Well it's the end of the first week of classes and I am headed into my first weekend in Costa Rica. Oh the things I have learned! From how to turn on hot water in the shower to how to order casado, every moment of the day has presented an opportunity to experience something new. To think that I arrived on Sunday, never before having spoken a complete sentence in Spanish. Besides the occasional "Duele?" and "Como se siente?" I would shamelessly use to expedite my morning pre-rounds, I really had never had the occasion or confidence to speak Spanish at all. Here, the teachers are super good at speaking slower and in short, simple sentences so it makes me feel like I almost understand Spanish. Almost!
Every day, I wake up at 7am and am greeted in the living room with a homemade breakfast. Sometimes it's eggs and toast. Other times it's a smoothie with yogurt and fresh fruit. Breakfast is always served with a cup of hot coffee and an enthusiastic "Buenos dias, Abby!" I eat breakfast with Mama Tica and Armando, my host brother. Every morning, Armando eats a giant crepe smothered in maple syrup and 1/4th of his meal is shared with the family dog, Mofy. After Armando rides off to work on his motorcycle, I start packing my backpack and leave for school at 8am. It only takes 5-7 minutes to walk to school, but sometimes I take little detours to catch Pokemon or spin stops. I'm probably gaining a reputation in the neighborhood as "that Asian girl in a yellow raincoat" who is always on her phone. Once I'm at school, I make sure to have my precious APT (papaya will do wonders for your digestion) before classes at 8:30.
At the orientation on the first day, they told us that those of us who are in group classes alone, will have our classes truncated from three to two hours. I guess no one passed the memo on to my teacher because we are still having 3 hours of classes, followed by one additional hour of private Medical Spanish lessons. Well, I ain't going to be the one to tell him.
After classes, I usually leave my backpack and valuables at school and wander the neighborhood in search of lunch. So far, I've eaten the majority of my lunches at the Central Market. They sell fresh fruits, meat, and baked goods there, but my favorite stores are the sodas. These are small, usually family-owned, diners where you can order casado, or a Costa Rican plate with meat, rice, beans, and salad. Once, I wasn't too hungry so I tried to order just a tortilla with cheese, but something must have gone wrong in translation because I ended up with a giant platter of food. I have yet to return to that stall due to mortification and shame. One day I will return for you, tortilla!!
The afternoon is my own, but I haven't had much opportunity to explore on account of the rain. When it rains, it pours in Costa Rica. It rained so hard my first day that my raincoat soaked through. (J.Crew is full of lies and deception.) Hopefully, I will have time this weekend to wander through Heredia and San Jose during the warm and dry mornings. It's a long weekend because of Independence Day, but according to my teacher, everything will still be open to promote commercialism during the pandemic. We shall see -- there's a waterfall park and several cafes/restaurants I have a hankering to see. So far, I've been taking the free classes offered at school to kill time in the afternoon. I took the dance class once but I don't think I'll do it again -- much too sexy for me. lol. We learned basic bachata but the moment they made me hold strangers' hands, I was further outside my comfort zone than I would have liked. I like several Jesuses between me and everyone else, thank you. During cooking class, we learned how to make pan de queso, which I would describe as a cheese cookie that is best enjoyed with a cup of coffee or tea.
In cooking class, one student claimed that we didn't need to wear masks if all of us have received the COVID vaccine(s). Whatever Costa Rica is doing, they're doing right, because the cook Janette shut that down real quick. Before I could decide whether to say something, she said, "Even people who have both doses of vaccine can get the delta variant. My daughter-in-law is pregnant and I'm high risk so I'm not going to take any chances." 👏👏 Yaaaas girl, you tell him. You tell him to pull his mask over his stupid-ass nose. I haven't met a single Costa Rican yet who is against masking. In fact, they usually complain about the foreigners that refuse to wear their masks correctly. I've been asked, "Why are Americans like that?" and I have no good response to that.
After afternoon class, I walk home in the pouring rain. If it's early, I'll try to study or blog a little before dinner. Otherwise, I'll ask if I can help out in the kitchen. Reynor will sometimes entertain me and let me stir something. Unlike in the US, where we have specialized tools for every purpose (spatulas, whisks, tongs, etc.), in Costa Rica, it seems like the only tool they use is the spoon. I want to cook a meal for my host family but thinking of cooking without a spatula and a wok is giving me a pre-headache. I've also noticed that my host family rarely eats together. I don't know if this is specific to my family, but they put all the food on the stove and people help themselves when they want to eat. It's a little strange to me when I'm eating something different from everyone else, as if they have to prepare different food for me because I am a guest.
In the evenings, I like to watch Mexican dramas with Lilli. I only understand 30% of the Spanish but I understand 100% of the drama. Every night, Armando goes to the gym. Most of the time Fabian goes with him, but when he is too tired, he'll stay home. On these nights, he will challenge me to checkers, a game I have literally not played in over a decade, but am learning to play now out of sheer spite. Nothing humbles the spirit like losing repeatedly (and badly) to a 16 year-old.
My favorite thing about this family is perhaps their penchant for going to bed early. Reynor goes to work at 6am, so he'll usually head to bed around 8pm and the rest of the family soon follows. I usually head to my room around 9pm to squeeze in a nightly chat with Uram before bed.
Well that's a breakdown of my day to day! Yeah, I'm pretty boring but you know me, I love a routine. Hopefully I will have more exciting news to share after this weekend.
Ciao!
No comments:
Post a Comment