living with a costa rican family

living with a family here has made me realize how spoiled rotten we are in america. we always need the newest toys, the best of the best. i feel like it's much different here and life is simple. speaking from what i've seen and the family i am living with, they don't have any major luxuries--no computer, no dishwasher, no dryer. their entertainment is one 20 inch television and a stereo in the living room....no 40 inch flat screen with dvr, surround sound, etc. being here has made me sit back and kind of enjoy things a little more. i spend many afternoons sitting reading a book or writing in my journal on the porch or in a local park.
the family i am living with, as it appears is the case with many others, do not have a car and they rely on public transportation to get around. the father, jose, has a bike that he rides to and from work each day. he works as some kind of laborer. i'm not sure if it's landscaping or road work or what it is but he is out of the house before 7am, comes home for lunch then is home for the day around 5pm. the mother, maria, stays at home and takes care of everyone. she is a wonderful cook and makes quite a delicious variety of food for us. there was 2 of us volunteers living there and a 3rd student from switzerland here learning spanish, however amrita returned to the u.s. so it's just manuel and myself living with them. the fact of the matter is that we are spoiled! breakfast is on the table waiting when we wake up in the morning and our lunches are packed for us to take with us for the day. while we are gone, maria tidys up our room and makes our beds, changes the sheets and does laundry. sometimes in the afternoon she'll make us a snack and then we have a nice dinner around 7pm. i can't quite figure out their family structure though. generally people say that costa rica is very family-oriented but often times not everyone sits at the table or eats at the same time. especially when there were 3 of us "extras" here, the dad would never eat dinner with us at the table. one daughter (carolina) works a 3-11pm shift so she is never home for dinner but the other (fernanda) sometimes skips out on family dinner as well. it's kind of bizarre... but i am enjoying living with them. i think it definately adds a lot more to the whole experience of being in a different country.


my bedroom
the house...our 2 bedrooms and the bathroom are off the living room then the family's 2 bedrooms are off the kitchen (in the back behind the half wall)
kids!
and more kids!
new volunteer friends, adam and kristy!