¡Kelly goes Costarazy!

My host family is great! I live with Yorlene Viquez and Sandro Sanchez and their five kids.  Gabriel is still just a baby boy and everyone calls him “Gordo” which would be translated as something like fatso but it is a term of endearment.  Maria Emilia or “Mili” is about to turn 2 years old and is adorable. She wanders around with her bottle or baby stroller all day and hardly pays attention to me when I try to play with her. She already knows what she wants and is very independent.  Sofia is 5 years old and quite a handful! She is so sweet and a bundle of fun. She’s always trying to climb me so I gently remind her “No soy arbol,” “I’m not a tree.” She just thinks that’s funny, tells me I am a tree and continues to climb! She’s very affectionate and loves to hug/climb on me.  Fabiana is 7 years old and is very self assure.  She will sit me down and tell me a story with the first things that come to her head. Both Fabi and Sofi love the Disney Channel games, Jonas Brothers and  Hannah Montanna. My first week of school each night I came home they would both want to dance with me, Fabi showing me which steps I should do and how I should pose.  Daniella is 17 years old and hardly ever talks to me. She just graduated from high school and has had to take all these government tests AFTER graduating just like all other high school grads in Costa Rica. Most the time she is in her room watching tv or studying. I’m hoping to get to know her better now that her tests are all done (she just finished today) but we’ll see. I’m like the 20th student this family has had and I think the novelty of someone from a foreign country has really worn off. Plus her boyfriend who also works for her dad is always around so I think she’s pretty busy.  Yorlene makes amazing food and lent me her jewelry and purse when I went to the Teatro Nacional for a cuban guitar concert.  She is always busy with something (she has 5 kids!) and doesn’t have much time to converse with me. Sandro plays the guitar and watches latinoamerican idol with me clueing me in on who he thinks is the best.

My primary Spanish teachers are Fabi and Sofi who never tire of playing with me. I’m so thankful for them because they are adorable, fun and explode Spanish at me all the time.  I love them, but after 2 months or so with them I am very glad that sometimes I have the excuse to retreat to my room to do homework. Speaking of which, I have been helping Fabi with her English homework which is great fun. I love hearing English with a Spanish accent and hearing the word ‘called’ pronounced ‘cayed’ when read for the first time. It’s fun to have a taste of what my mom does everyday!

I’ll post some more pictures of them later.