GR Costa Rica gap students each share a few words from their first week in homestays in San Antonio de Rivas:
Sarah here. This first week in San Antonio has been really awesome. If someone had asked me a year ago last week what I would have been doing in a year from then, I definitely wouldn’t have said that I would be milking a cow in Costa Rica with my host mom. Living this new lifestyle has given me such a strong sense of bravery that I have never had before. In order to do what we are doing, I had to use every ounce of bravery in my body to get here… And lemme tell ya, it was worth it!
Fully engulfing myself in a community that is solely Spanish-speaking has been such a challenge, but I am learning Spanish faster than I could have ever imagined. The friends and family that we have all already made are friends and family for life. It’s crazy how quickly we were able to settle into our homestays and feel so welcome in the community. Bravery always has such a big reward, and I have learned that first-hand through my experience so far here in Costa Rica. Earlier this week, I went to a church event with my host mom. The service was roughly two hours, and I honestly didn’t understand a word of it. But at the end of the service, everyone there hugged me and welcomed me to Costa Rica. I felt so at home surrounded by all those people, even though I didn’t even understand a word they had said. That spoke very loudly to me. Overall, this past week in San Antonio has honestly been life-changing and better than I could have ever imagined.
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It’s amazing how quickly one can feel a strong sense of a belonging in a wholly new world — a new town, a new country, even a new language. Despite such major differences in my daily routine and way of life, I have made so many good friends here in San Antonio. My host family has been so warm and kind to me, and we have already shared some awesome American and Tico experiences (tasting pop rocks for the first time was their favorite, I think.) The teens, too, have showed me the rules to their soccer-based games, shared with me many of their inside jokes, and welcomed me into their “Casa Club,” as they call it, when they hang out there at night. After only a week in my host community, I feel that I have been there a year and am totally comfortable strolling around town popping into a house or two and seeing what’s going on. I have learned the vernacular here: that ahora means “later” when, in other Spanish-speaking countries, it would mean “right now.” I’ve learned the classic midday greetings: Hace mucho calor hoy, no? (“It’s very hot today, isn’t it?” This is said basically every day, as long as the sun is shining) and Que rico el viento (“The wind feels very nice.”) Last but not least, I’ve become accustomed to their unique schedule: breakfast is at 5:30, when you wake up; lunch is at 10:30; and dinner is at 4. There is so much more I can learn from the people of San Antonio and I am incredibly pleased that I will be spending eight more weeks with them. – Jonah
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Hey! It is Mariah. The past week in San Antonio was wonderful. Although Sarah’s host mom isn’t sure whether I’m having fun (no one is sure why she thinks this), I am definitely having an amazing time. My younger siblings, Angie, Fabricio, and Brenda are always keeping me busy — asking about who the cows in the Ben and Jerry’s ad in the magazine I brought belong to, teaching me to dance la bachata, and insisting that we all eat more cookies. My host parents are also lovely and have welcomed me into their family with open arms. My experience with the host community has been similar; after just a few hours, we all felt comfortable and supported in San Antonio. Our adventures to the swimming hole, the sugar cane processing center, and up the hill to milk cows helped me to truly understand what it means to be a Tico, or more specifically, a San Antonian.
We enjoyed a short break over the weekend from the community, during which we visited the farmer’s market in San Isidrio, ran errands for project materials, relaxed on the beach, and attended a local soccer game. On Sunday, Sarah, Jonah and Mariah returned to San Antonio with ingredients and recipes to make dinner for their host families.
