Homestay

My latest adventure in Costa Rica, has been living with a local family - and none of them speak English. I didn't think this would be much of a problem, until I arrived, and couldn't understand anything that was being said to me. I have a plethora of "Hispanic/Latin" friends, and I can usually understand them. But for some reason I am having a few difficulties communicating with my Costa Rican family. I'm learning A LOT. Including how to communicate with pointing and gestures when you don't know the word in Spanish.

Yesterday, (Sunday) I woke up to the smell of fried plantains in the kitchen. Delicioso! Or, muy rico (as my Mama Tica would say). My "Tico" (another word for Costa Rican) family grows coffee, corn, plantains, and lots of other things. They also make homemade soap, which is very popular among tourists. After breakfast, I made soap with Doña Margarita. It is a very precise process, the measurements have to be exact. When we began to heat the honey for the soap, we looked behind us and a SWARM of bees had entered the shed. Scary to say the least. Eventually they left and we finished the soap.

I've realized that you can be in a house full of people, but if you don't know what's being said, you still feel very isolated. I've worked with ESOL students at home, and loved every minute of it. Now I feel I can truly relate to what they go through. It's frustrating when you want to talk, but can't because of the language barrier. Usually when they talk to me, I just smile, nod, and say "Sí". This experience makes me extremely grateful for the incredible family that I have. Even though this is difficult, I'm glad to have the experience.