¡Bienvenidos! It is absolute craziness to me that I leave Costa Rica and return to Boston in just 10 days. In some ways, I feel as though time has flown by. In other ways, with all these new experiences under my belt, I feel like I've been here forever. 1. MomentsSo much has happened since I last blogged! It's been a beautiful, full, tiring whirlwind. I've had 5 weeks in my internship at the Creative Arts Workshop--which means that I have just one week left. :( I've had a blast helping people with their wood-projects, getting to know some local community members and learning about their home, sitting in on guitar and paint classes, and goofing around with my site leader and fellow intern--the two of whom have become dear friends! I sat through another week of intensive class: Missions in Latin American Contexts. In this class, we've learned about different theories of missions and discussed how we can apply holistic and integral missions to our context. The class has included assignments such as reflections on the definition of poverty, analysis of the resources and needs in our community here, presentations on important Latin American theologians, and an official proposal for a new ministry project for Students International. At times, it's tiring to balance homework with working (almost) a full-time job, spending time with my host family and friends, and taking time to care for myself. Nonetheless, lots of the material we've covered fits perfectly into my major at Gordon (International Development and Social Change), so I've been interested and engaged. I've done some traveling! Two weekends ago, I went on a day-long hike to see a waterfall. We were a group of around 15: four gringos, and the rest were Ticos. It was tiring, but beautiful, and we even saw some cows up in the mountains! To some that may be boring, but it was a delight to my South Shore MA self. Last weekend, I went to Guanacaste with five of the other students and a friend's host family. We stayed in a lovely hotel with a breathtaking view of the mountains and water. Here, we visited the beach, shared meals together, played games, watched movies, went swimming, and got some homework done too. Finally, this past weekend I went into San Jose with a classmate and two staff members at Students International. We went to the Feria Verde--a hippie fair complete with reggae music and kombucha. After this, we walked to a park nearby to film a video of us singing Someday by Sam Burchfield. To finish the day off, we had coffee and dessert at (another hippie) café and went to an artesian market. I had quite the interesting Thanksgiving! All seven of us students took the bus to our director's house, where we were met by all the staff at Students International in Costa Rica, as well as some of their family members. We ate all the classic Thanksgiving foods (except for cranberry sauce--I was missing my normal Thanksgiving dinners down the Cape at that moment), laughed, and danced together. Not your average Thanksgiving, but one of my favorites. :) 2. ¿Qué Tal Mi Español?My Spanish has improved exponentially! In every other sentence, I find myself using grammar forms and vocabulary that I didn't know four months ago. While I don't understand everything, I can almost always communicate myself and understand others. I often find myself thinking in Spanish and I've seen the effects of my immersion when I try to speak in English:
It's easy to see that I've improved. However, I still ask myself the $100 question: do I speak Spanish? If someone back in the States were to ask me if I speak Spanish, how would I respond? My answer would be somewhere in between 'yes' and 'no'. Yes, I've been living the past few months primarily in another language. But no, I can't tell you a story about what happened to me last week without having to think about grammatical tenses. Yes, I can talk to strangers on the bus about their jobs. But no, I can't go a whole day without having to use circumlocution or Google to explain a word that I don't know. I've improved, but I'm not fluent. I still don't know lots of words. I still mess up. I still have to ask people to repeat themselves. I still have an accent (that one will probably never change). But what is fluency, anyways? I will never be a native speaker and likely never understand all the nuances of the language. And does speaking a language necessarily mean 'being fluent'? We could debate the answers to these questions for hours. So in conclusion, with just 10 days left, do I speak Spanish? I'm not sure. Yes, and no. 3. Tico Culture (and how I fit into that)I don't have many new insights. On the surface, the life I'm living here isn't all that different than a life in the Western world--except for the language difference, of course. However, I've noticed some changes in myself while interacting with Ticos. Whether it be the culture of the organization with which I'm working, or Tico culture as a whole: I'm learning to take myself less seriously. I dance more when I'm here. I laugh louder with strangers. When I can't communicate well, I substitute words for bad jokes or sound effects. And some of this may just be an increase in my inner-cultural competence, but it's easier to approach strangers now. 9/10 times they're friendly and give me grace with my language mishaps. This has allowed me to give grace with myself, too. 4. What Else Am I Learning?I've learned that I really value my friends and family. Because I'm not usually a person who struggles with homesickness, I used to compare myself with those who do, and wonder if they valued their families and friends more than I do. Certainly that's not true, and I know it now. Though I don't spend my days wishing I was back in Massachusetts, I constantly find myself sharing anecdotes about people back home or showing pictures to my fellow classmates. My love for home doesn't always look like a deep ache for what I'm missing. Instead, it often looks like laughing myself silly when I remember something that my sister said or fondly remembering slow mornings with my roommate when I hear Banana Pancakes by Jack Johnson. I've learned what it's like to live in another country. I've learned that I can do it, I can survive, and sometimes I can even thrive. I've learned that it's not always a beautiful adventure; sometimes it's a long day at work or a feeling that you're out of place. I've learned that life is still life. It's not an idealization. It still passes one second at a time. You still feel the same emotions, you still like the same music, you still get stomach-aches and sugar highs. You question the same things. You fight the same worries. You laugh at the same types of jokes. Everything around you may be different, but the formulas are still the same: hard things still give you opportunities for growth and your identity is still in Christ even as your perceptions of the world change. I'm learning that I don't have to please everyone. While thrown into a new culture and a new language, some relationships are harder than others. With time, I'm seeing that it's okay if I don't connect with everyone or impress everyone or make them love me. God has what He has for me, and it's not always about me. I've also learned about poverty. In my Missions in Latin American Contexts class, we've discussed several theoretic frameworks of poverty. In one such framework, poverty is defined as a network that includes material lack, vulnerability, lack of power, spiritual poverty, physical disadvantages, and isolation. Before this class and my conversations with people in my internship, I thought of poverty almost exclusively as material lack--and I thought that people who lived in poverty thought the same as me. Naively and incorrectly, I thought that they were singularly focused on lack and always striving to have what I have. However, that's not the case, and I'm embarrassed now that I viewed whole and dignified people through such a reductionist lens. In one class discussion, we went over our interviews with community members about definitions of poverty. I was shocked to find out from a classmate that in his interviews, material lack was not once mentioned. Instead, poverty was thought of as a mindset--a negative and limiting perception quite like the one I had, imposed and internalized. "Poor people" are people, loved and made in God's image, worthy of respect, with their own dreams and short-comings. Nobody should be defined by lack. Everyone has something to offer. (note: my thinking and processing is still maturing on this. I do not have any answers. I don't pretend to have the correct perceptions. I have a heart to learn and grow, and this is where I am on that journey, but I am also so so inexperienced. Please take all that I say with a grain of salt). 5. Want to Pray For Me?If you are a person who prays, I would be so grateful for your prayers! This week, please be praying for me and my classmates as we prepare to transition back to the States. It's a mixed bag of emotions over here, so pray for us as we process, mourn, rejoice, think, pray, and have our final interactions with one another and the people we have grown to love here.
