But, my visit calmed some of these anxieties. I really like my new family, and the location I am in is also beautiful. Of my new host family I met my mom and dad, who I will live with. They have an adopted six year old, Angelina. I think that small children are extremely helpful in breaking the ice when you are meeting new people and was thankful to have her there. I also am excited to still have a young child around every day. I also have a host sister the same exact age as me, but she will be returning to San Jose (where I am leaving from this weekend) when classes begin the first week in March. I also have four older host brothers, ranging in age in early adulthood lives. One is living at home right now doing his medical residency, but the probability that he finds an apartment and moves our while I am there seem high. The town itself is home to about 3,000 people, and is really all I could ask for. There is fresh air to breathe, navigable streets to run and bike on, a nearby volcano, beautiful views, and a wonderful mentality of being almost a bit lazy. The mentality is something I am still working on, as I am not used to "tico time" of everything running between a half hour and almost two hours late. Every tico (Costa Rican) I walk anywhere with is astounded by how fast I walk, and always ask me why I need to get there so fast. I think when I get back to the U.S. it will take some practice to remember how to walk fast and assertively again.
My rural stay is also going to put my spanish into boot camp mode, as there is no one in my family or probably in my whole town who speaks English. I also will be going every day to schools, and explaining my study to teachers and principals, or spending time with kids as I take their weight and height. Maybe I will be thinking in Spanish by the time I leave this place. When I was there my brother did comment on how he was surprised at how much I understood, the first observation of a tico that I had any spanish skills. This comment definitely gave me hope for my fluency future. I've been working on speaking assertively and clearly, as my knack for mumbling multiplies exponentially when I become unsure of myself as I speak spanish. But I'm gaining confidence, and definitely speak with more authority then I have ever otherwise spoken with, in Spanish or English for that matter.
This is Angelina, my new host sister, and the view from up a little above Venecia, my new pueblo for the next two months.
We had an author come speak to us yesterday, who emphasized this relaxed, appreciative mentality that I am learning while I am here. Her talk included a lot of fascinating and thought provoking ideas about life and maybe issues that Costa Rica faces, which will come in a later post. However, she did mention this poem, which I really enjoy.
how wonderful jess!! miss you lots! that's one of my favorite poems too!!
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