New Student Fiesta

On Friday, there was a fiesta held in honor of all of us new students!
Very fun! Here is a link to Tim Killallay's blog with a cool video of the festivities:

http://thefootpathpreachers.blogspot.com/2012/01/new-student-fiesta-at-ile.html

I get to study alongside this awesome group of people!

Coco

There is a coconut vendor I pass everyday on my way to/from the institute. Today, my friend and I stopped and bought some. Delicious and refreshing! Though I loved most of all that the vendor just took a machete a whacked off the end of the coconut and stuck a straw into it. Now that's how you drink from a coconut!

Que??

After classes today, five of us went downtown together to explore and shop in the artisan market. It was an awesome time getting to know these other students more and striking up Spanish conversations with the artisan shop owners. We came across one camiseta (t-shirt) hanging in the market that had muchos frases (many phrases) in different fonts on it.

Que significa...? And I began to ask what the phrases on the shirt meant. The elderly lady at the stand had a little difficulty explaining what the phrases meant, until my friend (a student at ILE who had lived in Costa Rica before) came up to me and told me that the phrases were "pachucos" or "tiquismos" (Tica slang). My two friends who had lived here before began explaining some of the phrases. Little did I know I would need to practice them very soon!

When we took the bus back, a friend invited us to meet his Tica family. Soon, we began discussing the "pachucos" and the night was one big lesson in Tica slang, plus I learned some other Spanish too. I felt a little on the spot though because when the Tica mom asked me a question, the entire household stopped to listen. Ay! Mi cara era roja.

Pues, lo pasé bien. And the family even invited us to share coffee y postres with them! Muy amable!

Here are some "pachucos" I learned:

*Disclaimer: These only work in Costa Rica; don't say them elsewhere or people will give you very strange looks and wonder if you're making up words.

¿Qué mae? (kay-my); mae = dude in English, so this means something like "What's up dude?"

Puros dieces -- very well, in response to "Como estás?" A play off of their more common phrase:
Pura Vida--the pure life. Costa Rica's top tequismo.

Qué torta!--What a mess!

Ufa!--what you say when something smells bad; there is a joke I heard recently about a famous soccer player and this word.

la choza--another name for house (casa)

un pichazo--a large blow, or when you hit something (ie: car crash)

chunche--slang for thing (cosa)

Adding -ita or -ito to the end of someone's name to be endearing.
Por ejemplo: My Tica parents sometimes call me: Laurita.

Want to know more? Check out this website:
http://www.costaricaspanish.net/tiquismos-costa-rican-street-spanish/

El Primer Día de Clase

"Usted no está aquí a menos que Dios le quiera aquí."
"You're not here, unless God wants you here."

La filosofía de una de mi profesoras

A typical first day of classes: meet the teachers, get the textbooks, exchange personal introductions with classmates, get a basic overview of the course and start learning the material. Oh wait, did I mention this was ALL in Spanish?

Here are some highlights:
1) I am in a cohort with 4 other people and we rotate from class to class together. After introducing ourselves to our teachers 4 different times during the day, I feel like I know them really well! Everyone has an attitude to learn and a great sense of humor! We found ourselves laughing a lot! It is a very positive and comfortable environment in which to learn.

2) It is incredibly inspiring meeting other students at the institute. Most are missionaries, and this is their last step before they embark to the country God has called them to. I love to hear their stories of "How did you end up here?" Chapel was also one of my favorite times this morning; the two men that head the student council at the school shared their testimonies. I got goosebumps just hearing the incredible and intimate ways God works in people's lives. He is so much bigger than we give Him credit for, yet He takes a personal interest in our individual histories.

3) Los maestros. I am so incredibly grateful to be at ILE. The teachers shared with us on multiple occasions that it is their passion to teach, and they correct you if you're wrong (especially in la clase de Lenguaje) which is beyond helpful if you're trying to learn to speak correctly! I finally learned how to say: "I was born in _____ and grew up in _____. And when I was ___ years old, moved to _____." By my final time of needing to introduce myself to the teacher, I was able to say it the right way!

I'm looking forward to everything I will learn here, but most of all to seeing how God is going to use this time.

There was an amazing poem (rewritten 1 Cor 13) shared in orientation that I think speaks directly to my purpose at the institute. I will loosely paraphrase one part I can recall:

1 Corinthians 13 (ILE style)

"¹ If I speak fluently with a perfect accent, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. ² If I have the gift of understanding languages quickly and can understand all the mysteries of the subjunctive, imperative and conditional, and if I have the grammar to ace all my exams, but do not have love, I am nothing. ³ If I give all my hours and energy and give my mind to tiring efforts to understand a new language I may boast,^[b] but if I do not have love, I gain nothing.

.And these three remain: Grammar, Phonics and Love. And the greatest of these is LOVE."

Cosas Interesantes

*Attended church Sunday morning (right around the corner from mi casa!) and a gringo family was also attending for the first time. So they pulled a translator up to the stage just for us! That was unusual and very helpful!

*Pulled out my flute last night to play and the songs my familia requested were: Silent Night and the National Anthem of the United States. Interesting choices.

*Took the oral and grammar placement exams. I'm pretty sure I did awful on the grammar portion (as expected) and thought about leaving a lot of the questions blank. But I took my own "teacher" advice, and went ahead and guessed. Then I wrote at the top in big, bold letters: I NEED TO LEARN THIS.

I guess that's why I'm here. : )
Anyway, I think they got the hint because I'm enrolled in two grammar courses everyday!

Here's my schedule for tomorrow:

7:30-8:20 Grammar

8:25-9:15 Grammar

9:15-9:35 Break (Coffee anyone?)

9:35-10:20 Chapel (Tuesday and Thursdays)

10:20-11:10 Language

11:15-12:05 Phonics

So excited for mi primer dia!

Bienvenidos a Costa Rica!

I arrived yesterday afternoon, spent most of the day unpacking/getting organized, and getting to know my Tica family. Se llaman Geraldo, Iris y Yasmin (tiene 21 años).

Thankfully they are very patient with my half-baked attempts at the language and correct me along the way!

This morning, I went with Geraldo y Iris to the local market to buy fruit/vegetables.
Muy barato (cheap)! We bought 21+ bananas for under a dollar. There is even one vendor that gives away free fruit if you buy 3+ products from him. You pick a marble out of a jar and if it has a number on it, you've won a bag of free fruit! Fun! I will have to go back and visit that stand again.

This is a view of my patio (backyard). It has high walls covered in vines and gorgeous flowers!
There's even a banana tree! (below)

My breakfast this morning: tamale y cafe. Que rico!

My host dad, Geraldo, showing off how large the head of lettuce is. He's wearing a Costa Rican futbol jersey.

Answer to Prayer!

I got a job!!

Starting in Fall 2012, I'll be teaching middle school Social Studies at Crossroads Christian Academy in Panama! I can't tell you how excited I am and what a perfect fit the position is for my gifts and skill set.

Here's a glimpse into Panama, where I'll be living next year:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuN5ISufepI

Now to finish packing for Costa Rica! I leave on Thursday to begin coursework at the Spanish Language Institute in San Jose.