverty, racism, and theology in Spanish. I even translated Tozer’s thoughts into Spanish! This new found fluency is ridiculously exciting.
As we closed our time on Thursday, Javier shared with us how amazing it was to have a group of young people from the typically dominating culture and world power discussing major issues such as poverty, economics, and sustainable development in a language that is not their own. He said that seeing that was extremely powerful. I agree.
It was phenomenal. As we were discussing I found that I wasn’t actually thinking about what I was speaking or working on translating in my head, I was just speaking. I can’t even begin to explain how excited that makes me. It’s the same story with Spanish class. This past week we had in depth, great conversations about the essence and purpose of humanity, sexuality, poverty, racism, and theology in Spanish. I even translated Tozer’s thoughts into Spanish! This new found fluency is ridiculously exciting.
As we closed our time on Thursday, Javier shared with us how amazing it was to have a group of young people from the typically dominating culture and world power discussing major issues such as poverty, economics, and sustainable development in a language that is not their own. He said that seeing that was extremely powerful. I agree.
vamos, vamos ticos...
Walking through the streets of San Jose throughout the day, it didn’t feel normal. People were extra friendly and jolly. Half of the crowds were dressed in red too.
It was the day of the World Cup qualifying game between Costa Rica and Honduras.
I met my sister’s boyfriend and his friends in front McDonald’s in La Plaza de la Cultura, and we were on our way. Every five minutes someone would pat me on the back or say something, because I was wearing my Costa Rica jersey. The streets were extra busy. At the bus stop there was a line that went on forever and was carefully guarded by police. When someone in a blue and white (Honduras) jersey walked by, chaos would erupt.
As we walked into the stadium I was a bit nervous, because I had been told by some classmates that the section that I was sitting in had the reputation of being insane to say the least. Before entering we had to put our coins in our shoes—they don’t allow anything in the stadium, including coins, because people would through them at the players on the field. Two hours before the game, half of the stadium was already filled with people on their feet singing and chanting. Many times the actual infrastructure of our section would sway and move with the crowd.
When the Honduran players were being announced, the announcer would say their first name, but it was impossible to catch the last name because it was drowned out with the Tico’s shouting ‘perra’ or bitch. Once the game started the energy in the stadium was out of control, in some ways literally—police having to break up/prevent fights, lots of middle fingers given and strong words said. But the best part was when Costa Rica scored (twice). It didn’t matter who you were surrounded by, everyone got a hug.
The game was an amazing experience. In many ways it was like what you see on the TV about Latin American soccer games. And did I mention that we won, 2-0? I’ll leave you with two victory songs…
Ole, ole, ole, ole, Ticos, Ticos!
Vamos, vamos Ticos. ¡Esa noche se ganará!
It was the day of the World Cup qualifying game between Costa Rica and Honduras.
I met my sister’s boyfriend and his friends in front McDonald’s in La Plaza de la Cultura, and we were on our way. Every five minutes someone would pat me on the back or say something, because I was wearing my Costa Rica jersey. The streets were extra busy. At the bus stop there was a line that went on forever and was carefully guarded by police. When someone in a blue and white (Honduras) jersey walked by, chaos would erupt.
As we walked into the stadium I was a bit nervous, because I had been told by some classmates that the section that I was sitting in had the reputation of being insane to say the least. Before entering we had to put our coins in our shoes—they don’t allow anything in the stadium, including coins, because people would through them at the players on the field. Two hours before the game, half of the stadium was already filled with people on their feet singing and chanting. Many times the actual infrastructure of our section would sway and move with the crowd.
When the Honduran players were being announced, the announcer would say their first name, but it was impossible to catch the last name because it was drowned out with the Tico’s shouting ‘perra’ or bitch. Once the game started the energy in the stadium was out of control, in some ways literally—police having to break up/prevent fights, lots of middle fingers given and strong words said. But the best part was when Costa Rica scored (twice). It didn’t matter who you were surrounded by, everyone got a hug.
The game was an amazing experience. In many ways it was like what you see on the TV about Latin American soccer games. And did I mention that we won, 2-0? I’ll leave you with two victory songs…
Ole, ole, ole, ole, Ticos, Ticos!
Vamos, vamos Ticos. ¡Esa noche se ganará!
finka
Do you ever see a person that just based upon their presence you think I want to be this person’s friend? Well, I had one of those encounters this past Tuesday. During our Core Seminar time we took a little field trip to an organic finka (farm).
