I cannot believe how much I have experienced during these five days in Costa Rica. I have seen a volcano and a beautiful waterfall, and now I am living with a woman that speaks no English at all. It’s a little crazy to think that all of this has happened in less than five days. Over the weekend, I felt like I was on vacation. Now I feel like I am back on schedule and back in school. My Mama Tica is very nice, and I try to talk to her. When I can't understand what she is saying, she just gets closer and closer to my face. It really puts the pressure on me to come up with something to say! Her son in-laws have talked to me much more than she and her daughters do. They also speak slower for me. Her daughters have their own homes, but they are within talking distance from my Mama Tica’s house. It seems like one big very close family. I’m glad I am getting to experience the togetherness of the family because I have heard a lot about it. It is like they all live together because their doors are always open, and they are constantly going from one house to the other.
I can honestly say that I have enjoyed all of my time here in Costa Rica. It has not all been easy, but it has been very enjoyable. The one thing that I would say has been the most difficult for me has been communication. I did not realize it would be this hard on me before I left home. I spend time away from my family all the time when I am at school, and I thought this would be no different. I now know that it is extremely different. The first few days have been very hard because I haven’t been able to directly communicate with anyone. I am so used to picking up my phone and calling whoever I want to talk to, but I can’t do that here. I am grateful for email, but it’s just not the same as a phone call. I got to chat with my sister online this morning, and I felt so much relief. It was the first time I had gotten to really talk with ayone in my family, other than emails. It just felt so good to be able to ask her a question or tell her something and get a response right back. I really miss talking to my family and my friends as well. I was so excited when I got to use the phone at CPI to call my mom. It was just so nice to hear a familiar voice. It was definitely the best fifteen minutes of my day, and I feel so much better after talking to her. Emails are good, but that phone call was amazing!