TGIF

The sun is finally out after a "cold" (70s) rainy week. Today we went for a walk to a local flower farm during Spanish class to interview un hombre who works there. Pictures to follow. I might try to use a picture website like picassa/flikr/photobucket or something to share pics since not everyone is on Facebook.

We've been super busy all day every day... here's what our schedule looks like

8-11: spanish lessons
11-11:15 cafecito (coffee break)
11:15-1:15 charla (talk)
1:15-2:30 lunch
2:30 - 3:30/4:00 charla

Sometimes we also have activities in the evening. This week we had dinner with our "buddy" (a teacher at another site who we'll visit and who can help us with our teaching). My buddy, Liz, came to my house one night and I went to her house last night.

During the charlas we are learning lots of different things: safety issues, site visits, teacher training etc. Its a lot of information but I'm feeling really calm and confident about teaching. We start practicum next week where we'll practice teaching to small classes of students here in Orosi. A lot of people are really nervous though. On the other hand Spanish is more of a struggle but it is progressing quickly and I'm finding it harder to think and speak English at times! I'm picking up so much vocabulary and I'm really happy with my host family because my mother talks with me a lot! We have had some really interesting conversations despite my limited Spanish.

During orientation we eat breakfast (desayuno) and dinner (cena) with our families and then have lunch at different restaurants around town. We also eat at this little cafe that is part of the school where we take Spanish and have our charlas. The food has been good but definitely different. Rice with every meal. Macaroni and cheese and rice. Potatoes and rice. Rice and rice. Beans and rice. Even for breakfast we have something called "gallo pinto" sometimes which is like fried beans and rice with a scrambled egg. Hard to describe but really good. Been trying to sneaking fruit and non-starch vegetables here and there, take my vitamins and stay active. So far I've been staying healthy :)

It definitely has been exhausting and overwhelming at times this week but I've been able to find some time to relax in my room and eat chocolate and that made me feel better :) Can't wait to visit my site this weekend and meet my permanent host family (though I will be sad to leave Magaly and Orosi).

Would love to hear from you all, especially any questions you might have!