As always, please reach out to me if you have any prayer requests of your own! Stay in touch. I'll see you soon! ¡Ciao! Savannah x
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¡Bienvenidos! I leave for home in just a month, so instead of my normal prompts, this is a short soliloquy on how I'm feeling about my time here. On weekends and Mondays, my host mom and I eat breakfast at 8:30. I woke up around 8:15 and checked my watch. My little watch, with water droplets inside thanks to my negligence during white-water rafting, tells both the time and the date. And today, it told me that I leave Costa Rica in just one month. Wow. I have spent both a lifetime and just a millisecond here. It was yesterday that I met my fellow students in the airport in Dallas and we took turns watching bags so the others could run and find some coffee. It was ten years ago that I learned what a chorreador was and smiled for the first time hearing "coffee-maker" in a Costa Rican accent. Today I sat in my first Advanced Spanish Grammar class, with the bright eyes of a freshman. And last Monday, I aced the final--only by the grace of God. Was it this morning that I stopped translating Spanish in my head, or was it last year? Did I first feel homesick in August or right now? They say that learning a new culture changes the way you think, but I don't think the mixup can be attributed to Tico-time. It's the fear of "time is slipping through my fingers" and the smell of Dunkin' Donuts in Arrivals at Logan International Airport. It's the pumpkin-scented candle that I keep on my desk here and the few Spanish-speaking friends that I have at home. It's a prosperity-gospel sermon in Nicaragua, promises that God provides in my home-town, calls to care for people living in poverty in both, and wondering if the truth is the truth in Los Guido as well as in Taunton. Obviously, I'm waxing poetic. I'm utilizing some concepts of circular-time that we learned in our Latin American Literature class. But it's the best way that I know how to describe what I'm experiencing. At first, every moment was surreal and I felt like I was spinning. But at this stage, I often feel like the Earth--spinning so quickly that everything feels normal. Until I blink, and the earthquake here is the train in my backyard in Norton, or the man on the street in San José with the Boston sweatshirt is listening to Kat Country 98.5 in the truck next to me at Cumbie's. In layman's terms, it's weird living abroad--even for just a few months. Reconciling the difference between here and home usually isn't a good long cry. It's one small realization, one small confusion, one moment of seeing what I miss, and another of mourning what I won't have when I return to Massachusetts. The end goal has always been living abroad. Now that I've been here for 2 and a half months, I wonder if I have done that. I have missed the fall in New England, but I haven't missed a wedding or a funeral. I have spent a semester away from all my favorite people at Gordon, but that can't compare to years away from my family. Yes, I am able to navigate the bus system here and ask strangers for help in Spanish and I can tell you some Tico slang--but I am still such an amateur. I expected studying abroad to answer my burning question of if what I thought I wanted is what I actually want. It has done a lot of things for me, but it has not done that. More and more, I am seeing the reality that calling isn't the end of the road, but a street sign 10 meters up ahead and a GPS telling you to take the next right. Oh, bother. I feel like Olaf in Frozen 2. I really thought that there would be a time in my aged prime when absolutely everything would make sense. In a moment of especially strong homesickness, I asked one of the staff here, an ex-pat who has lived in Costa Rica for almost ten years: "is it worth it living here?" She took a few seconds to respond, but finally answered with, "I've lost a lot." I gave a half-hearted smile at the confirmation of my sadness at being away from home. Was I watching my dream crash down in front of me? Maybe this was the reality--maybe it's not worth it to live in another country. But she continued with a smile: "but I've also gained a lot. The people here now are my family and this is my home". That interaction summed up a lot of the tension that I've been feeling, and it made me think about Jesus. Because after those words, she finished with "but it's not about me". Somehow, that was a reality that I had completely forgotten. I will never understand the synchrony of God's sovereignty and will and our choices, but I know that at the end of the day, He has all the glory and power and my life is for Him. As it says in Philippians 2, Jesus--who was God--made himself nothing and became a servant. That is the life I have chosen. The kind of life that pours itself out for His kingdom and for others, and that shares in his sufferings as well as His glory. There are sacrifices and there is beauty in each style of life when it is surrendered to Him, whether that be in Eastern Massachusetts or half-way across the globe. Want to Pray for Me?If you are a person who prays, I would love if you could pray for my remaining month here. Pray for me and my fellow students while we are in our internships. Pray for meaningful connections with the community here. Pray for us as we plan for the next semester and begin to process the end of a marvelous trip and reintegration into our "normal" lives. As always, feel free to reach out to me if you would like prayer! Talk to you soon! ¡Ciao! Savannah x ¡Hola todos! I have to say, I'm a bit embarrassed: today makes two and a half weeks since I've written a blog post. My weeks and weekends have been full. The first week with classes and exams, and the second week with my first few days in my internship and a trip to the beach. So here I am, mid-week, making up for what I've missed! 1. Three Cool Moments1. I finished my intensive classes in Spanish! Going into the last two exams, I had made peace with my fate. I studied hard, but knew that I probably wouldn't have much success. The majority of what I had learned in my Spanish Grammar class was new, because it was my first Advanced class in Spanish. Everything in Literature was new, and while studying, I kept mixing facts up. By some miracle, gracias a Dios, the exams were easier than I had thought. Tomorrow, I'll receive my grades, but regardless of what they are, I'm proud of my efforts. 2. Last Monday, I had my first day in my internship! I'm working in a Creative Arts Workshop with another classmate. Here, we do woodworking, play the guitar, teach painting classes, and drink a lot of coffee. I've loved hanging out and singing together, as well as meeting new people and helping them with their projects. Today, while I was sanding a piece of wood for a chorreador (a small wooden apparatus for brewing coffee!), my site leader pulled me aside: ¿Usted le gusta pintar, si? I nodded. Sure, I like to paint. ¿Lo ha hecho mucho? ¿Tiene fotos? I shook my head. Sure, I had painted a few times before, but I didn't have any photos of things I'd painted. And to be honest, I didn't have tons of confidence in my abilities. Bueno, está bien. Tenemos una clase de pintura hoy. Prepara algo; usted va a enseñarla. In other words, get ready to teach the painting class today! And so, I did. I asked if I could practice beforehand, so Dani (my site leader) handed me the painting materials. I quickly searched for a picture of a mountain range on my phone and got to work. A few hours later, after lunch, I was teaching a small group of women how to paint. I can thank Muse Paintbar in Patriots Place for the small amount of confidence that I felt in this moment. Though the look on my face betrays me, I had a lot of fun. 3. I saw monkeys! In the "wild"! At the beach! Last weekend, we went to Manuel Antonio: a beautiful national park with lots of forests and beaches. When we first got there, my group stopped for a bite to eat at a restaurant. Moments into our meal, we noticed the monkeys scoping us out from the trees. Having noticed our interest, a women and her daughter handed us some marshmallows to feed the monkeys. In retrospect, this was a really bad idea, regarding the health of EVERYONE involved. But in the moment, I was too excited to think about that. A friend and I tried to hand the marshmallows to the monkeys. We extended them to the monkeys, but kept pulling back, afraid as they lunged for us. We ended up in a fearful (us) and angry (the monkeys) dance, full of screams from all parties. In the end, no monkeys ate marshmallows. Despite our best intentions, we couldn't get them to the monkeys, and the marshmallows fell to the forest floor. After this, the monkeys were NOT HAPPY. We turned to scramble away, and one pursued my friend, thwacking her on the back. Luckily, everyone was okay, but I can tell you that I will not be repeating this endeavor. 