Everything is really different here. When you wake up in the morning you have to take a shower... night showers are unheard of. My host family told me that in order to save water; I need to take really fast showers by getting wet first, then turning off the water and putting all my shampoo and soap, and then rinsing off. Mom and Dad would be proud... this culture has forced me into good hygiene and tidy habits.
Yesterday, I went “into town” with the family to buy school supplies and a school uniform (which is a really unattractive tan polo shirt and tailor-made navy pants). I also withdrew 50,000 colones from my checking account… I’m not sure how much that is in dollars, so I’ll have to wait to record the numbers in my booklet until I get home.
When I get home, I’m going to teach my family all of the recipes I’ve learned here (I cook 2-3 times a day when I'm not in school). We hardly ever have meat here… only about once or twice a week. My favorite food is the breakfast corn pancakes… just blended up corn and water cooked in a pan. I also really like the fried plantains. Mom won't believe it, but I’ve eaten green beans and raw tomato on multiple occasions without wincing!
In only a matter of days, I’ve become a masterful ant hunter and a survivor of the biggest spider I’ve ever seen. Two nights ago I was about to turn out the lights and go to bed, when I noticed a HUGE spider on my wall… yes, I took a picture to remember the experience forever. I called out to my host sister. She came running into my bedroom and squished it with a shoe. The guts went flying and landed on my foot. Yuck.
My Spanish is getting better everyday! Whenever I hear a new word I write it down and try to use it. I’ve also been watching the news, Costa Rican “Who wants to be a millionaire,” and lots of American kids’ movies dubbed in Spanish.
It's hard to believe it, but this is my new "normal".
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