Much More Than Words

I was asked a lot, why Costa Rica? Why not courses at a community college or Rosetta Stone? My choice to go to Costa Rica was from the wise council of many who told me that immersion is the best way to learn. I have begun to see why that is true. One of the most exciting and sometimes difficult parts of learning another language is also learning the culture. Language is tied to the culture that it supports, so to know the culture is to know the language. Ticos are vibrant people who are very expressive with a welcoming spirit and peaceful attitude. This is one of the many reasons why Costa Rica is great to learn spanish. Spending time out in the country and surrounded by the people is very helpful in the process. A difficult obstacle that I am trying to overcome, is the difference in thought pattern. Substituting Spanish for english words is wrong, but learning to form sentences the way a native speaker would. Thus, this weeks spanish lesson. "De hoy en ocho" is the phrase used for "in 1 week." Here in latin america you count the current day and then include the days to come when communicating the days to come. If you know me at all I am easily fascinated by the littlest of things, these nuances of culture and language FASCINATE me. Next time I will try and be a bit more prompt with the week's spanish lessons on Fridays. Thanks for reading and all your prayers, they help so much!!