Reflection (6/18-6/21)


6/18 to 6/21

At this point, the thing on everyone's mind is returning to the U.S. It's right around the corner and many of us are ready to see our families. While I share this sentiment, part of me wants to keep eating the food, seeing the sites, and meeting the people. But above all, the most difficult aspect of leaving is abandoning the rapid learning process. My Spanish has improved so much and it feels amazing. At this point, I would feel comfortable writing and reading literature in a fairly formal fashion. However, listening and speaking is still difficult. I can understand my professors and respond somewhat clearly, but in reality, Spanish speakers talk at a much faster pace and use many idioms/phrases that I do not yet understand. For these reasons, I have seriously considered joining the Spanish club at UNH and taking another class or two. I just feel that I have come too far and I am not ready to move on. 

Monday (6/18) I enjoyed my final "Micro Gira" or mini excursion in my tropical ecology class. We traveled to a small forest to complete a study and examine types of trees. We laid out transects and recorded various aspects of the ecosystem. Afterward, our professor showed us the parts of the forest that were natural and artificial and explained the ecological differences. Though this was a small scale study, the differences between these two types of forests are fundamental to forestry every where. So of course, I found this really interesting. After my Spanish class in the afternoon, I went to the library to teach another English class. Unfortunately my students could not attend, so I joined the others for general English conversation. While it is simple, conversational learning is maybe the best way to develop language skills. Several of the more advanced Spanish classes at the Institute use the same method. Our class at the library was very productive and full of interesting topics. 

Tuesday, I decided to go for a run early in the morning and worked on assignments after. Later, I went to the Institute to work on an assignment with my friend and went to the gym after. Wednesday, I did pretty much the same thing, but instead of doing assignments, I had class. I also had yoga, which was nice. Last week we did not have yoga because our instructor was sick. Next week, I will run to Heredia and back, which is local town that is approximately three miles away. Lately I have only been running four miles and I used to run seven regularly, so I have been trying to increase my distance. Though, Costa Rica is very hilly and the air can be difficult to breathe when running.

Today, Thursday, I did not exercise, but I worked very hard on assignments and gave my final presentation in my Spanish class. I discussed the entirety of my experience in Costa Rica. Fortunately, like last time, I made very few mistakes and my professor enjoyed the presentation. I had fun with the assignment, but it was somewhat saddening to realize that this wonderful experience is coming to an end. In these cases, I like to reflect and remind myself of the great memories I made along the way. I will do my absolute best to enjoy the next nine days as much as I can. 

Thank you for reading.

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