First "Real" Day! (of Training)

 <--- Toyo the loro. I'm trying to win him over...





We have 2 parakeets and 2 dogs: Osito (L) and Rockie (R).  I swear they're alive.

2 de Marzo 

Daily schedule: 

Wake up and shower (we are actually told to shower at least 2x here....)

Classes start at 8 - literally about 5 steps away from where I sleep, which is funny & convenient. Funny b/c if I ever "stay home from school," I'll actually be able to hear and talk to the other students at school. Side note: Classes are divided by skills and I am in the lowest level, and we all live over here in the boonies. But we are intermediate low and CEC has people in even lower classes. Language class ends at 11:45. After that I have lunch at home and then I walk to tech classes. It's like a 15 minute walk in the hot hot hot sun. Luckily, it's all under cover once you get there. They are from 1-5. Yeah. 1-5. It's nuts. After that, I have a little bit of time for myself, but we basically have to be near our house before it's dark, unless we're in a group. Dinner is served whenever I get home, so it's kind of nice.

 

So last night I took my first malaria pill. My eyes burned so bad, and I thought it was from the freakish amount of animals at my house: like 10 chickens/roosters, 2 parakeets, 1 parrot (named Toya), 2 rabbits, 2 dogs, and 2 "agoutis." Anyway, I'm not sure about the eyes, but I will be confident next week, after I take them again. If it's the pills, obviously, I'll ask for different ones. I just want to be educated before I make such a request. Agoutis is the English name - Their name is different in Spanish, but I can barely say it, much less spell it yet. My host sister repeated the name to me like 10 times, and still I was like uhhhh?

                                        Agoutis are below. Cute! But poss will be our meal...?

Today I met Grace. She’s the girl I will spend a few days with during site visits. She seems very nice, but I’m still nervous. I’m really lucky to meet her prior to the site visit though, since she gave me some tid bits about the journey. And hopefully it will be a little less awk to spend time with her since she sort of knows me now me & I her.

Today was also my first language class with Kenia (mi profesora) y los otros aspirantes: Dillon, Randee y Natalie.

It was pretty good. Yes, we are the lowest of TE volunteers, but we’re speaking, so that’s good! I like my family. They’re Catholic, too. We chatted about saints that we like tonight. I brought two cards with me: Therese of Lisieux and Our Lady of Perpetual Help. I don’t think Therese is big here, because she had never heard of “the little flower”.  I guess I could look it up later. I’m understanding them better but not that well. It’s definitely a different accent than in Costa Rica and when my Papa talks – he doesn’t open his mouth fully, and I find myself like uhhhhh what? The words: “No entiendo” y “Que?” could drinking game if my life were a reality show. I can’t help but muse about my final placement, and I’m starting to think about my wants/must haves:

1.     electricity

2.     shower/toilet inside. Yes, I am a princess.

3.     Isn’t too HOTTTTT. Apparently there are “cool” places here… so hell yeah – I’m gonna see what’s up with that!The heat def scares me. But it  hasn't been so bad here in Santa Rita? Let's hope it's not a fluke!

 Below: 4 AM nemesis