When the young owner of the farm greeted us with is two year old son, I couldn’t stop think I want to know this guy. As he gave us a tour of his modest farm, he explained that he used to own the surrounding land and grew a monoculture coffee that required many pesticides. One day he said that it just dawned on him that organic growing was the way to go, so he shut down the cash crop to begin an organic farm that would be more environmentally friendly.
Now he wakes up at 4:30am every day to begin his work and doesn’t get to sleep until 11pm typically. Rodric’s wife works in San Jose, so he has to later take his daughter to school and pick her up too. Then he comes back and does the farming while watching his two year old. The work is hard and laborious, but he’s committed to doing it.
The thing was that Rodric was truly glowing. He loves what he’s doing. He explained how making the choice to go organic and working on the farm all day is an act of worship for him. Pointing to San Jose, he said that he couldn’t imagine every having to work down there.
I hope I can love my job as much as Rodric does one day.
When the young owner of the farm greeted us with is two year old son, I couldn’t stop think I want to know this guy. As he gave us a tour of his modest farm, he explained that he used to own the surrounding land and grew a monoculture coffee that required many pesticides. One day he said that it just dawned on him that organic growing was the way to go, so he shut down the cash crop to begin an organic farm that would be more environmentally friendly.
Now he wakes up at 4:30am every day to begin his work and doesn’t get to sleep until 11pm typically. Rodric’s wife works in San Jose, so he has to later take his daughter to school and pick her up too. Then he comes back and does the farming while watching his two year old. The work is hard and laborious, but he’s committed to doing it.
The thing was that Rodric was truly glowing. He loves what he’s doing. He explained how making the choice to go organic and working on the farm all day is an act of worship for him. Pointing to San Jose, he said that he couldn’t imagine every having to work down there.
I hope I can love my job as much as Rodric does one day.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
in the moment
Lately I’ve been thinking about what it looks like to live in the present. I’m very much a person who tends to dwell either in past or worry/think about the future. My mind likes to meander, and only a small percent of it lives in the present.
So I’ve been trying and praying that this will begin to change, and coming to Costa Rica has undoubtedly aided that process. The majority of the time I have no idea what will happen within the next hour, and it is hard to dote on the past when everything around you is so new. It’s been a fast learning process, but I feel like I’m finally starting to get it a bit.
I’m enjoying the little things so much more by choosing to live in the present. It’s so much more peaceful. I suppose it really comes down to trusting God, and believing that he truly is who he says he is.
Tozer was on to something—what you think about when you think about God is the most important thing about you.
So I’ve been trying and praying that this will begin to change, and coming to Costa Rica has undoubtedly aided that process. The majority of the time I have no idea what will happen within the next hour, and it is hard to dote on the past when everything around you is so new. It’s been a fast learning process, but I feel like I’m finally starting to get it a bit.
I’m enjoying the little things so much more by choosing to live in the present. It’s so much more peaceful. I suppose it really comes down to trusting God, and believing that he truly is who he says he is.
Tozer was on to something—what you think about when you think about God is the most important thing about you.
LASP meets Groome
Here at LASP, we have a student lead, fellowship/chapel-like time every Wednesday, and I’m a part of the group of five who plans it. The thing is everyone else is there to sing or play guitar. So most of the time it ends up being me who gets to come up with the idea for the ‘lesson or non-singing time.’ Actually it’s kind of been fun. I feel like I’m getting to teach the other four a little bit of what I study at Taylor.
This past week LASP was introduced to Groome and his 5 movements. I got to lead a discussion on one of my favorite passages Luke 4, when Jesus makes his proclamation in the synagogue. We found the generative themes, named, booked it, made it ours, and applied—it was great.
I love being able to tangibly apply what I’ve learned through my classes at Taylor; it’s a good feeling.
This past week LASP was introduced to Groome and his 5 movements. I got to lead a discussion on one of my favorite passages Luke 4, when Jesus makes his proclamation in the synagogue. We found the generative themes, named, booked it, made it ours, and applied—it was great.
I love being able to tangibly apply what I’ve learned through my classes at Taylor; it’s a good feeling.
Friday, February 6, 2009
i'm back
I´m back to posting on this thing again, but you may be wondering why it´s been so long...
Well, other than our limited internet access, it just so happens that my computer decided that it would be a good time to play dead. And it´s still being dead.
The great part about it all is that a few days before I had been praying that God would take away any distractions or hinderances to my time here. Yet still these past few days since the computer died have been some of the best and most joyful days that I´ve had since being here. Funny how that all works out.
Well, other than our limited internet access, it just so happens that my computer decided that it would be a good time to play dead. And it´s still being dead.
