A day in the life...

It’s a beautiful Sunday morning in Costa Rica. All the windows in the house are open and the sun is shining…for now. During the rainy season, sun in the morning usually means heavy rain in the afternoon. Yesterday this pattern proved true; it was a perfect night to stay in and work on my first homework assignments.

I’ve written this over a period of a few days, but I’ll try to give you a small picture of my daily life here. Of course, ‘daily life’ is a tentative description, as I've only been here for a week! But with classes having started on Friday, I’m getting a sense of the routine.

On weekdays, my family and I wake up in the morning around 6 or 6:30. If you know anything about my sleep preferences, that might be hard for you to believe. But here, the sun sets around 6 and rises around 4:30 or 5, so it’s much easier to get up (and go to bed) early! One of our instructors informed us that for Costa Ricans, 9pm would be a rude time to call someone on the phone, since most people would already be in bed. I’ve got a nice window into my room, so on Sunday I ‘slept in’ until 7.

We all eat breakfast together—my parents, sister, and me. Breakfast has been papaya and watermelon or banana, bread with butter and queso, and coffee. Yes, I’ve been drinking coffee! I add a lot of milk and sugar, but I’ve been enjoying it. I figure it’s part of the experience—Costa Rica has some of the best coffee in the world.

The food here has been great. On Saturday my madre kept joking that we would become gorditas because we ate so much at the market! We had gallo pinto (rice and beans) huevo torta y tortilla (a tortilla with egg) coffee, and samples of many fruits—papaya, pina, jocote, nances, and pipa, along with some chocolate and chips—all gifts from friends! Not everything I eat is too exotic—on Friday night, we had Papa John’s pizza.

 My madre is so happy that I eat, or at least try, everything she serves. Most of it I really like! We had salad with cilantro, fish, and mashed potatoes the first night. It sounds just like what I’d eat in the U.S., but the flavors are different. We also have fresh juice every day at dinner—I’ve had limeade, juice from ‘cas,’ a fruit a bit like a lemon, and carámbola, star fruit, juice. Also, I have not been lacking in dessert—my padre loves helado, ice cream!  

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I leave for class, my packed lunch in tow, around 7:40. I haven’t gotten lost yet! There aren’t really street names outside of San Jose, so addresses are written by landmarks, like house colors. I cross the street at the farmacia amarilla, yellow pharmacy, and turn toward LASP, the program office, at the casita, a little house where a guard monitors the comings and goings on the street. Every day around 12:30 I walk or take the bus with the other students to Spanish classes, which end around 4:30. The walk is about an hour (yes, you read that right. All of us are pretty sore from walking everyday!). I come home around 5:30 and my parents return from work around 6:30. I try to help my madre make dinner (I’m an expert at cutting vegetables for salad now), and then we all eat together.

It has been awesome talking with my family. They are all so patient with me in my lack of Spanish skill! They ask me questions that I understand and do their best to include me in their conversations. They also correct me and teach me as I speak. For example, on Tuesday in a conversation with my padre I said the Spanish equivalent of “It’s more better,” a ridiculous error to me, a grammarian! But my padre didn’t laugh at me or even crack a smile. He agreed with me, knowing what I meant to say, and then pointed out my mistake. I was embarrassed; I had felt pretty confident! But he dealt with my mistake in such a gracious way that I couldn’t feel ashamed for long. Also, I constantly have to push past feeling stupid if I want to communicate at all!

I am so grateful to be with my Costa Rican family! God has given me much grace through them. I know I do not deserve their kindness. I thought living with a host family would be the most difficult part of studying abroad, but the times with my Tico family have been my favorite. I’m looking forward to watching the big fútbol game with them tonight—Costa Rica vs. USA!

I often think of home, but I am thankful to be here. God is good and I pray that I will be able to trust in Him more each day and less in myself. Praise Jesus for the hope He has given us, no matter where we are or what language we speak.  

 one of my favorite new fruits--mamones chinos! on the inside, they have a texture like jello.

 My family's dog--Escot! (ehs-COHT)