This week at school was good, but definitely challenging. They decided to give us new schedules on Thursday, with no warning, just as I was adjusting to the old schedule. And this one has me teaching an additional class when I was already teaching more than any teacher at the school. Two days a week I am teaching the entire day, and don't even have a lunch break. The absolute most frustrating thing about this culture is that, but US standards, it is extremely disorganized. You would all be shocked if I went into the numerous examples of this. Another thing about this culture, is that they are not interested in improving the system, and they are not open to suggestions, particularly from Americans, about how to do so. That is seen as trying to "Americanize" them, and they see that as us thinking that we are better and trying to make them like us. I have learned this by listening to the other American teachers that have been here awhile. I am trying to remember that I am not here to change the system, and that I just have to accept it and live it with it, but it is not easy.
This weekend has been really fun! Yesterday morning I got up early to go the farmers market with Raul and Xenia (host parents). I picked out lots of fresh produce for the nachos I would make later. Everything is so fresh here, especially when you buy it directly from the growers. The fruit is amazing! Xenia continually makes "juice" by throwing some fresh fruit in the blender. I know I will miss this when I go back!
Then we went home, and a few hours later, Tave and I walked to Auto Mercado, which is an American style grocery store where you can find a lot of American foods you can't find anywhere else. I bought the rest of the ingredients for the nachos along with some other things I needed, including (FINALLY) some American snacks I've been craving. I like the food here, but some of it gets old fast. Just imagine eating some form of beans and rice with every single meal. Anyway, we caught a cab back so we didn't have to carry all the groceries, and that's when I got myself into trouble by accidentally flirting with the cab driver. He asked me in Spanish if I liked Costa Rican men, and I didn't know what he said, so I just looked at him and smiled and nodded and said, "Si." Tave started laughing, and told me what I had just said. I was like, "No, no! I mean, I don't know. I mean..." Yeah, it was pretty embarrassing....he was laughing and was like, "Gracias, Gracias!"
I got to talk to Gabe for a while after that and then I made the Nachos. I wish I would have remembered to take pictures, cuz I'm not gonna lie, they were stinkin awesome! Raul (Jr.) and his girlfriend Carla, Elimelec and Krhis, Tave, and of course Raul and Xenia were all there, and they all said they were the best nachos they've ever had. It was fun to cook again since I haven't in a while.
This morning I went to the same church that I went to the camp with last weekend. It's a Nazarene church where my entire host family goes, including Elimelec and Krhis. (Elimilec is the dean of students at the school). I really like that church, and the people are really friendly, but I would really like to try out one of the international churches that either has services in English, or translated services. Elimilec sat next to me and whispered the translation though. Also, I kind of would rather go to a church that I agree with more doctrinally as I've already heard a couple of things preached that I don't really agree with. The church is walking distance from me, and since everyone that lives near me goes there, it's going to be difficult to go anywhere else. Besides, I don't want to offend them, so I don't know what I'll do about that...
After church, we went to lunch with Elimelec and Crhis at a Costa Rica seafood place. The food was not like American seafood, but good. After that we went to some place for ice cream, and there was a tour bus full of Americans stopped there too. That was the first time I've talked to any other Americans except for the teachers at the school. It was weird how I felt a sense of camaraderie with a bunch of people I don't even know. It turned out some of them were Christians, and were very interested in what I'm doing here. One of them was even a teacher and she gave Elimelec her information.
Then we came back home, and I took a nap. Oh, and you may have read on facebook about the bed bugs....yes, that is something you can be praying about. I told my host mom, and she changed the sheets for me. I didn't know how to tell her that based on everything I read online that would not be enough, so I decided to sleep another night and see what happened. In the morning I still had more bites, so I told her. She said she didn't think it was from my bed, but she would change the sheets again and spray bug spray in my room. I don't know what to do, because after that I still have more bites. I think she thinks I'm overreacting and that I am getting the bites from somewhere else, but I know that they aren't there when I go to sleep and they are when I wake up. Plus, I have found their feces. Please pray about this situation. I don't want to damage our relationship, but I also don't want to sleep in a bed with bedbugs. If you have any suggestions I am all ears.
Overall, things are going really well here. I love the people, and I feel like I'm forming some relationships. This Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday I will be going to camp with the school. I'm really looking forward to the opportunity to get to know my students better and bond with them. It is so surreal and amazing to be able to open a Bible in the classroom and pray with them. I've already had two 7th grade girls come to me crying with different problems, and it was so neat to be able to pray with them and tell them what they really needed to hear. It is so foreign to me coming out of 4 years of public school.
Prayer requests:
- Camp is this week. Pray for God to soften the hearts of the students who don't know Him and they would give their lives to Him. Pray for the movement of The Spirit in the lives of believers and non-believers alike. Pray that I will get to know my students better and form positive relationships with them.
- Pray for patience with my students. As they have gotten more comfortable in their routine, behavior issues are coming out. I am having to be really strict until they get the message of what won't be tolerated. I don't like being strict, but I've found that if you aren't in the beginning, you regret it all year long.
- The love of Christ to be evident in me. Let me see my students with His eyes.
- Continual adjustment to the culture. This is harder that I even anticipated, and I knew it would be hard.
- PRAISE! The school finally came through with the check to reimburse me for my airfare, so I now have enough money to get me through to when I get paid.
- That I will be able to get a bank account in time to be paid. This is a long story, but the short of it is that nothing is ever simple here, and it still has not happened.
- That I will be get registered with the insurance and everything will come through with my work permit. I have been getting the run around on this too, and it is very hard to do when you don't know the culture or speak the language fluently.
- Please continue to pray for my Spanish development. I think it is getting better, but I still have so far to go!
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