After spending a few days on this trip now and having settled in with my host family and living in a new culture, I have been struck by a realization: sending students on this study abroad trip is not to improve our spanish or our knowledge of natural science or our sense of independence, but rather to create hilarious stories. Ever since I arrived here on wednesday, almost every waking moment has been another awkward story waiting to happen. I mean, what better medium for the creation of humor than putting a bunch of anxious teenagers in a place completely foreign to them where their knowledge of the language is average at best? Let me give some of the best examples from my experience so far:
1) As everyone probably knows, a large meteor hit Russia a few days ago and caused all sorts of disaster. While I was eating lunch, the news story broke on the television that my host father was watching. Of course, the news anchors talked way too fast for me to understand and I had no idea what was going on, so I asked my host father what happened. He went on to explain to me what happened in detail. Unfortunately, he talks very fast as well and I had no idea what he was saying, but he seemed very emotional, so I instinctively replied, “Oh! muy bueno!” to which he looked at me like I was completely insane. He then explained to me, much more slowly, what actually happened. It was not my brightest moment. I think he still thinks I’m some sort of sicko though…
2) My host family has two dogs. Before I came on the trip, I was really excited about the two dogs because I am a serious dog lover and I thought they’d be the only ones who would understand my Spanish. When I arrived, however, I quickly found out that they were in fact not nice, but rather, I quote from my host mom, “wanted to kill me.” Because of this, there’s a particular path through which I have to enter the house. Due to nerves, the first day I forgot to go in the right way and went in the front instead. All was going well until I rand into a rooster, who cawed loudly and and woke up the dogs from their naps. They proceeded to chase me out of the yard, barking and ready to eat me. I got away (barely), but in my fearful escape I accidentally ran face-first in a clothes wire and fell over. To top it all off, an old woman across the street laughed at me the entire time.
[As a side note, the aforementioned dogs are always battling with the neighborhood roosters for who can be the louder in the morning, so no alarm is necessary–I’ve woken up every morning at 6 AM]
3) Two days ago, while I was eating breakfast, my endearingly awkward eighteen-year-old host brother came up to me and said, in English, “Can you help me?” and passed me a note. It said (in English):
“I need your help…ETHAN. I have a problem, my armpits sweat a lot and but there is no bad smell only I sweat a lot so…I wanted to know if you know any solution for this problem that affects my social life.”
Despite how flattered I was that he would trust me with something so serious, it took all the effort in the world not to crack up right in front of him. I told him I didn’t know and that I would ask my American friends if they knew any way to help. We haven’t talked about it since. Any advice, American friends?
These are just a few of the ridiculously awkward moments I’ve had, and I’ve only been here for five days. More to come, I’m sure.
Costa Rican Cultural Things I Like So Far
- Drivers honk at each other to say “hello.”
- Doors of house are beautiful and intricate.
- People come home from work and school to eat lunch.
- There are dogs everywhere!
- Everything works at a slower pace, a.k.a. “Tico Time.”
- There are a lot of community events.
- People don’t do other other things while eating–no reading, no texting, no nothing–they just eat.
- Soooo much FRIED FOOD.