Paso a paso, long live spiders!

My dad will appreciate the fact that after twenty three years, I am finally learning to live peacefully with spiders. At home, I would not turn out the light until I knew I could sleep safely without swallowing a spider, mosquito, or moth. Anyway, I figure that if I was able to quit my job, give up my apartment, say goodbye to my loved ones, and move in with a stranger in a foreign country, I can let a spider explore my new digs.

After working tirelessly to finish painting my room and the bathroom in anticipation of my arrival, my mamá moved onto the kitchen this afternoon. She chose a color that, when paired with the pink that will soon coat the outside of our house, will look like the green chunks in peppermint ice cream from Big Daddy’s in Wells, Maine (Mac and Mom’s favorite!) Painting was fun- I went across the street to get my compañera de clase, Ashley, and the three of us painted the back hallway that connects my room to the rest of the house. I had a pinch me moment stepping outside of myself for a second and observing the three of us painting together, making small talk in Spanish, and listening to the radio. Additionally, it was awesome to be painting outside at 9pm- not too hot, not too cold, just a light breeze.

Another pinch me moment from today- I came back from class today pretty tired after having spent seven hours in a dark, cool classroom learning about leadership, development, and how to organize a successful meeting. I stopped first at my host mother’s Bazar Yulian to say hello and to buy a carpeta. There I chatted with another granddaughter and daughter and explained that I would soon have to plan and give English classes and would love their input on the lesson plan. After, I sat down with another grandson and went through my pictures, explaining the presence of the huge boot in front of the LL Bean store and the oso grandísimo in front of FAO Schwarz. The door that separates the kitchen from the back porch and bathroom was open as usual and in ran my friend (and primo). My host mother was thrilled to see him again and invited him to come in for a cafecito. Why was it a pinch me moment? First, I am thrilled to have met such great PCV friends in such a short time. Also, I love that our door is always open to family and friends (as is the case with other hosts). For example, my class of six visited a classmate’s house uninvited yesterday to inquire about their family’s traditions around meals and cooking. The day before, we arrived as a class at my tía’s house after a long, hot walk and were greeted with a refresco.

One more thing, unrelated, to help you get in my zapatos- our sessions today, while they were long and dull at times, addressed themes that are of tremendous interest to me. We touched on teaching English as a Second Language, sustainability, and culture/gender roles. I kicked myself a bit afterward, remembering how exhausted, frustrated, and annoyed I felt in response to the somewhat disjointed discussions. The reality is that I am extremely fortunate to be here, not only because I am among friends, in a beautiful country, speaking Spanish, and serving in the Peace Corps, but because I have the opportunity to get hands on experience working in any number of fields. Qué dicha decimos los ticos.