life as a trainee

So yall can have an idea of what my life is like, here is my general schedule:

I wake up around 6, earlier Tu/Tr and later MWF. If my alarm clock doesnt go off first, the roosters usually wake me. My abuela (grandma) gets up about the same time and puts on a pot of coffee. I have some bread and butter or some cake with my coffee, and my abuela and I sit and eat together. She feeds the chickens (we have about 10 or so that just run around---super cage-free and i love it!) and i watch them eat. after breakfast i take a shower, the water is ice cold, but im getting used to it. then i get dressed and go to class. MWF I go to spanish class in the community center in my town. There are 5 of us living in the same community, we are all at the same level of spanish. One of the young women in my group is from harrisonburg VA, fun fact. 2 are from iowa and one is from connecticut (her parents met in PC Costa Rica in the 70s). I get an hour break for lunch and I go home and eat with my abuela and all the various relatives that are in my house. I get out of class around 4. We have coffee around 5, and dinner around 7. By 9 most everyone is alseep. I go to bed early, too. Im usually exhausted by the end of the day and fall asleep immediately.

T-Tr I take a bus into another town, and have class with all the PC trainees in my class. I dont get back home till around 5 or 6.

We always have home work to do, and Im always doing something. The only time I really get to myself is when Im sleeping. Ive been too busy to be too homesick. Ive definitely been missing halloween, though. If you are reading my blog you should let me know what your halloween costume is, so I can feel like Im back at home for a minute. I already told everyone here about my jellyfish costume from last year, Im not sure that they are as impressed with myself as I am.



WAIT

I have to tell you. I had the pleasure of being in the audience of A Toda Machina. Its a Costa Rican variety show....the most variety of variety shows. Elena got tickets, and we went with my aunt and cousin, another PCT (PC trainee) in my town and his mom. The show was 4 hours long, im not kidding. and even though i didnt participate, the camera man kept showing my section of the audience, and the next day tons of people came up to me to tell me they saw me on tv.

anyway, it was such a cultural experience. i cant even put in words what it was like. imagine the price is right plus jeopardy plus the spellling bee plus clowns plus double dare, all in spanish, for 4 hours.

I have taken some pictures, I hope to put them up soon.

peace & love

julia