Things You Might Not Know (Or Care About)

This might be a meaningless post to you, but I wanted to share the things (good, bad, funny, and serious) that surprised me about being here. Sorry for all the sentence fragments, English teachers.

Rain. 
When you check climate reports that say it rains 30 out of 31 days per month, they aren't lying. Every day between 1:30-ish and 2:30-ish, it comes… And it POURS. I'm talking not just cats and dogs. This rain is like lions and wolves. Also, the thunder almost makes me have a heart attack every time it hits. Lightning seems to hit just about everything. You can sit outside, watch it hit the things around you and feel the vibration from it. It's crazy! And for the humidity: that perm was completely worth the 2 weeks of horrible-smelling hair. I don't even want to think about what my natural hair would be doing.

Spanish.
Everything you learn in school is a lie… Fine, not everything. But a lot of things are different here. They don't say "pluma" for pen; they don't say "mochila" for backpack; they don't say "igriega" for the letter Y. It's "ye" pronounced "je" (say it with a French accent). And double L's? Like in "calle" or "ella"? NOT pronounced like a Y. They're pronounced like a J. WHAT. 
Here's the biggest lie I learned in school: They rarely use the tú form. Talk about being confused. We NEVER used the usted form in school unless it was one of those "let's practice conjugations" worksheets or when we needed to ask the teacher something. And maybe a few times for the formal writing/presentation on the AP SPanish Lang test. So there's that little bit of information for you. Apparently in Panama they almost always the tú form. SO CONFUSING. Want to know something else? The tú for is the only form used for God. WHAT? I distinctly remember "usted" being the formal one. And it is when you talk to people. But not with God. He's Tú.
*Note to my former Spanish teachers: You weren't wrong! They just don't use the same vocabulary here!

Safety.
First off, I feel extremely safe here- both at the villa and walking around. I've heard enough stories about being mugged to think twice about what I bring with me, but I'm not scared here. We stay in a pretty nice part of San Jose (as far as I can tell). The one thing I'm disappointed about is the lack of interaction I'll have with impoverished people, which is where most of you picture people taking a year to do missions-y things. But that's not what I'm doing, so I wanted to share about what it's like! I went to a mall yesterday that's far nicer than most US malls. We go to a church with fairly wealthy people. And since I'm doing ESL ministry, the people I'll be with are adults and  all have a small amount of English knowledge already. Now, I'm SO excited about doing ESL, but my heart is in the dump communities like El Recuerdo in Guatemala. There might be a few chances here and there in a dump community called La Carpio, so hopefully we can get plugged in there. I know as everything we're doing is worthwhile and impactful, but if there was a way I could be a part of the poorer parts of town, I'd be on it!

Backgrounds.
As most of you know, I was mildly freaked out because I thought I was the only student coming from a public school. One, I'm not. I think there are 5 or 6 of us. Two, I can't tell the difference most of the time whether or not someone here was homeschooled or went to a Christian school. I was so so scared about not relating to people and it turns out that we never talk about high school anyway (which is SUCH a relief). This group of 30 people is AMAZING. I wouldn't want to live in a house with anyone else. Eighteen to twenty year olds are similar no matter where they're from. You teach them how to play "What Are The Odds" one night, and within 4 days, you've seen them play it hundreds of times. As a result, you've seen them lose their hair… And their dignity. 

People Back Home.
Someone told me everyone you see one you live in a foreign country for a while reminds you of someone at home. It's true. You start to feel like everyone you see on the street is someone you know. They might sound like someone you know. I'm also finding out who every other GAP student looks and acts like. Not everyone has a twin yet, but I have no doubt they will by the end of the year. 

PS-I've gone running at the University of CR for about half of the mornings I've been here… Hopefully since I'm getting over this cold, I'll be able to go every weekday. Yeah, I don't know who I am either. 

Here is my classroom!

This is the view over the Villa from the backyard!

Clases!

We started classes today.
First we go to Spanish class for four hours. My class is outside for the first two hours and I love it! There are only 8 students! It's like school, but way more fun.

Our teachers are named Valeria and Hilda. They're both extremely nice (and understanding when we mess up). They won't let us speak any English, even on breaks), and if we do we have to pay 100 colones (about 20 cents)! The money goes towards a fiesta at the end of the year, but still… It's all Spanish from now on!

I'm writing this in between classes, so we haven't gone to bible class yet, but I'm really excited for it! Our bible teacher is named John, and he's also one of the pastors at the english-speaking church that we attend on Sunday nights. If Sunday night's message is anything like bible classes, my mind will be blown EVERY DAY.