2. How's My Spanish?I'm finding myself thinking much more in Spanish, especially after a full 9-4 in my internship. It's a struggle to write this post in English, because I've had to write many essays in Spanish. Every sentence I'm thinking in Spanish first, and then having to translate into English. That's a new phenomenon for me. Despite the progress, I still have difficulties--especially when it comes to understanding. This is especially hard with masks and while working in a woodshop. Furthermore, I still lack a lot of vocabulary. I struggled a bit in the painting class today to describe concepts like "use the lighter shade of blue" or words such as "bush". I'm immensely grateful to finally be in my internship, because it means that I'm surrounded by Spanish-speakers other than just professors. This has given me exposure to every-day/street Spanish, as well as people who speak quickly and with less clarity. It's harder to understand, but my efforts feel more fruitful. I'm forced to use my Spanish to connect and communicate, not just to earn a certain grade. 3. Observations About Tico CultureI'm seeing a bit more clearly "Tico-time". My work day starts at nine, so my classmates and I usually arrive around 8:45-8:50 (depending on what time we can catch the bus). In contrast, my site leader usually arrives between 9:00-9:10, after a half an hour walk to the woodshop. Our first sessions in the morning start at 9:30, but people arrive anywhere from 9:20-10:00. At times, people don't show when they said they would. Other times, people show up at the gate and ask if they can work in the workshop without giving notice ahead of time. To be honest, I haven't minded Tico time much. It means that we can relax or have time to work on our own projects. It means that there's flexibility if I miss the bus and arrive late. It means that people come and go without stress. However, it can certainly make it difficult to plan events or classes. 4. What Else Am I Learning?My days in the workshop are very low stress. When people show, we work with them on their projects. We talk, we joke, we drink coffee, and we enjoy each others' company. While I'm a pretty flexible person, I wouldn't consider myself a low-stress person. I have always been incredibly achievement and deadline-oriented, and this type of lifestyle is forcing me to take a step back from that. I'm learning to live in the moment more, to relax more, to enjoy the company of others over my own achievements, and to live in peace that my worth is not found in my progress. (okay, I'm FAR from having that last one down; but we're working on it). 5. Want to Pray for Me?If you're a person who prays, I would love it if you prayed for me! This week, please agree that God would continue to teach me to live in the moment, connect with others, and trust Him for my worth. Pray that I can connect more with the people in my site and that my perspective will change: I am here to connect more than "to make a difference" and to learn more than "to help". Though I want to make a difference and to help, I'm learning that my life is more than just what I'm producing.
As always, I'd love if you'd reach out to me, and I'd love to pray for you as well! I love you and I miss you! ¡Ciao! Savannah x ¡Bienvenidos! Welcome to this week's post :) This week, I'm reminded of a post I wrote at the beginning of 2021 about endurance and lament. Every year, I ask God for a word--to guide me, to show me how I can grow, and/or to listen for what He has for me. My favorite ironic story is that in December of 2019, I sat down with my journal and asked Him for a word for 2020. And what did He give me? Endurance. Boy, did He know what He was talking about. That word wasn't just for me--it was a lesson we all were thrown into. Anyways, 2020 is behind us and here I am, with a new word, and in a new country. I'm praising God now for the lessons I had in endurance, because I am needing them now. Life is good out here, but it's hard, and I'm learning to endure all over again. In light of my theme of learning endurance, I'm going to switch up my post prompts for this week and start with what I'm learning. 1. What Am I Learning?A lot. Two posts ago, I wrote about how there are no finish lines in life. My lesson for this week has been similar: Life isn't a sprint. This program has felt a lot like a sprint. I'm in intensive classes Monday through Friday with homework every night, I'm striving to improve my Spanish, I'm spending my weekends traveling or writing essays, I'm making efforts to connect with my host family, and I'm trying to take care of myself and get enough rest. This upcoming week is my last week of intensive classes, and after it finishes, I'll be starting my internship. During my internship, I'll be working Monday-Friday, 9-4. In my mind, I've been making "getting to that point" a finish line. I've been sprinting towards it, thinking "I'll take a break then" (as if a full-time job schedule will be a break?). I haven't stopped to rest. Or to be thankful for where I am. Or to sit and journal and reflect. So, I'm learning that I need to do that. Because I'm tired of the grind. Lesson: You can't endure if you don't rest. 🤷🏻♀️ 2. Three Cool Moments
3. How's My Language Learning Going?It's happening at a frustratingly slow pace, but I think I'm starting to understand more. Earlier today, my host mom had a soccer match on in the background. Maybe it's just me, but fútbol announcers talk faster than the speed of sound; it's impossible to catch a word. But this time, I was astonished to realize that I could understand (some of) what the announcers were saying. I'm also noticing the effects of Spanish on my English. The other day I stared blankly at my phone for about a minute, trying--and failing--to figure out how to spell "composition" in English, because I could only remember the Spanish spelling. Also, there are certain Spanish words and phrases that have taken up residence in my thoughts, interspersed between otherwise English sentences. And today, I FaceTimed my Dad to tell him about a field trip we're taking this week to la Asamblea Legislativa. When I went to tell him where we'll be going, I realized that I hadn't translated the name into English before.* * this may not seem like a huge deal; "la Asamblea Legislativa" is all cognates and no English speaker would need to understand Spanish to know what it means But it's the underlying principle here. My brain didn't immediately fill in the English cognates. And I've noticed in classes and conversations with people, that I'm not translating in my head anymore. At least, most of the time. 4. Observations about Tico-CultureI'm not sure if this counts, but I've made lots of connections to Tico culture and US culture. There are similar debates here (pro-vaccine or anti-vaccine). There are similar cultural changes (the push for a gender neutral third-person pronoun). There are McDonalds and Starbucks and Little Caesar's. Maybe it's because I'm in a city, but I can even feel the priority of work. Timeliness has a different definition here, but it hasn't been as drastic of a change as I had thought. 5. Want to Pray for Me?I would love it if you prayed for me! Please pray for this upcoming week. I know I just said I'd stop comparing life to a sprint, but this week really is the last push. With essays, projects, and tests--this is my finals. Pray that I will be able to perform to the best of my ability and to give myself rest and grace.
