Monday, February 2, 2009

It is truly a humbling experience to be in a foreign country unknowing of the culture, language, and customs. I have to listen intently to even the simplest of conversations and I copy what I see local Ticans do all of the time. I am completely at the will of others most of the time. Although, this is frightening it has truly given me a new insight on the world around me. It's crazy to think on day four I have already gathered a new understanding of everything. I have been removed from my nice, comfortable life in America where I attend a private university, have a loving family and friends constantly around me, drive my own car, own my own laptop,bathe in warm water and talk nonstop. Here my family does not own a car, all 6 of us living in the house share one bathroom (located in the middle of the kitchen, in the center of the house), there isn't internet nor hot water, and the electricity isn't the best. Even with all of that, they are the most welcoming people I am sure to ever meet. They offer the best of what they have to me and are constantly patient in my speaking Spanish while taking genuine inerest in my life back home in North Carolina and here in San Pedro. I have tears in my eyes just thinking about all that we, myslef included, take for granted in America. I can only pray that upon my return to the United States, I carry with me the gratitude and sincerity of the people I have come in contact with here.
With this sudden drop in a completely different culture, I also have seen such a greater need for me to teach, English as a Second Language, in America. I can't imagine how a young child feels having to go to a new school, with different people, and constantly being looked down upon having currenly experienced a similar situation. I know these children have such potential; they just need a little patience and exra care.

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