We are now in the, “Let’s Get Prepared” stage of getting ready for our Winter Fly-In to Costa Rica. The more we meet and the more we talk about I get more anxious for that not so fun month of January to get here.
Last week we went out to dinner as a team at El Carbonero in Graham. We did this not only to meet about our project, but to have a taste of what the food will be like when we get to Costa Rica. But don’t worry, this isn’t any old ‘Taco Bell’. Seriously, the food here was delicious. All of us attempted to order our food in Spanish but the only people who could easily do this was Renee and Motley. We spent the rest of our meal talking about our different positions, and what we need to do and learn before we leave in order for us to have a successful project. As the Information Technology lead I am doing to research and decide on a CMS for us as well as learn about what file types we need to have for our pictures and video. I am going to work on a naming system for our files as well as build a foundation in video and photography so I am able to help out the other groups when we are in Costa Rica.
The other major barrier to get over is of course the language difference. While at dinner I tried to pick up on different words or at least make not of hand gestures, thinking I could connect them to the words. I am determined to establish at least a foundation in Spanish that way I am not freaking out while on location. I am trying to figure out when conversation classes fit into my schedule as well as look into different audio books or “Learn While Driving” programs. I figured since I will have to complete a 7 hour drive between Burlington NC, and Ohio 4 different times before we leave, this would be a great opportunity to learn a few things. Everyone in my group is anxious to learn to so now I have some partners in crime so we can learn together.
We also received two assignments that we have to complete before we leave in January. They are a little intimidating, but also really exciting. The first is interviewing someone from the hispanic community in our area not only to learn about the culture but also to become familiar with interacting and speaking to other people. We will be conducting a lot of interviews while in Costa Rica so it is important that we are comfortable with the process. We also have to do a photo story about the hispanic culture as well. This is because we will be forced to take pictures and get in the middle of the environments while in Costa Rica so we also need to be comfortable with taking pictures of others and interacting on a “media” basis as well. Both of these assignments on paper seem very intimidating and almost impossible for me, but I am excited to get out there and try it!
It’s crazy to think that next week is November 1st which gives us 2 months until we leave! Sooo much to do, and very little time!
Audra Macri 