 My cousin Robert is posing proudly with his first snowman. He was born in Ecuador and now lives in North Carolina. Below, he's ready for takeoff from the deck in his sled.
Practicing Spanish with my Relatives
¡Hola mis compañeros!
I hope you all had a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year. I’ve really enjoyed my holiday break, although I must say I’m getting sick of the dreary weather and am looking forward to returning to the hot and sunny Costa Rican summer conditions!
 We had a pretty full house for the holidays, as my Grandparents came from the U.P. to visit and my Uncle Jim and Aunt Cory came up from North Carolina with their two sons Robert and Andrew. Cory is Ecuadorian, and I was hoping to be able to practice Spanish with her and my cousins, however they are pretty rusty themselves. Although the boys were born and raised in Ecuador, they’ve lived in North Carolina for about a year and a half, and have, of course, been learning English in the public schools. Andrew spoke a little to me now and then if I prompted him with a Spanish question, but Bobby pretty much refused, and told me he’s forgotten how to respond. Cory really pushes to have them practice Spanish to at least retain some of the language, but the boys would really rather learn English to fit in to their new American environment.
 I had a lot of fun with my little cousins, and we played a lot of board and card games. I built a snow jump for them to hit on sleds, and even the parents got in on the sledding action (believe me, that was a funny sight!). When Christmas morning actually came, Robert and Andrew were amazed by the sheer multitude of presents. It filled me with joy to watch everyone open the gifts I brought for them from Costa Rica, and left me satisfied knowing that they appreciated every last one. I received some key gear for my upcoming adventure plans, including a high quality compass and a set of binoculars, as well as an mp3 player to take all my music with me. I must say though that my favorite present of all was the one my Aunt Cory made for my mother; an album with all of the articles I’ve written for A Student Abroad in full color decorated with a unique set of inspirational messages and quotes. Her gift was so creative and thoughtful, and I can’t express my gratitude to her enough.
It amazes me how fast my break has gone by. This Friday I’ll be presenting to several high school classes about studying abroad, then the following Thursday I’ll be on a plane heading to San José. Although I’m going to miss my friends and family greatly, I think it will be good for me to get away from it all again. I need more time to grow and develop as an adult, and living and studying abroad allows me to do just that while having fun and learning at the same time. Next week will be my last article for A Student Abroad, after which I will be writing a different blog for Tech. I’ll include the web address for the new site in next week’s article.
Until next week, ¡chao!
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