La Pura Vida

Nueva mañana - primera a escuela!

Ooh it´s exciting that there´s a key for ñ on this keyboard. Adam like you said, it is very cool to see that Spanish isn´t just some secret language... I smile to myself when I hear phrases in conversation that I had previously only seen in those random yellow boxes. It is a beautiful language to be immersed in and I´m really enjoying attempting to speak. It´s a letdown to speak English here when I´m with the students! When I´ve been journaling I´ve noticed myself thinking fragments in Spanish, which is fun, and so my entries are Spanglish and constantly switch back and forth. Right now I´m in between placement tests - as always, time in this lab is scarce and so I feel the need to type like a maniac, but I´m trying to slow down. There´s always later. :)

Today has gotten off to a great start. I felt like a bright-eyed naive schoolgirl when walking here, excited about my first day. Got up at 7 (levantate Colleen! said mi madre -- pronounced COLE-een), showered, and then had desayuno. Two biscuit sandwiches with fried cheese, a plate of watermelon (sandilla) that we bought yesterday at the market, a banana (they´re smaller here), and coffee. Delicious! Mi madre sat down and had coffee with me, and we talked to this adorable two year old that she is baby-sitting today. I tried talking to him - told him I liked his spiked up hair, but he just stared at me with these huge beautiful eyes.

My mom walked me to ICADS - glad to be safely here because today would have been the worst day ever to get mugged. (had my passport, all my money, credit cards, id, camera...) Usually I won´t have all that but I needed to put it in my locker here. I´m a little bit paranoid of getting mugged, it happens a lot here and I see watching eyes on the roads - but so far I´ve always walked places with my family. I´ll continue to be really careful with that...

Yesterday was a very full day. I continue to be touched by the generosity of my family... so accomodating. Last night I was a little bit hungry close to bedtime and when I told my mom, Daniela the granddaughter immediately whipped up some gallo pinto (rice, beans, and eggs...). Whenever I thank them they always say ahh, con mucho gusto. (with much pleasure) In Costa Rica showering guests with too much food is a sign of hospitality... it´s funny to hear people´s stories of how the plates just keep coming and coming. I´ve definitely been satisfied, but am also glad that I´ve been walking a lot so I don´t explode. Maybe eventually I´ll curb the eating more but for now es tiempo para disfrutar (time to enjoy). Lunch and dinner yesterday consisted of rice, beans, salad with lettuce, tomato, and avocado - and then fried potatoes for lunch and fried plantains for dinner (mmm). As someone just said in the lab here - the fruits and vegetables here are so rich! With the lack of preservatives etc...

One interesting thing that I´ve noticed is that the only times that I feel uncomfortable and slightly anxious here is when I am with the other American students. It is then that I start to wonder about my future and feel the pressure in the air as people ask each other which schools they attend, what they´re majoring in... I have not felt uncomfortable at all when talking with the Ticos. They are so genuine, gentle, and unassuming. Yesterday there was such a stark contrast - I came to ICADS for my orientation and to talk about the internship selection process. Basically I can do anything, and will most likely be moved out into Costa Rica´s country (el campo) after these first three weeks. Incredibly exciting, but I started feeling a little overwhelmed. Ahh should I work in the hospital? Pre-med? Ha. When I got home (though the orientiation was very well done and all the people friendly), I felt close to tears. My mom asked me to come sit and have coffee with her and her friend, and I soon felt at peace again. Later on last night I walked to Curridabat (a nearby town) with my mom and Daniela - we sat in a mostly dark room with Danielas bisabuela (great-grandmother) on a really comfy couch and shared quiet conversation and laughter... I thought to myself now this is what I like. When I shared my unsettling thoughts with my mom, she told me reassuringly that I have much time here to think and pray to God for answers. (Interestingly, my family is not Catholic. They go to an evangelical church, and Mary wrote a letter to Daniela´s school asking for permission not to attend the mandatory Catholic-slanted religion classes that they have despite the fact that the school is public. Now Daniela is allowed to color and read instead of listen. I am definitely going to ask them more about their religion.)

This weekend we´re going to the beach! Fri-Sunday. I´m looking forward to seeing a Costa Rican beach... have heard of their beauty. I´m trying to remind myself especially when I feel a little overwhelmed that my quest in life right now, beyond finding the place where I can do the most good, is simply to seek out and appreciate truth, love, and beauty. :) (think of those three especially from a sermon we read by Dean Wells in PPS116) For the rest of today... soon I will have my oral Spanish exam, and then classes will begin. We´re going out for lunch in San Jose and then changing money at the bank. Later there will be a lecture on the history of Costa Rica, and then I don´t know what the evening at home holds in store.

Oh, about the World Cup! Costa Rica does play against Germany in the opening game... ha, people aren´t too optimistic about the chances but they´re just glad that their country is represented at the games. June 9th will be a huge day: the government has given everyone the day off of work! Isn´t that awesome? Glad they have their priorities straight. I´m looking forward to watching it...

Ha just heard that Daddy Yankee is giving a concert here on Thursday! Maybe I´ll go...

Ok that´s it for now but I will no doubt write more soon. Happy Monday all... take a moment sometime to breathe in the air and think of how lucky we are to be alive. La vida es bonita.

It´s interesting, I´m `so far away` (ha the Delilah song of the same name plays in my head... `doesn´t anybody stay in one place aaaanymore?`)... yet though in some ways I do feel aware of the distance from you all, in other ways I feel that you could be just downstairs or across the hall. Will continue thinking about this... these concepts of distance and relationships are ever present.

Hasta pronto mis queridos!

--glad that I decided right before posting to copy what I´d written. A page came up that said No se puede mostrar la página`...that would have been tragic!

posted by Colleen @ 9:54 AM