As always, let me know how I can be praying for you! I love you and I miss you! ¡Ciao! Savannah x ¡Hola todos! I'm writing this on a sunny and slow Saturday morning, sitting in my pajamas in the living room that's starting to feel like home. I can't believe that I've been in Costa Rica for over a month! Just a few days ago I realized that I'm about 1/3 of the way through my trip. While I'm proud that I've made it thus far successfully, it makes me a bit sad to think that I don't have an eternity of time left to spend here. I just finished my fourth week of intensive classes. The week before that, my group traveled and stayed in Masaya, Nicaragua. I spend most of the week working with one of my classmates in an agricultural site. Additionally, we visited Granada, Masaya volcano, and San Juan Del Sur--a town by the sea. The trip was AMAZING and I have tons and tons of pictures from it, so head to the bottom if you're interested in those! In the meantime, here are my normal post prompts again! 1. Three Cool Moments!El entrenamiento en Nicaragua sobre la gallina. One of my favorite moments in Nicaragua was the opportunity to be a part of a training about the anatomy and best practices in caring for chickens. On Monday--our first day at work--the director of the agricultural site informed my classmate and me that on Wednesday we would have the responsibility of leading a short devotional (in Spanish, of course) and game at the start of the training. We decided to lead the group in a discussion of Ephesians 2:1-10, based on life in Christ and the good works God has prepared for us. At the end of this, the director had each person give an example of a good work. After this, my classmate and I led a short game in which we split the group up in two and had them try to through a bouncy ball into some cups. (I was later informed--and teased--that I had essentially led the group of Nicaraguan farmers in beer pong. Oh well. 🤷🏻♀️😂) It was such a joyful time, with everyone laughing, competing, trying different strategies to win, and yelling to the other team "¡enseña!" ("watch and learn"). Later, the director led the group in a training about chickens. He started with two icebreakers--one in which three volunteers competed with their best chicken impression, and the other where two volunteers competed to list as many body parts of a chicken as they could in 30 seconds. After this, he taught about the importance of chickens in Central America and Nicaragua specifically, the anatomy of chickens, and some of the conditions that they need to be productive. I really enjoyed being in this learning environment, where everyone was sitting outside in a circle, asking questions, making jokes, and relaxing in the presence of others. A few hours spent with Dilan. One day, we went to visit a family to do some work with micro loans. While we waited for the father to return, we spent time with his son, Dilan. I don't remember exactly, but I believe Dilan is around 9 years old. While with him, we played volleyball with a small plastic ball. He taught us how to play a card game, and my classmate taught him how to juggle. We also ate lunch together and talked about where we were from. (He really enjoyed saying "Massachusetts"). I appreciated this experience because there was no pressure. We sat together and played together and relaxed. If I didn't understand what he was saying, it was okay. I would apologize and he would laugh at me, and that was that. There was also no pressure to get anything done. All I had to do was to sit and to be--an important part of Nicaraguan culture that's really foreign to my North American self. San Juan del Sur. On our way back to Costa Rica at the end of the week, we stopped at San Juan del Sur--a beautiful beach town on the Southern Pacific Coast of Nicaragua. We arrived in the morning and had a full day there, which we spent swimming, walking along the beach and rocks, shopping, and eating dinner at a beach-side restaurant. Here, I realized how much I love the ocean. Growing up, I spent the majority of my summers in Cape Cod, swimming in the ocean in Falmouth. My family also would travel to Newport, RI a few times during the year to go the beach and eat in restaurants downtown. Additionally, my college is on the North Shore, just 3 miles from the nearest beach. I always knew that I enjoyed being at the ocean, but have never really considered myself a "beach" person. There are some people who love the beach experience--sitting in the sand, tanning, wading in the water, and reading a book--more than anything. Until leaving home, I didn't identify myself with this group. But as the trip to the ocean approached, I found myself becoming more and more excited. Because to me, I realized, going to the ocean felt like going home. The ocean in San Juan del Sur was like night and day compared to the beaches on Cape Cod or on the North Shore. The water was warm, shallow, and calm. The sand wasn't rocky. There was no seaweed. But still, throwing off my shoes and running to dive underwater was one of the most familiar experiences I've had this past month. I swam for around two hours during the day, and insisted that we all go swimming at night after dinner, too. I didn't want to leave. San Juan del Sur was beautiful, but it feels important to mention the tension between this movie-scene and the week I spent in the countryside in Nicaragua. In the countryside, I learned to harvest corn alongside a beautiful, hardworking family who depended on this crop. While many of the families I visited had open hearts to receive me and my classmate, they did not have running water. I saw young children handle machetes to cut Yucca branches and old men ride their bikes through the hills to get to their fields. After this, it was shocking to sit by the water with my friends, a virgin strawberry daiquiri in my hand, and listening to a mariachi band serenading me. Throughout my whole trip in Nicaragua, I kept thinking "that should be me". As an 85-year old farmer brought me a plastic chair to sit in, I thought "that should be me". As another man offered me handfuls of fruit for free that he usually sells in the markets, I thought "that should be me". As I watched the students run around in school, with limited teachers, shared grade-levels in classrooms, and sweat on their backs from the walks to and from their homes, I thought "that should be me". Then in San Juan del Sur, the questioned morphed: "this should be them". "Why is it me?" The dichotomy between the circumstances of the people I was able to learn from and visit, and my fabulous trip to the beach afterwards, is one that I can't resolve. Not in a blog post, not in my own thoughts, and probably not in the duration of this trip or even a lifetime. I am thankful for the opportunity to step into that struggle, and trying to learn all that I can through it. 2. How's My Spanish?The language-learning aspect of my trip remains the hardest. While I'm able to communicate myself fairly well, and in my classes learning the most advanced rules of the grammar, I struggle to understand what others are saying. This is a frustrating position to be in, especially in moments where I speak well and others assume that my level of proficiency is higher than it really is. In my classes, I'm learning advanced grammar and literature. These are helping me expand my abilities to communicate properly, offering me practice reading, and teaching me about the culture here. However, I'm not gaining lots of practice in listening to informal speech, which is what I'm really lacking in. Right now, I'm trying to figure out some strategies to work through this. I talk to my host mom when we're together, I attend her church, and I've watched a few movies in Spanish. 3. Observations about Tico CultureAs I have said before, please take my observations with a grain of salt. I am just one person having one experience, and by no means have a monopoly on cultural competence. It's also entirely possible that any observations I have made are false. So, proceed with caution. While the culture here is definitely Latin-American, I can also feel the Western influence. It's an interesting tension. People here are relationship focused, and we have cafecito together every afternoon, but productivity and work are important too. Everything is in Spanish, except for the occasional Batman movie on TV, which my host mom's granddaughter prefers to watch in English. Everyone who I have met is friendly and welcoming, but it's a different type of hospitality that I felt in Nicaragua. It feels more cordial and formal somehow. One of my professors commented on this, saying that as Costa Rica has developed and communities here have grown less dependent on one another, the atmosphere has shifted. This dynamic is hard for me to explain, but it's one that I've definitely observed. Unfortunately, it's difficult to determine what of these patterns are effects of the pandemic. 4. What Else Am I Learning?I'm learning a lot. I'm learning about the politics here, specifically that many people have opinions about American politics. One day in a school in Nicaragua, my director tapped me on the shoulder and pointed to the schoolboy beside him. "El quiere saber que piensas sobre su presidente." I had to ask him to repeat the question, because I was so surprised, but I heard him correctly the first time. Sure enough, a ten year old boy had asked me what I think about Biden. Other than this, I'm learning how much political context affects opinions about injustice. In the States, we've seen a huge push for justice these past few years. In Nicaragua, where many people have known war more personally, many people expressed that they want to maintain peace and find other ways to work for justice. I've also learned some about the situation of immigration here. It's astounded me to hear similar arguments for and against it, down to opinions on the church's involvement. We have more things in common than I thought. Not all that I'm learning is profound, though. I've learned that instead of Neopolitan ice cream, Costa Rica has strawberry, vanilla, and lime. I've decided that butternut squash soup is better with jalapeño in it and cas (a fruit here) refreshments are better than lemonade. I've learned that other countries also are obsessed with crime and medical-focused TV shows. I've learned that you have to be careful fixing showers with electric shower heads, because if you flick the wrong switch in the breaker box, all the lights go out. I've learned that some people from the States don't know what a jetty is. These small lessons are some of my favorite. 5. Want to Pray for Me?I would love it if you prayed for me!
