Two Weeks Notice

Today I am officially two weeks away from arriving in Costa Rica.  This is getting real.  As I thought about this trip I realized that the facts of why I’m going and what I’m doing, while rehearsed and well known to me have never been communicated on this blog.   Typical Erin.  So, this post is dedicated to being informative and helpful.  I hope that goal is met.

What are you doing?!:  I am going to a language school in Puntarenas, Costa Rica.  The school is supported by a university in the US and is designed specifically for English speakers that want to learn Spanish.  The class sizes range from 1-8 students, so I will be getting a lot of individualized attention.  Perfect.

Why?!:  I want my degree in Spanish to mean something.  I have hit a plateau in my language acquisition and prayerfully this immersion experience will jump start me to the next level. 

Who are you going with?: I am studying through the Universities Study Abroad Consortium (USAC)  There will be other students from universities here in the states, but no one that I know from Berea.

How long will you be gone?:  August 17^th-December 10^th

Where will you live?:  I am staying with a host family (who I will talk about more just a little bit later).  Puntarenas itself is on a western peninsula.  One word:  Beaches.

So there are some of the bare bones details of the trip itself, I’m also going to share some of my personal goals.  I’m sure they will shape-shift and some more may even be added as I begin to live out this experience.  But from the get go here they are:

1. Learn Spanish.  This is a very basic goal.  Two words, but oh so very complex.  I need to be brave enough to use what I have to communicate with the people I’m around and be willing to make mistakes, look incompetent (that’s a hard one for me), and admit that I don’t know.  Humility. 
2.  Have an other’s centered perspective.  I want to show up saying “there you are!” rather than “here I am!”  That will be challenging not only because I naturally crave attention but also because this whole thing feels very centered on me.  It’s MY study abroad, MY new experience, and I’M the one showing up to a new place—so everyone should be excited that I’ve graced them with my presence right?  Ew.  Fix that.  
3.   Exchange the rock.  Back story time:  there is a tradition among a small group of friends that is quite charming.  You are given a rock from someone who has studied abroad, in my case I have a rock from Scotland given to me by my friend Victoria, when you study abroad you exchange that rock with one from the country you are in and pass it on to the next person.  I will take my Scottish rock, place it somewhere special in Costa Rica and then bring a Costa Rican rock back to the states to be taken who knows where by someone else. 
4.  Find a Spanish speaking Church.
5. Form good relationships…especially with my host family that you can see pictured below.  I am living with Lucrecia and Victor.  Lucrecia is a 64 year old homemaker and Victor is 70 and retired.  Perfect.  I will not be interrupting their jobs or their family.  I am quite excited to meet them.  There is one anomaly that I am not quite sure how to process.  They also have a 23 year old grandson named Fabricio who is listed as part of my family.  He is a student, so I’m not sure if he will actually be living in the house while I’m there or if he’ll be away at college.  We shall see.

 My overarching goal is to remember Who's I am.  My mom always says "Wherever you go, there you are."  I want to  remember that this is not an isolated experience in my life.  I am not going to all the sudden be a perfect human being, I am arriving as the same work in progress.  There are still lessons I need to learn, areas in my life that I need to surrender to Him, and revelations of Who He is that will change my life forever and draw me into a deeper and more real relationship.  God won't take a vacation from working in my life just because I'm living on a beach :)