Yesterday was a long day of learning.  Emmanuel Cheverrie Alforo came and talked about the school system in Costa Rica and how it differs from our system in the United States.  The main problems with education here are: families cannot afford to pay for books, children's parents do not encourage them to learn English because when their parents were younger they didn't take English, and it is better to get a job right after high school in order to make more money instead of going to a university.

My host family was very welcoming.  My mama tica showed me around the house, showed me my room, then served me some very tasty chicken and rice.  We talked for a couple hours and I visited with Ashlee and Bardin, since they live in the 2 house right next to me.  We talked, ate dinner, and I tried to understand everything that they were saying.  I found that I understood more Spanish than I thought I would.  Last night, after 4 hours of Spanish classes, I spoke to my host mother with ease.  The one day of classes helped me a lot with my Spanish so it looks like I'll be speaking Spanish even better by the end of this week!