Please pray for me to persist and grow in my understanding of Spanish. Pray for me to finish out my last two weeks of intensive classes and pray for peace as I step into my internship, where I'll be working with people in the community all day long. Also, I would love if you could pray for me to find moments to rest and outlets to care for my self holistically. I really miss my autonomy here, so it's important that I find times to take myself to a cafe or even just to the grocery store! As always, please let me know how I can be praying for you! Hi everyone! I hope that all is well with you and yours. This week’s blog post is going to look a bit different, because there’s something that’s been on my mind a lot lately, so I want to talk about that rather than my normal prompts! If you’re here for the pictures, skip down to the bottom where the gallery is 😉 (though sadly I don't have many this week!). I'll also add a brief summary of my week there! Let's get into it... A few days ago, I had a long chat with one of my mentors from home about the frustrations I’ve experienced while being here—linguistically, mentally, relationally, physically, and spiritually. Through this conversation, I realized that the big frustration underlying these smaller frustrations was something much deeper, and something that I think many of us have a hard time with: There is no finish line. I think the easiest way for my to explain what this means for me--perhaps counterintuitively--is to describe how currently, I am living my dream. As I've said in previous posts, I've wanted to live abroad since I was 14 years old, sitting in Spanish class, learning about the prospects of teaching English abroad, and dreaming about my future. At that point, my biggest dream was to teach English in Korea. That shifted within a few years, but the desire to live abroad never did. The next several years, I jumped at any opportunity to travel. I read books on missionaries and watched TED talks on polyglots. I did research projects on linguistic relativity and cross-cultural education. I considered opening an orphanage in another country. I thought about joining the Peace Corps. When senior year approached, I looked for colleges that had either Linguistics programs or TESOL programs. In 2019, I enrolled as a Linguistics student at Gordon College. My sophomore year, I applied to be a part of Gordon's Bible Translation Program. Then, I began thinking about internships overseas and applications to grad school. I started researching fair trade businesses overseas and thought about becoming a business owner. I considered the occupation of a missions director at a local church. All of this in hopes that one day, regardless of the specifics, the doors would open to the jetway of my dreams, and I would board that plane with all the satisfaction in the world, that "finally, my time has come". And well, now I'm here. Living in another country, albeit for just a short period of time. I say all this to explain that... Right now should be a finish line for me. It should be an "I made it, the goal has been met, and all is well with my soul" kind of moment. And yet, it doesn't feel like it is. Please don't misunderstand! I'm happy and so thankful to be here. I love my host family, my fellow classmates, my professors, and my directors. The new food is delicious and the weekend excursions are exciting. It's incredible to have an extended time set apart to learn a new language. Through all of this, I'm currently experiencing the fulfillment of one of my biggest goals in life and constantly reminded that my life is a gift given to me by a God who has my best in mind. And yet, reaching this goal hasn't been what I thought. Despite all the good things, there are so many struggles. I'm frustrated that I can't understand more Spanish. I'm worried that I'm not doing enough to connect with the people and the culture here. I'm constantly exhausted. I'm looking down at my open hands, watching as they fill with beautiful moments, and clenching them tight because I'm afraid that the time will pass by too quickly. Furthermore, I've found myself worrying an inordinate amount about the future. I'm worried about my rooming situation when I get back to campus. I'm turning "post-graduation" options over in my head. I'm overanalyzing every moment here to decide if living overseas is truly what I want and what's going to happen, or if this is my only shot. In other words, I'm giving myself a massive headache about the next "finish line." I can apply this principle to more than just my dream of living overseas. I'm also finding myself frustrated with the lack of a "finish line" linguistically. My hope was to spend these 3 months abroad and return a fluent speaker. I've since realized the hilarity of this goal. Yes, progress is real! (Yesterday, I learned that Spanish speakers use the future tense to express guesses. Today, I made an effort to "guess" something with my host mom, and used this tense.) Nonetheless, progress is painfully slow and accompanied by more failure and exhaustion than success. I'm also not reaching my standard or "finish line" of connection with the people here. This isn't for a lack of circumstances or trying--I have all three meals with my host mom and have attended her church and two birthday parties with her. In the upcoming weeks, I'll be able to participate in ministry sites. But between my studies and my struggles with the language, I am constantly tired. Naturally introverted, spending time with people costs me lots energy, and it's currently that much harder. I could go on. There are so many goals that have been met for me: traveling abroad, speaking Spanish more, meeting new people, connecting with my host family, and more. And yet, each goal seems to present the next worry or the next standard that I have to reach. Each goal seems to present the next worry or the next standard that I have to reach. Sadly, I don't really have a grandiose revelation or relieving conclusion. I'm in the middle of the lesson right now. But, in the meantime, I'm committed to reminding myself that...
