la graduación mía

Today was a bittersweet day, as I graduated from Intercultura today. Only I would be sad to finish school. Mónica told me today that I'm "verde," which means that I'm a "nerd." I was a little caught off guard but then she explained that calling someone a "nerd" in Latin America is a compliment; basically the same as being very smart.

Traditionally after all the graduates have been presented their diplomas and spoken their palabras (words/ speeches), the whole school celebrates by eating all sorts of tropical fruits; however, today was a little different. Because of the change in weather (it's now "cold") we had pound cake and hot chocolate. ¡Que rico!

Below I have posted a video of my graduation and my little speech. It may help to turn up the volume to hear what's being said. (Oh, by the way, it's all in Spanish, and this video does not come with subtitles.) But you can get the general idea. Mónica was my first teacher when I arrived at Intercultura 7 weeks ago, and she ended up being my last professor this week, so she spoke about "how much I had progressed since she first had me in class." ¡Gracias, Profesora!

After we were all enjoying our cake and hot chocolate, an older woman, who I assumed was a professor from the U.S., came over and complimented me on how well I spoke. She wanted to know how long I had studied Spanish in the United States. (7 & 1/2 years) After conversing with her for a while, in Spanish of course, I found out that she was actually not a professor, but is currently studying at Intercultura. I was taken aback by how impressed she seemed to be.

I don't regret for a moment my decision to study 2 extra weeks after Flagler left Costa Rica. I know I still don't speak perfectly, but just as Mónica said, I have progressed since I first started at Intercultura. (For the first several weeks, I didn't voluntarily speak in class, and I hated to talk in front of the rest of my classmates at Flagler, but for the past few weeks, I have been quite talkative in my classes!)  I had learned a TON from my classes in high school and at Flagler, but the immersion into the Spanish language has really reinforced all that I have learned.

Now I am ready for my next task: heading to San Ramón on Sunday with my church from home for mission work. And after that, I will further get to practice all I have learned as I begin my internship in a Spanish class at Nease High School in St. Augustine!

Profesora Mónica y Yo