My first 48 hours in my homestay

Tuesday, May 18, 2010. 8 pm in San Joaquin, Heredia, Costa Rica.



Wow. What an amazing experience the last 48 hours has been. I met my host family on Sunday evening. Cecilia and Jaqui were very inviting. Jaqui (who is 20) knew some English; she had studied English high school and learned from the television. Cecelia, however, knew none. I am shy sometimes around people I have just met. I realized quickly that even if I stayed quiet, Cecelia had many questions for me. I understood very few questions. I found myself staring hard at her as I talked as if I would see in her eyes some key to unlocking the meaning of these words. I was lucky to have Jaqui to attempt a translation if I got very lost in the conversation, which I did often. Cecelia went to bed soon after dinner (cena) so I felt like I’d failed to create a bond with her. It is awkward to be a guest in someone’s home. And when that someone doesn’t understand what I’m trying to convey, it makes it even more awkward. I worried that I would do something wrong because I couldn’t understand Cecelia’s instructions. Jaqui stayed with me and talked in mostly English about her life in Costa Rica. She just returned recently from a trip abroad in Europe. So she had many insights about how things are different in Costa Rica than in other places of the world.


After dinner, Jaqui walked with me to the church (iglesia) where I was going to be walking in the morning to meet our group. It is just a few blocks from my mama tica’s home. In front of the church is a soccer field and then a school. I have been told this layout is typical of Costa Rican towns. When we got to the plaza (what they call the area around the soccer field) we met some of Jaqui’s friends. They did not know English but tried to talk to me as well as they could. We all walked together back to my mama tica’s home and they sat up talking long after I excused myself for bed. It was interesting to hear the casual Spanish being used and try to decipher their jokes. Jaqui was very helpful in translating but I tried hard to see what I could pick up myself.


The next morning Jaqui was not awake for breakfast. I said Buenos Dias to Cecelia but was extra nervous. This was my first attempt at a conversation with a Spanish speaker without anyone to interpret. She made me a thin omelet which had peppers in it. We also had papaya and plums with our meal. And of course, we had coffee. Cecelia brought hot milk to the table and sugar. It was very good. She asked me questions which I had trouble with but we had a break through when she noticed my wedding ring. Suddenly there was a context for our discussion and understanding the words she spoke was much easier. We talked about how long I’d been married, and what job my husband did. She was interested to know where he was stationed and commented that her niece’s son was in the military in the United States as well. She said she would pray for my husband. This was a perfect transition to the photo book I brought. In it I had put pictures of my house, my family, a visit to the lighthouse at Ocracoke Island, my dog, and my Mother’s wedding. She helped me when I lost the words for who the people were. She was very interested in knowing which of my siblings were step-sisters/ brothers and which belonged to my mom or to my step dad. When she saw my nieces and nephews she cooed and wanted to know their names and who their parents were. It was wonderful to find a common ground. After we finished with my pictures she took me around the house to look at her pictures. She explained who each person was and their ages. It was so nice. Then I gave her the gift I brought. It was an ornamental plate with a picture of North Carolina and the lighthouses. She was so excited and gave me a hug and a kiss. (Typical of Tico appreciation) She went around the house finding the right location to place it. Cecelia has many ornaments and trinkets in her house, some from other CPI students. After placing my gift on the coffee table (it is the first thing you see when you walk in the house) she showed me the other gifts she has received (from students in Texas, Philadelphia and West Virginia). It was an exciting morning.


I met our group at the Church that morning and we went by a shop with office supplies. I was able to get a Spanish-English dictionary and had my first attempt at purchasing an item without the help of Sonia. It went well! I was excited and proud of myself. The excitement I get about things which seemed so simple back home often makes me laugh. Each day so far has been full of little victories. We next went to CPI (Centro Panamericano de Idiomas). We had a meeting and then I went with Emily, Rich, and Teresa to the “Soda” down the street from CPI. All four of us ordered a “hamburguesa” with a Coke. Very American. It was a nice break from the beans and rice, but was not the same as a hamburger back home.


Monday afternoon we had our first Spanish classes. I have had some Spanish courses in high school and one in college, but the trouble I have is with vocabulary. I understand rules and pronunciation but forget the meanings of words. That is something I will need to focus on. We have 4 hours of Spanish classes each week day. We have a coffee break half way through, which is very nice. I was sent home with mucho tarea y vocabulario. (homework and vocabulary) When I returned to my mama tica’s home she had a friend visiting who had a young boy, Daniel. Daniel followed me into my room and asked me lots of questions. He told me he was 4 years old and he could count in English. He began counting everything in the room. I showed him my photo album and he counted the people in each picture in English. He then borrowed my notebook to write his name, and several other scribbles until his mom called him to leave. It was interesting to talk with a young Spanish speaker. It also prepared me somewhat for Tuesday.


Tuesday morning we went to the Calle Viquez Primary School. It is a low income school. We were able to meet and interact with some of the students there. The English teacher showed us around and let us take part in his lessons. In the 6th grade we worked with students to write to a pen pal in North Carolina. The students had an English phrase book and were able to create a letter with a lot of information. It took some work to process what they were saying to us in Spanish in order to help when the students asked for it. But luckily they were patient with us. I’ve noticed that, while I may be hard on myself for struggling, others are understanding and try to help me improve.


Again on Tuesday we had Spanish classes, but also a cooking class at CPI. We made Picadillo con pasa. As a group we chopped and mixed our vegetables and pressed our own tortillas. It was a quite an experience. And in the end we ate what we made for our lunch. It was fun. Spanish classes were difficult but we learned so much and used so much. It was good to have an idea of how to organize my sentences for use in my home-stay. I ate dinner Tuesday night with just Jaqui so a lot of the conversation was in English. She helped me learn the Spanish words for all the items of the table setting and reminded me of some important Costa Rican phrases to know.


Little by little (Poco a poco, as my Spanish Profesora says) I am gaining the confidence to talk in my home-stay. My Spanish classes are assisting in this, although a big support is the patience and understanding of my host family.