Post for January 12th

I have finally met everyone in my host family. Until yesterday I believed there was Marlene, her daughters Mileidy, Johanna and Andres. Now I know that there is a son, Danny, in between Mileidy and Johanna. And it is his girlfriend that I see around here sometimes. I made a fool out of myself though, but now the tension is broken. We are all friends. Life here is simple but nice. Mileidy’s birthday is during my stay here so we will have a fiesta. Apparently they like to barbeque and have all the family over. I’m excited to experience a family event.

Since I have gotten here, I have shared my pictures with my family and they really enjoy seeing my family and friends. I also brought some of my jewelry and tie dye I did as well as a cross-stitch project. She is convinced I am and artist. We are getting to know each other more and I really want to be able to give her something she would really appreciate. The dog, Winnie, is such a baby and as much a member of the family as the children. She is babied and loved and I am beginning to warm to the idea of small dogs.

Today I got my first chance to work one on one with some of the students and it was very fulfilling. I was able to answer her questions and she felt more comfortable with the subject. During my time here I will be teaching an entire unit to three of the five classes. I journeyed home today with three textbooks, one of which was larger than my Biochemistry book from College! The chemistry book is 10 years old and has a mistake right on the cover. I suppose they are lucky to have ANY books at all, even outdated ones. On my way home I ran into some visitors from Texas who asked me if I was taking classes here. I mentioned the school and how lucky these students were to study and learn in such a spectacular location with amazing resources at their disposal.

I am planning on purchasing a version of Harry Potter, in Spanish of course, to be able to see some of the verb conjugations that I don’t know. Of course it will be slow reading, but hopefully my familiarity with the book and its story will help me learn it better. My Spanish classes have been moved to Wednesdays after school, instead of Fridays which is nice because it allows me more time during the day if I wish to travel somewhere. There are some places that are defiantly weekend trips, like to the Volcano, that are musts before I leave. The places like the local insect jungles and so on are things I can do after school if I want, or to just have a nice relaxed weekend.

Through the school, I can be reimbursed for up to two vacations, two nights at $10 or less, which might come in handy if I chose to go to San Jose or if someone is coming to visit and I go to meet them. Granted it is only two for the entire semester and while most of the interns here are only staying until March or April, I am the only one here for the full 5 months. I have to make it all last a little longer.

As requested here are more descriptions of the glory I am experiencing here. The trees are greener than any emerald ever discovered. The sounds are unknown and intriguing, making every walk to school a new experience. When I walk between classes or glance out the windows of the classroom and see the mists wafting over the hills and through trees that have been in existence longer than most of the people on earth. Each view is new to me and takes my breath away every time. My heart calls for home and things familiar to me but I am working to embrace this outstanding experience. My experiences here will be with me forever and I can only try to remain open to the challenges. Thank you ALL for the support and love I feel. It gives me strength, which makes facing each day in this new world a little easier to embrace and learn from.