You’ll never believe it…

After reading that last post and realizing how little Spanish I know, you’ll never believe what happened tonight?  We unexpectedly got a new student in our host home who will be staying for one month.  She doesn’t speak much English at all and my Mama Tica called me in to translate.  Really?  That’s craziness.  But I did.  Believe it or not I know enough Spanish to help other people communicate.  Its the Christmas miracle.

Panama… the ESL version

This week is Spiritual Emphasis week at school.  We have speakers here from Peru who are missionaries who have been on the field about a year and a half.  I’m really excited to have chapel twice a day and worship and fellowship IN ENGLISH with the other students!  Today we talked about suffering, but one point he brought out was about how language learning forces humility.  You just keep wanting to say… “I’m smarter than this… I can have a real thought… I promise!”  And its true… it really is humbling to be brought to the vocabulary of a 2 year old and unable to express yourself.

To that end, I want to give you a picture of my recent Spanish acquisition as well as my weekend trip to Panama.  However, I’m going to describe my weekend to you the way I described it to my host parents and use only English words that I know in Spanish… get ready.  At least I’ll have pictures and that helps :)

The weekend was good.  The time on the bus is long and it is hot in Panama.  More hot than Costa Rica.  Panama is very beautiful.  The line was long in the place where you go from Costa Rica to Panama.  Two long lines at two windows.  The place where I give them my  passport.  There is a place where you cross over water… right… a bridge.  It is very old and small.  The bus is going over.  But all the people get out.  We walk across because the bus with people is too much.  I am scared for the bus.  I know many new people after the weekend.  There is a family who is from the place that I am from in NC.  There is a guy from my church who works with this man.  He is… I don’t know.  When  a house has lots of smoke they come with water.  Right… firefighter.   They work together as firefighters.  This man is here with his family.  They will move to Honduras too.  It is a small world.  In Panama we take a boat to the hotel.  The hotel is nice and has cold air in the rooms.  Saturday we go on a boat and see dolphins.  I have a picture.  I don’t have a picture  when the water is here and the dolphin is higher.  I am not fast enough.  After the dolphins we go to a restaurant near the the water.  We swim and snorkel.  I see many fish.  I love to snorkel.  I want to snorkel in Costa Rica.  This is my first time.  It is very beautiful.  We eat lunch then we go to a beach.  The beach has many… I don’t know.  The word for the things in the sky with  the moon?  Stars.  Stars that are fish.  Ahh… starfish.  The beach is called starfish.  There are many starfish here.  You can put them in your hand.  The kids loved them.  They are not soft, but not hurting you.  They are very pretty.  After the beach we go to dinner.  I take lots of pictures.  I also buy “jewelry” (no word here, just motioning to what I am wearing).  It is a good weekend.  I need to practice Spanish. :)

Newsletter June 2010

Hopefully this will work... click here to see my newsletter!

Mas Amigos!

Toy Story 3 en Español.  So good.  I have no idea what 80% of the dialogue was about, but that’s okay.  The movie has great and I enjoyed every bit of it.  That means it was really a good movie :)  Tonight I went with a group of American and Tico friends to see the movie.  We even had kids with us, which makes everything more fun!  I am dying to be able to speak Spanish better to communicate with people, but I’m getting there.

A friend at school introduced me to a Tica friend who is awesome.  She is mom to a 4 year old precious little girl and so patient with my broken Spanish.  I would love to get to know her better.  This picture is our small group heading out to meet the others at the mall…

 

Back row: Paul, Kata, Abby

Front row: Mary Katherine, Nikki, Laura

 

Here’s another picture of some school friends from earlier today…

 

Abby, Paul, Abby, Laura, Courtney, and Wes

 

 

 

I braved taking my camera to school today… which I won’t do often.  But it was fun to get some pictures to show you all what life is like here a little bit.  I put more up on facebook of the school and city. 

Its hard to believe I’ve been here over a week.  My Spanish vocabulary is expanding rapidly, but I still get so lost and confused and can’t understand any native Spanish speakers speaking to each other.  But I’m starting to be able to talk to my host mom a lot more, which is such a blessing!

Thanks for all your prayers…

“Look they’re communicating…”

Brian Regan reference anyone?

I must have a life… I missed a day of posting :)  I take that as a good sign.  Here are some pictures of my class and my teachers.  The top pictures is with Rita, she teaches our one hour of grammar.  And the bottom picture is with Ana Sylvia who teaches us two hours a day of conversation.  Both of these women are super sweet and very patient with our minimal Spanish speaking.  Their official stance is that they speak no English… but its a lie.  Ana Sylvia grins when we are discussing in English how to ask her something in Spanish.  She understands every word :)

Today was a day filled to the brim with Spanish speaking.  This morning a group of us attended a CMA church that is within walking distance.  I loved it.  Honestly it may have been my favorite thing that I have done all week.  I don’t know that I’ve ever been excited to hear the song “Open the Eyes of my Heart” until this morning.  We sang three songs in Spanish that we already knew the tunes to and it made a huge difference.  I could actually read and sing along.  We sang other songs as well that were harder.  But I think Sunday morning worship will be a favorite!  I could only pay attention for about 30 min of the sermon before my head started hurting from all the Spanish I didn’t understand… but its a start.

After church one of the host families that goes to church there had us over for lunch.  We got to meet their kids, practice Spanish, and meet their neighbors who are girls about my age who said we could come over anytime to practice.  YAY!  My first Tica friends :)  It was great.

