It’s interesting what happens when you are placed (or place yourself) into a world completely different from what you’re used to. After a while, your brain starts to make adjustments. The length of time varies for everybody–I have a feeling it has a lot to do with how open-minded a person is and what his or her past experiences include–but eventually, we all adjust. Studies have shown that being totally immersed in a foreign language is the best way to learn it, and although I believed that before I arrived in Costa Rica on Sunday, today I can say that I know it to be true from personal experience. Although…
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All By Myself
So here I am, at this awesome hotel in Turrialba, Costa Rica. Actually, it almost doesn’t even seem like a hotel. It wasn’t, always. It used to be someone’s house. Now it’s a “hotel” with twelve rooms and four suites, one of which Jim and I were given (yay!). I am in heaven, honestly. This is a working trip for Jim, and I tagged along willingly, knowing that I would be left to my own devices. I find that most people either don’t mind spending time alone, or they absolutely hate it. I rather enjoy it, to be honest. It’s not that I don’t like (or prefer) being with others–I…
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No Hablo Español
As I walked around Alajuela, Costa Rica yesterday, my thoughts and feelings were in opposition. On one hand, I was focused on being very, very careful. Being a woman, walking around a strange city all alone and not speaking the language (not to mention the glaring lack of street signs anywhere, plus my lack of a cell phone with International capabilities), I knew I had to be extra careful. I kept my purse tightly under my arm and held onto the straps as an extra measure. When I took my camera out to grab some pictures, I was quick about it and then shoved it deep down into my purse…
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It’s Coming Back To Bite Me.
It just occurred to me this morning that all of those times in high school I used the “late to class” slips I took from the guidance counselor’s office–in my junior year when I spent time assisting in that office–and filled out as officially as possible and handed to my Spanish teacher two or three times each week so that I would be excused from the first half of class and easily get away with spending time with Jim during his lunch period, and my teacher didn’t mind because I had an “A” in the class, and she’d say, “No problem, Mercedes”, which is the name I picked for Spanish…
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Thoroughly Enjoy Illinois!
You may know that I really like taking advantage of all the great things my state has to offer. Even though it’s right in the middle of the country and is totally flat in landscape, Illinois is FUN. You may not know that I wrote a book called Chicken In The Car And The Car Won’t Go: Nearly 200 Ways To Enjoy Chicagoland With Tweens and Teens. (I know: longest title EVER.) I am very proud of this book. I worked really hard on it and in the research stage, my family had a blast checking out all kinds of fun places in the Chicago area. Believe it or not,…