I’ve had a crazy past week and a half (a paper, two midterms, two other assignments, moving to San Jose, meeting my host family, starting Spanish class, etc), so I haven’t really had the chance to update my blog. Unfortunately, it’s going to be even harder over the next two weeks for me to get on the Internet. My host family doesn’t have Internet, so I can’t update my blog at home. My computer charger also broke, so I can’t really use my computer now anyway. I can use Internet on the computers at CRLA where I take classes, but they are old and slow. I also only have half an hour before and after classes, which usually is barely enough time to check my e-mail once a computer opens up. Here are some brief updates on my independent project and on my time in San José:
One of the classes that I’m taking this semester is on scientific research. The class involves undertaking a lot of research projects, some faculty led and some independent. I just completed my first research project in Palo Verde. I worked with two other people to see how spider behaviors differ in response to predators and prey. We worked with the Green Lynx spider, which is a small, beautiful spider that is abundant in the area. Our project basically involved poking the spiders with either a clay model bird (the predator) or with a bee (the prey) for four days. Our results were not super clear, but we basically found very few differences in the spider’s behavior. The project was challenging because we only had two days to come up with the idea, four days to test it, and one day to do all of the statistics and write the paper. It was fun, but I’m also definitely glad it’s over.
(When I have more time, I’ll add some pictures)
I arrived in San Jose last Thursday for the start of two weeks of intensive Spanish classes. It’s a rather strange part of my study abroad experience because the rest of my time in Costa Rica has focused on three classes related to biology and environmental science. However, for the next two weeks I’m taking 5.5 hours of intensive Spanish class through the Costa Rican Language Academy. It’s a change of pace to be in a city, living with a host family, and learning a language rather than living in a field station while literally spending every hour of every day with my professors and fellow students. It’s been hard to adjust…I’ve definitely caught myself stopping and trying to identify a plant a few times.
I’m living with a host family while I take classes. My host parents are a young couple, with a son who turned 5 just yesterday. They are really friendly, patient when listening to me try to talk, and they also cook great food. I can’t always speak with them very well because I can’t quite remember enough Spanish to always conjugate verbs the right way, etc. Nonetheless, I’m doing a pretty good job of communicating with them. My family typically gets up early everyday (even weekends!) to eat breakfast at 6:30. They all leave by 7:00 for school and work and are home by 6:00 at the latest, depending on traffic. They eat a big breakfast, a smaller lunch, and a really small dinner. I’m not sure if they sometimes eat dinner earlier or if they just don’t eat dinner sometimes, but I’m occasionally the only person eating dinner.
I’m not really sure what I think of San Jose quite yet, but I do know for sure that it is a little confusing. There aren’t really any street names or house addresses, so getting directions anywhere is almost impossible. When I take a cab home, my directions involve turning at a random traffic light, heading towards a school, and then heading towards a different neighborhood. However, I can normally take a bus, which makes things much easier. The bus system is pretty similar to every other bus system in every other city. However, I really like that the bus drivers give change back if you don’t have an exact fare.
I had a placement interview last Thursday and even though my grammar is quite rusty, I got placed in one of the advanced classes. All of the classes are very small and I only have two other people in class with me all day. We start class at 9:00 and go until 3:30, with a one hour break for lunch. We spend all morning reviewing and orally practicing grammar and then we spend all afternoon discussing culture. I’m not sure how much grammar I’m actually learning, but having to constantly talk is improving my confidence to speak in Spanish. The class is definitely hard, but I am definitely keeping up so far.
It’s difficult to make plans without cell phones or Internet, but I still managed to explore a bit this past weekend with some friends from my program. We went out to lunch for pizza (with real cheese that actually melts!) and then walked to a big art festival in downtown San Jose. I bought a book in Spanish to read, although I cannot for the life of me find the book I wanted to get, One Hundred Years of Solitude, anywhere. Sunday my host family took me to a farmer’s market that they go to every week to buy all of their fruits and vegetables. The market was full of tons of different foods, including some fruits that I had never seen before. Everything was really cheap and really fresh. My host family literally filled an entire shopping cart with fruits and vegetables. Later in the day we celebrated my host brother’s birthday at his grandmother’s house where I ate tons and tons of food.
