¿Comó le fue?

I just listened to my host sister spout off some Billy Jean by Michael Jackson: hilarious. Currently I'm sitting at the table with a pile of homework.

Instead of taking the bus home I walked with the other students to their neighborhood. Then I got lost trying to find my house, but only for about five minutes. As it turns out, the other eleven students live pretty close to each other. I'm about a mile away. But in the barrio, it feels a lot farther.

I don't think I'm in the "special needs" class at school, but I'm definitely not in the advanced group, so I really need to start cracking on Spanish. I probably won't be on the internet much for the next two weeks- the less English the better. It would appear that I am always tired, I am always about a half-step behind, and I constantly worry. But I try to keep in mind I'm in Costa Rica, mistakes are inevitable, and my Spanish is improving rapidly. I'm trying to do a little extra work on the side with the Spanish books I brought. I really, really, really want to make the most of my time here.

Tomorrow we have class as usual but then Friday we are going to Guápiles. We were fitted with rubber boots yesterday for wandering around the jungle and the cocoa plantations. I believe we are staying in Guápiles and then later checking out volcanoes somewhere near Cariblanco or Quesada, I can't remember. I'll be back sometime late Sunday.

I'm coming down off of my initial Costa Rica high: it's starting to hit me that I'm in a country where I do not know anyone, trying to learn a language I hardly know. But I am calm: I can't ask for a more patient family, and I'm pretty sure that it would be damn near impossible for me to not learn Spanish while I'm here. I'm excited for the future, and relishing the small accomplishments: I can comprehend most of what's on the television. Can I get a woot?

Que es esto???

What? You want me to go where with what? No comprendo, estoy confudido. Sometimes I've just got to hedge my bets and simply nod and smile. Nodding and smiling didn't work? Try it one more time, just to make sure. No? Uh oh, tenemos una problema. Now it's time to make words up.

My first few days haven't been bad in San Marta (cerca San Jose). Despite the difficulties speaking, I'm having an amazing time. Como se dice "freaking awesome" en Espanol? My host family is fantastic: they're patient, kind, and only make fun of me occasionally. Es fantastico. My host sister is my age super nice, considering communicating with me is like communicating with an annoying cousin. Ella es muy muy linda. No, I'm not going to translate that, because it's embarrassing.

I have grammar class every day for three hours, and otras clases in the afternoon. Estoy entusiasmado. This weekend we are traveling to the Caribbean coast to stay on a cocoa plantation. Chocolate? The Caribbean? Warm weather? Must be awful.

Paz, amor, y pantalones,
Paul

Take Your Time (Coming Home)

I am tired. I slept in, got up, didn't accomplish much today, but still, I am tired. Ok ok, so I'm a little bit anxious and so I think that is what is wearing me out. I'm waking up at 3 a.m. to drive to KC. From there I'm taking a flight to Chicago. From Chicago I head to Houston; Houston to San Jose. It's kind of a round-a-bout way to get to CR, but it's what's cheap (I guess).

The past two weeks have been a whirlwind. I have been so caught up with the GRE and Peace Corps that I have pushed thinking about this trip clear out of my head. Now that the other two things are done, I don't feel like I'm well prepared. I've packed my bags, checked everything off my list, but still it seems as if I'm forgetting something.

I do know I forgot one thing: somewhere in there I should have learned Spanish.. woops. The next few weeks will be interesting- hopefully I'll get better at miming things.

Barlights

I don't have a lot to say, so I'll let someone else say it for me:

Now all the barlights are blinking in time
to Mexican music, it's taunting the pavement
and for the first time,
in a long time,
I feel alive.
fun.

What? I'm going to Costa Rica? What? When will I finally tell myself this? Truth is, I'm more concerned about the Peace Corps and the GRE (but you already knew about that). The game plan is this: finish the application by the end of the week, study hard, hard, hard until next Thursday, and then sometime next week pick up Spanish. Plus I need to pack. I have got this under control.
(laughs quietly while he leaves the room)

we're coming home again

A couple of days away from DC and I'm already starting to forget what my computer looks like. I must admit, it has been nice to get out of the office. So where have I been? Let's recap:

A little over a week ago my parents rolled into DC to see their second oldest/first in heart son. The required site-seeing commenced and I stayed busy tagging along with mom and dad and seeing the sites. One of which I had not seen before was the Basilica in DC, which happens to be the largest cathedral in the western hemisphere (who knew?).

All in all, those last few trips were a good way for me to say goodbye to DC. I'll definitely miss it.


Somewhere in there I managed to get the flu/a stomach virus/food poisoning and so I drove fifteen hours across the country feeling not the best and roughly three days eating very little. But it seems that I have survived and so all is well.

I was able to spend a day and a half in Mount Vernon to catch up with friends and say some more goodbyes. It was good to be there because it reminded me that there are a few reasons for wanting to stay in Mount Vernon this year. But in a way this makes leaving more fun: something to come back to.

Then I chopped my hair off and headed home.

And here am I. I have spent most of today reading GRE material (very exciting I know). I now officially have less than two weeks until I leave, which means I have less than a week until I should probably start thinking about it.

I wish I had an entertaining story to tell, or some hot topic to get preachy about, but I guess my brain is tired. I've been meaning to put up short stories that I've been floating around in my head, but I haven't managed to put the pen to the paper yet.

Catch you in a few.

this is the start of something new

Tonight is my last night in DC. I have to keep this short since I am leaving in about six hours. But long story short, having my parents here was a really great time. The downside was that I was really really sick last night (allergic to parents perhaps? hmm). It's incredibly hard to describe how different I feel now than at the start of the summer. My perspective has surely changed.

Well, I'm driving to Mt. Vernon tomorrow, where I'll spend a few days. After that, I have to conquer the GRE and a few applications. I'll try to give a "real" update soon.

Paul