Updates!

I thought I would update everyone on things..even though it has only been a couple days. I most likely will not be able to write as much starting tomorrow since that is when I start school. I thought I was starting tuesday, but of course I completely misunderstood my family! It is okay though, we laughed it off!

So yesterday I got to actually see San Jose (since I could not when we landed in Costa Rica because of how quickly it gets dark here) and I liked it..and did not at the same time. It was dirty and had lots of people, but I thought it was also very interesting. I went with Iva and Sofia (two of my host sisters) and they took me to a museum where I learned about the history of Costa Rica. Luckily, they had translations on the plaques for people who only speak english. I found it to be interesting, but my favorite part was when we came across the indigenous tribes that still exist today. I would love to see what their life is like compared to mine in the United States and even compared to other Costa Ricans. I also got a good taste of the rainy season while walking on the streets of San Jose. It absolutely poured with no letting up for a couple hours. There was thunder, a little lightning, and lots of rain..and everyone was surprisingly calm about it. People pulled out their umbrellas, and kept on walking.

Today I had a lot of fun too! My host parents took me to the center of Naranjo so that my host dad could get his haircut and so that we could get some ice cream. Along the way we stopped at the supermarket for some more lessons in spanish, and I learned a lot of new words! It is an incredible feeling knowing how much they want to help me, take care of me, make sure I feel like a part of their family and teach me about their culture while still learning about mine! Anyways, after that we went to a soccer field with a lot of their cousins, aunts, and nieces and nephews to play soccer. I knew soccer was big here, but the amount of people showing up to play was amazing! It is an entire family event for ages 5 to 50! After a while of playing soccer, we walked up a street leading to a view of all of Costa Rica. Along the way we ate a lot of different fruits and I learned about how they make coffee, since the factories were on the way up the hill and at the top was an immense amount of land filled with coffee plants. My host aunt said that in December they help pick things off of the trees to make the coffee. I am excited for that!

I can see why poeple say that Costa Ricans are very open and welcoming. Everyone I meet gives me a warm smile and continuously tries to talk to me and get to know me as a person. I have also noticed, that everyone is always happy! Well, how could you not be when you live in paradise?

My oldest host sister, Sofia just gave me their version of hot chocolate since I mentioned that I like to have it when it is cold in Vermont. It is very good! I am not positive what is in it though..

I have also noticed that they love to dance! It might just be the Baltodano Paniagua family and their friends because they are always playing music, dancing, and singing! I recognize one of the songs they listen to often because it used to be very popular in the US, but I do not remember the title. The radio also plays Justin Bieber, Call Me Maybe, Adele, and Katy Perry. I think it is funny, since they have no idea what the songs are saying!

Well, I should go to bed soon. I have to wake up at 5 30 am for school tomorrow!

Adios!

Tieta

(By the way, if my writing sounds choppy and not very well written, it is because I can not find the apostraphe on the spanish keyboard. Sorry!)

Meeting the Family

Hola!

Yesterday I met my host family! They are all extremely funny, nice, and outgoing. I love them! The only problem, is I have no idea what they are saying when they talk to me. It is very stressful and I can see how it is easy for exchange students to just lock themselves in their room because of how difficult it is to communitcate. Although, I will try my hardest to not do that! (I dont even have a door to my room so that will make it easier) It is also very easy to notice how close each family is. Basically everyone in the neighborhood either has a connection to my host dad, or my host mom.

My host dad is very helpful! Even though I can not understand him when he talks, he taught me plenty of new words yesterday! Such as scissors (tijeras), cup (baso), and many others! It is really nice to know that they want to help me and make me feel at home here!

The landscape in Naranjo is absolutely gorgeous and I really enjoy the simplicity of everything. The houses are all very small, they dry their clothes on lines outside and people are always around the house visiting with eachother. I met a large part of their family within the first couple minutes of being here! Also, there are lots of dogs running around. Lots!

