(Originally posted on January 6, 2016.)
Hola! I'm writing to you three days into my language learning journey! I am sitting at the kitchen table right now, listening to my "tica mama" speak in rapid spanish with Hannah, one of the american girls who is renting one of her rooms, while she makes our dinner! :)Let me update y'all a little on the journey here, going to the school for the first time, and meeting new people while adjusting to the culture. So, Monday morning at 4:30am, I said goodbye to my mom and sister, and my dad took me to the airport. The check in process was the most complicated I've ever experienced. When the attendant finally gave me my ticket, I was relieved...only to find that I would spend 30 minutes in airport security undergoing a RUB-down and the most thorough search of my bags I've ever seen. They took EVERY single thing out of my two (very, very full) carry-ons. Then when they were done, I had to stand there and re-pack everything in front of staring by-standers. How humiliating.
That said, with only a few wrinkles in the travel experience, the Lord was close. I am so thankful that while no one could see a physical person traveling with me to Costa Rica, that I am not alone. I do not walk alone. None of God's children do. What a gift! So - there was no easing into the culture! When I got off the plane, I immediately found myself having to hear, understand, and speak in Spanish...not only in the airport, but immediately outside the airport, my "tica mama" waited, holding a handwritten sign with my name on it. From the moment I smiled at her, identifying myself, she began speaking to me in Spanish and it has continued every since, haha! She and another new friend, Pamela, whose car we used to get us to my new home, were very excited to meet me and very patient with my limited Spanish. We stopped on the way home to get fresh bread from the bakery and as soon as we got home, my tica mama made us fresh coffee to go with our cinnamon bread. It was a sign of things to come, as she has kept us well fed and well taken care of. I'm thankful.
I have met a lot of people in the past three days! I met Keri on Monday. She is a second trimester student here at ILE and she lives on the second floor of my tico home. She has been VERY helpful in helping me get established here and helping me to find places that I'll need to go and getting my cell phone set up and such. I have enjoyed getting to know her so far and look forward to spending the next tri in the same host home with her.
Speaking of ILE, let me just throw in a gorgeous picture of the campus...
I have been to two days of orientation thus far. I have met other missionaries who are here to become equipped to better share the Gospel in many different ways in many different places. It's great to meet and get to know these people. I have two more days of orientation and next Monday we will begin our classes. Yesterday we took our oral and written placement tests and will know Friday where we placed and what classes we will be in.
I know this is a long post - but before I sign off tonight, I want to show you another image - these two girls are new friends and I pray that we will be able to encourage one another on this journey! They are both really sweet! On the left is Karis and on the right is Jessica. :)
I'll tell you more about them later, I'm sure! To wrap up for now - I can feel your prayers so much. Please continue to pray for strength and for the Lord to be my Helper in learning the Spanish language quickly and efficiently. I want to be able to use both English and Spanish to further the Kingdom of our great God and King. He is worthy! I love each of you very much. My heart and prayers are with you all.
