I was supposed to post this yesterday, but got busy and forgot… (see below for today's update!)
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6 days before I leave for Costa Rica. I am nervous and have massive amounts of butterflies in my stomach almost all the time. I woke up yesterday (Sunday) and was like, “OMG this time next week I will be on a plane!” and then I started panicking because I haven’t started packing and have no where close to all the “supplies” (more dresses, travelers checks, hiking shoes, etc..) that I will need. After my brief freak out, I at least brought my suit cases up stairs and started a pile of stuff to pack... I then laid out in the sun because I don’t want to be such a güera when I go there.
I have started saying “goodbye” to people. After the parties last weekend, and the dinner plans and wedding this week/weekend, I will have seen at least majority of my friends and family. I know: it’s not like I won’t be coming back in 5 weeks, but still… It’s going to be hard to say “goodbye” to one person in particular though. Not looking forward to that.
Beyond my nervousness, I am also curious and EXCITED! I wonder about a lot of things. I wonder how I will get to school the first day!? And if I will get robbed! (I have heard horror stories.) I wonder how long my money will last me! Anyone who knows me knows that if I get $10, I some how manage to spend $11. And conserving money for 5 weeks! Yeah right. This will be a true test. I wonder if Mami’s cooking is as good as she says it is, and if there will be AC in the house! I wonder if I will be the oldest person in the program since I’m not exactly “college age”… I wonder about the nightlife and how much my Spanish will improve. I wonder about the people I will meet and the places I will see. I wonder if having so much rain and humidity will ruin my camera!! I hope not! I wonder about the bugs and the other student that is staying in the house! I hope we get along! I wonder how long it will take before I start dreaming in Spanish. That’s always funny to me. I speak so much better in my dreams! :)
Anyway, I am freaking out a little bit about how much my life is changing but I have worked hard for this opportunity and I know everything will work out and be absolutely AMAZING. There are lots of things to wrap up at work, and lots packing to do; I also still have to finalize my classes- they keep switching! But all in all, this thing is certainly rolling, and a week from today I will be sitting in my first class in Costa Rica.
I promise I will update you as much as I can and post a lot of pictures! I am going to miss everyone so much. :)
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Since yesterday, some progress has been made with packing… I have already filled one suit case with clothes and am getting scared for how much it is going to cost me to check all my bags, because I need probably a whole ‘nother one for shoes and toiletries. Think about it, what would you bring if you were leaving for 5 weeks?! EVERYTHING! I also spent about 2 hours at the book store last night finding the perfect Spanish dictionaries and Costa Rica travel books. I am going to bring Mami a book of Chicago as well as some Cubs stuff as a thank you present for taking me in. I hope she likes it!!
5 days to go. I feel like this: lkadlkfaklj!!!! I am getting more and more excited. I know these next few days are going to fly by.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Hasta la vista
I cant say that I made the sanest decision by quitting my job and heading off to Costa Rica, but it certainly feels right. At least being not the sanest person does have its fun moments.
After much soul searching, I came to the conclusion that Marketing is not for me. I appreciate the opportunities I have had and the people I have met on my career path, but I am destined for something else. I decided that my career ambition is to be a Spanish teacher and to do that, a few changes needed to be made. First, I needed to find a school that would take a non-education backgrounded person and make me and education backgrounded person with out making me get another bachelors, so Hello Masters of Art in Teaching program at National Lewis University. Next I had to take a boat-load of tests: Basic Skills, Spanish Content Area, Miller Analogies Test, and a Spanish proficiency exam (coming up in August). Finally, I needed to make up 7 Spanish credits because I was short the needed 32 for the program. I searched high and low to find (eh-hem) higher level Spanish courses in IL to no avail. So I finally found the study abroad program (http://www.amerispan.com/) in San Jose, Costa Rica for 5 weeks and it fit my needs perfectly. I leave July 5th and will return Aug 9th.
I will be staying with a family: a very sweet woman who calls herself "Mami" and says that she has a big house and all the "chicas" that stay at her house think she is a good cook, and her husband, I presume "Papi". They have adult children who are married with children of their own. I think its so sweet that instead of being lonely in their empty nest, they take in struggling Spanish speakers, like myself, and let us live with them. :) There will be one other girl there while I am there and we each get our own bedrooms. I will be taking 2 courses: one Spanish course in the AM and one Spanish elective in the PM. To get into these courses, I had to take a placement exam that I ended up having to take about 4 times because of random technical and mental ;) difficulties. I thought fate was putting me in check, in a "why would you ever think that quitting your job and going to Costa Rica is a good idea" type of way, but in the end, it is all working out.
I am very lucky that Pepper is allowing me to "have my job back" when I get back to the states, and I am lucky that I have the amazing support of my friends, family, co-workers and Joe. So I am really doing it. I have the rest of my life to save for my retirement, right? Thanks 401K!
Still though, I have moments where I wonder if I am crazy. I think I will just embrace it because damn, I quit my job and am going to Costa Rica for 5 weeks. I am living la vida loca, and will be living the vida de Costa Rica!
Thanks for following me on my trip. I hope I entertain you with my adventures! :) 12 days till I leave!
After much soul searching, I came to the conclusion that Marketing is not for me. I appreciate the opportunities I have had and the people I have met on my career path, but I am destined for something else. I decided that my career ambition is to be a Spanish teacher and to do that, a few changes needed to be made. First, I needed to find a school that would take a non-education backgrounded person and make me and education backgrounded person with out making me get another bachelors, so Hello Masters of Art in Teaching program at National Lewis University. Next I had to take a boat-load of tests: Basic Skills, Spanish Content Area, Miller Analogies Test, and a Spanish proficiency exam (coming up in August). Finally, I needed to make up 7 Spanish credits because I was short the needed 32 for the program. I searched high and low to find (eh-hem) higher level Spanish courses in IL to no avail. So I finally found the study abroad program (http://www.amerispan.com/) in San Jose, Costa Rica for 5 weeks and it fit my needs perfectly. I leave July 5th and will return Aug 9th.
I will be staying with a family: a very sweet woman who calls herself "Mami" and says that she has a big house and all the "chicas" that stay at her house think she is a good cook, and her husband, I presume "Papi". They have adult children who are married with children of their own. I think its so sweet that instead of being lonely in their empty nest, they take in struggling Spanish speakers, like myself, and let us live with them. :) There will be one other girl there while I am there and we each get our own bedrooms. I will be taking 2 courses: one Spanish course in the AM and one Spanish elective in the PM. To get into these courses, I had to take a placement exam that I ended up having to take about 4 times because of random technical and mental ;) difficulties. I thought fate was putting me in check, in a "why would you ever think that quitting your job and going to Costa Rica is a good idea" type of way, but in the end, it is all working out.
I am very lucky that Pepper is allowing me to "have my job back" when I get back to the states, and I am lucky that I have the amazing support of my friends, family, co-workers and Joe. So I am really doing it. I have the rest of my life to save for my retirement, right? Thanks 401K!
Still though, I have moments where I wonder if I am crazy. I think I will just embrace it because damn, I quit my job and am going to Costa Rica for 5 weeks. I am living la vida loca, and will be living the vida de Costa Rica!
Thanks for following me on my trip. I hope I entertain you with my adventures! :) 12 days till I leave!
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