So, if you are wondering how I am doing mentally, I am not even sure myself. I am extremely happy to be here and learn about their culture, but it is really hard to keep laughing at myself when I make mistakes. I miss everyone back home, and since I have only been here about a day, I still have to learn their cultural norms. Such as, last night when family left, my host cousin leaned in to kiss me on the cheek and I was so confused as to what he was doing! I just stood there and so he leaned in more and kissed me on the cheek and said adios. I was extremely embarressed, but I think he understood.

Well, wish me luck for my second day! Hopefully I will get to see more of Costa Rica!

Adios!

Tieta

"See You In 6 Months"

Hey everyone!

Today I leave for Costa Rica from Miami, Florida with the other 11 kids who will be spending any amount of time in Costa Rica through AFS. It is absolutely unbelievable thaty I will be meeting my host parents and sisters in just a couple days! I'm extremely excited though! As wierd as it seems, the closer I get to meeting them, the less nervous I am. I talked to my host mom last night and she explained to me that they all are very excited to have me and are very patient and love me already! That definitely comforted me a lot! So, I promise next time I will write a longer, more thought out blog post when I actually have something to write about. Until then,

To everyone in South Burlington, Vermont,

I will see you in 6 months!

Switched Family & 19 days!

I believe the countdown is now at 19 days for when I arrive in Miami! So that would make it 21 days until I leave for Costa Rica! I also have a new host family for health reasons within my old family. Fortunately, I am in contact now with both families! My old host mom gave me her number so that I will still have the opportunity to meet her and her family! Now I have 3 host sisters who all seem incredibly nice; two of which  I have been talking to about what to expect and what life is like in Costa Rica. One of them told me my spanish was really good! Unfortunately, I had to admit that I had been using google translate in order to understand what she was saying and to help with words I couldn't find from spanish class..oh boy. Trying to talk to them really makes me realize how hard this is going to be! That just makes it all the more exciting, though! It is so great to have everyone's support and I still can't believe I have this opportunity.

Adios!

Tieta Keetle

Just Going Through The Motions

The countdown begins at 30 days! Only 30 days until I leave for Miami..!! As evident as it is in the title, I am just going through the motions of getting ready for the semester I will be spending abroad. The Health Form Addendum, Activity Waiver, looking for clothes and mosquito nets.. the whole package! Everyone asks me if I'm nervous.. but honestly it doesn't seem real yet. It most likely won't until I am greeting my family with a half frightened, half overly excited smile and a quick "Hola!" It's going to be so exciting!! Things are happening. Good things. It's amazing. This will be my first time flying on a plane without someone I know! It will also be my first time out of New England, let alone the United States and speaking Spanish consistently! Wow, lots of firsts..and that is definitely not all of them.

I can't wait to be uploading pictures of my host family and all of the animals and bugs I see! Haha, there will probably be lots!

Host Family And School

I forgot to mention that I found my host family and school!! I haven't gotten a chance to e-mail them yet, since my Spanish isn't very good, and I'm waiting for my neighbor to help me who is fluent in Spanish. I have one host brother who is about 4 or 5 months younger than my actual brother who is 18, and a host mom, and a host dad! They all seem incredibly nice and I can't wait to talk to them! I will be in a rural town called Naranjo, Alejuela Costa Rica! Two months is not a lot of time to get ready, yet it seems like all the time in the world and I keep waiting for the day to come when I fly to Miami and meet everyone else going to Costa Rica as well!

Just A Little Over A Month

There is just a little over a month until I leave for my new life in Costa Rica! So exciting! I've been able to fund raise just about everything for the tuition of $10,000 and the money was sent in a few weeks ago! I've been researching, getting my plane ticket to Miami, Florida, getting vaccinations, and reminiscing with friends about everything I will be missing in the 6 months I will be gone, yet how much of a great experience this will be. I'm beyond excited, and a tad nervous. I try to subdue the nervousness by realizing how this will literally change everything I know.