Looks Like Fun!

So you may be thinking the Cains are having tons of fun from all the great pictures we post.  Well, we are BUT we are also working our tooshies off to learn a new language.  Not a ton of pictures being taken in class as we fumble through sorting out "ser" and "estar" or are chanting vowels like monks of old.  I was delighted to see a friend capture a picture of what we have been doing in Fonetica (Phonetics) this week and I thought I would share it with you.

photo credit to Angie Crawford

This is what we like to call "la union de los sonidos."  Yup, you got it, the linking of the sounds.  ". . .it was explained that Spanish rhythm may be characterized as syllabic.  In English the pronunciation of words is emphasized while in Spanish the pronunciation of syllables is emphasized."  Hence your red slashes between syllables.  And those rainbow looking markings?  That's where you mash words together so you sound like  a Spanish speaker and not a five year old reading word-word-word-word.  So there is the technical side of what we do for 5 hours every morning!  I will say, at least they are using great texts to dissect! :)

The Same in Every Language

Today marks a month of residing in Costa Rica.  We started our fourth week of class yesterday. We have been very busy learning Spanish little by little (or “poco a poco” as they say here).  In my grammar class this week, we’ve been working on our understanding of the verbs “ser,” “estar,” and “tener”­ (three of the five “to be” verbs).  In order to gain a better grasp on their usage, we’ve been describing people.  We started with our families and moved onto famous persons: Hitler, Miss Piggy, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bert and Ernie and the like.  When we neared the end of our class today, our teacher said, “Now describe Jesus.”

Él es bueno. 
Él es amable.                                                                                                                                                                              
Él es simpático.                                                                                                                                                                                        
Él es agradable.                                                                                                                                                                                               
Él es generoso.                                                                                                                                                                                             
Él es sincero.                                                                                                                                                                                                 
Él es amoroso.                                                                                                                                                                                       
Él está furioso en el temple.                                                                                                                                                         
Él está hambriento y sediento en el desierto.                                                                                                                       
Él tiene paciencia.                                                                                                                                                                            
Él tiene dolor por todos en la cruz.

I felt overwhelmed.  I felt like I was falling in love all over again.  My heart softened.  Tears started streaming down my face.  Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  Jesus has the same attributes in any language. His love is the same and applies to every culture, people, and nation.  I am grateful to serve such an amazing God.

For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name.  I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.     –Ephesians 3:14-19

Differences in Daily Living

Costa Rica is different.  No surprise – we knew it would be.  We have been in the country for a week now and have noticed plenty of differences.  Here is an incomplete list of things that are different in our home and daily life.

• We have no clothes dryer in the home so everything is hung on a line in our empty carport.  However, we are told we should be careful about leaving things on the line because there is the possibility of thieves using poles to snatch things through the gate.
• We do not have air-conditioning so windows and doors are constantly open.  Temperatures generally range from 85-65 so it is usually quite comfortable.
•  Many people have asked about the water.  It is potable and safe for us here in Costa Rica.  In Honduras this will not be the case.  We will have to drink bottled water there.

 

• There is no dishwasher in our home so all dishes are washed by hand.  Michelle loves the dish soap here (really)!  In Honduras, we will have to add a bleach solution rinse at the end of our dish washing because of the water.
• There is no water heater in our home.  The only hot water in the house is from the “widow maker” in the shower.
• Power isn’t as reliable.  We have had 2 power outages already.
• Sugar ants.  They sit and wait.  If you leave ANY food item on the counter for longer than 15 seconds, they attack in the hundreds.
• Holidays.  Costa Rican Labor Day was May 1^st of this year.  The US’s is today.  We missed both.  But Costa Rica celebrates their Independence Day on September 15^th while the US’s is July 4^th.  We’ll catch both this year! 

• There is a large gate across the front of our home.  As one staff woman at our school explained it, “We (Costa Ricans) don’t have large salaries for property insurance.  We simply try to make our homes appear more secure than the one next door.  The fences and bars are to dissuade potential thieves.” 
•  We do not own a car.  We walk just under a mile each way to school.  And yes, it IS uphill both ways!  But so far there is no snow.  The grocery store is also just under a mile away.  For longer distances we use the bus and taxis. 
•  They speak Spanish here.  This is an obvious but significant difference.  It is amazing how much time and effort it takes for us to do simple things around town because of our limited language.  People have been very gracious and patient with us as we murder their language. 
•  Costs: some things are cheaper here; restaurants=$3-4 per person, public transportation – bus=50cents, cab=$3+, movies theater=$4 per person.  Some are more expensive and difficult to find (groceries, clothing, household items, toys, electronics). 
•  Culture:  This deserves a dozen blog posts all by itself.  Just know that every time we are offended by something different or we offend the locals with our American ways, we learn more about this beautiful culture.

-Adam