First Few Days

Hola!!  This is the first time I've had internet access since I've gotten here.  It's been pretty crazy.  On Friday, we went to Barrio Jesus, which is a community near Roblealto, where we were staying.  We split up into groups for service projects, and I ended up helping dig a new sidewalk.  It was hard work , but it was pretty fun, and my back was really sore the next day.  But we got done with work at around noon, and then had lunch.  As we were finishing, there was a huge explosion sound, and then two giant puppets were carried in, along with a whole bunch of masks, plus a band.  They played and danced for a while, and then asked us to join in.  We all got masks and started dancing in the circle, and then we all filed outside and ended up in a really long parade around the city.  We literally stopped traffic.  We looped around back to the lunch room, and then danced for another hour or so.  After that, the global college students all split up into groups of four or five, plus a teacher, and went to respective community members' houses.They talked to us and we tried to understand what they were saying, and they gave us coffee (which was really good) and tortillas and chocolate cake.  It was really cool.  The skype thing isn't working at the moment, and there are too many people on the internet so the airport on my computer isn't working either, but I'll be able to at least be on email everyday, because we can use the school computers.  I can try skype again tomorrow, so leave your cellphone on, or your school computer, whichever is easier.  My hours at the center are 8:30-5:00.  I think I might be able to stay until six after today, but I'm not sure.  Anyway, everyone is really nice.  Being in this situation makes getting to know each other a lot easier.  I'm taking both the environmental and the peace and conflict classes, so I'll have a pretty full workload, but it's all stuff I really like, so I'm excite d.  I met my host family on Saturday.  They're really nice.  It's a mother and her thirteen year old daughter, I'll post pictures and more when I figure out how to work my blog from the school computers, which tend to be in spanish.  Yesterday, they took me to the mall, and then to the mother's mother and sister's house for lunch.  The daughter, Monica, has two friends, Lady and Fernando (son novios), who are really nice, and Fernando is really good at physical comedy, so I got a lot of their jokes.  He's also good at explaining things, and knows a few random words in english, which is always amusing.  I've been eating a lot more than normal, because we basically have four to five meals a day here, and i always feel like i have to eat everything so I don't offend them.  That'll only be on the weekends from now on though, cause from now on I'll only have breakfast and dinner at home.  I have my own bathroom, which is awesome.  And my family has a mini poodle who really likes me because I'm the only one who pets him.  I like my room.  It's not really what I was expecting, but I got used to it really quickly.  I got sick on Friday.  Nothing serious, just a head cold.  It's almost gone now.  I ran out of toilet paper in my bathroom though, so I have to ask for more when I get home.  Speaking of which, one of my bags accidently ended up at another girl's house when we were being dropped off on saturday, so i didn't have my spanish-english dictionary.  I have a whole list of questions I need to ask when I get home.  Also, the family I thought I was going to have didn't show up for the orientation thingy, so they switched me to the family of a girl who decided not to come at the last minute.  It's really good though, because I'm literally fifty yards away from two other girls in the program.  It's a twenty minute walk to school, which isn't that bad, cause it's really pretty, and getting up early is easy because we go to bed so early.  I don't know what spanish level i'm in yet, but that will determine whether I need to get to school by 8:30 or 10:30.  The neighborhood gets up really early (and loudly), so I'm really fine with either.  Also, I have a tv in my room, and it has a bunch of english channels, so i can watch the news in the morning and movies at night after i'm done with work.  We've had one writing assignment so far, and i've actually managed to do it earlier than the day before it's due.  I'm pretty shaky with the spanish, but i'm understanding more and more, and i'm confidant enough with my family that I feel comfortable asking for more explanation.  I'll talk to everyone soon!!  And I have more to post so read the next one too!!

Contact me through Skype as well...

I also have a skype account, so just search for either Eliza Sprague or eliza_sprague and I should come up. For anyone who wants to contact me that way, email me the time that you'll be on and I'll try and be there!!

Can't wait to see how everyone's doing!!

-Eliza

Welcome!

I will be beginning my first year at Global College in Costa Rica this fall. Many people have asked me to keep them up to date on my experience, and in an effort to avoid mass emails, I'll be posting everything here. I will also be posting photographs at flickr.com, and my screen name for that is eliza_sprague (very original I know:-) I'm both excited and utterly terrified to be starting this journey, but I know it will be a worthwhile one, or at the very least, very entertaining for everyone to read about. So enjoy! And I look forward to hearing from you, whether you would like to post comments here or email me separately at liza6390@netscape.net.

Have a great fall!!

-Eliza