Training and A Little Culture (Updated Version of Short Blog)

Hello Everyone!

Time for my second in-country post.
I am actually using my host familys computer because the wireless internet is not working (and the keyboard is in Spanish), so I do not have an apostrophe key.

This past week was busy with training. We have Spanish/Costa Rican Culture class Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and general Peace Corps/Tech (which means Youth Development) training on Tuesday and Thurdaday. These things take up most of my time everyday. The classes have been  good, but tiring. I have had the fortune of being placed in a community with three other native Spanish speakers from our group (and they are the ones with whom I go to Spanish class). For this reason, we can easily speak Spanish all the time (good for immersion) and I am the lowest level speaker in my group (if you want to get better, practice with those who are better than you right?). So these things are going well. I have a lot of learning/studying to do to be where I want to be, but it is not overwhelming. I think my situation is much easier and more structured than people who went to Africa in the early years of the Peace Corps. But I also think that I have a lot more opportunity to be effective than most of the volunteers who worked in that situation. I am pretty glad to be where I am.

On Friday, my Spanish/culture "facilitator" (we do not call them teachers) took us to the National Theater to listen to the National Symphony Orquestra. The Theater is beautiful and the conert was AMAZING! The Orquestra played three different symphonies of 3 to 4 movements. The third symphony they played was written by a Mexican composer and the two Mexican-American trainees in my group really enjoyed it. I thought it was good, but honestly I was so sleepy by that time (because I am used to going to bed at 10 pm now) that it was hard for me to be fully attentive. My favorite part, however, was the second symphony called: Mendelssohn, Concierto para piano No.1. This sympony featured a pianist named Gabriela Montero. I have never heard the piano played so well! After playing, she asked the audience for a song (twice) and based on the melody made her own song (which was incredibly complex!) on the spot in front of everyone. It was iwesome and I got to shake her hand!

On Saturday, my host family had a bunch of family members over to say the rosary in commemoration of Christ the Child (they are Catholic). It was really cool to be part of the ceremony and meet some of the other family members! Two of the other trainees from my community came as well.

Patrick

[All the views and opinions expressed in my blog are mine and have no official tie whatsoever to the Peace Corps.]