Monday, January 17

My first day of classes went really well! I'm happy to have plenty of stuff to do and our lecture this morning was supremely interesting. My daily routine is beginning to unfold, and it seems like a lot of fun so far. This morning I had breakfast with my Mamá and then met a few girls down the street with whom I will walk to school each day. On the way we met a few other LASP students and we all shared stories from our weekend. One of the other students was sick over the weekend and another had the unfortunate experience of being pulled into the ocean by a riptide. These stories made me more grateful for my relaxing time at home.

Upon arriving at LASP, I sat with Haleigh again, and after we did some final orientation stuff, Don (a title used here similar to Mr.) Mike (the newest of the LASP staff members) shared about colonialism and neo-colonialism (imperialism and the settlement/development of what is now the third world). He shared a lot about how European nations often created systems of dependency and dominance when they took over a country and how the United States participates in that dependency today. It was really interesting to hear about this topic from someone who did not hold to the standard textbook view, and what he said made a lot of sense to me. I'm enthusiastic about discussing this topic and the others we are going to look at here with anyone who will listen when I get home...a fresh perspective is always exciting!

After listening to and discussing Don Mike's lecture, we all ate lunch in the beautiful courtyard behind the LASP building and then made the hour long trek to ICADS as a whole group. There were many turns along the way and it will take me a while to memorize the route, but a small group of us were able to retrace our path successfully this afternoon, so I'm not too worried about it. The sun was shining and I got a little bit of color for the first time since being here, which was really nice. It was also fun to have some time where I was doing something (walking and trying to memorize the route), but I could also just relax and joke with other students.

Upon arriving at ICADS, we were split up into language groups. I am in an intermediate class with only 2 other students, Megan and Paul. We had some really good discussion about our families (here and at home) and Latin American culture, and I felt like I kept up with the Spanish really well. Throughout our 3 hour long class, I noticed that I was able to understand a lot of Spanish writing, and when our teacher (Leticia) or the other students spoke I could understand what they were saying for the most part. The biggest challenge for me, as with most other students it seems, is articulating for myself what I am thinking.

After walking home with a smaller group, I took a quick shower and then began working on some homework. One of my assignments was to talk with my host family about machismo (male-dominance) in Costa Rica. It was nice to have something specific to talk about at dinner, and so far today I haven't used any English at home...its so nice to be able to use my Spanish!

One of my biggest challenges today was dealing with my allergies, which seem to come and go in drastic waves. Also,wearing brand new sandals on a hike through the city on the way to ICADS was probably not the best idea I've ever had, but they should be just about broken in now, so it was probably worth it. I've been enjoying the luxury of being in pretty regular communication with everyone at home, but as my classes begin to take off, this luxury will probably dwindle. This is something I'm expecting, and I'm ready to feel more engaged here in order to not rely on that so much, but of course I miss the comfort of being able to talk to the people I care about whenever I want to. I'm taking comfort in knowing that this is what God has planned for my life in this moment. He is here and readily accessible, and I'm treasuring the opportunities to better equip myself that I've gained by coming here.