First two weeks of classes = Check :]
This week has just flown by! In the beginning of the week I had my first test in my grammar class. And Gracias a Dios (which means “Thanks to God”. Every one says that here… in every sentence it seems like! But say it really fast and it sounds like: Gracias adios…”Thanks goodbye” which can be very confusing at times!) I got a 92% - not too shabby! Tuesday morning Celsi took me for a walk. We walked all the way to one of the malls! It was kind of funny because she kept taking me into girls clothing stores and picking everything up and saying: “Que lindo! Te gusta? Es perfecto para ti! (How beautiful! Do you like it? It’s perfect for you!). However, I wasn’t interested in buying anything, as I currently have plenty of clothes and am trying to conserve money since I am going to be here for six months! I would complement the clothes but then say that I didn’t need it. We went into a jewelry store (like Clair’s) and she took me over to the earrings and said: which one do you want? I didn’t want to buy any so I politely said, oh, I don’t know. They are all beautiful but I’m not going to buy any. So she picked one out and asked me if I liked it. I said yes so she bought it for me! After that I tried to avoid saying that I liked anything because I didn’t want her to feel obligated to buy anything else! She is super sweet and I think she was just trying to help me have some fun (That or she doesn’t like the clothes that I wear and wanted to help me get in style… haha). This continued into several more teen clothing stores until I finally said: “I do need to buy a new notebook and note cards (which was true!)”, we promptly when into a wallmart-type store where I made my purchases. She seemed content after that and we made our way back home. ☺
Tuesday night I went and saw Toy Story 3 with some of my friends from the Institute. The movie was completely in Spanish with no subtitles! It was a much funnier way of studying than doing homework, but still a lot of work to call it entertainment! Nonetheless, the movie was really good and I enjoyed it!
Thursday morning Celsi and I went into downtown San José! We had a great time! She showed me all kinds things! There are several very antique and historic Catholic churches (that are still in use) downtown that we visited. One of them was even having mass while we looked around. Then we went into a “gringo mercado” (basically a very touristy market with lots of souvenirs and consequently lots of gringos (white people!)”. Again, Celsi picked up lots of different things trying to help me buy something. She kept picking up t-shirts and telling me that they would be perfect for my sister. I finally found a little trinket to bring back to my mom and she seemed content after I made that purchase… haha. Inside of the market were also venders selling produce (meats, fruit, vegetables etc.). I found it very disgusting. The floors were very grungy and covered in dirt, it was just like a big warehouse where everyone was crammed inside with tons of people everywhere, the air felt moist, there were lettuce bundles and other things for sale just sitting on the ground or the counter, raw meat was hanging everywhere, and the stench was sometimes overwhelming! It was definitely a cultural experience! I have really enjoyed spending time with Celsi this week! I love her! She is so sweet and a good companion! God really blessed me by placing me with this family!
My classes have been going pretty well. I can’t say it enough – I LOVE going to a Christian school! God knows how much I always wanted to go to a Christian university. That desire was never his desire, and I am happily attending a public university. Being here at the institute feels like God is blessing me by letting me have a little taste of what a Christian school is like – even if it is just for two months and not quite a real university. That being said, I love it! Sometimes for homework we use passages of the Bible to translate/fill in the missing blanks to practice grammar. In my conversational class for Thursday we had to give a little talk on our favorite Bible verse. We read it, told what it mean, picked it apart, and told why it was important to us (all in Spanish of course!). For my presentation I used Psalm 126 (it’s not necessarily my favorite – but I do love it!). It is a beautiful Psalm about how when we soy our tears (meaning that we obey and follow God even when it is hard and causes us to suffer), that we will reap a harvest of joy! I related it back to my family and explained that God has been doing that in our lives. I loved that assignment! I also loved getting to hear the other students give their Bible presentations! :]
Today (Friday), we don’t have any classes! I’m not quite sure why – but I’m not complaining! I took advantage of this free day by going to visit the university that I will be studying abroad at this fall. I decided to do this very last minute (last night), so it’s by the grace of God that it worked out! I emailed ISA (the study abroad organization) and asked them if I could come by for a visit/tour/meet the staff and I received an answer this morning around 9:00am. The email said that everyone at the office would be leaving at noon to go on an excursion so if I was going to come, I had to do it before then! Well, I quickly took a shower and got ready to go! I was a little bit nervous because in order to get there, I had to take a taxi all by myself! Thankfully, in my conversational class, we were taught how to use the taxies (what words to say, what to do in certain situations etc.) and even practiced in class… haha. Nonetheless, I wanted to avoid all trouble. Thus, I wore a loose fitting long skirt and long sleeve shirt (I stick-out like a sore thumb and without even opening my mouth – everyone knows that I’m American. Thus, I get whistles, lots of stares, head turning, and comments as I pass people. So despite the hot weather, I wanted to be as covered up as possible since I was going out alone- haha!). However, I discovered that using a taxi is VERY easy! I got in, he knew exactly where to go, we didn’t do any conversing, he brought me right to the university, and it only cost 4 dollars!
Once I arrived, I met with the staff of ISA. One of the staff members showed me all around the campus (which wasn't very far - It's only two buildings). She and I even spoke Spanish the whole time! The campus is very small, which I like. There are probably less than 1,000 students studying there! ISA has an office right on campus. As an "ISA student", I can go to their office any time that I want. I can use the computer lab in the office, get free tutoring from the staff, go there if I have any problems etc. In the fall there should only be around 20 students studying through ISA, which means that I will probably get to know the staff very well - since there are about 4 of them and only around 20 of us!
I wasn't able to meet the family that I will be living with because they haven't placed the students with the families yet. She told me that all of the families are specially chosen and have been hosting students with them for years. After every student leaves, they fill out a review on the family. If there are any issues, ISA will not let them continue to host students. All of the students who will be studying abroad through ISA will live in the same area. She said we won't all live next to each other because not all of the families are that close. But she said that the other students should be on my same street or only a few streets over. I will also have a roommate from the program (so my roommate will be from the U.S., doing the same thing as me). My roommate and I will each have our own rooms, but we will be staying in the same house. I sent in a very detailed description of myself, and they use that to try to match each student with a roommate who will be a good friend for them. :)
The campus is in downtown San José. The surrounding area of the campus is very nice and very populated. When I say downtown, it's not like the hood of downtown Louisville. It is close to all of the hotels, office buildings, museums, businesses, restaurants, and other things that you would find downtown. However, the neighborhood that I will live in is not downtown. It is in a middle-class suburban area. The woman told me that it is about a 10-minute commute to school from where I will live. To get there we will have to take a public transportation bus. The buss stop is right in front of the school, so once we get on the bus, it will bring us right to the university! In all, I walked away very excited about the fall!
Well that about sums up the week! Tomorrow I am going to a volcano, coffee plantation, and butterfly garden with some of my friends from school! I will write again soon! :]
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