I can't get over how great the other GAP students are! We get along really well! My favorite part is how everyone makes the most out of all their free time. I don't ever feel like we're wasting time, even if we're sitting around.

It's awesome here! We start small group tonight, too! I'm in a group with three other GAP students, one of the interns, and Tina, the GAP Costa Rica Director's wife! I can't wait to see what this year will be like!

Quick Update!

Okay! Time for my first real update!

Wednesday through Friday:

We visited downtown, had Spanish placement tests, and had the first ever GAP Olympics (pictures on Facebook)! It was a lot of preparation for what we'll be doing while we're here! I LOVE my roommates and new friends so much! It feels like we've all known each other forever! And I feel like I've been here for a month!

We got out Saturday ministry assignments! I'm doing ESL (English as a Second Language) each week! We also got assigned to our churches for the year! Mine is called Calvary Chapel and I LOVE the people there! We got to go to a worship concert last night with a lot of them! It was awesome! Thinking we left early enough to get home quickly, we managed to make getting home last 2 hours. It was a great  bonding time for us, even though we were starving and wet.

Then we went back to Calvary this morning and went to their Spanish service. It's really contemporary and casual!

I'm posting my pictures on Facebook, so you can check those out on my wall! 

I'll try to write an in-depth post tomorrow on my day off and post it on Tuesday!

Estoy Aquí

I'm here! We landed last night just before 7, and man, it gets dark EARLY here (around 6 or 6:30). The villa is awesome! I'm just now seeing it in the daylight and it's even prettier than the pictures! I haven't met everyone because a lot of people went to sleep before I got here, so I'm looking forward to meeting them today! 
We start orientation today and continue it through the week. I don't know exactly what we do all week in orientation, but I guess I'll find out!

Sorry for the short post! I'll let you know what we've been doing when this week is done!

Here's a picture out the front door of the Villa!

We're In the Single Digits!

In 9 days, I'll be in Costa Rica.
WHOA.
Most of the other GAP students are blogging about what they're feeling, so I decided I would, too! Neither writing nor sharing my feelings are talents of mine, but I'm trying!

I'll start with the most common question I get: "Are you nervous?" And I'm being completely honest when I say "No, not at all." I can't tell you why because I have no clue. It's a strange feeling, because I get really nervous and worried about everything else (seriously, I don't even like choosing food at restaurants), but I'm completely at peace. I would say God is pouring His grace on me, but really, it's more like He stuck me under a giant waterfall of it. I don't think there's any other way that explains my lack of nervousness!

Sure, I don't know anyone and no one is even from my state, but that's what's fun for me! I was headed for a college without any of my friends before God said "that's not what you're doing, Ellen." Now I'm just headed for Costa Rica without them. I love the idea of being in my favorite area of the world with people who share the same love for it (for more than a one-week mission trip)!
I feel like we've met before because we all share the same excitement, and I'm already Facebook friends with a few of them, so I've gotten to see their statuses, pictures, read their blogs... I feel like we are already kind of friends!

What's weird for me is thinking about the crazy, awesome things that God is going to do in all of our lives in such a short amount of time. I mean, I'll be back home in just over 8 months. That's not long at all! I'm trying not to expect anything and experience everything as it comes.

There's something is want to add. People say what I'm doing is brave, but I am by no means brave. Katie Davis nailed it when she said “People from my first home say I'm brave. They tell me I'm strong. They pat me on the back and say, 'Way to go. Good job.' But the truth is, I am not really very brave; I am not really very strong; and I am not doing anything spectacular. I am simply doing what God has called me to do as a person who follows Him. He said to feed His sheep and He said to care for 'the least of these,' so that's what I'm doing, with the help of a lot people who make it possible and in the company of those who make my life worth living."
***Quote from her book "Kisses From Katie." If you are confused as to why I want to go to a foreign place for 9 months, read it. You will understand me more. And it's just a really great book.

There were things on my past mission trips that I only had to see once for them to break my heart. Even hearing about them was hard.
Here are some long-term things you can be praying for!
-All of the GAP students; that we will rely on the Lord when any one of us feels lost or helpless and we remember that we serve and worship the God who can overcome any of our trials.
-Community: I've never lived with 30 people for a long amount of time, and we don't know how everyone's personalities will work together. Just be praying for a lack of conflict within the group.
-The reverse culture shock when I come home at Christmas (long time away, I know). It was extremely difficult for me to adjust after one week in Guatemala, so I don't want to think about what it will be like after 3 months (I'm actually pretty worried about this).
-Guidance for myself when I come home in May (even longer time away). Although my college plans are pretty firm, my major and career plans don't even exist. I'm hoping God will show me His plan for my life while I'm there!

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13