So as I sit in the computer lab of UNA or Universidad Nacional, surrounded by Spanish speaking peers, I am able to reflect on my past week or so and everything up to this point. I have adapted to life in costa rica and in all honesty I am in a pretty steady routine, one that is not necessarily exciting but most definately fulfilling. I go to classes every day during the week except for fridays, and I volunteer teaching english at an orphanage on tuesdays. I really enjoy my volunteer work, I have to catch two buses in order to make it to the orphanage but the reward is held in the interaction with the kids. The kids are all very young and therefore it is difficult to keep their attention and try to teach them words in english, but the other day I bought a game of twister and we played learning colors. This Tuesday I had another intercambio student teaching with me, and not much was accomplished more so we just played with the kids, they are so loving and energized. I hope that I can work with this fellow exchange student to teach the kids and not just play with them. I leave tomorrow for my spring break and am incredibly stoked, beside from the 16 hour death bus ride to get to Panama City I think the experience will be worthwhile. My spanish is still horrible and I am finding that it is a lack of confidence while communicating that hinders my ability to talk in spanish. It is so fustrating and furthermore embarassing, but I am trying not to get too fustrated with it. I will use the bus trip to study ,heh. After yoga class the other day my friend and I went out with the instructor to a small bar to celebrate his birthday. It was alot of fun, ticos here love their rock music, especially grunge like nirvana, the cure, alice in chains..ect. So the atmosphere was a little brutal but the company was good, I really enjoy mingling with people from other countries you notice similarities in mannerisms. It is crazy to think that we are all so different when really under the layer of cultural polarity you find people are all the same in general concepts, influenced by age, wealth, family, friends, and society. We all love music, laughter, and appreciate beauty, while these feelings and opinions vary on the person themself it still is relatively universal: we are all people.
Can’t believe its almost been 3 months!
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Thanks for the updates Alisha. Please keep them coming!