My mentor encouraged me to look myself in the mirror every day while I'm here, and say: "I am living the dream right now, and there are good things here!" If you're someone who's constantly striving for the next finish line, I'd encourage you to do something similar. We'll figure this out together (or is that another finish line? 🤦🏻♀️). Anyways, thanks for listening to my update this week! I think it's obvious that this is my prayer request for the week. As always, please reach out to me and let me know how I can be praying for you! And finally, head down below to see a song that's been encouraging me lately as well as my brief summary of the week! Thanks so much for checking in with me this week! ¡Hasta luego! Savannah xo A song that's been super encouraging to me during this is Twenty-Four by Jess Ray. It's a very simple song, but powerful. The lyrics are as follows... You are not alone, I promise you're not alone. You are not alone, I promise you're not alone. You are not alone, I promise you're not alone. You are not alone, I promise you're not alone. I am closer than the breath that you're breathing in. I am closer than the breath that you're breathing in. I am closer than the breath that you're breathing in. I am closer than the breath that you're breathing in. Your eyes could not see Your ears have not heard What I have in store for you, my dear What I have in store for you this year You're 24, don't despise it. You're 24, don't try and hide it. Maybe you're 24, you say you don't know who you are but right now you know more than you have ever known before. Today you are loved and that's really all that matters. Today you are loved and that's really all that matters. Today you are loved and that's really all that matters. Today you are loved and that's really all that matters. This week has been filled with work. On Monday, I had two presentations: one in my Advanced Spanish Grammar class on the topic of "tiempos compuestos" and the other in my Peoples and Cultures of Costa Rica Class on Costa Rican history from 1850-1940. Furthermore, I had two exams today to study for. Other than homework, I went to my weekly Bible study, got my first "brain-tickler" COVID-test (you know the one), and went to McDonald's for celebratory McFlurries after our exams. Tomorrow morning, I leave for a week long missions trip in Nicaragua! Because of this, I won't be able to blog next week. :(
Due to the busy week, I didn't take many pictures! However, here are a few from our trip to the museum last week that I didn't get to post, as well as one of a cafe, one of my host mom's church, and one of my group (minus one). I knew this day would come, when the homework and Bible studies and Tico-time and cafe-hopping would overtake any possible blogging-time. And alas, here we are. And yet! I want to stick to my promise to blog weekly. So here we go: my week in some bullet points (plus some pretty awesome pictures from Monte Verde). 1. Three Cool Moments
2. What I'm Learning in SpanishI've learned about an alternative form of expressing the second person singular: vos. I had heard of this before coming to Costa Rica, because I have an Argentine friend who uses it, but never knew how to conjugate it. (to be honest, I'm still confused about that). I asked my host mom this morning, and she told me that vos is used for someone you have a very close relationship with. 3. Observations about Tico-CultureStop signs are relative and gringos get cat-called (I'm safe--don't worry). Also, there's a wide range of opinions about COVID and vaccinations here, just like in the States (once again, safe--don't worry! 😂❤️). 4. What Else Am I Learning?Here comes sociologist Savannah: idealism is erasure. I'm doing a project in one of my classes about Costa Rican history from 1850-1940, and learning lots about Costa Rican idealism, especially of country life during that time. Lots of artists depicted life en el campo as a romanticized, noble struggle, and effectively erased the true needs and hardships of those people. I'm learning that this applies to other areas of life too! Here's a little excerpt from a poem I wrote on the bus ride to Monte Verde, about how idealism can keep us from gratitude of the present: Throw your idealism away, it's erasure of all that is good right now. Catch your thoughts before they catch you by the wrist, pull you aside, and whisper sweet nothings with fingers crossed behind the back. You can keep yourself from being robbed from your own mind. Stay alert. Breathe deeply. What is here? 5. Want to Pray For Me?I would love if you would pray for me; if you would pray for continued confidence in Christ and for a balance between work, fun, and rest. I'd also really love to pray for you! Feel free to text me or comment if you have any prayer requests this week. It would make me so happy to hear from you. 🙂 Thanks so much for checking in with me this week!
¡Hasta luego! Savannah xo Hello all! As of now, I have been in Costa Rica for a week and a half, and I would like to report it as a great success! I am loving life here, class here, and the people here. Each day feels more comfortable, and I am continually reminded of the words of Pat Barrett in his song Life is a Gift: Life is a gift and the Giver is good. I didn't originally plan to come to Costa Rica or to study abroad at all, and yet God in His kindness fashioned this journey for me. I am endlessly grateful and I am making an effort to appreciate the fullness, beauty, and trial in each moment that I hold in this beautiful country. You know the drill...here are my prompts! 1. Three Cool Moments!Classes I remember the summer before my freshman year of college, when all my friends and family wanted to know: "What are you most excited for about college???" Every time I received this question, I smiled and answered sheepishly: "I'm excited to go to class." So I think it's only fitting that I start this post talking about my favorite thing: class. (I know, I know--sue me). I am taking four classes this semester (Advanced Spanish Grammar, Latin American Literature, Peoples and Cultures of Costa Rica, and Missions in Latin American Context) as well as an internship in a Creative Arts Workshop. My semester is different than a normal college semester: the classes are intensives, which means that right now, I'm in Spanish classes Monday-Friday from 8-12. I was incredibly nervous for these classes, because they're completely in Spanish. However, after the first week of classes, I feel much more comfortable. My professors are gracious and my classmates are patient with me. The homework is tedious but bearable. Furthermore, my Advanced Spanish Grammar class has covered lots of topics such as phonology, morphology, and syntax--all of which I learned in my linguistics classes at Gordon! It's been incredibly fun and interesting to relearn these topics in a different language. An Unexpected Gift When I left home, I knew it was going to be agonizing to leave my piano. I've spent hours this summer practicing for worship band, learning Deux Arabesque, and working on my improvisation skills. Playing the piano for me is a stress-relief, an act of worship, an area with measurable growth (which my achievement-oriented self enjoys), a creative outlet, a fun activity, and everything in between. In place of a piano, sometimes a guitar or ukulele will do, but I'm not as proficient in either of those, and decided that it would be too much of a hassle to bring either. So when I left home, I left with some sheet music just in case I came across a piano, but mostly I left with the resignation that I wouldn't be able to play for a few months. But then, lo and behold, gift of all gifts! Our class center has a piano in it! As soon as I saw it, I asked the workers at the church if I could play it during our class breaks, and they graciously granted me permission. It's been an extra blessing to play after a tough class and to play and sing duets with my fellow musical classmates. To me, this is just another example of the gifts God has given me--not because I needed or deserved it, but just because He's good to me. Uno, Dos, Tres...Cinco, Seis, Siete A few days ago, our program director offered us an opportunity too good to pass up...dance classes! When I heard this, my first thought was of my roommate and one of her favorite movies, Dance With Me. I thought of all our late-night going-crazy study-break dance sessions and our subsequent laments that we may never learn how to Latin dance. So in that moment, when they told us "dance classes on Thursday at 5!" I knew: I had to do this for her (and for myself too, of course). So I did! I went with 3 other students in my program to the class, just a quick bus ride away. The class was an hour and a half long, and we learned some basic moves. In total it was the four of us, two Ticas, and the teacher. The funniest part about it was that we, the gringos (a Spanish term for white people or tourists), picked up the moves faster than the ticas! Though the steps we learned were basic, it was fun to dance together, and I will definitely be going back. 