Culture Trade
This past weekend I had my homestay. It was only two days, one night, but it was absolutely amazing!!!! I left wishing that my homestay was a week longer. I had a typical Costa Rican family, Roxanna the wife, Daniel the husband, and their 16-year-old son Carlos. It was my first time that I was forced to use only Spanish, because the only Spanish they knew was the small bit that Carlos learned in school, which wasn't all that much. It was exhilarating! I was so proud of myself that I was capable of carrying on a meaningful conversation with these people in Spanish. Being with them gave me the "inside scoop" on the average Costa Rican life. To them, the entire neighborhood was family. Neighbors from nearby houses came and went like the house was theirs, and likewise with their houses. Each meal was at a different person's house, with everyone helping make each meal. The neighborhood children all hung out with each other, regardless of age. Even though Carlos, my host "brother" was only 16, he had friends who came over ranging from age 13 to 28. It was a completely new experience for me, but fabulous!! Ticos, what Costa Ricans typically call themselves, are so accepting. They're in general, the nicest people I have ever met. They all took me in as one of them, and were interested in my family, my hometown, the US, my friends, everything about me. Just as I wanted to know everything about them. They took me to "Bella Vista", a local hangout with an absolutely gorgeous pool, and tennis courts, and soccer fields, which was only a 5-minute walk from my school, but I never knew existed, where ticos hang out in their spare time. They taught me Costa Rican slang, and I taught them various words and customs from my home. I was very sad when I was over, but I definitely plan on visiting them in my spare time. I only wish that I had met them sooner, so I could have more time to spend with them. This was an amazing experience, that I will treasure forever!!!
Describe an encounter with someone from your host culture that you feel reflected what you would describe as a meaningful and reciprocal cultural trade. What did you learn about your culture as well as the host culture from this exchange, that you were unaware of before.
I want you to obviously select an experience that would not be part of the stereotypical tourist exchange.
Pictures of your own would be great. Please size them and upload them before you begin to type in text.