Aero: Brianna Cardina – Costa Rica 2016 – Life at Home
Creative Commons Image via The LEAF Project
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Life at home was the same, yet different. We all ate food together, chatted with each other about our days, and went to bed at decent times. But we had new foods, a language barrier, and an earlier bed time.
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Brianna Cardina
In the mornings, we were waken up at 6 AM or earlier… by the chirping bird, or by the family waking up, or by both. It was pretty refreshing, waking up so early. By 7:30 we were already eating breakfast. Our breakfast was usually rice and beans, with some scrambled eggs, and another side – usually a cooked meat or so. We were always offered coffee, and if we didn’t have the coffee, we always had fruit juice with our meal. Our host family didn’t eat with us. It was just us four exchange students. We’d usually chat about the day before and what was to come next on our trip! The mornings really were nice. Waking up early and chatting with family and friends is something I normally don’t do, so it was refreshing to do so over the two weeks we were abroad. There was a lot that was different. In the USA, everybody’s keen on being on time. In Costa Rica, there’s usually no rush to get things done. At home, my parents usually hang out at home after work. We never really bothered to do too many family things in our down time, or do anything with our neighbors. But in Costa Rica, almost every night our host family sat outside their house to have a nice chat – with the neighbors and friends who’d stop by! I found that to be really pleasant.
It was interesting to see how family worked in Costa Rica. Everyone is so close to one another. Pablo (Our host father) was always showing us kindness. He also showed it to his mother and daughter, whom we lived with. His mother always showed it back (Our host grandmother) and was kind to us students too. They always gave us hugs, randomly throughout the day – which I found quite nice! We would also get friendly pats on our backs, or a family member would rest their hand on my arm as we talked. That I found odd, but it was just as comforting as a hug. I definitely love how the families showed their affection and concern for one another. It made everyone feel closer. It also shows how my own family tends to keep to themselves more. Which isn’t a bad thing, it just appears that us Americans like more personal space, I think.
Brianna Cardina
LEAF Contributor
ML@FLCC: Costa Rica 2016
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