Hey everyone! (the maybe 5 people that will actually read this :o) )
So the other student teachers I am living with are doing this blog thing, so I thought I would give it a try!
To catch everyone up on what has been going on since I got here: (I promise the rest will be shorter!)
I got in on Friday night, and found myself crying a lot. For those of you that know me well, that isn't too far off of the usual when I'm stressed :) I was placed with a family that spoke absolutely no english, and although they were wonderful and amazingly kind, I was very isolated and frustrated for my first few days here. My school also called to tell me that they didn't want me to start until Thursday! Those are some long days to fill by yourself when you don't know where anything is and get stared at whereever you go on the street! People are very friendly, but I seem to scream "American" and am tall, so I get a lot of looks. At least I have dark hair! My room mates are blondies.
So...I moved to Emilia's today who is another host mom that has been doing this for almost 20 years. Three of the other teachers live here too. They are great! Meghan (from MN), Sarah (from WI), and Linsey (from WA). It's nice to have english speakers to hang out with at night after a long day of trying to speak and understand spanish. Emilia is our house mom and is awesome--very feisty and outgoing and you can't speak english in her house, which is also good to help me with my spanish. We have out own little area in an add on to the main house, where english is allowed, so that's nice. My room is the size of my closet at home, but I have wireless internet, and my own bathroom--I'm good! We have a little schnauzer dog named Natsu--she's very sweet. So I get my animal fix! LOTS of homeless dogs though, and my heart breaks whenever I see them.
I haven't started school yet, but I met my teacher Alexandra today. She is very friendly and welcoming and seems to be genuinely excited to have me there with her. School starts on Thursday because the students are testing in the mornings and then done for the day. But I got to go yesterday and hang out with Meghan and her 1st grade classes (she's at the same school). Talk about some of the cutest little creatures in the world! But starting Thursday, I'm with the big kids :) The english (obvie) and science at this school from K to 12 are taught in english, and all other classes are in spanish. I will be teaching my students in english, but oftentimes they will answer me in spanish. Should be interesting, but even in my first 4 days here, I have learned a ton. I have 8th (life science) and 10th graders (biology).
So that's my story so far. I haven't been able to get into teaching yet, which is a bummer, but I am doing MUCH better than I have been the last few days. My poor mom has been watching me cry over Skype and feels so bad cause she can't do anything!
If any of you do skpe and try to find me, my home town on their right now is Tres Rios, not B'ville. Now that I have wireless, I can be on more and hopefully catch you! I am an hour behind MN.
That's all for now. Miss your faces!!
Sounds like you have some good locals taking care of you. You can talk to Henry when you get back. He starts pre-K at the Spanish immersion school next week.
ReplyDeleteJack VW - Burnsville MN USA
Found this on line about Tres Rios -
A good time to visit Tres Rios is October. The reason is because on October 12, the town celebrates the Virgen del Pilar's Day, with a huge fair, parades and brightly colored costumes. These unique costumes are usually made form grains, corn husks and silk fabrics. Info found at - http://www.govisitcostarica.com/region/city.asp?cID=348
Oh Ber, I love you girl!! You can do this. You have been waiting for soooo long!!! I am so proud girl. Im glad to hear you have moved to a more comfortable spot. Good Luck Thursday!! Cant wait to read about it. Love you, Libs
ReplyDeleteAmber, love the blog, wish it was available ten years ago when I was in europe! Write as much as you can about anything and everything because you will want the memories! Enjoy every minute of your adventure, say yes to meeting new people and even tho it is scary, step out of your comfort zone and grab each new experience without fear! I am so proud (and a little jealous) that you are having this grand adventure! This is one gal that will read your blog, living vicariously, so keep it going! Best to you, cuidate y ten una adventura magnifica! Quiero fotos pronto! Besos y abrazos, Ann Grebner (McNearney:)
ReplyDeleteThree comments before me means you will for sure have more than 5 followers silly girl! I am so proud of you...it sounds amazing already. It will definitely help to chat with people online and to be able to share your stories. Keep them coming!
ReplyDeleteLove ya!
Brie Shea
LOVE your blog! :) It takes me back to when I moved to Germany, three months prego, and only knowing how to count to ten and say that I have ten fingers in German... Girl, I know the loneliness and discomfort you are feeling! The only person I knew was the boy I had fallen in love with, and he would just leave me alone in his small apartment all day while he went to work. He had 2 TV stations that were only German, no phone...and I had to do the shopping and stuff, which was crazy interesting because things couldn't be found there where you would fine them here, and I didn't know how to ask about them. For example, I had to go to a special store for contact lens solution. And milk was in boxes, not in a fridge. When we would go out with friends, they would insist on only speaking German, b/c then I would be totally immersed and learn faster. So they would talk and laugh and carry on, and I would run into the bathroom and cry, missing laughing and chatting with my friends. Oh, how I hated it!
ReplyDeleteI only tell you this because in the end it was the BEST experience of my life! I DID learn the language, I DID learn the customs and ways, some things were better than our American way, some weren't...and it made me feel so powerful and strong! My advice to you is to not look to find how to make your typical life there, but look how they live and see what new fun additions you can incorporate into your ways now. And look forward to it becoming easier and easier, so much so that you will dream in Spanish! (That's when you really know you've arrived!) :)
LOVE YOU!!