The great part about it all is that a few days before I had been praying that God would take away any distractions or hinderances to my time here. Yet still these past few days since the computer died have been some of the best and most joyful days that I´ve had since being here. Funny how that all works out.
we love ice cream, yes we do
During class yesterday we were having a brief review of the future tense, so our professor asked us what we were going to do tonight. We decided to make up a story about going to the grocery store and having a party in isle seven. Nearly every sentence ended with the phrase “…y comerémos helado (and we’ll eat ice cream).” So it just so happened that in the process we convinced our teacher that we’d go get ice cream during class the next day.
And the best part was that we did. We escaped Spanish class, and ate the famous POPS ice cream. My favorite--dulce de leche.
Moral of the story, just keep talking about ice cream and eventually you’ll convince someone.
night out with Austin and Annie
I´m an introvert. Big groups, especially when I don´t know the people, can drain me if they go on for long periods of time. So coming to
But this past Thursday was absolutely refreshing. After our Spanish class in the afternoon, I knew I needed some time to chill before going home, so I started walking around
It was just what I needed. Annie and Austin are great, and I´m excited to get to know them more.
Monday, January 26, 2009
typical week
So perhaps you’re wondering what a typical day here in Costa Rica looks like for a LASP student. Well, let me give you the run down:
Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays
5:30am—wake up and go for a run
6ish—get ready for the day
6:45—help mom make breakfast and eat
7:45—head out to the bus stop to catch a ride on the 8am bus into San José
9:00—arrive in San José
Free time until 12:15pm to find a place to use the internet, buy something if needed, do homework
12:15pm—catch a bus to Curribat
1:00—Spanish class at ICADS till 4:30
4:45— Mondays—PWS (praise and worship service) coordinators meeting at TCBY
Wednesdays—PWS at ICADS
Fridays—time to hang out with friends in San José, Curribat, or where ever
5:45—catch a bus back into San José
6:15—another bus to get back home in El Carmen de Guadalupe
8:00ish—arrive home after a many times 2 hour bus ride
8:15 & after—eat dinner, hang out with sisters if possible, do homework
10-11ish—bedtime
Tuesdays, Thursdays
5:45am—wake up
6:30—help mom make breakfast and eat
7:15—catch a bus headed towards San José
7:45—get off the bus close to the LASP offices
8:00—start Core Seminar base
12pm—finish Core Seminar, eat lunch, and a bit of time to talk with friends or meet with faculty
1:10—find a group of 4 people to grab a taxi with over to ICADS
1:30—Spanish class at ICADS
4:45—take the bus back to San José or go to the internet cafe across the street
Eventually take another bus back to Carmen, eat dinner, do homework, etc.
10-11ish—go to bed absolutely exhausted
Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays
5:30am—wake up and go for a run
6ish—get ready for the day
6:45—help mom make breakfast and eat
7:45—head out to the bus stop to catch a ride on the 8am bus into San José
9:00—arrive in San José
Free time until 12:15pm to find a place to use the internet, buy something if needed, do homework
12:15pm—catch a bus to Curribat
1:00—Spanish class at ICADS till 4:30
4:45— Mondays—PWS (praise and worship service) coordinators meeting at TCBY
Wednesdays—PWS at ICADS
Fridays—time to hang out with friends in San José, Curribat, or where ever
5:45—catch a bus back into San José
6:15—another bus to get back home in El Carmen de Guadalupe
8:00ish—arrive home after a many times 2 hour bus ride
8:15 & after—eat dinner, hang out with sisters if possible, do homework
10-11ish—bedtime
Tuesdays, Thursdays
5:45am—wake up
6:30—help mom make breakfast and eat
7:15—catch a bus headed towards San José
7:45—get off the bus close to the LASP offices
8:00—start Core Seminar base
12pm—finish Core Seminar, eat lunch, and a bit of time to talk with friends or meet with faculty
1:10—find a group of 4 people to grab a taxi with over to ICADS
1:30—Spanish class at ICADS
4:45—take the bus back to San José or go to the internet cafe across the street
Eventually take another bus back to Carmen, eat dinner, do homework, etc.
10-11ish—go to bed absolutely exhausted
this is for class!?
Goodnight, am I in the right study abroad program! My classes are amazing! Granted, right now I only have two classes, but I’m enjoying them both. The class other than my Spanish class is what we call core seminar. It’s the only time that all 43 of the LASP students are together.
The purpose of the Core Seminar is Latin American Studies, but it’s great because we’re getting it through the lens of the kingdom of God (or at least that the way I see it). We get to discuss and learn more about things like US foreign policy, the history that has lead Latin & South America to the place that it is in, the effects of globalization, poverty, inequality, the effects of colonialism and neocolonialism, sustainable development, social movements, and the church. On top of that it’s not just being taught to us by gringo professors, but also by locals.
