Well... here I am in Costa Rica. It has been a very interesting 24 hours to say the least. I never imagined how fast my family would talk and how little I would pick up in each sentence...I had a headache by the end of the day from thinking so hard yesterday. All in all, though, I am having a great time so far. It was a hectic day yesterday with waking up at 3AM to get to the airport...then flying from 7-2PM. My family was there to greet me at the airport and were all so excited to see me, but the car ride home was one of the scariest experiences of my life! Not only is the traffic in San Jose ridiculous with cars weaving and men standing inbetween lanes juggling, but I also couldn't pick up on anything my family was saying. They were talking to eachother at what seemed like the speed of light.
When I got to my house, I was happy to see what a beautiful, clean house I was being welcomed into...but still quite different than anything I've experienced in the United States. I have my own room with a big closet, a desk, a bed, and two dressers. Also, I have WIFI internet! Even though I was running on 3 hours of sleep, my family invited me to the birthday party of their good friend. We left our house around 8PM and walked down the street a ways to visit their friends. It was a bit overwhelming to have about 30 people all excited to meet me and learn about me...especially because they all speak so fast in an accent I am not really familiar with. Everyone was very kind and accepting, though, and made me feel very welcome. Plus...the food was great!! I had to laugh at the party, though, because the family was really excited about these new ipod speakers that they had purchased. When the son put in his ipod, all that was playing was music in English...specifically- RAP! All these little 8-10 year olds were dancing and trying to sing the chorus parts. I didn't know if my family understood that their children were singing "She's a sexy bitch," so I asked. They all laughed and said they had no idea what the songs were saying!! Around 11 we came home and I hopped right into bed. This morning I was awaken with the small of eggs and came downstairs to a breakfast of eggs, watermelon, and gallo pinto (a Costa Rican dish of black beans and rice). Everything tasted delicious and my family sat around the table trying to learn more about me for about an hour.
Although it has been a bit overwhelming, I can definitely see a different in my Spanish from just yesterday to today... even if it isn't that big of a change yet. I know this experience will really help me develop my language skills quickly! Today we are heading to the bank so that I can get some Costa Rican Colones for the bus and buying lunches...and tomorrow I start classes!
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