2. What I'm Learning in Spanish...As I mentioned before, I've been reviewing several areas of study in linguistics and how they are realized in Spanish. For example--for my linguistics friends--we've been studying morphemes (called morfemas in Spanish) and analyzing whether they are free, bound, lexical, derivational, inflectional, etc. For me, the hardest thing to grasp has been analyzing gender morphemes, and when they're considered separate from the root. I've included an example below: note: please be gracious with any mistakes. It's been awhile since I've taken morphology. nieto - grandson = one free morpheme bisnieto - great-grandson = three morphemes (bis- derivational prefix, niet bound root, o inflectional suffix) bisnietito - great-grandson (diminutive and affectionate) = three morphemes (bis- derivational prefix, niet bound root, -ito derivational suffix) We spent an inordinate amount of time in class, arguing over whether or not "nieto" is one morpheme if "-o" is considered a separate morpheme in "bisnieto", and why "-o" is a part of the suffix "-ito" and not considered separate there either. My professor explained that "nieto" is one morpheme because it has complete significance, but "bisnieto" is three because it is a complex word, already being divided into morphemes. To be honest, I'm still a bit confused about why the line is drawn where it is, but I'm choosing to go with it. After all, at the end of the day, isn't that what linguistics is? Some wiggly lines and a good argument or two about what means what and why? 😜 3. Observations about Tico CultureThis week, I have noticed the pride that Costa Ricans (ticos) have in their culture and in their heritage. This Wednesday is Costa Rica's Day of Independence (Día de la Independencia) and it's especially significant because this year marks 200 years of independence from colonial rule. The ticos around me have been talking about this day a lot, and my host mom has proudly showed me videos of ceremonies with their national anthem and the unfurling of a bandera national (national flag). Additionally, I have heard the anthem sung by kids in their schools while I am in class next door. Unfortunately, a lot of the normal ceremonies aren't possible this year because of COVID. However, I expect there will be lots of virtual ceremonies and lots of little fiestas around the city. 4. What Else Am I Learning?As I often say, thanks to a Melissa Helser sermon somewhere out there "true confidence is rooted in humility". The inability to communicate perfectly or even well in Spanish is forcing me down to a new level of humility, and therefore a new level of confidence. I'm learning to be comfortable in imperfection--because currently that's my only option! I know this linguistic lesson has the power to carry over into other areas of my life. 5. Want to Pray for Me?If you are a person who prays, I would love if you would pray for me! And if you already have been, thank you so much! Here are my requests this upcoming week...
Thanks so much for checking in with me this week!
¡Hasta luego! Savannah xo Hola todos. :) I am writing this post from my house in Desamparados, Costa Rica. That's right--I made it here and the journey has begun! I arrived on Wednesday and have spent the past few days in orientation with the other students in my program, eating meals with my host family, trying REALLY HARD to speak and understand Spanish, exploring the surrounding areas, and sleeping a lot. As planned, I have some prompts to help me collect my thoughts and write a post. These prompts are just a guideline, so in the future I will probably only answer the ones that feel especially pertinent, or I may discuss something not included in one of the prompts! However, as promised, I will answer them below! 1. Three Cool Moments!I'm not sure where to start! The past few days have been full of things to remember. One of the first that comes to mind was watching Costa Rica in the World Cup qualifiers with my host mom. She explained to me how important fútbol is in Costa Rican culture and pointed out which team and national anthem was Costa Rica's. Although Costa Rica's team tied, it was exciting to be welcomed into fútbol culture. Saturday as a whole was a memorable moment. The students in my program and I were split into two groups to compete in a great scavenger hunt around San José. We had to practice taking the bus without our program directors, asking for directions, and learning the importance of looking both ways in a country where the pedestrian does NOT have the right of way. There were so many friendly ticos (Costa Rican slang for its people) who graciously gave us directions, repeated them when we didn't understand, and at times walked with us to make sure that we knew where we were going. In total, this scavenger hunt took 3 hours and we walked through parks, markets, cafés, and historical sites. An added bonus to this trip? My team won. 😉 While writing this, another moment came to mind which I didn't expect to be memorable: my Spanish "placement test." Our first full day, we walked to the church where we'll be taking classes. There, we met our professors and each had to take a Spanish test. First, we were to write a short essay using as many grammatical tenses as we could. After, the professors interviewed us individually, asking us questions about our essay as well as giving us a poem to read and checking our reading comprehension. This "placement test" was not enacted for the purpose of measuring our skills and determining if we were more or less advanced (although I can tell you for certain that if it was, I would be in the "less advanced" category!). Instead, it was to measure our strengths and weaknesses and to determine which class group we will be put into. I was incredibly nervous for this test! However, the professor's patience with me made it bearable and in the end, it was an excellent opportunity to grow more comfortable and confident in speaking, listening, and making mistakes. 2. What I'm Learning in Spanish...This may sound defeatist, but the biggest thing that I'm learning in Spanish is how much I have to learn in Spanish! Over a year and a half has passed since I took a Spanish class. Furthermore, I don't have tons of experience in regular Spanish conversation or in immersion. Right now, I'm understanding anywhere from 20%-90% of what I'm hearing. At times, I can understand a lot and speak well. Other times, I am completely lost. I'm learning to have grace with myself and accept it from other people. For the sake of actually sharing what I'm learning in Spanish: I'm keeping a small notebook with new vocabulary words. Some of the new words and phrases I'm learning are...
3. What I've Observed About Costa RicaBefore I answer this question, I want to clarify that any of my observations of Costa Rican culture are from my experience. Therefore, they may be generalizations that apply to the majority of people here, or they may be experiences particular to my host family that currently seem cultural but may not be. Therefore, please proceed reading with caution and without assuming that I know what I'm talking about. Okay? Okay. 😂 I have LOVED the way food is done here. Every day, I'm eating a myriad of new fruits. I was worried about the food, because I worried that I would only be eating rice and beans, but I'm eating that and so much more! I have had fish, chicken, rice, beans, plantains, sausage, toast, ice cream, and so much fruit. My favorite part about all of this? The majority of what I've been eating is sustainable and grown within the country. Also on the topic of food, I've learned that to some ticos, food is a love language. My program director joked with us that cooking is our host mom's primary love language with us, and so far it has proved true. My host mom is always trying to give me more food and drink, and I know that it's her way of caring for me! 4. Other Things I'm LearningMy biggest lesson is as I mentioned earlier: learning how to give myself grace and have patience with myself. I don't say this to complain, draw attention, or for pity, but my level of speaking and understanding Spanish is likely the lowest in my group. This is humbling and through it, I'm learning that it's okay to be confused, it's okay to ask for help, and it's okay that growth takes time. 5. What I Miss About HomeI miss my chiropractor! With all the traveling, my shoulders have been very sore the past few days. I'm making sure to stretch and rest them, but I can't help but wish my chiropractor was here with me. 6. How You Can Pray for MeI would be so so thankful if you prayed for me! I start classes on Monday, and my classes are all completely in Spanish. Please pray for peace and patience for me and for my professors and classmates! Also, I'm going to have to work really hard, so pray for a healthy balance of work and rest. Other than that, please pray that my trust in God would grow even stronger and that I would be open to His leading and shaping of me during this adventure! Thank you so much! Thanks so much for checking in with me this week!
