Hello friends, I was just thinking that you might be interested to hear what a day in the life of Tara the language student looks like! To be honest, I don't feel very much like a "missionary" right now, but as my friend Stephanie reminded me the other day, language school is a very important part of the job of a missionary. If I can't speak Spanish effectively, I won't be able to do my job. So saying, that's what I've been trying to view this time of language school as- job training for the future. Is it super fun, full of adventures, and rewarding on a daily basis? No. It's actually been pretty challenging, and in ways that are different than what I had anticipated.
So a normal day goes like this: I wake up around 6:45 and take a shower in the bathroom that I share with the five members of my host family. Usually my host mom or dad has made coffee and some sort of sand which for me to have for breakfast. Today I had bread with spaghetti sauce and meatballs, along with a slice of cheese inside. I leave the house around 7:50 to walk to the language school. From 8-9:45 I have class with Jorge, which is a conversation and composition class. There is a break from 9:45-10:15, which is when I am able to sit outside on the patio and soak up the sun while enjoying some quiet time with the Lord. Then from 10:15-12 I have grammar class with Roberto. This is the class that is presenting me with the most challenges. Does anyone (besides my friends who teach English) really like grammar? I didn't think so. My walk from the language school back to my home is one of my favorite times of the day because the clouds usually are large and fluffy in contrast to the bright blue sky. (Now I realize I moved here during the non-rainy season so we'll see how the scenery changes in the next few months.)
Lunch is served shortly after I get back to the house and depending of how I feel, I will sometimes take a nap in the early afternoon. Then it's homework time. My professors usually are pretty generous in giving me plenty to work on. Today, for example, I have about 10 sentences to write using reflexive verbs and 4 pages of grammar exercises to complete. Hooray!! Thankfully I have a host family who LOVE to help with any questions I have, and I am very appreciate of their help. After homework time, it's either time to enjoy cafecita with my family (which consists of coffee or agua dulce, and some delicious bread treat) or go to the gym. The gym is a lot different than at home, and one of the differences is a really nice one I think. There are personal trainers here who wear shirts that say "instructor" on them. These young men walk around the gym and offer their advice and expertise to anyone who looks like they might need it. Like me, apparently. Hopefully I will end up learning how to hold the dumb bells correctly and do my tricep dips effectively.
The evening is time for hanging out with my family, enjoying dinner together, and watching "Combate" together, which is a pretty entertaining reality show filmed here in Costa Rica. I really enjoy the time of laughing and being silly with the girls in the family, as you can see here in these pictures we took on my computer.
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