I've spent quite a bit of time the last week with new language students - some of my very favorite people. The current policy is for singles or couples without children to live with national families. This, of course, is great for language learning and adapting to the culture but try to picture how hard it can be. A person has just left "home" - all that is familiar and comfortable where they can communicate easily and have a lifetime of experiences. In about four hours they are transported to a place where the residents speak another language; eat differently; live in smaller houses with more people, etc. This new missionary now becomes part of that large family in the small house. Their bodies aren't used to the new germs and sometimes they get sick. Their nervous systems have never been exposed to so much noise ALL THE TIME. Even the biggest rice fans have never, ever eaten so many of those little white grains in such a short time - for every meal. On and on it goes, and they can't even tell their host family how they feel or what they think - maybe that is a good thing actually!
Because they don't have cars, they must walk, take the bus or a taxi. Costa Rica doesn't have street addresses but "direciones" which read something like this (our address) "Moravia, San Jose, Los Colegios norte, entrada principal, 100 metros norte, 200 oeste, 25 norte, mano derecho, primero porton".
Then there is the problem of getting used to the new money. It's overwhelming to spend 25,000 colones at the grocery store. This is about $50 American but sounds like you just blew your entire year's salary.
This time of year, they can count on the fact that it will rain every afternoon so they never leave the house after lunch without their umbrella. It will most likely be a downpour and they will come home wet from the knees down no matter how big their paragua is. Their shoes will soon smell horrible and their clothes will mildew in the closet.
Finally they begin classes at language school and from the first the instructors speak only Spanish to these poor folk. They get grammar books and workbooks and are given homework that can take up to five hours to complete because they have to look up every word in the dictionary.
Some of the new students have children. These families live in mission-owned homes so that is somewhat easier but they have the stress of getting the children settled in a new school. These kids will make good friends at school but many of those friends will leave after three months and most of the others after six or when these children leave in a year.
All of these language missionaries will attend national churches and leave most Sundays with a headache from concentrating so hard to understand just a few words of the sermon. It is a discipline to maintain good spiritual health.
These are just a few of the stressors language missionaries experience but "vale la pena" - it's worth it. It's not long before these people have national friends they love and almost immediately they bond with their fellow students - misery does love company, you know.
By the end of their time in Costa Rica studying Spanish they know literally thousands of Spanish words and have come soooooooooooooooooo far. They still have a long way to go before all that information that has been stuffed into their brains becomes natural to them in speaking but they are well on their way.
They leave with great memories and so excited about finally getting to their field of service.
It is our pleasure and a great blessing to get to know these fine folk - one of the perks of being a missionary in Costa Rica where the IMB sends their new personnel to learn Spanish.
