Day 29.

Observations:

-Whilst riding on the bus today, I saw a very tall man. As I was getting up to get off, I thought to myself, "Jee golly, he's almost as tall as the roof of the bus itse--" THUNK. I hit my head on the ceiling.
-I saw a fifty-year old man rocking an NSYNC shirt.
-My students are finally getting the hang of typing. There are still a couple who are having difficulties, but mostly that's just because they never come to class. I'm blown away by the progress that is being made though.
-In Costa Rica, all Catholic churches face east.
-San Jose was the third city in the world to have electricity.
-A lot can be learned while watching Costa Rican Who Wants to be a Millionaire?
-For having such an incredibly high literacy rate, almost no one reads in Costa Rica. It's incredibly disheartening. When my tica mom commented on how few clothes I brought, I said, "Well I had to have room for my books!" "Books?!" she retorted, "If I had to bring books, I'd just bring one: the Bible."
-Although my Spanish is holding up quite well, I still can't express myself like I would in English. I can't make jokes, I can't always find the right words...I feel like the girls don't really get to see my character. For that reason, actions and facial expressions are so much more important -- I have to be very careful how I respond to things. It makes me realizes how much we can convey without our vocal chords.
-Yesterday a seven-year-old boy fell into the river in La Carpio and drowned. This last weekend a seventeen-year-old was shot point blank in a bar. Some of the girls I teach knew both boys, and when I asked if many people die in La Carpio, she half-laughed a, "Yah, it seems like every weekend some one dies." For the rest of the community, life goes on. For two of them though, it doesn't.
-I made a movie. Watch it.



-Hannah