I asked my Mama Tica tonight if I was speaking Spanish better than last weekend and she answered with an emphatic YES.  So… hence the title… “look they’re communicating!”  Last week I wouldn’t have even known how to ask her that question.  I do feel like as long as I speak slowly about something I know some vocabulary about, I can get my point across.  That’s something anyway :)  And I asked her to teach me how to cook fried plantains and pintos with rice, delicious.  Plus I’m going to help her make a photo book of her grand-daughter.  I’m so thankful that not all bonding has to happen around karaoke!

The Lord is so good and today has been wonderful.  I’ve been excited to be here and meeting people and learning Spanish and learning from the WORD.  So, please thank the Lord with me that my emotions are finally catching up with me:)

All my troubles seem so far away…

This is a line from a song that I sang on my premier night as a karaoke star…

What a day :)  Its true everyone.  Tonight I sang karaoke for the first time in my life in my host parents backyard.  We have family, uncle, cousin, nephew, neighbor… all here for a karaoke party!  I had no idea until they asked me if I was going to sing.  Well… now that the microphone is in my hand, I guess so.  My repertoire included Sweet Home Alabama, Yesterday, My Girl, etc.  And many more that they started and put the mic in my hand, but much to their dismay I just looked at them b/c I don’t know half of the English songs they wanted me to sing.  I also learned lots of Spanish favorites tonight.  And by learned I mean, I watched the words go by on the screen…

I am feeling more bonded to my host family, as you can tell.  And I found out tonight that their 24 year old son speaks exceptional English… where has he been all week?  Seriously though he gave me more pointers about Costa Rica than I will ever remember, but he was so nice and such a great resource.  Also… he told me we could walk around one day and take pictures b/c no one will bother me if I am with him.  Yay.  Camera time!  Sometime soon…

As for the adventures in San Jose.  Meeting up with mom and dad’s neighbors was a success, well I picked up a package from their hotel anyway.  So, I felt very accomplished in figuring out the bus and taxi system.  Its slightly less terrifying now that we have done it once.  Also… a strange thing happened…

Traffic in Costa Rica is ridiculous, of course.  Drivers get mad at pedestrians and the same goes the other way.  As we were talking, there was a woman crossing the street in front of Laura and I who was clearly ticked at the cars on the road.  To prove her point she started beating the car in front of her with her umbrella… honestly, she could have broken  window.  The car just kept driving and she was hitting it all down the side… until the trunk got the better of her.  The umbrella got stuck in the trunk of the car and rode off as she watched.  So, here she stands getting drenched in the downpour as her weapon of choice rides off with her victim.  Isn’t it ironic?

So… a day of fun.  Many more to come!

Colossians – so good!

Colossians 1:13-14
”For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

I love these verses so much because they proclaim the Gospel of Christ so boldly.  This IS what God has done for us.  He knows our sin – past, present, and future.  He is not surprised by the darkness of our hearts and yet He doesn’t let us live there.  He has made a way for us to no longer have to be under the authority of our sin.  We have a way out in Jesus and I am so thankful.  I’m so aware that God didn’t have to love me… I don’t deserve it.  And He doesn’t have to use me… I’m weak.  I get homesick and tired of learning Spanish and tired of loving people and bored with reading the Word.  And yet… He continually pursues me and tells me that I belong to Him and that He WILL use me and prepare me for that which He has called me to.  And on days like today, He makes me excited for being in Costa Rica and learning Spanish and loving people and learning from His Word.  And again, I’m thankful.

Today has been a great day.  One of the great sadnesses of my life here is that it isn’t safe to carry around my awesome new camera unless I’m in a group of people.  Otherwise I would be providing photo documentation of EVERYTHING I’m doing.  So, maybe it’s just as well?!?  As John Mayer says… “didn’t have a camera by my side this time… maybe I will tell you all about it…” 

So, here goes.  I think I’m learning Spanish.  Poco y poco as the man at the fast food place told me tonight.  Slowly but surely.  Its been four days of class and already some words are coming in Spanish before English as I’m thinking through what to say.  That’s a huge deal.  And I’m making every effort to speak Spanish, even when people want to speak English to me.  I’m getting good at saying… “sorry I have bad Spanish, I’ve only been here a week, I want to learn, etc.”  It wins people’s affection to be honest… when you tell them you’re trying.  I had a couple short conversations with cashiers because of it.  So… I’m learning.

I’m also starting to feel less trapped and more able to get around.  Today I took a taxi for the first time to the multiplaza (since I was with people who surprisingly know a little less Spanish then I do, I did the talking… hard to believe, but true).  It’s amazing.  Its pretty much a mall like we would have in the States, smaller, but great.  First thing I spot when I walk in the door… CINNABON!!!  Anyone who was in the DR with me will remember how much I love Cinnabon if you recall my reaction when I spotted one at the ATL airport.  So… Katherine and I split one… it was great and made me happy :)  We walked around awhile, shopped, and then saw Robin Hood.  Don’t be fooled, this is the not the same Robin Hood as any other movie I’ve ever seen… totally different story.  Threw me for a loop.  Watching in English with Spanish subtitles was great.  I saw and heard so many of my new words that I’m learning.  Its so great for recall purposes!

So yes.  Today was a great day.  Tomorrow is the last day of class for the week and then I’m going to adventure to downtown San Jose.  I’ll keep you posted :)