Homestay 5/18/2014

Today we went to our first host family home.  My Papa Tico speaks very little English and my Mama Tica speaks no English at all.  The short car-ride was awkward and hard to communicate.  When we got home, Papa Tico went to watch television and me and Mama Tica sat in the kitchen for about an hour trying to communicate.  I brought with me a small photo album with pictures of my family and I had used the internet to translate some short descriptions into Spanish.  I seem to understand Spanish better than I can speak it, but even then it is muy pequeno (very little).  Mama Tica wrote some of her words down on paper, and I would look them up in the Spanish dictionary that I am so thanksul I brought.  Mama Tica said it was my amigo, and she was very right.  At this pint, I think that dictionary just might be my BFF!  Even with it, our conversation was very choppy and hard to manage.  After struggling for an hour, Mama Tica introduced me to her daughter Sharon, who speaks perfect English.  She told me she was available to translate if I needed something, but since this experience is all about immersion, she would refrain speaking English most of the time.  I was a little shocked that I had access to a translator this whole time and nobody told me, but it of course made me less nervous knowing she was here if I need her.

After touring San Jose and San Jaquin, I was not sure what to expect for the host family’s house.  We have seen many different sizes of houses and were told that the houses may be small or big.  My family’s house is a good size and is very nice inside.  My bedroom has a full size bed, a desk, a pretty big closet and plenty of room to walk around.  The information I had received about my family said that they had two grandchildren in the house, but I must have misunderstood, because I have yet to see any children.  Mama Tica told me they have been hosting students from the CPI language center for 11 years (at least I think that is what she said).

After our first hour of communication struggles, Mama Tica let me go to my room to relax while she prepared dinner for me.  She kept asking if I was hungry and if I wanted dinner, and I kept trying to tell her I could wait to eat with the family.  Sharon explained to me that they usually eat a large, later lunch and then do not eat dinner together.  Mama Tica made me arroz el polio (chicken and rice) and a salad of fresh vegetables and avocado.  I had papaya juice to drink, it was not sweetened, which made me happy because so far, everything we have had to drink in Costa Rica is way too sweet for my taste.  Mama Tica sat across from me and stared at me while I ate which is something I am not used to.  I kept saying muy Bueno and gracias because that is about all know how to say.  Needless to say this was awkward for me.

I am very overwhelmed with the language barrier and culture shock.  Culturally speaking, the family dynamic seems similar to ours in the US.  But, it is very overwhelming and frustrating to not be able to understand what my Mama Tica is saying, and equally frustrating to not be able to express my own self.  We take for granted the power of conversations.

It has been a really long and exhausting couple of days and I am so very tired, so I am going to bed early.  It is almost 8 back at home, but here it is only 7.  I am hoping to be able to catch up on my sleep and be refreshed for another day tomorrow.  Mama Tica will walk me to the school, and I will have to walk home on my own after language classes tomorrow.  We are walking as a group, and are all fairly close to each other, so I will only have to walk a block and a half by myself.  I am not going to lie, this makes me very nervous.  After all, I still get lost in Springfield and I have lived there for thirty years.  I am of course missing my family, especially my babies, but I am trying to be strong and brave and embrace every minute of this once in a lifetime adventure.

I will try to post some pictures tomorrow. 

Buenas Noches!