Closing: Tico Talks
After
over two months since my last blog post and almost two months since returning
home from Heredia, Costa Rica, I am finally finding and making the time to
intentionally reflect on my five month experience abroad. The last two months have
been a whirlwind. I nanny 50 hours a week and try to spend time with my
Charlotte people! Each day, I search for people with whom I can practice my
Spanish. So far, I have met a Peruvian man (at Freedom Park) whose daughter
plays for Colombia’s national soccer team, a family from Mexico whose children
spoke to me in Spanish during our wait for a table (at Olive Garden), a group
of friendly folks who work at Laurel Market (a delicious local deli), multiple
servers at my favorite Mexican restaurants, and a plethora of new friends out
and about in Charlotte! The Spanish language is my newest passion (and
obsession, at times!) and I only have Costa Rica to blame. J
I
believe that I shared most of my favorite and challenging experiences within my
blog posts when I was abroad. Now, I want to share some of what Costa Rica taught
me:
1)
Possibilities and explorations of travel. I
learned that I could travel alone or with a group of people. I entertained
myself for 7+ hours while on a bus without air conditioning! Hostel life is the
best life. I connected with anyone and everyone…at the hostels, while enjoying alone
time at restaurants, on the bus with the woman next to me and the two men in
front of me. Most importantly, I discovered that Argentinian empanadas make the
best travel survival kit!
2)
Power of walking. I walked and walked and walked
and walked. My 6 minute walk to the corner store, the bakery, and my bus stop
became my favorite walk of the day. I walked at least 5 miles a day!
3)
Importance of Public Transportation. Every day,
I miss my bus! Costa Rica would not survive if it were not for the public bus
system. Someday, I want to live somewhere in the world where I do not own a car
and I only utilize the public transportation system.
4)
Cooking. Each day, I ate totally homemade and
totally fresh food. Costa Ricans rarely eat at restaurants and I think the
reason is that the food at home is some of the best in the world! Now that I am
back in the USA, I cook more than I ever imagined. I recently made four
different meals that all turned out perfectly (for those of you who know me,
you know this is close to a miracle!).
5)
Spanish! When I arrived to Heredia, I literally
knew close to no Spanish. I could not express myself. I knew how to say the
basics, but my grammar was almost all wrong. Now, I have never been more proud
of myself in my life! When I walk down the streets, I eavesdrop on
conversations of the Latinos around me. I love to listen to the radio in
Spanish (I even have one Spanish channel programmed in my car). I enjoy
watching the morning news in Spanish as well. Most importantly, I have landed
my dream internship…..and I owe it all (almost) to my experience in Heredia,
Costa Rica.
While I
was in Costa Rica, I was accepted to an internship with The Washington Center
program in Washington D.C. for the fall semester of my senior year. Since
returning home, I have had about 10 phone and Skype interviews with different
non-profit organizations in D.C. I had two interviews that I was super excited
about. After the second of those interviews, the woman told me that I would
receive a phone call in 2 or 3 hours for my interview in Spanish…..15 minutes
after my interview in English ended, I received a phone call. The woman said “Hi,
Caitlin!” and then continued in Spanish for the next 12 minutes. I could not
believe it. I had my first interview in another language, the woman understood
everything I said, I only messed up my grammar a little bit, and I understood
everything she asked me! I know that this never would have happened 6 months
ago. Costa Rica and learning Spanish led me to my dream interview which turned
into my dream internship. Speaking Spanish has already opened so many doors for
me and I cannot wait to work with the Latina women that have cancer at Nueva
Vida this fall.
Each
day I think about my internship and look forward to an amazing fall semester.
For those of you who are wondering, yes, I will be obtaining academic credit
and I will graduate on time (I will earn 15 credits). I am ready to begin this
journey! I own new business casual attire (thanks to hours spent shopping and
organizing with my mom), I will have a few days to explore D.C. (and become
comfortable with the Metro system) with my papa before my internship begins, I
will walk down the same streets that my Grandmother walked down 70 years ago,
and I will serve the Latina population of women who have cancer at Nueva Vida.
I plan to make every day a day to learn and serve and make a difference in people’s
lives. I look forward to speaking Spanish….all day, every day (thank you, Costa
Rica!).
Once
again, thank you to everyone who has followed me for the last 6 months. Your “likes,”
notes of encouragement and support, and prayers mean the world to me. I plan to
blog during my time in D.C. this fall, but as we all know, it might be another
month before my blog is updated!
If you
are interested, Nueva Vida is who I will be interning with and this is their
website: http://www.nueva-vida.org/
