What I've Learned So Far

     In the short time that I've been here in Costa Rica, I've already learned a great deal.  I want to share this with others in the hopes that they too will find it significant and relative to their daily lives.

     The people that I've met here very much enjoy sharing their language, culture and perspective.  For these people, it is a great compliment when we share their food, music, heritage and especially their language!  Nothing makes my new friends happier than to hear me speak my "cave man" Spanish!  They are so eager to help me learn more.  Everyone is my teacher wherever I go and perhaps the ones that want to help me the most are those who speak little or no English.  Those that I've met who do speak English very much appreciate my attempts with their language, but are slower to correct me and are more patient with me as they wait for me to finish a sentence before telling me about my mistakes and mispronunciations.  I can feel a different kinship with these people and perhaps it's because they know what it is like to learn a new language and can empathize with me (something that I most certainly will use with ESL students in the future).

  Coming together with another culture has forced us all to deeply consider our own culture and value system in the U.S. and we've already had some interesting discussion regarding this.  What we value at home vs what the people of Costa Rica value is "muy" different to say the least.  This has provided much impetus for change among our group and I can already see an "evolution" of sorts among us all.  I feel that too many of us have lived our entire lives within a very narrow/small cultural walls in which we focus on such a tiny piece of life.  For me, I'm so happy to spend the entire day without having to hear the constant marketing noise of the television!  My family here in Heredia rarely watches t.v. except for the occasional news, preferring to come together as a family every evening and discuss the events of the day.  I feel blessed to have this host family and even more so as they make an attempt to include me in their family dialogue!  I hope that the rest of our group will continue to question the value system that exists in many parts of the U.S. and more closely inspect their own as they experience life on "Tico-Time."
     We've all noticed how well mannered the C.R. people are and how they say; "thank you" and "please" so much.  In fact, their national phrase:  "Pura Vida" (the pure life), has come to mean so much more.  When I say to papa or mama that I'm sorry, they always very quickly reply; "oh, pura vida!"  It means so much more than the literal sense as it replaces phrases such as; "don't worry about it," "that's fine," "I understand," or even "it's all good!"   Earlier today, my partner Matt mentioned that children here may have different time management skills as they approach their school life by living on this "Tico-Time."   That will be an important consideration as I engage future students from other cultures.