...Sometimes it seems, if I just dreamed, somehow I would be there!
Wednesday is cooking day. Sign up for the free cooking class and get a free lunch included. :-)
I have decided against participating in the CPI volunteer program to help teach English :-/ I would really like to, but there are three mental obstacles that I just can’t overcome. First, it will cost me $60. It COSTS $60 to VOLUNTEER to spend eight hours a week helping teach English. That just seems kinda backward, doesn’t it? I am not actually that deterred by the cost, it is more the principle of not supporting the system. I understand a registration cost if they are providing extra transportation or extra services. I understand if there is a small fee for processing the paperwork, but $60 is no small fee. Anyway, reason number one (though not necessarily the most important) is cost. Reason number two? Time. As the days go on, I find that I seem to have less and less time to get what I need to/want to get done completed. I keep thinking of new activities that I would like to do that I just don’t have time to do all of them. (I’d like to exercise/run more, play soccer, watch movies in Spanish, read books in Spanish, tour the city, organize my life, sleep, etc.) I need to put the higher priorities first and volunteering just isn’t a high priority for me right now. Finally, I want to speak as much Spanish as I can. Benjamin volunteers at nights and basically just speaks English during his volunteer time (that is what he is volunteering to do). I want to be forced to speak as much Spanish as possible. Being required/obligated to speak English for an extra eight hours a week is probably not going be a good investment of the opportunity to learn Spanish here. :-/ So anyway, for these three main reasons I have decided against registering for the CPI volunteer program.
Benjamin is leaving next week. I don’t think that has sunk in yet. It will be at the exact halfway point and all my PHC buddies will have moved on. It has been interesting being here for so long. All of the “new people” are now in the “veteran group” and are getting ready to move on themselves. I feel ancient. Once Benjamin leaves every student (that doesn’t live in Costa Rica) who was around during my first two weeks will be gone. It is amazing how long and short five weeks can feel at the same time.
Classes this week have been interesting. We spend a TON of time just talking. Often we rarely even get to the “lesson” until the last twenty minutes (technically the whole class is a lesson, really we just don’t get to the grammar until later). It’s good for me because I am listening to a lot of Spanish and am responding in Spanish and am able to think about the communication rather than the new grammar concept. The hard thing though is that in class, while I understand pretty much everything the teacher and the other students say, at home I still don’t understand a lot of what my tico family says. When they speak to me, I can understand their meaning because they speak more slowly and clearly (and I think use simpler words). When they talk to each other, though, I just get completely lost. I recognize some words and can see the general structure of the sentences they use, but they speak with so many words I don’t know and conjugations I don’t know and so quickly (and slurred) that even when I would know I don’t understand. Anyway, it is a little frustrating because while I feel I am making progress in the classroom it doesn’t feel like I am making any progress at home. I know that isn’t true but that is the way it feels.
I’ve been trying to keep up with Nationals on RND (and HSD when it is up). I am so excited for Region IX! Region IX, y’all are doing great! Keep it up :-) I am really bummed about McNair and James and the Voells not breaking :-/ They both amazing teams that I could easily see deep in outrounds...but I guess God has different plans. In debate, you don’t have to win to be great. So many great teams don’t win and so many teams that win are teams that have some things they could improve on. Anyway, I can’t wait to see more results. I wish I could be there :-(
Long live Region IX! Huzzah!
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