¡Hasta luego! Savannah xo Hello all! Gracias por acompañarme. I cannot believe how soon I am leaving! At the time of writing this, I have a little over a week left at home before leaving for Costa Rica. Wild! A little information about my travels: I am leaving from Logan on the 1st. My flight is around 6am, so it's going to be an early morning for me! Then, I have a connection flight, in which I'll meet up with the others in my program (except for one or two people with different flights!). From there, it's bon voyage to San José! How I'm feeling... Mostly, I'm just excited! I love airports, so I'm not too worried about the flights. That being said, I'm thankful that my actual international flight will not be done solo! Aside from that, I've known since 8th grade that I want to live in a different country--at least once! So I'm thrilled that my future is coalescing with the now. As for the fact that I'll be gone for 3 1/2 months? It's starting to settle in. It's hard to think about all the things (and people!) I'll miss. This week is move-in week for my friends at Gordon, so there are lots of posts about meet-ups with friends, Coffeehouse (my favorite open-mic event!), and movies on the Quad. One of my good friends will be an RA, and another will be a Presidential Fellow. It makes me sad that I won't be there to celebrate with them and support them! Of course, I'll also miss my family and friends at home. I'll miss riveting discussions about grace with my church small-group. I'll miss dinners and movies with my dad and stepmom. I'll miss political discussions with good friends and walks around my neighborhood. I'll miss worship band practice and mid-afternoon coffee runs. All this talk about what I'll miss reminds me of my post outline for Costa Rica! As I mentioned in my last post, I have an outline of prompts to make posting weekly more approachable for a potentially over-stimulated future me! I figured I'd finish this post out by practicing my outline... 1. Three Cool Moments!Obviously I haven't begun my journey yet, but there have already been some experiences for which I am grateful! 1. I'm in a Whatsapp group chat with the other students in the program. It's been exciting to already start connecting and getting to know one another a bit. Additionally, I've been thankful that the chat is entirely in Spanish! I feel this is helping me prepare mentally--plus, it's comforting to realize that I understand more than I expected to. 😅 2. A few weeks ago, I got the information for my host family and internship! I will be living with an older woman whose daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter live next door. As for my internship, I will be working at a Creative Arts Workshop, which involves woodworking, guitar, and painting--all while loving and discipling local community members! I told one of my good friends about this last week, and her jaw dropped. She immediately exclaimed: "Dude, that's YOU!" She's right; I couldn't have imagined a better opportunity! 3. It's been incredible to see everyone's support as they're sending me off! Last Thursday, during my Life Group, we ended our time together in prayer for one another. When it was my turn, they all prayed for my trip. They prayed that I would be safe, that I would grow, and that God would work through me to minister to others there. Amen; I agree! On top of this, tonight we are having a gathering at my home to celebrate and send me off. 2. What I'm Learning in Spanish...I promised myself that this summer, I would crack-down and study intentionally and frequently. While I haven't studied nearly as much as I planned, I have been practicing my Spanish through chats with my Spanish-speaking friends, Duolingo, and How to Spanish Podcast. For the most part, I haven't learned lots of new vocabulary or grammatical structures as much as I've been refreshing my memory. However, I can think of one specific nugget of knowledge! Buckle in, non-linguists. Or maybe better yet, skip this section. 😂 I have often confused instances where I should use the preterite tense versus the perfect tense. In Spanish, these tenses both describe actions that have been completed. However, they can't be used interchangeably! While the preterite tense describes an action completed in the past and STAYING in the past, the perfect tense can be used to show that the completed action still has some influence! For example, while I may use the preterite to say that "yesterday I ate lunch at 12:00" (ayer almorcé al mediodía), I would use the perfect to explain that "I have never eaten duck" (nunca he comido el pato), because the fact that I have never done something is affecting my present--because still I have not done it! Crazy, right? Apparently not all Spanish-speaking countries frequently use the perfect tense, though. So my cool information may yet go unused. 3. What I've Observed About Costa Rica...To be honest, I haven't done very much study in preparation. However, one cool fact that I can offer is that Costa Rica doesn't have a military! Another fun exposure I've had of Costa Rica is through the Down to Earth with Zac Efron episode that took place in Costa Rica. In this episode, Zac and Darin visited Punta Mona, an "off-the-grid permaculture farm and educational retreat center". The little environmentalist within me sang with joy at this sight! Additionally, they visited La Ecovilla--another permaculture community! Lastly, they went ziplining with Terraventuras. I'm not sure that any of these experiences represent my trip in Costa Rica, as I will be living in a more urban area. However, they certainly bore witness to the natural beauty of Costa Rica and the importance of cultivating and appreciating it! 4. What I (Will) Miss About Home.Well, I answered this pretty thoroughly above! Aside from my family and friends, I am desperately going to miss New England fall! Autumn is hands-down my favorite season. Between the leaves changing, the crisp air, the fall flavors and scents, and the sense of new beginnings and increasing coziness--it's magical. When I told my best friend that I'll be missing autumn (specifically Halloween), she gasped and replied: "That's my worst nightmare!" Me too, girl. Me too. 5. What God is Teaching Me.Boy, oh boy. Has He been TEACHING ME! To sum it up, He's been teaching me about grace, trust, and humility. I am a self-described perfectionist, especially in terms of morality and academia. In Costa Rica, all of my classes will be completely in Spanish. My GPA will likely take a hit. I don't want to care about this, but it's tough for me not to! Between this and daily communication in Spanish (which I speak at just an intermediate level), God has already begun His gentle humbling work. He's reminded me that His grace covers all my shortcomings--linguistic or not! The other main lesson I expect Him to teach me is regarding trust. I am going to a foreign country where I've never been, living with people I have never met, and immersed in a language that I'm not yet proficient in. While I'm not as nervous as most might be (because I'm fairly comfortable traveling and with new people), there are going to be hard moments. It's going to be challenging to remember to rely on God first and foremost. 6. How You Can Pray for Me!I would LOVE if you would pray for me! This week, please keep all the logistics in your prayers! Pray for me as I pack. Pray that I don't forget anything! And pray for ease of travel. Thank you again SO MUCH for joining me on this journey! I love you all! Much love,
Savannah xo |
AdventureI delight in the extraordinary, even when it has to be found within the borders of everyday life. Everyday is filled with adventure, especially when you live with Jesus. I hope that my tales, from average to absurd, can share the humor, delight, care, and playfulness of God. ArchivesCategories |