San Gabriel de Asserí

Almost through my first school week in San Gabriel de Asserí. It has been a good week. I am working with the English teacher at the primary school, Adriana Campos, and helping her teach English to 1^st, 3^rd, 5^th, and 6^th graders. It’s tiring. Hahah I am living with a great family. My mom, Amelia, works as basically one of the janitors at the school, and my dad, José Luis, I think works at a  factory that makes cleaning products. I have two siblings. Derian who is 12 and in high school here, and Valentina who is 4 and is in kindergarten. I have been able to exercise for this first time in Costa Rica!! There is a soccer field right next to my house, so I’ve been running in the mornings. It’s been great, except I’m so sore today I can barely move! Haaha but I have definitely missed exercising!! My family is super sweet and kind, but my mom treats me to much like a guest (which I guess is expected). I try to help her with stuff, and she won’t let me, and she feeds me a ton and always first and more than everyone else. She is always worried if I am eating enough. All cultural things I have experienced before here, but it seems more pronounced with her. The town is the cutest thing! It’s small, and theres like a church, a park, and a soccer field in the center and then everything expands out from there. I live like a 4 minute walk from the primary school. So so sooo drastically different from life in San Jose. It’s hard to believe its only like an hourish outside of it. Life is calmer and safer here.

     I am ready to be done with the city of San Jose. On the bus from my house to the center of San Jose, someone stole my wallet out of my purse, which was on my body the while time. I had no idea, didn’t feel anything. Ahg! And I was on the bus with another Lasper who was standing next to me the whole time! Very frustrating. Luckily I didn’t have very much in it. There was about $20 of LASP money it and an American $20 and then a copy of my passport, emergency number cards, and my international student ID. I am most upset about losing the actual wallet! I LOVEDDDD that wallet!!!!!! L  Se la vie. 

      The more I’m here, the more I realize how ignorant most Americans are. Almost all Costa Ricans I have talked to know a ton about the US and about US politics, in addition to everything about their own country. In general, Costa Ricans are much better informed that Americans. Estadounidense: que lástima y que verguenza!

    My mom here makes tortillas a lot J soo good!! And I get cafécito and cookies or crackers every afternoon! Soo good!! I think my spanish listening comprehension is increasing, although my speaking is getting all mixed up because sometimes I can get away with speaking in Spanglish with Adriana. Ooops…

    We are teaching the kids mostly oral repetition and conversational sayings. Like invitations, presenting of new people, how old are you, how are you, where are you from, etc. I never had Spanish in elementary school, but this teaching style is very different from my beginning Spanish. Given it is a very different language and with a much younger age group. I already have a favorite class or grade… Is that bad? The 3^rd grade is my favorite. They are the most fun, at least to me. I think Adriana likes the 5^th grade the best. In CR, school is pretty different. Half of the kids go from 7 to 12 and the other half go from 12 to 5. And they alternate morning and afternoon.