Spanish Learning

The first day getting off the plane is extremely awkward. You are sitting in a van full of people you’ve never met. The silence is uncomfortably loud, but after a 40 minute drive you arrive to your homestay. For me, I was immediately bombarded by a Costa Rican abuela who was speaking at 200 words per minute. I just nodded and said “sí” for the entirety of the first dinner. Then I had school the next day. I met so many awesome people and was able to connect with the other guys in my homestay. As I became more comfortable, I began to speak more with my homestay. As I became more comfortable, I began to speak more with my homestay parents and even met their family. The awkward dinners in Spanish quickly became my favorite part. Although I attended class every day most of my learning came from the time I spent with locals. Whether it was learning slang from Ticos at the park, gossiping at the dinner table, or speaking to English students at the intercambio, the local charm was all the difference. I came to C.R. struggling to understand spoken Spanish and left with the ability to understand at least half of the discussion.