I cannot wait!
The purpose of the Core Seminar is Latin American Studies, but it’s great because we’re getting it through the lens of the kingdom of God (or at least that the way I see it). We get to discuss and learn more about things like US foreign policy, the history that has lead Latin & South America to the place that it is in, the effects of globalization, poverty, inequality, the effects of colonialism and neocolonialism, sustainable development, social movements, and the church. On top of that it’s not just being taught to us by gringo professors, but also by locals.
I cannot wait!
Monday, January 19, 2009
bring the funk
We’ve reached the end of our orientation week, and today is the first day of real classes. Here in the Latin American Studies Program they have quite a bit different idea of what orientation looks like than you would think. Let me explain.
Orientation week means that during the first morning, with all of us students in a big room, our professors ask us what type of cultural questions we have before we meet and leave with our families. After about 20 questions are asked, like what is the proper way to greet someone, is it rude if I do this or that, Don Trevor (one of our profs) says, “Great, these are all great questions that show that you’re thinking about the various differences, so why don’t you work on finding those answers this week?” Yep, that was it. Then we drew the names of our family in a lottery system. An hour later we were on our separate ways with our new families.
The next day we rode the buses from our various neighborhoods into the center of San Jose, La Plaza de Cultura. My mom told me it would be important for me to memorize the various bus routes, because I will be taking it to my various classes every day. Once all the students were gathered in the Plaza, we were given a list of things to do before 5pm (we met at 7am) and were let loose in the city in our groups of three students. It was quite the adventure.
Friday, the last day of orientation, we met in the LASP offices where we will be having our Base Seminar class. After the previous days of hasty orientation filled with important information, Don Trevor told us there was one other important aspect of the program…we like to “bring the funk” and have lots of fun.
So, in the words of Don Trevor, it is time to bring the funk and get into the routine of classes.
Orientation week means that during the first morning, with all of us students in a big room, our professors ask us what type of cultural questions we have before we meet and leave with our families. After about 20 questions are asked, like what is the proper way to greet someone, is it rude if I do this or that, Don Trevor (one of our profs) says, “Great, these are all great questions that show that you’re thinking about the various differences, so why don’t you work on finding those answers this week?” Yep, that was it. Then we drew the names of our family in a lottery system. An hour later we were on our separate ways with our new families.
The next day we rode the buses from our various neighborhoods into the center of San Jose, La Plaza de Cultura. My mom told me it would be important for me to memorize the various bus routes, because I will be taking it to my various classes every day. Once all the students were gathered in the Plaza, we were given a list of things to do before 5pm (we met at 7am) and were let loose in the city in our groups of three students. It was quite the adventure.
Friday, the last day of orientation, we met in the LASP offices where we will be having our Base Seminar class. After the previous days of hasty orientation filled with important information, Don Trevor told us there was one other important aspect of the program…we like to “bring the funk” and have lots of fun.
So, in the words of Don Trevor, it is time to bring the funk and get into the routine of classes.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
sisters, sisters
I made it!
We got into Costa Rica last night, and met our host families this afternoon. I now have three sisters around my age, which makes me oober excited! My family is great, and I can´t wait to get to know them better (especially as my Spanish gets better).
It´s been quite the adventure all ready. From the get go at orientation today we were told ¨we expect you to fail¨--comforting words. Seeing that we were all eager to jump into the culture, the staff asked if we had any questions. After ten minutes of people shouting out cultural questions, we were told that those were good questions and that we would have to fingure them out ourselves. No here we go with no cultural advise--let the apologies begin!
Well, I´m cutting this short for multiple reasons: it´s dinner time, my dad just got home, I´m using a dial up connection, and typing on a Spanish keyboard is more difficult than you would think! I´ll write more when I have a chance to go to an internet cafe!
We got into Costa Rica last night, and met our host families this afternoon. I now have three sisters around my age, which makes me oober excited! My family is great, and I can´t wait to get to know them better (especially as my Spanish gets better).
It´s been quite the adventure all ready. From the get go at orientation today we were told ¨we expect you to fail¨--comforting words. Seeing that we were all eager to jump into the culture, the staff asked if we had any questions. After ten minutes of people shouting out cultural questions, we were told that those were good questions and that we would have to fingure them out ourselves. No here we go with no cultural advise--let the apologies begin!
Well, I´m cutting this short for multiple reasons: it´s dinner time, my dad just got home, I´m using a dial up connection, and typing on a Spanish keyboard is more difficult than you would think! I´ll write more when I have a chance to go to an internet cafe!
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